Page 23 of Validus Vale Academy 1
How is this even legal? I know you need a state-sanctioned licence to use these, but still—it all seems wrong. I'd assumed the Advanced Restricted Studies class would teach you how todefendagainst these things, notcreatethem. This isn't a defensive class. It's a flippingoffensiveclass—in all ways.
Finally, the bell sounds and the session lets out. Students pick up bags and tablets, chatting and mostly ignoring me. All apartfrom one. A shadow falls across my desktop, and when I look up, it’s to see Cosmo Drakeward glaring down at me.
Gulp. Here we go.
“We need to talk,” he hisses. “Come to my apartment tonight. Eight o’clock.” His voice resonates with power. As an Elite, he can make demands that witches with lesser magic cannot refuse. “Eight o’clock, don’t be late,” he says again.
I nod and make the appointment date in my calendar.
8pm. Lion’s Den.
I have no other choice.
9
The rest of my day is a mix of disastrous lessons where I’m horribly out of my depth, and remedial classes, which are, to my relief, low stakes and with both Duncan and Willow.
“How was your morning?” Willow whispers as Professor Bilderblast hands out various worksheets.
“As terrible as you could imagine,” I say, quite truthfully.
“Yikes,” Duncan says. “My imagination is pretty darn vivid.”—Poor Theo/bullies/ugh that time I got my head dunked/swirlie—
“No talking, Mr. Links.” Professor Bilderblast swats Duncan on the back of the head with a rolled-up sheaf of papers, then waddles up to the board and starts writing out a string of words.
He’s listing out extinct magical creatures. There are obvious ones, such as dragons, werewolves, merpeople, and the like, but also more obscure creatures. The ones that history tends to forget, like the Nuckelavee and Tundra gnomes.
“Every person on this planet is descended from a magical creature,” Professor Bilderblast tells us. “Man evolved from these creatures millions of years ago. As time has passed, and after these fabulous creatures became extinct, the power from their magical lineage has continually weakened. The witchpopulation, which you are all part of, comprises 10% of the world. Now, only the 1%—the Elites—have power somewhat worthy of our ancestors. If you are here, in this school, inthisclass, I hope you are cognizant of the duty before you—to grow your spark and move through the ranks. You, too, could be an Elite witch one day. To have a magical spark and never have it awaken is tragic.”
The professor swivels his head towards me and makes an apologetic face, “Though thankfully, most unusual. If you are here,” Professor Bilderblast continues, spreading his arms out as if to encompass the whole campus, “then the academy selection committee has looked over your lineage and your previous test scores and found you teetering on the edge of your potential. And with hard work, together we can bring this potential to light!”
The meek Defectivum students actually start applauding.
Across the room, a usually silent skinny kid with young Justin Bieber-bangs raises his hand. “Scott Samson,” the professor smiles, “long time listener, first time caller—what’s your question?”
The boy called Scott looks perplexed for a moment, then speaks. “Sir, this might be a stupid question, but if we all come from magical creatures, where did the magical creatures come from?”
“Not a stupid question at all,” Professor Bilderblast grins. “And I commend you for asking it. I realize being in Defectivum can leave you all feeling a little insecure, so I encourage as much question-asking as possible. Now, onto your particular poser, Mr. Scott. We only have the myths of our forefathers to go on; does anyone know the legend of Avalon?”
A couple of students tentatively raise their hands. I’ve heard the stories, but it’s been a while.
“Well, well. Then I’d better give you all a rundown.” Bildeblast sits down with a groan. “Avalon was an island that connected the Earth realm to the realm of the Gods. The divine beings would sometimes visit the island to gain insight into the Earth realm, as it’s believed that early man served as a form of entertainment for the immortals. Think of Avalon as a resort destination, if you will. The Gods would spend their time drinking, cavorting, and designing challenges, like earthquakes or plagues, for this world.”
Duncan’s hand shoots up. “Like, they were playing Dungeons and Dragons? Do you think they made character sheets?”
Professor Bilderblast chuckles. “Well, that’s one way to think about it. Part of the Immortals' great entertainment was to create magical creatures, sometimes letting them loose on Earth. Legend has it that a crisis arose in the celestial realm, and the divine beings all fled in haste, leaving their creatures behind. The island of Avalon floated around the world, and over time, the magnificent beasts spread all over our planet.”
“Er, Professor?” Duncan has his hand up again. “How did magical creature DNA and human DNA get, you know, conjoined?” His face is a little red as he asks this, and there are several hushed snorts and giggles around the class.
“Now, now. Settle down, it’s a fair question. The great thinkers of our kind have decided it must have been through horizontal gene transfer. Believe it or not, viruses and bacteria can transfer genetic material, including DNA. Think of that, instead of catching a cold, you catch a cockatrice.” He adds ‘cockatrice’ to his list of extinct creatures on the board. “So, back to the matter in hand. First, we need to investigate your personal lineage,” the little professor says, looking a little red in the face from all the exertion. “To that end, I’m passing out worksheets, and I want you to fill in your family tree, going back as far as you can.”
“My family is mostly banshee,” Willow tells me, as she reaches out a hand for the worksheet, takes three, then passes the rest behind her. “But one branch has gorgon DNA.”
Gorgons? Banshees? I would never have guessed that. Willow seems so kind and soft and, well, decidedly un-banshee-like.
“Cool,” says Duncan. “My family tree is full of daemons.”
Duncan the daemon? Just goes to show that you shouldn’t stereotype based on appearance or mannerisms.
