Page 33 of Fortune Academy: Year One
“Keep it in the shadow!” Hendrik barked at me.
The demonspawn lashed out and a claw caught on Hendrik’s leg, sending blood splashing across the furniture. He collapsed to one knee, but kept the dagger to his wrist and didn’t stop working the powerful spell that had the room flooding with a scent that overpowered the sulfur-sick sweetness of the demonspawn’s entry.
I had no fucking idea how to keep the demonspawn in the shadow. It crawled, only a fourth of it still left in the portal as it sought to devour its new target. I instinctually knew that if this thing got free it would wreak havoc on Fortune Academy. Any hope I had of discovering who I was here would end, along with countless lives. I’d made a mistake thinking a demonspawn could be used as a weapon. It was wild and savage. Barely contained hatred and madness ran in fine runes across its chalky skin. I didn’t like the expression it wore now. Where I had mesmerized it, it looked at Hendrik as if it had found a tasty snack. A long, pink tongue whipped around its face in anticipation of its meal.
As much as I disliked Hendrik, something in me had formed a connection, too. A deep sense of understanding came over me as I tasted his magic on the air and deciphered his intentions. He didn’t run or try to hide from the danger I’d brought to his home. He would face this abomination and protect what he cared about, even two new students he was trying to teach a lesson. In his own way, he meant well. Being hard on us was his way of helping us step into a supernatural community neither of us really understood.
I probably should have had some miraculous magical revelation and used my innate magic to keep the creature I’d released contained, but I did the first thing that came to mind and I grabbed the creature’s hind leg and yanked hard. It whirled on me in protest and slashed out. Blinding pain seared up my ribcage where it’d got me and I stumbled back, gripping onto the burning wound.
Olivia launched from around Hendrik, in spite of his attempt to stop her, and her pitch-black eyes burned with power. Her gifts had been dormant for so long that they burned in her, begging to be used. I also worried that she didn’t know her limits. Her powers were too fresh, too eager, and from what she’d told me, if she hit her limit then she was putting her own life in danger.
Regardless of the consequences, Olivia waved her fingers through the air, working and weaving her magic that only had a tasteless sweetness to it like the cold dust of a winter morning. Frost formed on the furniture, creased up the walls, and the demonspawn snarled in outrage as it retreated further into its shadow for warmth.
Well, that was clever. Hell sure would be a lot more toasty warm than a room encased in ice.
While the demonspawn wouldn’t fully regress into the portal, Hendrik’s magic came to a crescendo and crashed over the room in a wave. His black eyes took on a red hue and he threw his head back as a surge of power coursed through him as if of its own free will. It wrapped around the demonspawn like a giant magical net, tugging it deeper and deeper into the shadow until it sank into it, only its head remaining at the top.
It tossed one last look of defiance my way and clawed at its prison. It spoke again, this time snarling something that I could only interpret as threats on my life.
There was something else it said, too, that made my skin crawl. Its beady eyes bore its red gaze into me as it formed the words slowly and carefully, doing everything it could to make sure I understood.
The language was still foreign to me, but the meaning was clear. The formless words came across the air, climbing over the tapestry of magic that bound it.
You think you’re different.
You think you’re not a monster.
...You’re wrong.
“What the fuck was that?”Hendrik snarled, still bleeding freely on the floor from an impressive gash across his leg and the slice he’d made on his hand. He balled his fingers into a fist to stem the bleeding, but red droplets rolled freely over his knuckles.
Ignoring the ornery dark mage that had brought this on himself, I helped Olivia to the sofa and eased her onto it. Her lips were blue and ice coated her fingertips. She trembled and hugged herself as frost puffed from her breath. Her pitch-black eyes had taken on a frosty hue and her cheeks looked as if she’d found glittery blue blush to powder over her skin.
“Are you okay?” I asked her, softly rubbing her arms, trying to bring life back into her body. She’d overextended her powers for sure and fear pinched my chest.
Her teeth chattered as she tried to talk. “W-Will... be,” she promised, then gave me a shaky smile, but she was dangerously weak.
I needed to get her warm. An icy crust had formed over the spot where the demonspawn had been sent back to hell and the fireplace was hopelessly frozen. I glanced between it and Hendrik. “Can you get that burning again?” I asked him.
He scoffed. “Seriously? Have I not expended enough of mymagic containing yourtemper tantrum?”
“I didn’tmeanto summon a demonspawn, okay?” I yelled, lifting my chin in defiance. “Not that you didn’t deserve it. You were being an asshole.”
He rolled his eyes and staggered to his feet as he limped over to the fireplace. “You both owe me triple blood duty now,” he vowed, then allowed some of his blood to drop onto the fireplace.
The ice instantly melted and flames flickered to life, bringing blessed heat into the room. I relaxed and continued to rub at Olivia’s arms. “Sorry,” I whispered to her with an apologetic smile.
Olivia grinned and eased onto her side, her eyelids growing heavy. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” As if unable to keep her eyes open anymore, she fluttered them closed and her cheeks took on a more natural rosy hue as warmth finally seeped into her. She drew in a deep breath and then she was asleep.
“She’ll survive,” Hendrik said, leaning against the mantle as he popped open a first aid kit from behind the wall. Apparently patching up wounds was a regular thing around here. “I couldn’t have sent the creature back to hell without her help,” he admitted. “Depending on her involvement, perhaps I’ll waive her blood duty for now. She seemed surprised that you’d summoned it.”
I blinked at him, not sure if I was more surprised to see him pulling out a thread and needle with a bottle of alcohol or the fact that he was showing an ounce of logic. “She had nothing to do with it,” I bit off. “I had the conjuring orb that I’d gotten from a friend before I came to the Academy.”
Hendrik raised an eyebrow at that. “Impressive, bringing such an artifact on campus grounds without being detected.” He thoughtfully peeled away the shredded edge of his uniform pants leg, revealing the nasty gash the demonspawn had given him. He didn’t wince at the pain, but diligently cleaned the blood away, wiping the wound with disinfectant before readying his thread and needle. He tried to find a position where he could keep the wound pinched closed and sew up the gash, but it was at an awkward angle and his injured hand couldn’t hold the skin taut enough.
I huffed an irritated sigh. “Let me help,” I said, snatching the needle from him.
He opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it when I knelt between his thighs. Blood should have made me queasy, but it was as if I’d been around enough of it before that my instincts were desensitized. Even if I didn’t have my memories, I had my instincts, and it made me uneasy what kind of life I had before the Academy.
