Year One: Dreamers Read online

  “I… I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I blushed to the tips of my ears.

  Davien shook his head, adopting a hurt look. “Scarlett, Scarlett… I can’t believe you feel this way about me. I would never ever hurt an innocent lady.” There was this hint of sarcasm in his tone that made me think the exact opposite was true.

  The brunette beauty took a deep breath. Her black eyes turned darker, if that was even possible.

  “I swear to God, Krause, if my best friend didn’t have a thing for you, I would help myself to a feast of incubus blood.”

  As she said that, she peeled back her pink-stained lips and revealed her fangs. Vampire. A vampire had just saved me from an incubus!

  It all came crashing down on me. I wasn’t safe here. It didn’t matter who I was. A little over an hour had passed since I’d first stepped foot on the Academy grounds, and someone had already tried their stupid supernatural tricks on me. Incubi could be dangerous if they wanted to. They were naturally seductive, especially if they came from a pure-blood family. I believed Davien Krause was such a specimen – handsome, exquisite, sensual, and deadly. Now that his spell was broken, only by looking at him I could tell that his hobby was to use people. It was likely that he got a kick out of seducing all the girls who crossed his path, screwing their brains out, making them beg and crawl for him, and then discarding them like rag dolls. I wasn’t going to become one of those poor souls – used, emptied of everything good and positive they had to give, thrown out of his bed and his life like trash.

  “I don’t have time for this,” I mumbled under my breath. I needed to put distance between me and them. It had been nice of Scarlett to come to my rescue, but I didn’t want her around. Something told me she was just as toxic as he was. Just as toxic as most supernaturals were. If I had to have a friend at Grim Reaper Academy, that was going to be Hayley.

  I turned on my heels and resumed looking for my wounded sparrow.

  “Not even a thank you?” I heard Scarlett yell after me. Then, in a lower voice: “Apparently, they don’t teach manners in the human world.”

  Davien laughed, and Scarlett laughed with him. It was as if she hadn’t threatened to suck his blood just a few minutes ago.

  Goddammit, what am I even looking for? I was deep in the forest now. I stopped to catch my breath, leaning against the thick trunk of a tree. I looked at my boots. I’d stepped into something, and it smelled rather foul. And that was when I saw it. Blood. It was sprinkled all over the tree’s roots, over the grass, and it formed a sort of trail that led toward the coast. I followed it for a minute. Something fluttered ahead of me. I squinted, but I couldn’t see much in the thick overgrowth. I listened to my gut and pushed ahead. Branches caught in my hair, and I pulled it over my shoulder. I would have braided it, but I had nothing to secure the braid with. And then I saw it again. A small creature fluttered its wings, desperate that it couldn’t take flight. Maybe that was my wounded sparrow. She disappeared again, and I ran after it. Before I knew it, I was falling falling falling. I’d stepped into a hidden hole in the ground, apparently. I screamed and clawed at the air. I was sliding down a sort of tunnel, on my back, roots and rocks imprinting painful bruises and leaving deep cuts on my arms, neck, and legs. The sharp edge of a root caught onto my pant leg and tore off a good chunk of it. When I finally hit the bottom, my left leg was bleeding.

  Fuck.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I inspected the damage. Blood trickled down the back of my calf, disappearing into my boot. It wasn’t a serious injury, so I wasn’t terribly worried about it. I was just an abundant bleeder when I got hurt, that was all. I pulled myself to my feet and checked if I could lean my weight on the injured leg. Deciding it was good enough, I cleaned my dirty hands on my uniform and looked around. I was inside a pit. Or a well. What was the difference, anyway?

  “Shit. I don’t think I can climb back up.”

  Was I supposed to? Maybe I’d ended up here for a reason, and this pit was where my next clue was waiting for me.

  “Headmaster Colin did say we are free to use all our skills and gifts,” I whispered to myself. I was seriously considering calling Corri. Pixies had powerful magic, and she would have found a way in seconds. But wasn’t it cheating? It wasn’t like Corri was a skill I had, or a gift… In fact, she was a gift! Not from nature, but from my cousin. “No, that’s lame. Too easy.” I always had Corri’s bell with me. No matter what I wore and where I was, Corri’s bell was always stuffed in a pocket somewhere. It was my direct connection to her, and if I ever left it behind, I felt like I’d left her behind.

