There were two other crewmembers on the twinkling flat-bottomed vessel. They went to work, pushing us away from the dock until a circular paddle smacked the water at the rear, pushing us forward.It was nearly dark. Insects came out and played us their songs. Night pixies, their iridescent wings changing colors in the moonlight, fluttered along the water's edge. When they saw us, they flitted forward. I could hear their giggling and whispering. But before they reached us, they stopped and turned back. They no longer giggled. In fact, I sensed apprehension. Something spooked them.I tried to remind myself I was the scariest thing in Sharra. None could hurt or defeat me. Plus, I had Dorian. He seemed to sense my trepidation and pulled me against his chest, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Isn't it beautiful?"I swallowed, forcing down the strange feeling in my gut. "Yes, it's exqui - "The boat smacked against something hard. My body tried to lurch forward, but Dorian held me fast."
"Cindy Croswell, will you - " Gabe, the angelic chayot leader and my boyfriend studied me, his glorious features a painting of perfection."What?" I asked, glancing at Pops nervously before focusing on Gabe. My heart picked up speed. Was he going to ask me to marry him right here? Right now? In an alley full of smelly trash and debris.His hands circled my arms, and he pulled me to the side. "Will you move out of the way? You're blocking my view of the street." He gave me a grim smile. "Oh." My heart sank. How had my thoughts gone to marriage? I clucked my tongue and clenched my fists together. "Sure." The town of Salem, Massachusetts, was quiet, which was unusual for a Saturday morning. Typically people were shopping in the market or children played in the park. It could be that it was before seven in the morning, and none of the shops were open. Plus, Pops, Gabe, and I were in the alleyway behind several stores. The backs of the tall, brick buildings lined one side. Green trash
If the world was created with a bang, then magic began in a whisper. The utterance of one word: Bloomous, that single declaration, articulated softly, started it all. Bloomous.I thought about that as I considered the lesson I was preparing for next week's classes. The ideas brought back memories, some recent, others happened years ago. While many weren't good, I was grateful for them anyway because they made me step up and become the witch I was today. And in my opinion, I was pretty damn awesome. The lights flickered, and I searched the room. It was large with reformatory cells along the far wall. Desks covered in various magical items were placed in the middle of the room. The door resided on the other side. Wide and arched at the top, it was made of wood with a black wrought iron handle. Shelves lined either side of the entrance and were filled with dusty old books interspersed with old boxes and ancient-looking artifacts. On the two short walls stood an enchanted sentry.
I ignored Sera and went back to my lessons. Monday would be the first day of the new year at the academy. Even with Sera yelling like a crazy person, I couldn't stifle my excitement. I always looked forward to the opening ceremony. Abernathy presented me with an orb, which allowed me to see which house the new students belonged in. Sometimes I wondered whether I should use the orb on myself to discover which house I belonged to, but I was too chicken. In A Study on Charms, I would teach the class how to select an object suitable for a magical charm. It was a serious process choosing and preparing a charm before it was altered with magic. Charms worked best when paired with the person's magic, and that's why we had the opening ceremony. A student with fairy ancestry would have better luck creating emotional charms, like love, while a witch with troll magic would excel at offensive or defensive charms. Witches with elven magic could produce amazing luck charms. Of course, my st
By the time Coco came by to get Sera on Sunday, the girl was more than ready to get out of the basement, and I couldn't blame her. More than once, I had to leave her down there alone. Each time I returned, she looked frazzled, though she was no longer dirty. She donned some of my clothes, including a faded pair of jeans and a blue sweatshirt with Merde across the front as well as some shoes and socks. I'd used magic to clean her up. Beneath the multiple layers of grime, she had long, red naturally curly hair, azure blue eyes, and light, freckled skin. "Let me know if you need anything," I said as she followed after Coco. Sera nodded, still slightly nervous. "I will. Thanks." When she was gone, I stayed and tidied up the cell, then finished my lessons for the week. By the time I was done, I had to rush to meet Snow for dinner. Snow wrinkled her nose when she opened the door. "I didn't think you were going to make it." She hugged me, and I hugged her back. "Wouldn't miss dinner
Curfew was eight o'clock during the school year. Students didn't have to be in bed, but they did have to be on their floor. With vampires and other predatory supernaturals roaming the land of Sharra and the castle, it was a precaution most students adhered to. As I made my way back up to Snow's floor, I thought about what Mizrabel said. She dared me to go after her. Why? Who was I to her? The words shook me, though. No doubt about it. I needed to discuss what happened with Snow. The worker vampire known as Dina opened the door leading to Snow's floor. "Thank you," I said, my thoughts still on Sera and Mizrabel, and I shook my head. Something about Sera wasn't quite right, but I didn't know why I felt that way. I would keep an eye on her. Snow closed one of the doors, standing in the hall. "Hey," I called, waving.She put a finger to her lips. "Hey," she said in a whisper. That's when I remembered Jasmine. Snow and I had a lot to talk about. "I was just on my way to find yo
She huffed and said something, but I couldn't understand with her back to me. I watched her shoulders rise and fall. Then she turned. "I'm Quilla Templeton. Your fairy godmother. Maybe you remember me?" She stuck out a hand wrapped in a fingerless glove.I got on my knees and moved toward the edge of the bed. "Um, Quilla, is it?"She nodded, blowing her bangs off her forehead. "Yes."I took her hand. "I'm much too old to need a fairy godmother, and you seem too young to be one."She rolled her eyes. "It's a title, Cinderella." Her cheeks reddened. "And I'm older than I look. We fairies age at a much slower rate than humans." She stepped back."If you're a fairy, where are your wings?" I didn't mean to sound presumptuous, but fairies were supposed to have them. That much I knew.Her cheeks got even redder. "Well, aren't you just a tactless bundle of appallingly bad manners?" She crossed her arms. I didn't see a need to respond to that. "A mean and awful fairy by the name of Tinker
After breakfast, opening ceremonies for the academy took place in the grand ballroom. Since the academy only officially existed for a few years, there were fifty-five students in varying classes. All of them came from the human realm, and they all possessed at least one of the seven magics. Two students could change into werewolves, and one was a werecat. There were three vampires and a plethora of witches. There were also several varieties of other magical creatures, including a half-troll, and a few half-elves. A rag-tag group, to be sure, but still, it was a start. Coco, Professor Pops, and Snow went out of their way to find great teachers. There was a teacher from each of the seven magics as well as others, like me, for a total of fifteen instructors. Some were only part-time, including Professor Pops, Snow, and Heathcliff, while the rest of us taught permanently. The other adults were already on stage, and I hurried to make my way up. The grand ballroom was decorated to g