Magic and Mayhem: How To Train A Witch (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Baba Yaga Saga Book 1) (8 page)

Damien snorted. “With their Amazon bodyguards hanging out with them, the rest of the children are avoiding them at recess. Hildy and Carol are being slowly ostracized. Is that what you wanted to happen?”

“What kind of question is that?” Jezibaba demanded. “I’m not wanting anything detrimental to happen at all. That’s why I took them to get the Amazons in the first place. There is nothing I can do to change the fact that they will not be allowed to have an idyllic childhood. I doubt the Goddess Morgana herself could make that any different for them. All I can do is see they get to have a life that doesn’t include being locked away just to avoid attacks. The warlocks mention that option every damn day they look at what’s coming.”

Damien stroked the bridge of his nose. “And Amazons are your answer?”

“They’re one of them,” Jezibaba declared fiercely. “Do you know Hildy can already fly? Her parents taught her. Do you know Carol travelled magically and never felt a thing? She could be taught to do it alone. They need to learn to use what they have already developed innately until more power is available to them. It will be years before they have enough mental focus to cast real spells.”

She put her gaze back on Carol who lost her temper and went flying over her trainer’s head. The determined girl got back up, growled, and took her defensive stance again. Normally, that sight made her laugh. But not today. Damien was making her feel guilty and she didn’t like it.

“No one could possibly be more concerned about the girls than I am. They’re both like I was at that age. It’s like taking care of myself.”

Damien snorted and black smoke escaped his nostrils. He was more churned up than he should be, but the witch was driving him insane. “When in Morgana’s name do you ever do that? I haven’t seen you even eat dinner in over two weeks. The last time you stopped long enough to eat was with me.”

“Is this about the fact I’ve had to leave every day?” Jezibaba shrugged one shoulder. “I have a job, Professor. Being here and personally watching out for the girls is barely sanctioned as one of my tasks. When I get called for other work, I go and do what has to be done. I’m the Goddess-Damned Jezibaba. I shouldn’t have to explain this to you. You know who I am and what my real job is.”

“You came back last night reeking of werewolf and bourbon. There was blood all over your clothes. You slammed the door of your room in my face and wouldn’t even talk to me about it. What am I supposed to conclude from all that?”

“That I was tired after working,” Jezibaba declared. “And I told you weeks ago that we had no real future. Why are you giving me this kind of grief? I have enough to deal with, Dragon. I don’t need your third degree over things I can’t change.”

Before she could blink, Damien’s hand had grabbed the front of her low cut blouse and pulled her to face him. Given her height, they were nearly nose to nose, but only because he bent down far enough to stare into her eyes. A quiver shook her from head to toe, which was precisely why she had been avoiding him. She didn’t have time for any dragon-caused quivers—even if he was a male Emeritus and Morgana both had approved of to grace her bed.

Well, no way was she taking the man medicine being held out on a spoon to her. She’d choose her own lover or have none at all. And she would never willingly choose a dragon.

“You have no right to be jealous of what I do. We don’t have that kind of connection,” she protested.

“Yes. We do have that kind of connection. And I will kill any male who lays a hand on what I intend to make mine,” he said, black smoke drifting up into his eyes.

Coughing, she pulled out of his grasp and waved the smoke away from her face.

“Whew… Damien. How do you live with that smoking nose thing happening all the time? I think I’m blind now.”

When his breathing accelerated, his eyes turned to slitted black pools. She’d gone too far in teasing him and had lured his dragon to the surface. Sighing, she put both hands out and rubbed his arms.

“Stop fuming. Nothing like what you’re imagining happened. I don’t sleep with creatures I have to incarcerate or kill. Or at least I don’t do that anymore. The blood was the werewolf’s. The bourbon was a celebratory drink I had with his pack leader when I returned him to face his punishment. And frankly, I was too damn tired last night to deal with the anger I saw in your gaze. You have a lot of nerve making me explain myself. I don’t have to sleep here where you can come torture me. I can just as easily assign someone else to oversee the girls in my place.”

