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Dove

Midterms, another form of hellish torture implemented on the students of Foxfire Academy. I spent every waking moment studying my books, inhaling every piece of new information like air. I had missed two weeks of class and there was no way I would manage to pass. I sprawled my notes all across my bed, the only place large enough to arrange them all.

Maybe I didn’t deserve to go to the academy. Maybe all I was good for was being Fated to the most gorgeous and deadly men.

“Top of the class isn’t good enough for you?”

Seven slinked into the room and plopped himself on top of all my perfectly organized notes.

“Seven!”

I shouted, trying to push the devilish rogue off, but he easily overpowered me, prowling toward me until I fell back on my pillows and he hovered over me on his hands and knees. His knees crunched over my papers and I glowered at him.

Kairos came in to save the day, a cup of black coffee in a thermos slammed onto the desk as he launched himself at Seven.

Seven was too quick, turning into a cloud of Shadow and disappearing. That didn’t stop Kairos from running—no, literally, running—across the top of my bed, leaving a series of shoe prints over my already crumbled notes.

“Kairos!”

Enko and Rhys appeared, and I knew I needed to stop any further infliction of damage upon my superbly curated notes.

“All of you, stop!”

Seven rematerialized and winked at me. “Oh, come on, Fated. You’ve been studying all weekend. We’re bored. At least have some fun with us for a few minutes.”

I glared, but it slipped into a smile as he leaned forward to kiss my neck and pull me back to a sitting position. “Maybe I’ll make you be my study-buddy, Seven.”

He snapped his head back, “That is not what I meant.”

“That’s actually a good idea, vixen,”

Rhys said with a nod, his eyes twinkled with approval.

“Don’t encourage her, Rhys,”

Seven snapped, standing up. “I’ve had enough studying for a lifetime.”

He grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me to my feet. I stumbled off the bed, but he easily grabbed hold of my waist and pressed me against him until I found my footing. “I’ll take you demon hunting.”

“Why? So you can kill them all before her and laugh about it?”

Kairos said.

Seven shrugged. “She won’t learn by working with weak kitsune. She needs to be faster.”

“She won’t get faster if you kill every opportunity she has to gain tails,”

Enko reached forward. “I’ll go with you this time, little fox.”

I shook my head with determination. “I have to finish studying and then I’m going to sleep. You know a good night’s rest—”

Seven mocked my voice, “Is as important as studying for an exam. Yeah, yeah, you’ve only said it about a dozen times.”

“Once,”

I corrected my dark mate. But my Fated males filed out of the room and let me work.

The next day, I found the exams for Demonology, Elements, and Forging easy, but stressful. I could name all the types of demons and their abilities. I knew the purpose of each of our elements—except my own. The essay on the different metals caused me to stress slightly. And I flew through the Religion and History test faster than any of the other first-years in my testing group, leaving me with only the physical exam.

I waited in a line of students in the cement hallway beneath the school. Everyone chattered excitedly, but I kept my head on straight, going through my sword’s motions in my head, imagining what opponent monsters I would be put against this time.

“Taylor Griffin, pass.”

“Dove Hawthorn, first-year,”

the speaker announced as a fellow student exited, covered with blood, both demon and their own.

“Good luck,”

said the kitsune as they exited, bowing their head slightly.

The door clanked open fully and I entered the cement box. I glanced up, knowing that my name would have caused a stir up above to the students looking down through the glass on the second floor. But from down here, all I could see was the dark hint and shadows. Like they were all Shadow beings watching me through a black mirror.

I kept my odachi sheathed as I strode to the middle of the arena. My Fated males would be watching and Seven expected perfect technique.

The ground was covered in the evidence of previous fights with the other students. Crumbled cement from sharp claws or a tail whip, inky blood mixing with the red of our own. And the smell of brimstone lingered like the pits of Hell.

The door clanked shut fully when I reached the center and the lights went out around me in a series of clunks as I waited. It was the only way to lure demons out of their cages, to make them think it was dark enough to be night. My heart pattered nervously, remembering my first time in the arena. The fear of failure filled my lungs.

But I calmed my racing heart, kept my breath steady. Because I was forged for this. Trained to kill demons so one day I could get my revenge.

