Cruel Magic (Royals of Villain Academy #1)(44)

That didn’t say “interesting” to me. That said, “Get me the fuck out of here.”

A tall gaunt figure with a sheen of silver on his long jaw appeared in the doorway. He beckoned us in, his gaze lingering on me.

“Miss Bloodstone,” he said. “This is your first session.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m… not totally sure what this is.”

He chuckled under his breath, a weirdly warm sound in the chilly space, and motioned me after the others into a round domed room that I suspected filled the entire circumference of the tower. From the glossy tiled floor to the curving brick walls, every surface gleamed starkly black, making the space feel even larger in the pale light cast from the fixture at the peak of the dome.

“I’m Professor Razeden,” the man said. “And the work you’ll do here is a vital part to your education as a fearmancer. The rest of you have much more experience with this subject than Miss Bloodstone does. Who can explain for her why we go through desensitization sessions?”

The other girl raised her hand. “Learning how to prevent other mages from using our fears is just as important as learning how to provoke fear for our own use,” she said confidently. “A mage who doesn’t know how to control their emotions will find themselves controlled by others.”

“Precisely,” Professor Razeden said. “And why do we conduct these sessions in a small group rather than individually?”

“Because you need as much time off as you can get,” Jude said sardonically, and the younger guy let out a nervous laugh.

Razeden cocked his head, but he didn’t look bothered by the joke. “The real answer, please, Mr. Killbrook.”

Jude took on a singsong voice as if reciting a quote. “Because one of the greatest fears to master is the fear of having our vulnerabilities exposed.”

“But nothing we see about each other in here gets talked about outside the chamber,” the other guy jumped in, shifting on his feet. “What happens here stays private.”

Razeden nodded, but I suspected if Jude caught a glimpse of anything juicy to do with me, he’d be passing it on to Malcolm within five minutes of us leaving the Tower. Not much I could do about that. And mastering my fears, making sure people like him and Malcolm couldn’t turn me into a power source while they tormented me, sounded like a great idea.

I glanced around the otherwise empty room. “So, how exactly does that work?”

“You go one by one while the rest of us observe,” Razeden said. “The magic in this room is a honed combination of insight and illusion spells. When I activate it, it will latch onto a point of fear in your mind and bring that impression to life, literally or more symbolically depending on the specificity of your emotions. Your fear will continue feeding the illusion until you can manage to control it. Then it will disappear, and your turn will be over. I will, of course, offer guidance as it appears you need it.”

He gestured for us to step back to the wall and considered the four of us. “Since Miss Bloodstone is newly with us, I think we should let her do a little observing before throwing her into the lion’s den. Mr. Killbrook, you seem quite energetic today. Why don’t you start us off?”

Jude gave the professor a mock salute and strode into the middle of the room without hesitation.

What would he be afraid of? I had even less of a sense with him than I did with Malcolm.

“Begin,” Professor Razeden said.

The light overhead blinked off, throwing us into total darkness. A hazy image swam into focus: Jude perched on the top of a crystalline spire.

He was swaying, bits of the glittering rock crumbling away beneath his feet. A chunk gave way beneath his heel. He stumbled and toppled off with a warble of wind I could hear even if it didn’t touch me. He plummeted, falling and yet suspended before us at the same time.

Jude’s hands flailed out with a flash of panic, and then his expression firmed. He stretched his arms out deliberately and spun his body around. His feet hit the ground with a loud but steady thump. He didn’t even stumble.

The light came back on. Jude swept down in an exaggerated bow, his eyes glinting with triumph when he straightened up. He was afraid of heights? Of sudden falls? Whatever that imagery had represented, he obviously didn’t need any help tackling it.

“Very nice, Mr. Killbrook,” Professor Razeden said. “You continue to hone your reactions. Miss Scarlow, let’s have you up next.”

The fear the girl tackled must have been symbolic as well—I sure as hell hoped so, anyway. A bristling monster twice her height loomed over her and slashed at her with a razor-clawed hand.

As she dodged it, sweat broke out on her brow. She bobbed and ducked and dashed from side to side, but the beast kept after her. Her breath turned ragged. My legs tensed with the urge to run in there and defend her somehow.

“Remember, you must defeat it to overcome it,” Razeden called out from the darkness. “How would you slay this creature?”

The girl fell on her side escaping the monster’s grasp. She winced as its claws passed through her shoulder, even though the contact didn’t appear to tear her clothes or flesh. It was an illusion, but I knew pain that was in your head could still hurt plenty.

She drew in a shaky breath and slid her palm across the floor. A narrow shining sword leapt into her hand from the same place the monster had emerged from. She sprang up and battered its claws away, weaving around the room for several more seconds. Her mouth pressed flat. She lunged forward and stabbed the thing straight through the chest.