Pursuit: Moonshadow Academy Year One Read online

  Seriously, from where I stood the academy looked like something that came out of a horror movie. I half expected to hear cracks of thunder and the screeching of bats as they fluttered by. The castle, mixed with the bloody ocean behind me and the red and blue sky, created a sinister looking atmosphere.

  “Hey, you with the blue hair!” I heard someone call out. I looked out in front of me to see several people—students if I were to guess—heading up the hill, while someone waved for my attention.

  I picked up my suitcase and jogged over to where everybody else was. The closer I approached, the more I was able to make out a stairway that seemed to lead directly up to the castle. The path was lined with long flag poles on each side. The flags were a royal blue color with a silver insignia in the center. A crescent moon shape with two swords crossed in the center. The logo for the academy.

  I stopped in front of the girl who was waving for my attention. She looked to be around my age wearing—what I assumed was—the academy’s uniform. A powder blue button-up with a royal blue plaid skirt that stopped about two inches above the knees. She had on black thigh-high socks and laced boots. Her blond hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and she had bright green eyes, pink lips, and wore black nail polish.

  “I take it this is the path to the academy?” I asked.

  The girl nodded. “Yep. All you have to do is walk this path and you’ll make it there in no time.”

  My eyes roamed the path, unable to see most of it, but I could imagine there were a least a few hundred steps. I think I picked a bad time to wear boots.

  “Great. I’ll climb up and make it there in about five years,” I said dryly.

  The girl chuckled. “I know it looks like a lot, but trust me, you’ll make it to the front entrance in no time. But you might want to get started if you want to reach the top before it gets dark.”

  “You mean it gets darker than this?” I asked, unable to imagine it. It was already looking like the day passed in mere seconds. When I arrived, it was only eleven a.m. Here, it looked like it was about to hit midnight.

  Reluctantly, I began the long trek up the path, hating every minute of it. An hour and a half later, I made the last few steps and came face to face with the stone walls that surrounded the castle. Each corner had a pointed tower. In the center was one of those metal gates with spikes on the bottom, but it was raised, allowing us to step inside. I crossed over to the other side and entered a courtyard occupied by dozens of newcomers like myself. The academy stood right in front of us, its gold double doors shut. Thankful that there weren’t any more steps. I collapsed onto my suitcase, catching my breath and taking in my first real view of what would essentially be my new home and training facility for the next three years.

  The exterior of the castle was a mosaic of black stone varying in shape and size, but which also wore many pits and scars that marred the walls, revealing its age and history to all who gazed upon it. Brightly lit torches were on either side of the large double doors in front of us, whipping and twirling as if performing a dance while we waited to be let in.

  Over to my left was a hedge maze decorated with flowers, some I recognized but others I guessed were only native to this realm. To my right was what looked to be a stable for horses, but from where I stood I saw rows of fire pits and an assortment of tools lining the walls. The courtyard itself had a few picnic benches—currently occupied with soon-to-be students—on either side. They were lined around two water fountains. The tops depicted a dragon, of all things, with its head raised to the sky. Driplets of water spewed out of its mouth, claws and wings dipping into the pool of water beneath it. I expected the water to be as red at the ocean I saw when I first arrived here. Instead, it was a mesh of different colors. Like a rainbow liquified and swirling together. It was beautiful.

  The tiled floors had a few weeds sticking out from the cracks. A section of the middle was cut off from the rest by a dark line forming a long rectangle. I wonder what that could mean?

  This place was a real castle. When I was in high school, I loathed history despite making straight A’s. It didn’t interest me in the slightest. But gazing up into Moonshadow, I couldn’t help but be curious of the stories it held. What all it went through to earn its battle scars. Maybe my fascination had to do with the magic of it all. Like most high school grads, we go to college to study the things we want to learn with all the curriculum that came with it. You’re more excited the learn the subjects that interest you. That was what it was like for me. In addition to learning to be a better fighter, I wanted to learn the ins and outs of this place.