Its screech rang out, bloodcurdling and terrifying as it entered the area with me, hiding within the shadows. Then it sprang out from the darkness, leaping into the air and circling me from above. Where there should have been arms, brown tattered and ripped wings flapped, hollow black eyes that were too small for its head beamed down at me. Its upper half was exposed, breasts showing amid its hazel fluff. Its burnt sienna beak protruded out of its human face as it circled me like prey. If only it knew.

Harpy, Tier II.

An easy opponent compared to what I’d already seen with my talented males by my side. I kept my sword sheathed as I watched it, waiting for it to make the first move, otherwise it might get afraid and make this fight last forever. I couldn’t fly.

I had a new set of throwing knives that I’d made in Forging class, but a distance kill didn’t seem fair for the poor creature, nor for my odachi that was craving some demonic blood.

It screeched again as it circled, and I knew once it had the confidence, it would launch itself at me. I kept my hand away from gripping my handle, careful not to alert it to my weapon.

The flapping of its wings and my breath were the only sounds, and its occasional screech. And then its beak pointed down. My breath held as I waited for the opportune moment, and when it was only two seconds away, I drew the blade, its metal singing against my sheath. The harpy’s black eyes widened, but it was too low in its dive to back out. Its body curled as it twisted in the air so its talons were aimed at my face.

In one clean movement, from unsheathing my weapon into a slice, its head landed on the ground beside me. The head bounced as its body swirled downward, caught in a whirlwind of feathers preventing it from dropping too quickly. Its body began to burn in the air.

The gates buzzed again. I knew another demon had entered the room, and now my sword was already drawn, no tricking this one.

The demon breathed heavily from the shadows and I knew it was watching me from within. With more tails, my night vision may have been strong enough to see it, but all I had was sound to go off of.

Its heavy footfalls plodded the ground, and the slow movement of the creature trying to keep quiet before it went on the attack. Trying to get a good idea of my weaknesses before it showed itself.

I wasn’t about to reveal any.

It let out a heavy breath through its nose, like it wasn’t getting enough air. Its feet padded against the cement again.

It ran around quickly and I spun in a circle waiting for it to come out, and when it did, I was faced with a monster I thought only existed in lore. I had studied its page in some demonology book. A bull-like head, two horns rising from its forehead, and a nose ring piercing through its septum, It stood upright like a human. Its body was thick and muscular and covered with a layer of black hair. Its hands were oddly human, but with only three large fingers and a thumb wrapping around a club. Bovine hooves trod against the cement, at the top of its muscular thighs, a leather loincloth covered his private parts.

Minotaur, Tier III.

None of the other first-years had to fight anything higher than a Tier II, and I knew the Council of Elders had thrown in the minotaur to test my abilities.

The minotaur roared and blew out heavy breaths from his nose, causing his nostrils to shake and flare from the pressure. I knew its favorite food—similar to all demons—was human flesh. But it would take kitsune just as easily.

Its hoof skid several times along the ground as it tried to gauge the traction it could get on the smooth cement surface. It leaned its head forward as it charged, losing his sight of me, but pointing the deadly horns directly at my chest. It moved quickly, charging at me, but I stepped out of the way and it skidded to a stop behind me.

I gripped my hilt tightly, wondering if the thin metal blade could cut through the powerful flesh as it charged again.

I swiped the blade in front of me and watched as the metal took on a glow as it drank in the demon black blood.

The essence of my blade filled me with the power and courage of a minotaur, confident that I could win as I swung it around again, this time feeling as the blade swiped through its body and hit bone. I pulled the blade back and swiped forward again, but the powerful creature wasn’t deterred by its many bleeding gashes. They were all just on the surface of its thick skin. I’d need to damage something more vital to take this one down.

With its bowed angle, taking off its head would be a hard task as I danced around the minotaur, cutting and slicing at its beefy coat to no avail.

I aimed for its heart, but its hand smacked my blade away, causing the metal to twang pleasantly as we continued to dance.

It reached for my hair, but I ducked, not letting it get a grip on me as I spun around, determined to get a high grade. I skewered him again, this time through its stomach. And while it gushed blood, the minotaur only growled, heightening his anger.

I stabbed again and again, using my faster speed against the creature, coming up behind it and piercing underneath its ribcage, trying to hit anything of value.

Finally, it collapsed to the ground. I was out of breath as I waited for the sound of the gate to open again.

Instead, the speaker sputtered to life. “Dove Hawthorn: Pass.”