Page 47 of The Goddess is Awakened
I was back in magical combat. I grew up in a different realm than this one and even I knew who Zion Skinner was. We had sports in Azren’s realm, but Azren and their reapers went to every realm. Sports caught on. Azren did some god mojo with a programming genius in their realm before I got there and now we could watch sports from any realm that televised them.
Zion was great. He was gruff, but a good teacher. He never singled anyone out as a favorite or because they were terrible. Zion thought all of us were awful equally and didn’t hesitate to tell us. I had him figured out. He didn’t actually think you were terrible if he learned your name.
He'd already learned mine. I’d paired up with most of the class. There were a few I hadn’t sparred with. I was pretty sure I could handle George Bell in a fight, but even Zion thought she was a special snowflake and she was sparring with a massive lion who wasn’t even a student.
I was standing across from the brujo he was here to sign for. I didn’t have a problem with them because as far as I knew, they didn’t kill my kind in the past. If they did, it wasn’t exactly covered in my magical knowledge during my upbringing.
I knew sign language. It was a required subject in schools on Azren’s realm. I signed to the brujo and introduced myself. His face lit up. I already knew his name was Oscar because of history and Zion called his name a few times. My head always turned when Zion used someone’s real name because it meant they weren’t dicking around in class.
“Don’t take it easy on me because I can still kick your ass,” Oscar said.
I grinned.
“I’m fully aware you’re kind of a badass at magical combat. Unlike some of these assholes, I pay attention to my surroundings. Someone might steal my fingernails or worse.”
Oscar just cocked an eyebrow at me.
“Spells with basilisk parts are so illegal now, it’s a life sentence. The courts take all their assets. Some go to the victim of the spell and the rest of it goes to the basilisk, even if yougavethem the parts willingly. It’s also so looked down on now, your whole family gets shunned and your descendants have to pull off a miracle to get out of it. No one here is creeping around trying to steal your toenails, man.”
I didn’t know things had progressed that far in this realm that what they used to do to us was frowned on that much. It certainly didn’t use to be the case. It wasn’t when I was a baby. My parents’ murder was still unsolved and as far as I knew, Azren and I were the only people still looking into it.
Oscar’s ferret climbed on his shoulder and started fussing at me about something. He scratched her under the chin and looked at me differently.
“Sorry. Chantico reminded me supernaturals crave power and sometimes get stupid about it. She also reminded me I’m not a basilisk and have no idea what your life is like.”
I didn’t know a lot of brujos. I knew they had magic similar to witches, but called on it differently. Chantico was more of a spirit guide than a familiar. I liked Oscar. He seemed cool so far, even if he sat with witches in the dining hall. Maybehecould help me.
“Can brujos talk to ghosts? Like, specifically the ones on campus? Sorry, I wasn’t educated here, so I don’t have all the details.”
I really hoped that wasn’t offensive. I had a lot of friends back on Azren’s realm, but I didn’t know a single person except Azren in this one. It was easy to make friends when you weren’t worried about someone wanting your parts. I thought I could deal with just coming here and only focusing on my education and what happened to my mom, but frankly, I was getting a little lonely. Oscar just laughed.
“Not sure where you were educated, but you’re good, man. Kaylee Krauss and her minions have been spreading rumors accusing me of sacrificing chickens in my dorm room. The fact that you didn’t immediately jump tomewanting your toenails means you’re cool. Brujería isn’t about that. Our magic is spirit based and comes from our ancestors. We can talk to the ghosts, but summoning them is different from witches. They don’t have to cooperate with us any better than they do witches. I can ask them something but don’t make it weird.”
Before I could even ask, Zion reminded us we were supposed to be in magical combat. He wore a whistle around his neck like he was coaching dodgeball.
“Some of you idiots showed promise the first few months of the semester and now you’re sitting there gossiping like hens. I should come over there and kick a few asses myself. You aren’t impressing meat all.”
Zion was looking right at us. Azren taught me how to handle myself in a fight, but Zion probably could kick my ass. Oscar and I just laughed. Oscar make a motion with his hands.
“Come at me, bro. And if you hold back, I’m not helping with the ghost stuff.”
I grinned. A lot of the people I’d sparred with so far hadn’t been a challenge at all. I knew Oscar would be. I just needed eye contact. I snared him and mesmerized him. I’d done this to countless students in this class before I laid them on their asses. I charged at Oscar and swung my fist. His forearm came up to block it.
Badass! Oscar punched me right in the throat and blew me back with magic. I landed on my back with a thud and the next thing I knew, there was a ferret on my chest peering down at me. I held out my hand so she could sniff it. She preened as I scratched her head.
Oscar came over to help me up while Chantico scurried up his body to sit on his shoulder.
“Sorry.”
“No, dude, that was insanely cool that you kicked my ass while I had you mesmerized.”
“Boys are so weird.”
I looked over and the blonde twin was sitting on the back of a giant bear shifter and she had him in a headlock. She only seemed to shift and end up naked when she was fighting girls. The bear shifter looked totally in love, but I was pretty sure she was into girls. Poor sap. She was looking at us, so I’m not sure why she thought we were weird.
“She thinks we’re weird,” I signed to Oscar.
“Oh, really? Do tell.”