Damien stepped away, lifted a hand, and calmed himself. “That won’t be necessary. I guess I was operating under the wrong impression. I thought you returned my interest equally.”

Jezibaba shook back her long, red hair. And now to lie… “Well, I don’t. I’m sorry if my friendliness and flirting made you think there was more between us. I did give it some thought, but I feared the exact situation that just happened. You’ve merely validated my decision that more between would be a bad idea all around.”

She pointed to where Hildy and Carol were now dancing with the Amazon twins.

“Still think they’re being abused, Professor? Until those little witches grow up and choose to replace me, my life will be full of tasks like the one I did last night. I can’t answer to anyone but the Goddess Morgana for them. I never have and I never will apologize for doing my job the way I see fit.”

Damien clenched his fists to keep from grabbing her again. If he touched her now, the students would get too much of an education. “Your arrogance exceeds any dragon’s I’ve ever known—even my own.”

Jezibaba nodded. “Yes. I suppose it does. I’m not going to apologize for that either. My self-centered preservation serves me well and keeps my arrogant ass from making mistakes.”

Damien came back and stood near enough to force her gaze to his once more. “Tell me something, Witch. When do you get to have a life of your own?”

“Well that’s the thing, Dragon. I don’t know if I ever will. That’s the reason I’m trying to save those children the best way I can.”

When her gaze fled from his, Damien snorted and walked away before he was tempted to show the Jezibaba exactly what she was passing up in not admitting her feelings for him.

***

Jezibaba knew Damien was still pissed over their argument because he’d left her alone with the entire class with no explanation of what needed to be done.

Following a teaching lead she’d helped him with many times, she’d set up centers, divided them into small groups, and now they were busily building block creatures to animate. She’d promised to pick two or three of the best ones so long as they had been made with sufficient limbs for walking. It was a task that would keep them occupied for the better part of the next hour—she hoped.

She’d sent the Amazon twins back to their mother because she’d quickly observed Damien’s comments were true about the intimidation factor the towering muscled pre-teens caused among the other children.

Trying not to dwell on how upset Damien was with her, Jezibaba visited each group, then settled at a table where Hildy and Carol were putting together their creations.

“Were you and Professor Smoke fighting about us while we were training?” Hildy asked.

“You’re quite the little observer, aren’t you?” Jezibaba asked. Smiling into the girl’s direct gaze, she shook her head. “No, Hildy. This time Professor Smoke and I were fighting about my other work.”

“What other work?” Carol asked, stopping what she was doing to listen.

Jezibaba thought carefully about how to explain her job to her too-young replacements without scaring them. “I’m like a policeman for magicals. There are laws for people with power like ours. If they break those laws, people without power can be hurt. I try to stop this from happening.”

“People with power hurt animals sometimes,” Hildy declared.

Jezibaba nodded. “Yes. They do. I try to stop that as well. I like animals almost as much as you do.”

Carol laughed. “Is it hard to be a police witch?”

Jezibaba laughed at her term. “Sometimes. Mostly, it’s a lot of chasing. People breaking magical laws don’t want to be captured.”

A roaring thunder from outside the building stopped all conversation.

“Emeritus!” Jezibaba called loudly, rising to walk to the door. When he appeared, she waved a hand over the children. “Protect them.”

She looked back at Hildy. “I need to go see what’s going on. If I don’t return in two minutes, I want you to turn all your classmates into toads, Hildy. Emeritus will help you put them in a box and then he will hide all of you. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes,” Hildy said, pretending not to notice the sudden fear on her classmates’ faces.

“Not me. Please don’t make me be a toad, Jezibaba. I hate eating flies,” Carol begged.

“It’s only for this one time and I may need Emeritus to help us deal with what’s going on outside,” Jezibaba said, leaving before Carol could protest further.

Magicals in the form of instructors and staff poured out of every door of the elementary building. Across campus, the same was happening for every age range. Grateful for the sneakers she’d worn with her leggings, Jezibaba ran down the steps and stopped at the bottom to stare up at the large creatures circling overhead.

“Griffins? What are they doing here?” She’d whispered the question, wondering where so many of them could have been hiding in the world. She had only known of two who still lived, but there used to be four.