  “How much longer are they expecting us to wait out here? I wish we could just get inside this dump of a place already,” a female voice whined off to my left.

  My eyes went to the source, and I inwardly groaned. The owner of said voice looked as pampered and entitled as she sounded. She wore a white and floral dress I could’ve sworn I saw in one of my fashion magazines back home. She paired it with a pink jacket and heels. Who in their right mind would wear high heels to an academy where we’re trained to fight demons?

  Her skin looked completely flawless, her dark hair had a lot of body and shine to it, and she wore rose-colored sunglasses. I’d never been repulsed by someone based on first appearances so fast before in all my life. She reminded me of a group of girls I couldn’t stand back in high school. The kind who thought their rich daddies could buy everyone’s respect and damned those who wouldn’t worship them. They hadn’t liked me because I apparently had a too cool for school type of attitude. That, and I was pretty popular with the guys.

  Granted I never had a boyfriend—nor had I ever been interested in one—but that didn’t matter to the populars. I was stealing their potential boyfriends, and that was enough for them to hate me. Typical high school drama. If only they knew to never mess with a mage.

  No, I never hurt them with magic. I wasn’t that kind of person. But that didn’t mean I never had fun messing with them. Like making their bottled water explode in their faces and ruin their makeup. Or the time we were dissecting frogs and I made theirs move around like they were still alive. Good times.

  But now I was in the realm of magic where everyone could use magic, including the primadonna over there looking like she was ready to complain to a manager. Said primadonna groaned for the second time, stomping her heeled foot and muttering something like, honestly, before disappearing into the crowd.

  I shook my head.

  “She’s certainly not going to last long with that attitude,” said a stunning black girl with long, hot pink hair.

  My eyes widened as I looked her up and down. She wore a black, sleeveless jacket over a maroon colored top, revealing some impressive biceps. She paired it with tight jeans and black shoes. Her eyes were a deep shade of blue with hints of green mixed in. She definitely looked like she belonged here, ready to take on anybody who crossed her. I liked her already.

  “No kidding,” I scoffed. “I think the princess ended up in the wrong castle.”

  The girl chuckled. “Right? But we’ll see what she’s made of soon enough.” She reached her hand out for me to shake. “I’m Aisha, by the way. Aisha Fowler.”

  I grinned and took her offered hand. “Ronnie Moon. Nice to meet you.”

  That was as far as we got in the introduction before a loud rumbling sound echoed and the doors that were keeping us out slowly began to open. On of the other side, was a petite older woman wearing a royal blue and silver pencil skirt and a matching jacket with the academy’s logo printed on the left breast pocket. Her brown hair had hints of grey and was pulled back into a tight bun. Even from where I stood I could feel the tingling sensation of magic wafting off her. She was powerful, there was no doubt about it.

  The woman looked around the lot of us with a smile plastered on her face. When she finally spoke, it was with a soft, melodic voice. “Welcome, newcomers to Moonshadow Academy. I’m Professor Bouersox, and I’m the dean of this establishm
ent. I thank you all for your patience, but now if you’ll kindly follow me, we can begin the first step to the next three years of your training.”

  Professor Bouersox turned and began walking. Everyone gathered their things and started following behind her.

  “And so it begins,” Aisha muttered softly.

  I nodded, picking up my suitcase and walking beside her into the academy. “Nervous?”

  Aisha shook her head. “Not really. I’ve been preparing for this day for years. You?”

  “No. Same thing for me. I’ve been training and looking forward to attending here for as long as I can remember. My Dad was a Nightwatcher.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep, one of the best in his New York division until…” my voice trailed off as my emotions threatened to clog my throat. I cleared it and tried again. “Until he, um…disappeared during a mission.”

  “Oh,” was all Aisha said.

