The Curse (H. Academy Series #1)
Chapter 18: Hitting the Brick Wall

Rumours spread that I slept with Leon, which resulted in Bella giving me the stink eye every time she walked past me. It amazed me how quickly people believed this rumour, considering Leon came nowhere near my room and actually took another girl back to his room after the party.

So, adding up to the drama I was already knee-deep in, was the sudden ostracizing from all of Bella’s friends, which turned out to be half the campus.

I avoided the nasty stares directed at me during our Black Magic class. Thar talked about the basics of protection against black magic attacks. To me, that was a fairly simple task, since every time I threw a spell it worked against black magic just as efficiently as it did against white magic.

I focused on my paper and drew down dozens of pentagrams, trying to remember what it could mean. A pentagram was a symbol witches frequently used for simple spells, prayers, circles of protection and such. There was no evil connotation to it, but the sign freaked me out more than it used to.

“Excuse me, Professor Adara,” Amma raised her hand, “Is black magic efficient against evil spirits?”

Oh, nice question. I lifted my head towards her and nodded, knowing this was useful information if we went through with summoning my grandma’s spirit. Spirit summoning was a much easier than demon summoning, but it could also easily go awry if those participating didn’t know the basics.

Usually, stupid humans who thought it was a joke.

“Uh, yes. I do not recommend summoning a spirit without proper training, though.” Thar’s gaze immediately snapped in my direction, like he read my mind. I shrugged slightly.

“And what’s proper training?” I asked, realising Amma blushed, probably a bit embarrassed she even asked the question. Thar sighed, biting his lower lip. I could see his teacher braining trying to figure out the best way to answer.

“In order to summon a spirit, you need to have a clear intent on your mind. If someone during the séance thinks ill thoughts, or imagines what could go wrong, there’s a real chance of something other than the spirit you want to talk to coming through. Clear intent and clear heart.” He said and I saw the students write his words down.

I wondered how many of them would eventually try a summoning spell.

“If the spirit wants to talk to you, too, it can be fairly easy.” Thar continued. “It’s easier if the spirit has some unfinished business that makes him visit our plane frequently.”

Could my grandma have some unfinished business? What if she simply refused to talk to me? I didn’t really know if she was benevolent in the first place.

“Can the spirits attack you if you summon them against their will?” I asked and Thar locked his eyes with mine, very obviously letting me know he knew I wasn’t asking out of pure curiosity.

“Not if you take necessary precautions. You need to protect your summoning circle. Basic protection spells should be enough, but you have to make sure you did the spell right.” Thar spoke directly to me. He was probably well aware that if I wanted to do it, I would do it no matter how hard he tried to forbid it. And it was better if we actually prepared.

“Is there a chance of summoning more than one spirit?” I asked, trying to think of everything that could go wrong. Thar leaned onto the cathedra, his eyes darkening.

“You have to know that there are spirits that are constantly trying to reach over to our side. Once they feel the veil is breached, they will rush to the spot. Things like lights flickering, vases falling down, glass breaking are not uncommon. To some of them, this is their only chance to make their presence known. But, if you have the right protection spell, they cannot hurt you.” Thar talked to me, anger flickering in his eyes.

Good thing we had magic practice after this, so he could share all of his worries with me.

“In your experience, what’s the most important thing to keep in mind while summoning a spirit?” I asked, feeling the glances all over me. Now, everyone realised I didn’t ask out of curiosity.

Thar stared into my eyes and a wave of nervousness washed over me. The bell rang, signalling the end of the class, but everyone stayed in their place, not making a sound.

The sheer authority he radiated was enough to keep everyone still, waiting for him to say we could go. And I stared him down, feeling my cheeks flush and my heartbeat quicken.

“Even if you summon a spirit and the right spirit comes without interference, there is a huge possibility it wouldn’t be strong enough to tell you what you want to know. So, before you decide to put yourself in danger, think really hard whether this is the right way to get information.”

I swallowed the sudden doubt and nodded.

“You can go.” He said, making the students immediately start packing their things. “Jade, stay for a moment.”

Oh, crap.

I gathered my books and fixed the hem of my cherry red woollen dress. Not the best outfit to train magic in, especially since the hem constantly lifted up my thighs.

Amma offered a sympathetic smile and waved on her way out of the atrium. The students passed next to me, some averting their gazes and some staring directly at me. How come someone like Bella managed to have so many loyal followers, and I, a literal black magic user, end up mocked?

Thar waited for all the students to leave, staring straight at me while he did so. I stood my ground and looked back at him, tapping with my knee-high boot on the floor.

“You’re summoning a spirit.” He said.

“Can we go somewhere to talk? You promised.” I said right back. The entire school seemed unsafe to me suddenly, like there was no place where I could freely talk.

“Let’s go to my basement office. You have to practice.” He grabbed his leather satchel and led out of the atrium, through the crowded hallways.