  I spun in place, studying the well. From the corner of my eye, I caught a weak flutter under a pile of leaves. I crouched down and found the sparrow. It was hurt, bleeding. It had a broken wing. The second I cupped her little body in my palms, she settled down and looked up at me. She had tiny black eyes. She turned her head, and fixed me with one intense, wide eye. I had the feeling she was more than just a tiny bird that had fallen from her nest.

  “Find your way to the shore,” she chirped, and oddly enough, I understood her. “The shore, where the sand is white, and the ocean gathers in a pool.”

  “The ocean gathers in…” She exploded in a cloud of smoke and feathers. She’d been made of magic all along. I almost felt tricked. I’d felt sad for her broken wing, and now I knew she’d never even been real. “Whatever.”

  I started pulling at the weeds and roots lining the walls. I checked each and every one of them, and lo and behold, I soon discovered a secret tunnel. It was hidden behind an entanglement of weeds, most of them filled with thorns. Thanks to the gloves I was wearing, I was able to pull with all my might and rip them off just enough to create a hole I could crawl through. I wasn’t sure this was the best way out, but I had to try. It wasn’t like I was scared of the dark or anything…

  “This test sucks.” Even if my voice was barely a whisper, it echoed down the narrow corridor. It seemed to be made from rock. I could stand, but the ceiling was not even, so I bumped my head a couple of times before I concluded it was safer to just crouch, even though that meant I was moving slower.

  The more I advanced, the darker it got. The tunnel curved toward my right at some point. The opening behind me disappeared completely, which meant that I was now swallowed by complete darkness. Pitch black – that was the only thing I could see. I stopped for a second, took a couple of deep breaths, and considered going back. This was getting dangerous, and I wasn’t even sure this was where I was supposed to be. The magic sparrow had told me I had to find the beach with the white sand and some pool. I was deep underground, it seemed.

  “Okay, I can do this,” I breathed. If I went back, I’d have to climb up the well. And, in fact, I could if I really wanted to. I did have one skill no one here knew about. Yet. For some reason, I wanted to save it for later. No point in showing off, if it wasn’t necessary. “Why do I still think this is a well?” Strange thoughts… The darkness and the damp, heavy air put strange thoughts in my head. I decided to keep going.

  I placed my hands on the walls, praying I didn’t touch anything suspicious. The stone was warm, and for a split second, I had the sensation that it vibrated underneath my fingers. But that didn’t make any sense. One foot in front of the other – that was all I had to do. I walked like this for a few minutes, my hands exploring the walls timidly. The farther I went, the faster my heart beat. This is a bad idea. This is such a bad idea. I kept going, though. It was as if something was calling to me. There was something at the end of this dark tunnel that I had to see, that had been waiting for me for a long time. I couldn’t explain the feeling, but I chose to listen to it. If I’d learned anything in my two hundred and twenty years on Earth, it was that I should always listen to my gut – my inner voice, my instinct, my Higher Self, or whatever people called it.

  Even guided by this odd feeling buzzing inside me, I once again started to consider going back. Just a
s I was about to give up, the tunnel seemed to open up a bit, letting more air in. I stepped into a puddle of warm, steaming water, and after a couple of more steps, a thin strip of light reassured me that I was getting somewhere. I was getting out of the goddamn belly of the underground.

  I found myself emerging into a large cave. Stalagmites rose toward the ceiling, meeting the sharp points of stalactites that were, in turn, throwing themselves at the ground. The warm, diffuse light wasn’t natural. It came from dozens of candles shielded in nooks and corners. It seemed that someone always made sure they were lit. But that someone wasn’t currently here.

  “Oh no,” I whispered. I wasn’t supposed to be here, and yet… this was exactly the place I’d actually hoped to discover once I joined the Academy. It had happened earlier than I thought. I wasn’t even a student here, and I’d found the secret hiding underneath its foundation.

