Page 29 of Baneful Magick

“Perfect. You all seem like a promising lot already. I’ll see you Wednesday at the training center where all future classes will take place. Consider this me being nice because you will be dragging your bodies from my class from now on.”

Without another word, the doors flew open, and the centaur walked out of the lecture hall. The message was clear. He was done with us for today.

“Well, that was... something,” Wells commented.

“I don’t think our familiar class is going to be the same,” I replied with a sigh. “I’m going to take this time to actually enjoy my tea and finish putting my stuff away.”

“Mind if I hang out with you all?” Wells asked, looking between us and Zhara and Aizel who’d walked over to us.

“Not at all,” Zhara replied. “Our place probably has the most space anyway.”

While they talked about their classes, predicting whether every first session would be like this class, my thoughts were elsewhere. A glimpse of dirty blond hair and a long coat caught my attention, and the flash of orange and red eyes made my body kick into overdrive.

I still had no idea what his name was, but every fiber of my being wanted to find out.

Chapter 11

Bricriu

MONDAY

Iloathed the class already.

Nothing like going to Ceremonial Magicks and finding out our entire grade would be based ononesemester-long project. There would be check-ins along the way, but we would have to do some kind of presentation and ceremony in front of the entire class.

My topic was necromancers and the formal ceremonies they conducted. Why I would need to know any of that shit was beyond me, but it seemed they didn’t really care about that.

I sighed in frustration, knowing that I would be spending the majority of my time in the library researching a bunch of dead guys to figure out what they did. The only necromancer on campus was President Thatcher, and I’d rather walk through campus for a day with no sunglasses than willingly talk to him. He was a creepy ass motherfucker, and I’d always gotten that vibe from him.

“Bricriu, I see you’re already here for research. Dare I ask what class it is for?” The calm voice broke the silence of the library.

Turning around, I could make out the familiar shape of Julian Hellsing, the lead librarian. He was average height for avampire, just over six feet, and he made just enough noise so I knew he was approaching, a courtesy since he knew I didn’t see that well.

The hint of leather, pine, and some kind of spice that was just him surrounded me as he came to a stop near me. It took more self-control than I cared to admit to not breathe in deeply. I’d known Hellsing since my first week at Greywood, and we’d grown from acquaintances to something more than a little complicated. Complicated… What an understatement, but that wasn’t going to help me focus on work right now.

“Ceremonial magicks,” I replied with a frustrated sigh. “I’m already dreading doing this fucking presentation, but I figured I could start now and limit how much technology I’ll have to use for this.”

“Meaning a computer?” he asked with dry amusement. “I’m sure someone can help you set that up so it’s not a big strain on your sight.”

“Yes, along with all the commentary on the font size so I’d be able to read it like last year.”

“Maturity is slow for some,” Hellsing replied after a brief pause. “We do have some new e-ink screens that you could use. It reads more like paper and ink and isn’t as bright as normal computer screens. It won’t change the fact that the font size will need to be enlarged, but it will be easier on your eyes.”

My fingers twitched, the craving for a smoke sharp. Hellsing so easily brought up an alternative to me using a computer. He acted like it was no big deal, normal even, to accommodate my needs, and it was off-putting. Really, it wasn’t just that. Everything Hellsing did could throw me off kilter.

“I’ve heard about those, but I’ve never used one,” I replied, a lilt of interest in my tone. “Are any set up yet?”

“Not yet,” he responded with what looked like a slight shake of his head. “But they should be ready by the end of the week. Inthe meantime, I can help pull the books you need to start your research.”

After filling him in on my assignment and a brief thank you, we parted ways. He moved further into the stacks while I slowly made my way toward the tables.

There were a few whispers that stuttered into strained silence once they noticed my appearance. It would usually irritate the hell out of me, but this time I had something else to focus on.

A familiar husky voice mumbled to the left of me, and I glanced over. She was a fuzzy blur, just like everything else, but I saw dark hair and just knew it was her. She seemed annoyed as she messed around with something indiscernible on the table.

Ambrose’s warning flashed through my mind, making me grin. I couldn’t wait until he heard that I was with Isla again. The rage that he would feel was fucking intoxicating to even think about. Of course, that paled in comparison to my need to be around her. Something about Isla was calling to me, and part of me feared it as much as I craved it.

Not letting myself linger on those conflicted feelings, I made my way over to the table. Sure enough, it was her.

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