I felt powerful walking beside him even though there was no awe on the faces of my classmates. Maybe they feared me, just like they feared Thar. Maybe there was something so deeply disturbing about black magic that no one was willing to give me a chance. Still, I tried to revel under their eyes, tried to prove to them I didn’t really mind. After all, the most powerful teacher in the school was on my arm.

Well, three steps ahead, but never mind.

Thar led me to the main building and down the stony steps into the cold basement. Darkness consumed my senses for a moment, until Thar opened the door to the huge, dimly lit basement area. Light creeped through the small windows, but lamps were still necessary. The floor was completely covered with grey mats, apart from the small, parquet area with a table full of papers and candles.

In the farthest end, gym equipment stood, weights, treadmills and exercise bicycles, as well as the fighting ring. Closer to me, someone built dozens of small, brick walls.

“Oh, cool, am I finally gonna smash something with magic?” I beamed, feeling my magic answer the challenge.

“Yes and no.” Thar said, took out a pen and drew some symbols on his hand. I came closer to see better, but my focus dispersed as soon I smelled his cologne. The earthy, musky smell overwhelmed me and I wanted to snuggle closer to him and forget all my troubles. Fuck, Morta was right, I was actually crushing on him.

Thar spread his hand towards one of the brick walls and slowly, gently cut it in half. The wall didn’t budge, all bricks stayed in their place, except they were now cut in half with a perfect, straight line.

“Seriously?” I eyed him.

“Try it.” Thar grabbed my right hand and my heart skipped a beat. Not just because I remembered his hand in mine the night before, but also because I didn’t want him to discover the pentagram on my wrist. He drew the symbol, an unfamiliar rune, on my hand and gestured towards the brick wall.

“What is the symbol?” I asked, calling forth my magic, feeling it tingle in my fingers.

“It’s a magic emphasizer. Quite useful in a battle.” Thar answered.

“Ha, that’s the first cool spell you gave me.” My magic swirled through my body, collapsing on itself in my hand. The energy I felt was stronger than ever and I let it out, imagining the same line Thar created on the brick wall.

My magic hit the brick wall, the sound so loud I slightly jumped. The brick wall completely broke down, leaving us in a bubble of dust, coughing like maniacs.

“Uh...” I looked at the pile of rocks, dust and remains of a brick wall in front of me.

“This is about precision, Jade, not destruction. You need to be able to direct your magic to one particular point without destroying everything around you.” Thar spread out his hands, his magic caressing mine through the small space between us.

The destroyed brick wall began to float above ground and Thar smashed the remains together, creating a new, worse version of a brick wall.

“Try again.” He commanded.

“Am I ever going to fight you for real?” I sighed disappointedly.

“Yes. I want to level up the playing field, Jade, because right now, I could smash you like a bug.” He eyed me back, a smug smile forming on his lips. The type of smile I rarely saw on him.

“You wish.” I murmured, but focused on another brick wall, enjoying the small laugh that escaped from his lips.

I channelled my magic through my hands again, but this time, I didn’t let it out all at once. Instead, I focused gradual release, focusing on the top part of the wall, willing my hands into more precise movements.

“You’re summoning a spirit.” Thar said after a moment. Turning to him would break my concentration, so I simply nodded, trying my best to control my magic. Anger, or any kind of emotion, could greatly affect my spell. Which was the biggest flaw in our entire education. We practiced magic in controlled conditions, but there were so many other things that affected our performance.

“Jade...” Thar’s voice sounded strained, careful, so I let go of the brick wall and turned to him. “Do I have to soundproof this room?”

“I would if I were you.” I admitted. Frankly, I didn’t know how much Morta, Amma and I uncovered, but I felt safer knowing no one could hear us.

“Are you going to tell me the truth?” He asked. Despite the questioning, his magic worked and I felt the air whooshing around us. I felt a little proud when I realised it was the same spell I used last night.

“Yes.” I nodded. To my surprise, he sat down on the mat with his legs crossed. For a moment, he went from teacher to student and I saw his childlike side, the innocent boy thrown into the role of authority against his will.

“Speak.” The teacher was back in an instant and I sat down next to him. I fidgeted for a while, trying to see where to start and decided on the notebook I carried in my satchel at all times. Then, I scooted over to him, desperately pulling the hem of my dress down.

“You didn’t really dress for the occasion.” Thar’s eyes briefly slid over my dress, but I caught his gaze.

“Are you looking at my legs, Professor Adara?” I bit my lip and smiled at him, enjoying the flushness and embarrassment on his face.

“Don’t be inappropriate, Jade.”

“I’m messing with you, you big baby.” I laughed, but the laughter ceased as I opened the notebook. Shutting down the fear, I found the page with the spell and pulled up the sleeve of my dress.

Showing the same sign on my wrist as the one in my father’s copied notebook.

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