  In the middle of the cavern, there was a round well. I stepped closer to it. The stone floor was flooded with the same warm, rusty water that trickled down the walls of the tunnel I’d come through. The well was raised on a sort of platform that wasn’t wet at all. I walked to the edge of the platform and looked at the ancient structure. Because yes, it was ancient. I didn’t dare to get any closer than that. Mila had told me everything about her first experience with the well and the sleeping, dreaming creature inside it. I had no intention of repeating my cousin’s mistakes.

  I bit the inside of my cheek. This wasn’t part of the entry test. Few people knew about the existence of this place. I’d deviated from the test, and if I didn’t get back to it soon, I might have even been in danger of failing it. But I was rooted in place. I couldn’t look away from the fountain. I wondered if it had ever contained water. I peeled my foot off the floor, and I hovered like that over the edge of the platform. Maybe I could get just a little bit closer. I felt this need, this curiosity and temptation to look inside it. My foot made contact with the dry stone, and my other foot followed without my even realizing what I was doing. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the well. It was low, it’s edge barely reaching my waist. My hands inched closer, my fingers eager to touch it. Just one look. I was going to be quick, and nothing would happen. A putrid smell wafted out of its darkness, and I took a step back. I covered my mouth and my nose with my hand, and blinked in shock, looking around me, realizing I’d almost let myself tricked by the creature living down below. I ran away, jumping off the platform, my boots causing a huge splash when they hit the flooded floor. Tunnel mouths opened all around the cave. I checked each of them, and when I thought I could hear the ocean in the distance and feel the tiniest breeze on my face, I made my choice. I ran through the tunnel and out of there, never looking back.

  I ended up on the beach. The tide was high and getting higher. I stopped to catch my breath and look around me. The sand here was pretty white, so maybe I hadn’t missed my chance to pass the test yet. I inspected the coastline, looking for the pool. It was hidden inside a natural rock formation. Apparently, when the tide came, it filled the empty space between the rocks, forming a natural pool that was neither wide enough, nor big enough for someone to bathe in. I made my way across the slippery rocks, the incoming waves splashing mercilessly against my legs. On the bright side, the salty water cleaned my wound, so now I knew it wouldn’t get infected. I reached down and sank one hand into the puddle that was growing bigger with each crashing wave. My fingers found something solid, like glass. I pulled it out. It was a bottle. It was a freaking bottle with a message inside!

  It took me a minute to get it open. I unfolded the damp paper and read out loud: “You are our only hope, dreamer.”

  What the hell? This isn’t much of a clue. I studied the handwriting. I couldn’t tell whether it was Headmaster Colin’s or someone else’s. I turned it on the other side, then turned it again. When I looked at it the second time, the message had changed. It said: “Climb the rope ladder.” Seriously? I couldn’t exactly tell where I was on the coast, but I was pretty sure there was a better way of getting back up without having to climb a stupid rope ladder. I looked at the cave I’d come out of. If I wasn’t wrong and my eyes didn’t betray me, it seemed there were some sort of natural stone stairs leading up the slope. But if I don’t follow the instructions and don’t climb the damn rope ladder, I won’t pass the test. So, I turned my back to the obvious path I should have taken and looked up at the rocky cliff before me. There, on the side of it, blowing in the wind, was the ladder that was supposed to take me to the final stage of the test. Bad idea. Such a bad idea. I had no choice. I was pretty positive that by getting inside the tunnel and the cavern I’d skipped a few steps already, so I couldn’t skip this one. I made my way over the rocks. All the muscles in my body tensed painfully trying to keep me from slipping and falling to my death. The tide was almost at its peak. I reached the side of the cliff and grabbed onto the ladder. It was wet, slippery, and looking up at the climb ahead, I was starting to think this would be the end of my long, long life.

  “Oh God. What am I doing?” I started climbing. I took my time, making sure that my grip was solid. Years ago, I’d gone through a bit of a fitness obsession. The muscles in my arms seemed to be fine with the effort. Apparently, I’d spent enough months at the gym for my naturally lean and lithe body to not betray me now. I tried to block out everything and focus. When a splash of water hit my lower back even as I was literally hanging at about a quarter up the cliff, I realized I had to move faster, or the next wave would crush me against the rocks first, and then pull me with it to the ocean.

