First, Des’ smile slipped. She frowned and looked nearly ready to cry. Hugo put a hand on her shoulder and Des’ face went blank. Her lips curled into a soft smile and she spoke a few words. Looking back to the students, Des’ hand moved up to her face.
Zoe couldn’t make them out from behind her privacy warded door, and the girl’s back was turned so Zoe couldn’t even attempt to read her lips. The bullies did hear the words and they saw whatever her hand was doing.
Grins slipped from their faces and one took a step back. Another student, one who merely sat nearby and was not participating, actually looked a little sick. The girls didn’t say anything as they retreated to the far corner of the room.
Des turned back to the front with a bright smile on her face, looking none the worse. With a short word to Hugo, she buried her face in her book once again.
Zoe waited another minute before entering the room. The bell for class to begin rang the moment she stopped at her lectern. After sweeping her eyes over the room, Zoe glanced down at the curly-haired girl in front of her. “Miss Finnell, if–”
“Just Des, please.”
At the growing look of horror on the young girl’s face, Zoe quickly added, “do not worry, you are not in trouble.”
The look of horror subsided with a small nod from the girl. Her curly hair bounced around her head as she did so.
“Now then,” Zoe said. She raised her wand and cast a lightning bolt against a special panel built into the wall of her room. “A wand is but one of many items that perform the function of a foci.”
With that, her lesson started.
— — —
“Horray,” a silky voice droned, “you’ve reached your second year of schooling. Unfortunately, the lot of you are absolutely trash at anything worthwhile.
“I’d say that you shouldn’t feel bad, that your utter worthlessness is expected of fourteen year olds, but we know that isn’t the case. This very class has a student on par with a third or even a fourth year student.”
Juliana shrank into her chair as most pairs of eyes turned towards her. Some were filled with envy, others annoyance or hate.
Being called worthless to their faces had a lot to do with that. It wasn’t an untrue statement. Juliana felt confident that she could fight the entire class–Eva and Arachne not included–and come out without a single scratch. That didn’t make it okay for a teacher to tell the students they were worthless.
Especially when it turned the focus to her.
Not even five minutes into the class and she was already hating their magical combat instructor. She didn’t want to. When she walked into the room and saw who it was, Juliana hoped she might actually learn something outside of her own studies this year.
As the professor glared at her with a golden glint in his eyes, Juliana felt that hope wither. He wasn’t here because he wanted to teach. He didn’t like children. He certainly did not like her. The demon was here because of a contract with someone. Nothing more and nothing less.
At least, Juliana assumed that to be the case; she had no clue who a devil would willingly contract with.
“Dean Turner wishes to rectify that,” he said after the students had a good stare. “This won’t be like your general magic classes where you learn a thought pattern and practice it for a while before moving on. You will be drilled repeatedly and ceaselessly on any and every spell that can be used to fight. Your end of term test will include casting your spells while under a sleeping potion.”
Juliana frowned. Was that a joke? Was that serious?
She stared at his face, trying to figure it out. Her stare kept up until Zagan turned and gave her a wink.
Juliana felt her face heat up. She couldn’t believe this was the same person as the demon that had fought Sister Cross.
Sure, he lacked the horns and giant wings. They had been too far to see his eyes or hear his voice. His knees bent in the proper direction for a human. And he wasn’t breathing fire.
But it was still him. Juliana could tell.
The rippling muscles that covered his bare chest during the fight were still there. They might be covered up by his solid black suit, but Juliana could almost see straight through the cloth. He definitely had the same body type. More notable than his body type was his stance.
The professor had the same feet apart, arms crossed, utter pose of contempt as the devil from that night.
Eva, standing on the other side of Juliana, could tell it was him as well. Then again, she knew the moment they got their schedules and saw his name on the paper. She crumpled up the paper with grit teeth. Eva hadn’t bothered to share the cause of her ire.
That she knew the demon’s name while Juliana did not was likely the reason.