  Thankfully, she didn’t look at me with pity in her eyes, nor did she apologize for my loss. I didn’t like people feeling sorry for me for what I lost. Was it tough without him? Of course! But I wasn’t broken. I was determined to pick up where he left off, and attending Moonshadow was stage one in making sure that happened.

  Of course, I had another secret reason for doing this, but that was something I wasn’t willing to share with anybody.

  Turning back to Aisha, I asked, “What about you? Any of your parents Nightwatchers?”

  “No,” Aisha snorted. “First one to train in my family, despite my mother’s disapproval.”

  “She doesn’t want you to be a Nightwatcher?”

  “No! She thinks I’m crazy. That it’s too dangerous. That I’ll get myself killed.” Aisha rolled her eyes. “She’ll come around eventually. And if she doesn’t, tough luck. I’m not about to stop now.”

  I liked her determination. It was reminiscent of my own. When I first told my dad that I wanted to be a Nightwatcher, he was understandably concerned. No parent likes the idea of seeing their kids go off to war when there was a real possibility that we could die out there. It was no different from humans going off to join the military. Dad was scared for me, but he never disapproved. When he disappeared, instead of deterring me from becoming a Nightwatcher, it made me more resolved.

  The doorway led to a large hall where everybody gathered. Even the interior gave off a medieval king’s castle vibe. The hall was a circular shape with black stone pillars aligning against the walls. Directly in front of us was a stairwell that broke off into two wings. A darkened hallway was off to our left, and to the right was a set of wooden doors where I could hear the muffled sound of people. I guessed second and third year students.

  Professor Bouersox stood in front of the stairs and raised a wrinkled hand to silence everyone. “Now then. I know you’re all anxious to get settled and get acquainted with your new surroundings. All of that will come in due time.” She looked around into the eyes of every one of us.

  “You’re all here because you’ve proven to have the potential to face what lies outside of these walls. Over a thousand young mages such as yourself have applied to attend Moonshadow Academy this year, but you all—a hundred and fifty in total—are the only ones who were accepted. Congratulations to you all.”

  I gaped at the number of mages who were hoping to get their chance this year. The instructor who gave me my initiation made it seem as if I had no chance of being accepted, and maybe I didn’t considering that not even a quarter of the applicants made it through. But somehow I did, which gave me hope that the academy saw potential in me. I had to make sure I continued to prove myself.

  “But be warned, my young mages,” Professor Bouersox continued. “That the obstacles you will face will be even harder. You will be pouring your own blood, sweat, and tears into training. Some of you may not make it to the second year. Some of you may not even make it through the second term. Becoming a trainee at Moonshadow Academy is not for the weak-hearted. But I promise you that if you manage to make it through all three years, graduate, and receive your Nightwatcher license, you’ll be more than prepared to face those wretched demons who’ve invaded the realm of magic, as well as your mortal realm. Are you all prepared to take on the challenges that await you?”

  Everyone nodded, some brimming with confidence—some overconfident—and some who looked ready to turn back and run. My hands clenched tighter around the strap of my suitcase, fortitude flaring to life within my core like an open flame ready to consume everything in its path.

  Professor Bouersox grinned. “Good. Now, I will have your student guides escort you to your rooms. All rooms have been assigned, and your uniforms and class schedule with be inside waiting for you. You may place your things inside and get situated. Lunch starts in ten minutes in the dining hall,” She gestured towards the door to our right where the commotion was coming from. “where you will meet your fellow students. If you have any questions for me, please hold onto them until lunch time, where I will be addressing everyone in attendance.”

  With that, Professor Bouersox gave us a magic trick by muttering an incantation under her breath and disappearing in a flash of violet light. While everyone awed at the display, two students in uniform stepped forward. One I recognized as the girl who directed me to the pathway up the hill. The other student was a guy with tanned skin, bulging arms that looked ready to rip through his sleeves, and short cropped dark hair.

  “Oh, he is fine!” Aisha said, looking at the guy with obvious interest.