  When I was halfway up, I noticed a dull pain in my arms and legs. Maybe I shouldn’t have given up going to the gym. I pushed myself harder, determined to end this soon. I just wanted to feel solid ground under my feet. I reached the edge of the cliff, and I pulled myself over it. I crawled toward the tree line, not trusting my legs to carry me, and not wanting to risk tripping and falling back onto the rocks below, to my death. I was breathing heavily, I was soaked through and through, and all I wanted was for this horrible day to end. I wiped the sweat from my eyes. When I opened them again, a pair of elegant leather shoes greeted me. I looked up to see Headmaster Colin looking down at me, his brows furrowed, an expression of disappointment painted on his wrinkled features.

  “Miss Aleksiev, you’ve been keeping us waiting. Almost everyone has finished the test.”

  Oh shit. This isn’t happening. I’m last? Not yet. Maybe… maybe I can still fix it. Yolanda Aleksiev, the hero who slayed Valentine Morningstar when she was only eleven, can’t possibly finish the entry test last, or God forbid, not pass it at all! I jumped to my feet, and Headmaster Colin stepped aside. He wasn’t the only one waiting for me. It appeared that all the professors had gathered at the edge of the forest, and there were even a few dozen candidates leaning on their scythes. That could only mean one thing: they’d already finished the test, and the scythes had chosen them to be the next generation of students. I rushed toward the forest, and they all stepped aside, clearing a path toward a glade I could see opening in the near distance.

  In the middle of the glade, there was a chair, and in the chair, with her back to me, was a woman. I couldn’t see her face, but I knew who she was. Blue hair. I swallowed hard. A few feet away from the chair, my scythe was waiting for me on the ground. I was the only one who didn’t have to choose a scythe, nor be chosen by one. Naturally, the candidates got their scythes at the end, and only if the magic weapons felt that they were ready to face the last challenge. If they were, the scythe came to them, its energy attuning to their energy. If they weren’t, well… nothing happened. But I’d gotten my scythe two centuries before.

  As I stalked closer to the woman in the chair, my knees shaking slightly as I placed one foot in front of the other, flashes from my childhood came to me. I was eleven years old, and I’d just found out that Mila, my cousin, was a revenant and a future Grim Reaper. The supernatural world fascinated me. She was part of s
omething bigger, which meant that, maybe, I was part of something bigger too. So naïve of me to wish this for myself. But I didn’t know any better back then. I was an orphan, saved from a life of poverty and mediocrity by Mila Morningstar and Lorna Chiaramonte. When they’d come to the orphanage in Bulgaria and told me that Mila’s parents wanted to adopt me, I’d thought I was the luckiest girl alive. And then, things got complicated. As it turned out, Mila hadn’t saved me because she truly cared about me. That came later, when we got to know each other. No, she’d saved me because she needed something from me, something she couldn’t do herself anymore. She needed me to dream jump. And that was how I started mapping the parallel dimensions for her, and when the time came, I was forced to make the greatest sacrifice: my innocence, so the world could avoid an apocalypse. Before Valentine Morningstar, I’d never hurt a fly in my life. I killed him with my own toy scythe – a prop made from carton and foam, painted with acrylics. The moment my scythe blocked his, the mages that fought by Mila’s side in the Great Hall of Life and Death, focused their magic on me, and my scythe became real. And powerful. When it was all over, I wasn’t allowed to keep it. It was all chaos, so the scythe stayed locked in my closet for some years, but then the Supernatural Council revised the situation and decided it was too dangerous a weapon to be allowed in the world of mortals. So, my scythe became the property of Grim Reaper Academy, waiting for me to come and reclaim it.

  They’d been assholes… The Supernatural Council. They couldn’t have known that I’d indeed live to take back my scythe one day. They knew I was only human, and humans simply didn’t live for more than a century, at the very most. I could bet my fake eternal life that they pissed their pants when they found out that I’d discovered a way to stop my body from aging. Of course, they summoned me and interrogated me. I pretended like I didn’t know what they were talking about. I didn’t age because I didn’t age. There must have been something in my blood. Maybe I was the descendant of some immortal. After all, Mila’s father had been a nephilim. Why couldn’t mine have been a false god or something? A mystery. They could try to solve it, for all I cared. They didn’t own me, so I didn’t owe them anything. Especially not the truth.