Page 79 of Academy of the Wicked, Year One

I roll my eyes, but before I can reply, he raises a hand. A wave of golden light surges outward, forming a barrier just in time to deflect another onslaught of dark arrows. The arrows shatter harmlessly against the glowing shield, falling to the platform like brittle twigs.

Nikolai lowers his hand, his expression calm and unbothered. “Now that we’re done flirting, what’s the game plan?” he asks casually, his gaze flicking between the three of us.

Cassius steps forward, his silver eyes glinting with determination. “Gabriel believes the slate’s power source is tied to the souls it’s absorbed,” he says. “Severing that connection might weaken it enough for us to destroy it.”

Nikolai tilts his head, considering the explanation. “Sever the bond and free the souls,” he muses. “A bold strategy. Dangerous, but bold.”

“The bees are the problem,” I interject, glancing at the remnants of the swarm still circling in the distance. “If we can’t handle them, we’ll never get close enough to the slate to sever anything.”

Nikolai’s lips curve into a confident smile. “Leave the bees to me,” he says. “Nature has its own ways of dealing with corruption. I’ll make sure they don’t bother us again.”

I nod, relief washing over me. “Good. That’ll give us a chance to focus on the slate.”

Nikolai’s gaze sharpens as he studies me, his violet eyes gleaming with curiosity. “Anything else you’re worried about, Gabriel?”

I take a moment to survey the battlefield, my mind racing. The slate looms in the distance, its runes pulsing with dark energy. The air around it shimmers with the heat of unleashed magic, and I know we’ll need more than brute force to bring it down.

My gaze shifts to Damien, who’s been unusually quiet. “Do you know how to use blood magic?” I ask abruptly.

Damien blinks, staring at me as if I’ve just grown a second head. “Blood magic? Are you serious?”

I groan, running a hand through my hair. “Never mind. Forget I asked.”

Cassius, however, seems intrigued. “Explain,” he says, his tone neutral but probing.

I hesitate, glancing between them. “It’s forbidden magic,” I admit, my voice lowering. “But it’s powerful. If used correctly, it could disrupt the slate’s connection to the souls it’s absorbed. I learned a few things about it in… unconventional ways.”

Damien crosses his arms, his crimson eyes narrowing. “If it’s forbidden, you shouldn’t even be considering it. Let alone using it here.”

A sharp laugh escapes me, bitter and edged with exhaustion. “Oh, come on. Since when has Wicked Academy cared about what’s forbidden? Do you think they’d stop this trial just because some of us are playing dirty?”

Neither of them replies, their silence speaks volumes. I smirk, though the weight of the situation keeps my amusement brief.

My gaze shifts back to Damien.

The air crackles with tension as I glare at Damien. My patience is running on fumes, and his blank, slightly bewildered expression isn’t helping.

“Just make sure your energy levels are up,” I snap, crossing my arms against the faint trembling of my muscles. Exhaustion is gnawing at me, but I can’t afford to show it.

Damien arches a brow, his crimson eyes gleaming with mockery. “And how, pray tell, do you suggest I do that? Should I ask the bees to kindly leave me alone so I can take a nap?”

I roll my eyes, biting back a scathing retort. Instead, I take a deep breath, fixing him with a hard stare. “Do you know nothing about how vampires fought in the 1900s against the zombie-like Fae manipulated by purebloods?”

Damien’s smirk falters slightly. Next to him, Cassius tilts his head, his silver eyes narrowing. Even Nikolai, who’s been exuding an air of detached amusement, looks mildly intrigued. Grim, perched in the shadows nearby, leans forward slightly, a puff of oddly sweet-smelling smoke escaping from his form.

The silence that follows is deafening.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I groan, rubbing a hand over my face. “None of you have any clue what I’m talking about, do you?”

Grim lets out another puff of smoke, this one vaguely sharper, almost like the scent of burning sage. The way his unblinking gaze rests on me confirms it: not a single soul here knows what the hell I’m saying.

“You guys need a damn history lesson after this,” I mutter, lowering my hand.

Damien crosses his arms, his fanged grin making a triumphant return. “Please, enlighten us, Professor Gabriel. I’m dying to know how this ancient vampire trivia is going to save our asses.”

“It’s simple,” I say sharply. “In those days, vampires didn’t just suck blood to replenish themselves. They could do the opposite. They pushed energy into their allies to keep them from collapsing in battle.”

Damien blinks, his expression twisting into something halfway between skepticism and mild horror. “That… doesn’t sound real.”

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