  “Alright everybody, listen up because we don’t have a lot of time to waste!” the girl announced. I’m Daisy, and this is Roderick. We’re both third year students, and we will be your student guides. Ladies, if you will follow me, I will escort you to your designating wing. Gentlemen, you will follow Roderick.”

  “I may not be a guy, but I would definitely follow him anywhere,” Aisha muttered under her breath.

  I chuckled, noticing a couple other girls giggling and ogling Roderick. “Yeah, you and a few others it seems,” I said then tugged on her arm to follow Daisy.

  We trudged up the stairs to the west wing. An assortment of paintings decorated the walls along with old weapons hung up like trophies. After making a left then a right, we found ourselves in a torchlit hall with many doors on either side.

  We stopped in the middle where Daisy turned and addressed us. “Alright ladies, this floor is designed specifically for all first year students. You will look around and find your name posted on the door. Second and third year students are further down. Feel free to look around and find your rooms. I will be back in five minutes to collect you all and lead you to the mess hall. Don’t miss out, because there will be some important details you’ll be needing.”

  With a wave of her hand, Daisy allowed us to begin our search. I noticed that each room had at least two names marked, which meant we would have roommates. I found mine five doors down from the entrance. The door was detailed with carvings of moons, swords, and a large castle in the center. At the top was my name, Veronica Moon. When I saw the name underneath mine, my smile widened. Aisha Fowler.

  “Looks like it was fate that brought us together, huh roomie?” Aisha said from behind me.

  I turned to face her. “Looks like it! Ready to kick some demon butt?”

  Aisha cocked her hip to the side, resting a hand there, regarding me with a raised brow. “Honey, I was born ready for this!”

  I opened the door to our room and stepped in, knowing then that I had more than just a roommate. I made my first real friend.

  Chapter 4

  Ranks

  “Oh, sweet Moses!” I breathed out, taking in my first view of my dorm room. Actually, calling it that was an insult. This was nothing like the little cardboard boxes that human colleges liked to call dorm rooms. This was more like a luxury suite in some fancy five-star hotel.

  Right when we walked in, the first thing we noticed was the sitting area complete with a couch and two love seats align
ed around a coffee table. A wood burrning fireplace in front of it. On the far right were two queen size beds, each with their own dresser. Two wardrobe closets were placed on each side of the open window on the other side of the room.

  A door leading to what I discovered was our bathroom was placed right next to the beds. When I stepped inside, I was floored by how different it looked compared to the Renaissance style of the room. It looked more modern with the white tiled floors and a marble sink. The bathtub was large enough for someone to have room to lay back and relax.

  “This is definitely the nicest room I’ve ever slept in,” Aisha said, tossing her duffle onto the bed closest to the window.

  I smirked. “Well, technically you haven’t slept in here yet, but if it weren’t for lunch coming up, I would definitely be up for taking a nap.”

  I set my duffle on the bed closest to the bathroom, unzipping it and began unpacking and setting everything up. When I looked into one of the wardrobes, I spotted two sets of uniforms inside along with our schedules.

  “Found our stuff!” I called out, picking both stacks up. I handed Aisha her stuff then set mine on the bed. I gabbed my schedule off the top and looked it over.

  Demonology & History

  Self-Defense Training

  Elemental Magic

  Weapons Forging

  Study of Mythical Creatures

  Comparing it with Aisha’s, I noticed we had the same classes.

  “Well, at least we’ll be staying together,” I said.

  “Two minutes, ladies!” Daisy’s voice sounded outside the hall.

  “Should we change into our uniforms now?” I asked Aisha.

  She shrugged. “I’m not. I’ll wait until class for that.”

  Agreeing with her, I hung up my uniforms in my wardrobe then finished putting my things away. When I was done, I slid my empty suitcase under my bed and stepped into the bathroom to give myself a quick freshen up. My makeup was still intact, but I gave my hair a brush. It was warm enough in the castle, so I left my dad’s coat in the room.