Page 36 of Wild Ivy
“You’re looking very, not you,” Tate says, clearly sharing my thoughts.
Vex snorts. “Still the same badass. But now with some responsibility. I’m a Teaching Assistant. Turns out corrupting young minds is quite fulfilling when you’re getting paid for it.”
“Great,” I mutter as Tate rolls his eyes. But I’m glad to see he hasn’t changed. “We need your help,” I add as the power inside me writhes again, making me grit my teeth.
Vex’s expression sharpens, the facade of casual amusement dropping away. “Myhelp? Again? This is becoming a regular occurrence. Where is Ivy?”
“She isn’t here. It’s actually Ivy that needs your help,” I grit out, much to Tate’s annoyance.
“Oh? And what new mess has the little shifter got herself into now?” Vex asks with a smirk.
“Are you going to help or not?” Torin demands.
“Me? No.” Vex turns, gesturing for us to follow. “But I know someone who can. Or at least, someone who understands what’s really happening.”
“So youdoknow what’s going on?”
“Sort of. Professor Blackthorn is more up to speed.”
We follow him through the grounds, past groups of students who stare at us with undisguised curiosity. The magick here feels ancient, primal in a way that calls to the power inside me. It wants to reach out, to connect with the wild energy that saturates this place.
We reach a heavy wooden door carved with runes I don’t recognise. Vex knocks once, then pushes it open.
“Professor Blackthorn,” he calls out. “We have visitors from Thornfield.”
The office beyond is exactly what you’d expect from a magickal academy’s headmaster - floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, arcane artefacts, a massive desk covered in scrolls. The man behind it, however, is not what I expected.
Professor Blackthorn looks young, maybe late twenties, with sharp features and eyes that are a startling shade of blue. But there is definitely more to him than meets the eye. He is old and powerful and hopefully, our salvation in this dire situation we have found ourselves in.
“Ah,” he says, standing. “Death’s champions. I’ve been expecting you.” His gaze fixes on me. “Especially you, Mr Sinclair. We have much to discuss about what’s growing inside you.”
“Growing?” I repeat, not liking the sound of that. The power writhes again in response to his words.
“Yes,” Professor Blackthorn gestures for us to sit. “What you’re carrying isn’t just Morrigan’s power anymore. It’s evolving, adapting... breeding, in a sense.”
“Breeding?” Tate’s voice rises sharply. “What exactly does that mean?”
The professor’s eyes narrow as he studies me. “Wild magick is like a living entity. When contained within a vessel—particularly a powerful one like yourself, a Dark Fae Royal and one of Morrigan’s bloodline—it doesn’t remain static. It grows, changes, develops new characteristics. It is fundamentally yours now, Mr Sinclair. Unfortunately, this brings up a whole host of problems, which have nothing to do with the Life and Death predicament we are in.” He stifles his amusement.
“You’re a god now, arsehole,” Vex states with that shit-eating grin.
“Err,” I stammer, as that thought had not even entered my head. “But why won’t it go back to her?”
“It’s not recognising her as its source anymore, not to mention, you are infinitely more powerful at your base level.” Blackthorn gives me a nod as if that fixes and explains it all.
The power inside me pulses, and it feels protective of me.
“So,” Blackthorn says. “Tell me about Life and what she’s done with Death.”
“Why don’t you start by telling us how you know all this shit?” Torin starts.
“I know everything,” Blackthorn states. “I get that Thornfield’s headmaster is a bit of a lacklustre feature, more puppet than hands on, so I’m glad you came to me with this and not him. Not that he has any idea what is going on under his own roof. He is ridiculous.” The last three words are muttered under his breath, but I press my lips together not to laugh. I have to agree. I don’t even think I’ve ever seen him, let alone spoken to him. We appear in a massive shambles compared to this place. It’s a bit sad, actually, now that I see what we are missing out on. It also makes sense why Vex jumped at the chance to abandon the ship. He is nothing if not a self-preservationist.
But aren’t we all…
My eyes narrow as my thoughts wander off in a direction that has nothing to do with the situation we are in.
“The void is changing. We have necromancers here who have been studying it since they felt the shift.”
