10. Zeph
I did not missthis place.
The food.
The lounging crows.
The general aura of misery.
In a week, this place would be the definition of hell, brimming with students all eager to continue their studies.
I envied them.
My entire life had been determined before my birth, my duty to a family I’d grown to loathe. Anything and everything Malik Nacht told me to do, I did.
Including taking a job as a headmaster at the Academy when I had no interest or desire to teach.
I took a sip of my coffee, enjoying the way it scalded my mouth and throat on the way down. Pain made me feel alive. Unlike my current surroundings.
Aflora sat across from me, a pout on her full lips as she eyed the contents of our trays. I’d selected an array of my favorites for her to try, yet she didn’t seem keen on any of them.
Impossible female.
She didn’t belong here any more than I did.
I set my mug down and folded my arms on the table, leaning toward her. “Want a magic lesson?”
We hadn’t spoken much during the tour. Mostly just me gesturing at buildings and telling her what courses were held where, as well as pointing out the various residential units. She remained studiously quiet the whole time, probably because she didn’t plan to stay here long.
Given what I witnessed inside AcaWard earlier, she’d be here a lot longer than she anticipated. Because Shade clearly possessed a hold over her psyche, something that suggested their blood bond was a lot stronger than it should be.
Which meant their powers were going to grow together.
And that would very likely lead to their deaths.
A disappointing thought, but realistic.
“What kind of lesson?” Aflora asked, referring to my query.
“Well, as you don’t seem keen on the food here, I’ll teach you an easy spell for acquiring alternatives.” And in turn demonstrate why she needed to change her attitude about our sustenance offerings.
Acquisition spells required energy.
Something that would become quite evident to her in a matter of minutes.
I pulled out my wand and set it on the table. “As I mentioned earlier, wands are not the source of magic. We merely use them to help focus the energy. I’ll give you an example.” We had an entire table to work with, the other twenty chairs around it empty, therefore providing me with the room to exaggerate this lesson a little. “The spell for creating something edible is Tareero Tamida and then the item.”
Pretty simple, really. But her expression told me she didn’t agree.
“So I just say the two words and the food I want, then it pops up.”
“Well, you need to put some magic behind it. But yes, that’s the general idea.”
She frowned at me. “And I use the wand?”
“It’s not required, no. As I said, a wand focuses our magic.” Her creasing forehead told me she wasn’t following. “Here. I’ll provide an example. Give me a food item you’re craving.”
“Uh, I don’t know. A sandwich?”
Now I was the one frowning. “You have a sandwich.” I pointed to the ham and cheese melt on her plate.
“That’s not a sandwich.”
“It’s definitely a sandwich.”
“This has bread and meat and cheese. A sandwich is leafy greens baked to perfection with yammock filling, berries, and sometimes a sliver of hartmint, if you’re feeling gluttonous.”
Right. I didn’t know what any of those things were. “How about another loaf instead?” That I at least knew how to make as I’d eaten one before.
Her lips twisted as she shrugged. “Sure. That works. Can you make a coldberry loaf?”
“There are different types of loaves?”
After studying me for a long moment, she said, “A shroom loaf is fine.”
Good because that was the only one I knew how to make. Rather than waste time on explaining the plan again, I just performed the spell. “Tareero Tamida loaf.”
One the size of her entire plate appeared, causing her eyes to widen.
“That’s huge,” she gasped out.
“Yeah. Because I didn’t control the size with my wand.” Not exactly true. Children could perform this kind of magic in their sleep and still make an appropriate loaf, but I wanted to exaggerate the results for teaching purposes.
Hey, look at me living up to my headmaster role, I thought sourly.
Wouldn’t King Malik be so proud?
Arrogant fuck.
Clearing my throat, I pushed the negative thoughts away and refocused. “Using the conduit, you can control the magical outcome.” I picked up my wand and performed the spell again, this time creating a perfectly proportioned loaf. Then I muttered a cleanup spell that dissolved all the food on the table—including the items we’d picked up from the chef—and said, “You try.”
She considered for a moment, then nodded. “All right.” Taking her wand out of her cloak, she gave it a little wave while saying, “Tareero Tamida sandwich.”
Nothing.
Not even a twitch of magic.
I leaned back in my chair and watched as she tried again.
And again.
And again.
All without any kind of result or a single hint of feeling.
After her tenth go at it, she huffed, “This isn’t working.”
“Clearly.”
She stared at me, waiting.
If she expected me to give her more directions, then she had another think coming. I already explained how the process worked. If she couldn’t figure out how to apply it, that was on her, not me. Besides, I shouldn’t even be here.
“Is my wand broken?” she asked, holding out the magical conduit.
I didn’t even look at it. “No.” Because it’s not about the wand, I added to myself. She needed to figure that out on her own. Magic came from the blood. I couldn’t really help her find the link. She needed to do that herself.