“Not Griffins. A real griffin would be offended by the comparison. They’re what dragons call the soulless ones.”

She swung at the sound of Damien’s voice near her ear. “What did you say they were?”

His eyes were on the sky. “Soulless Ones. Dragons who let themselves be used for evil. Over time it reshapes them into what you see. The leader of the soulless ones hasn’t arrived or they would have already attacked. They’re in battle formation.”

He walked to her and lifted the chain of the amulet from his pocket. “Here. Put this on. It will protect you from dragon fire. I had planned to give it to you two weeks ago, but never got the chance.”

A gift? After all she’d said to him about not being interested? Her hand closed around the charm. There was real magic in it. “Did you make this for me?”

Damien shook his head. “No, the druidic mage who trained me made it for himself. He wore it around me all the time. Though Morgana was the one who sent me, his experiences with dragons had not been very good before he and I met. His life experiences were probably as interesting as yours.”

Jezibaba didn’t answer his taunt, nor did she tell him that she was naturally immune to dragon fire. She had slightly better manners than that… and she was still stunned by the gift.

“Thank you, Professor Smoke. It’s a very thoughtful gift. I appreciate your concern for my well-being.”

He nodded and turned back to look at the sky again. She looked too.

“Are the children alone in the classroom?” he asked.

Jezibaba shook her head. “No, Emeritus is looking after them. He won’t let anything happen. He’ll take them to Morgana’s realm if he has to. I’m hoping it won’t come to that. She would not be pleased to have to make a bunch of ten year olds forget her.”

Damien lifted a hand. “Is this what your warlocks saw coming?”

“Good question… but I don’t know the answer. A seer’s magic isn’t always precise.”

Her gaze went to the center lawn where the warlocks were standing and chanting. They lifted hands in the air and two of the creatures fell from the sky. The fallen lay motionless on the earth. But there were a lot more still circling around.

“The warlocks alone won’t be able to stop them all. If I ward the school grounds against dragons, you and your people won’t be able to shift. If I don’t ward the grounds, the ones in the sky could burn down the entire school before we can stop them.”

Damien nodded. “Ward against the dragons. There is no choice but to protect the school. We can’t put all the children at risk.”

With no time to lose, Jezibaba raised her hands. Her hair lifted as the power she drew in swirled in the air around her. Her voice deepened as she prayed to the Goddess and then made her plea.

“Hear me now, dragons of old,

Wings be gone, fire burn cold,

To deny you flight or make you flee,

As I will, so mote it be.”

The last word was scarcely uttered before people scattered to avoid the mutated dragons falling from the sky. Soon the campus grounds was littered with bodies. Damien jogged to the closest one. He searched, but found no signs of breath or heartbeat.

“These are dead,” he announced.

He looked up from the ground to see Jezibaba also bent over the corpse, investigating too. She ran a hand over the dragon’s chest area and met his gaze.

“Parts are missing. These creatures were dead before I brought them down,” Jezibaba said quietly. “Their animation must have been a temporary spell. Probably means they were meant to be a distraction.”

A throat clearing nearby interrupted their conversation and took their attention to a man standing a few feet from them.

“More like a warning really. Hello, darling. Have you missed me?”

Jezibaba jerked to full height and walked toward a man she detested. “Nigel? How in hell did you escape this time?”

“Oh you know how it is, love. I slept with a fairy, paid a troll to dig me out… the usual. Heard the pack shredded poor Douglas the other night after you took him back. I guess that’s one bloke I won’t have to be paying off anymore. Thanks loads for that, Luv. My illegal gains will go much farther now. Goddess knows, I spent a hefty amount getting all those dead dragons up floating and roaring again. You have no idea how terribly taxing that was.”

Jezibaba walked two steps forward, held her hand in front of his chest, and shouted. “
Negatus nomora escapeus!
”

Nigel snickered as the power passed through him. “Oh this is so lovely. I didn’t even feel the slightest tickle. Do you like my new trick? I’m not really here. Isn’t that just brill? Wraith travel smarts a little, but it sure does have benefits.”