Page 127 of Class Studies

Metal and stone groaned directly in front of me. I looked back at Saffron’s Golem, as it completely missed a punch aimed at Ram’s headless torso. Bile burned my throat.

Tederwinkle soared up into the air and laughed. “Even you believe my rumors! That thing’s not useful. What a waste.” He spit. “I offered Aphrodite a job. I even told her she could bring you, all of you. The power the six of you wield as one. You could bring this world to its knees under my guidance.”

An unnatural wind whipped through the air. The door the MA agents had been guarding burst open.

I gasped, but it turned into a painful wheeze.

Director Flemmings and Nitis confidently walked into the room, flanked by Alrick, Cozbi, and his two goons. The director wore her powder pink pants suit, and raw power crackled at her fingertips. Wind whipped Nitis’ long black braid, and the pink woven into it caught my eye.

Beryl’s friend searched the room, ignoring the violence, until his gaze locked with mine. My cheek burned, and a slight pink glow filled the left side of my vision. The pain keeping me from moving turned to pleasure. My magic churned, pulling away from me.

I moaned, running my hand up my body to cup one of my breasts.

“Not the time,” Professor Garnet growled.

I was vaguely aware of more people running into the area behind us. Red hair briefly pulled my attention, along with a familiar freckled face.

My clit pulsed, and heat rolled across my body. The new arrivals left my consciousness, and nothing else mattered but satisfying the lust now burning me alive. I tried to stand, to walk toward the mage I transferred into, but it still hurt to move.

Professor Garnet’s warm hand covered my cheek. I rubbed against it, the pink magic dimming and brightening with my motions. Nitis’ draw on my magic didn’t change. I’d no idea how he forced a transfer without touching me, but my magic loved it.

A heavy pull on my core made my entire body tense. I closed my eyes, my hand drifting toward my sex. Another explosion rocked the room, and I rocked with it. Before I could pleasure myself, a band of magic tied my hands to my sides.

“Aphy, snap out of it,” Professor Garnet yelled.

I opened my eyes wide, and the pink on my cheek intensified. With a growl, the professor stood and cradled me to his chest. He took off running, and I bounced in his grip. Pain from my abused muscles cut through my pleasure. I let out a sob, clutching my neck to hold it still.

Beryl roared, his bellow filled with rage and pain. My gut twisted. Pink magic, infused with rainbows, crashed into the sapphire-eyed mage. Although it cut through him, his charge didn’t stop. He hit Nitis, and the smaller man went flying, denting the wall as he hit it.

I didn’t have the attention span to track the fight.

Professor Garnet slid to a stop in front of Saffron’s Golem, and the Greek God climbed out. It took both of them to get me lowered into the tight space. The minute the top closed, all of Nitis’ magic cut off. Pain once again hazed my thoughts. The room rocked, and the Golem leaned precariously, its feet uneven on the ground. Painfully, I craned my neck and glimpsed the pulp of zombie Ram pinned to the ground under my left foot.

Before I could react, another explosion rocked the room. Bright white light seared my vision. A murky brown ball of power enveloped Professor Garnet. The magic darkened before flashing so brightly the professor’s curled-up outline burned. I screamed, trying to reach for him, but my hand jarred against the inside of the Golem. The magic surrounding him exploded outward. Saffron’s body hit the Golem with a thud and dropped, both the mages out cold. Tears streamed out of my eyes. I willed their chests to rise and fall. Saffron groaned, his fingers flexed. But Professor Garnet’s body smoked, deathly still.

I let out a raspy scream, tears running down my face. The magic binding my hands to my sides dissolved. I didn’t want to think about what it meant.

The patterns of runes covering the inside of Saffron’s Golem hinted at how to control the thing, but I didn’t need them. I stuck my hands in the armholes, and the controls met my fingers.

My gaze locked on Tederwinkle as I pushed my will into the Golem. The stone and metal surrounding me groaned, growing overlapping crystal scales. My view of the room expanded as patches of wavy transparent texture melded with the Golem’s physical form.

A ray of pink and rainbows shot out from behind the second entrance. Three MA agents scattered, bystanders in Nitis and Beryl’s fight. Beryl dodged. His form blurring as he charged forward and disappeared into the hall beyond.

An explosion rocked the room. Vac leaped over a body, mauling an MA agent before he attacked Tanwyn and Ashe. The Gentle Giant fired balls of white magic at a group of MA agents cowering behind a shimmering white shield, Director Flemmings in their midst.

His shirt torn off, Tanwyn mumbled under his breath as orange magic melted off his bare sides. A grin split his face.

Even through the Golem, Mercedes's scream of “Charge!” made my blood pump.

A group of students sprinted toward Director Flemmings, their shields bubbling around them in a mess of colors. Vines, fire, pastel mists, and magic sprang from their hands, battering the MA’s defenses.

Tanwyn turned a circle as the orange glow surrounding him ebbed. His magic condensed into a two-story lumpy horned humanoid, which lumbered forward. Neon green slime splatted onto the floor with his massive steps. As it walked, the very light of the room disappeared into the darkness of its indistinct shape. Students and MA agents alike cowered and fled. As it approached the shield, the gray magic flickered. One of Ashe’s balls of white power fizzled as the summons absorbed it.

Ashe stopped firing and sprinted toward the fray with Tanwyn on his heels. In moments my not-so Gentle Giant found Alrick. Cozbi and his goons sprang for Ashe’s back, but Tanwyn took up a guard position there. The summoner whistled before drawing a line across his neck.

Cozbi’s eyes flew wide.

For a second time, Vac lunged for one of his arms. This time, no one would tell the beast to stop.

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