“Well, that’s helpful,” she muttered, putting away her wand. “Could you at least explain how I make it work?” she asked slowly as if speaking to an idiot.
I answered her in the same tone with, “You access your magic.”
“Right. How?”
“How do you call on your earth essence?” I countered.
“It’s a natural connection through my soul.”
“Then there you go,” I replied. “Class dismissed.”
She pointed to the collar at her neck. “I think you’re forgetting this.”
“You’re letting a necklace hold you back? How disappointing.” It only blocked her earth magic, not her access to the dark arts. I could admit that out loud, but that would belittle this exercise.
“Holding me back?” she repeated. “It cut me off from my gifts!”
“And?”
She gaped at me. “Wow. You are the worst teacher I’ve ever met.”
“It’s my first year,” I offered in explanation. “And I technically haven’t started yet.”
“Well, you’re off to a horrible start,” she muttered.
I lifted a shoulder, unbothered by her attempt at an insult. This wasn’t my career choice. And if I had it my way, I’d be done before I even started.
“So you all expect me to perform magic with a handicap,” she drawled. “Oh, but I may not have any dark magic at all, which this exercise seems to confirm.”
“Yet you dismantled a high-level spell inside your mind yesterday, which suggests otherwise,” I pointed out. “Not just anyone can outmaneuver a Nacht binding charm.”
“The little web, you mean?”
“There was nothing little about it.” Yet, that she considered it little said quite a bit. “How did you dismantle it?” I’d wondered the same thing last night but had been too amused by her attacking Kols with a thwomp. Dangerous, yes. And entertaining as fuck. I was almost disappointed when she lost.
Alas, she always would.
“I found a piece of my light and followed it,” she answered vaguely. “I don’t see any light now because of this.” She gestured to her throat again.
“That cuts you off from your elements, not the dark magic growing inside you.” Which I sensed humming just beneath her skin. Another hint I could provide her with, but to what purpose? The best way to learn was by doing, not being led. If she wanted any hope of surviving in our world, then she needed to start thinking and acting for herself. Not relying on others to protect her.
Even if that was technically my job for the time being.
She shook her head. “This is a waste of time.”
“Is it?” I drawled. “I had no idea.”
“Wow. This is really not the right career path for you.”
I smiled. “Your reasoning skills are outstanding, Aflora.” I leaned forward. “And you couldn’t be more right.”
“Then why are you here?” she demanded.
“Because I’m serving my duty to the crown as prescribed.” Whether I like it or not, I added to myself. But enough about that. “Regarding your powers, Midnight Fae pull through our blood, not our souls. So try that instead.”
There. I’d tossed her a bone. Now no one could accuse me of not trying to help.
“Through my blood,” she repeated, her tone skeptical. “Right.”
“Look, if you don’t want to try, then eat the shit offered up at the buffet and let’s head back. I could use a nap, and you have a pile of textbooks to start reading.” Not that any of them would help her.
This poor girl was utterly fucked.
And so not my problem.
Then why are you trying to teach her?some unhelpful voice in the back of my mind asked.
I shoved it away. I wasn’t helping her, just providing some guidance to get her started.
Aflora glowered at me, her blue eyes glittering in a way that reminded me of sex.
Hot.
Passionate.
Fierce.
Sex.
The kind of fuck I enjoyed.
Not. Happening.
Except I always did favor the forbidden. And nothing could be more forbidden than the female sitting across from me. With her full, pouty mouth, delicate jaw, slender throat, and, mmm, that body. She might be wrapped up in a cloak right now, but I’d already noticed her ample assets—pert tits, slender waist, and a heart-shaped ass.
I wasn’t blind.
Aflora was a stunning woman. And strictly off-limits for a myriad of reasons.
Which only made her more appealing.
“Tareero Tamida sandwich,” she said suddenly, her tone underlined in power.
My lips parted as a giant, wrap-like green blob appeared, its front end landing between us as it stretched across the entire length of the very long table and down onto the floor.
Aflora’s narrowed eyes quickly widened. “Oh… wand.”
Yeah. Wand.
But I wasn’t so much worried about the still-growing sandwich as I was concerned about the pale shock spreading across her cheeks. “Aflora?—”
She began to tremble, her cerulean irises rolling into the back of her head as the energy wilted from her small frame.
Shit.
I jumped out of my chair and across the table—and the ever-growing monstrosity on top of it—and landed at her side in time to catch her before she went down.
“Qalto,” I snapped, my spell overpowering hers and dissolving the green atrocity into dust.
Aflora moaned, her consciousness fighting for life as her body gave out completely.
“This is why I recommend you eat our food,” I informed her softly. “Magic requires strength, and strength comes from proper nutrition.”
If she heard me, she didn’t reply.
With a sigh, I lifted her into my arms. “I guess we’ll continue this lesson later.”
Whenever she woke up.