Lunch came and went and Alexis went to the final class of the day with Beryl chattering away beside her. It was a class that she enjoyed and her excitement for the subject was contagious as she tried to condense half a decade’s worth of learning into the ten minute break before the class started.

Alexis humoured her as the information swept over her, with a deluge of terms and names that she had no real context for. It meant nothing to her, but she tried to listen and retain as much as she could so that she wasn’t entirely unaware of what was going on.

In the classroom, a well-lit space with a semi-circle of benches that rose with each row higher than the one before. On the floor space at the base of those benches was a podium at which stood the teacher, a rotund man of later years, with the doughy features of a man who enjoyed his food and drink a little more than he should.

Still, he waved cheerily and spoke greetings to students as they passed him by. He appeared to have an amiable nature which was something that Alexis appreciated. She could find herself more at ease with such people than with those stricter types, which allowed her to focus more on the studies themselves.

Beryl led Alexis to a bench on the highest row, right at the end, and the two of them settled in, with Beryl chattering away as the other girl sat and watched the students filing into the room. She was only part listening to her friend as she stared at Poppy, who seated herself on the lowest bench with her group of friends beside her.

“Ignore her,” Beryl said, catching the look that crossed Alexis’s face.

Easy for her to say, Alexis thought as she offered a wan smile of reassurance to her friend that she was okay. In truth, she wasn’t. She’d been the victim of bullies many times over the years and that had left her with an acute sense of anger whenever she met one.

There was something about the way they preyed on those they considered weaker that just set her teeth on edge and at her last school she had become a champion of those who were bullied, defending them whenever she could.

Until she had been kicked out of school anyway.

“Who is the subject of your displeasure?”

Alexis jumped and half turned towards the narrow gap between the end of her bench and the wall. There stood Corbin, his arms crossed over his broad chest and gaze fixed on Poppy and her group.

“You okay?” Beryl asked.

“Yeah.” Alexis offered another smile and shot a quick glare at the brooding figure beside her. He ignored her look. “Thought I heard something.”

Corbin tilted his head and cocked one eyebrow sardonically as he flashed a grin that affected Alexis way more than it should have. She pointedly stared straight ahead and watched the teacher as he prepared for the lesson to begin.

She soon grew bored of that and her attention wandered, eyes drifting to the wall behind him and the myriad sheets of paper that covered it. They were covered in arcane symbols and scrawled writing in languages she couldn’t read.

Alexis nudged Beryl with her elbow and lifted her chin towards the wall. “What does that say?”

“What?”

She pointed at a larger sheet of paper to the top right of the wall. On it were symbols that she almost felt that she recognised and written above those was a script so alien to her that she couldn’t even tell what language it was.

“No idea,” Beryl said, frowning at the sheet. “I think it might be Celtic, or not quite, but similar?”

“Pictish,” Corbin said, laughter in his voice. “The ancient people of Scotland from before even the Celts.”

“Pict,” Alexis mused and it was Beryl’s turn to look at her, surprise evident.

“Yeah, could be that. How’d you know?”

Alexis could only shrug as she stared at those symbols. There was meaning there, she was sure, but what that was she couldn’t say. It was like the half-formed memory of a memory and it bugged her that she couldn’t quite remember it.

“Wonder what it says,” Alexis said, not listening to Beryl’s reply as she half-turned her head towards Corbin who laughed.

“Tuatha Dé Danann,” he said. “It speaks of how to contact the Daoine Sidhe, the first people of the Isles.”

“Daoine Sidhe,” Alexis mused, the word dancing on her tongue, teasing her with its familiarity though she could have sworn she had never heard it before.

“They lived here long before humans came and settled the land. They were the God’s and Goddesses, the Fairies and the Elves. They were the first of the supernatural races allowed to walk the world, at a time when the Angels and Demons had been banished.”

Alexis listened intently, fascinated with what Corbin was saying as he leaned back, eyes half-closed as though his attention was directed to some long distant place within his memory.

“We lived in harmony with them for a long time,” he said. “But the Sidhe lived long lives, vastly longer than any human, and they had few children. Humans, on the other hand, they spread like a plague across the land, cutting down the ancient woodlands to build their homes and plough their fields.”

“War was inevitable, and when it came it was devastating. Human magic was in its infancy, and our weapons were made of stone, then bronze. The Daoine Sidhe pushed us back towards the sea, driving us out of our homes as they slaughtered our people.”

“The witches and druids gathered together and formed a compact. For the first time, they joined together, forming groups of thirteen. The first Covens were born. The war began to turn, the Coven Witches’ magic bringing death to a people thought to be immortal.”

Alexis leaned towards him, fascinated by the history she was hearing and wishing only that she could share it with Beryl.

“In retaliation, the Sidhe unleashed the Wild Hunt and once more, the tide turned in their favour as Witches were taken, their skin flayed and worn as cloaks. In desperation, the Witches joined once again with the Druids and a new plan was formed.”

“The First Casting,” Alexis murmured, not sure how she knew that, but certain that she was right. Corbin’s eyes opened as he looked down at her, nodding approvingly.

“Yes. Thirteen covens of thirteen witches joined their power together and cast the first great spell. The ground shook and the heavens darkened, water swept away the land, burying it beneath the sea.”

“Ancient Doggerland was no more, and all that remained was the scattered isles that became known as the British Isles. Tens of thousands died, swept away by the rising waters, but the spell worked.”

“What did it do?”

“The Tuatha De Danann were cast out of this world, into a realm of their own. Over time the memory of those people faded into legend and all that remains are folklore. People speak of them still, telling tales to their children of the fairies.”

“Fairies?”

“That is how they are remembered.” Corbin smiled though it was distant and half-formed.

The first great casting. Alexis settled back on the bench as she thought of that. It was something that Beryl had mentioned but never really explained other than it being a great spell that took a lot of power.

Three times, then, those thirteen covens had come together to cast a spell. The first to banish the Sidhe from the land, and the third to hide magic from the world. What then was the second?

She turned to ask her friend and found her staring, and heat filled her cheeks. “Who are you talking to?”

“It’s a long story.”

Beryl’s gaze travelled past Alexis to the wall, narrowing as though she was trying to see what was there.

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

“Oh!” It was Alexis’s turn to be surprised at the accurate guess from her friend. “Ah, yeah, kind of.”

Beryl nodded and looked around. The class was about to start and she chewed on her lower lip for a moment as she thought. Finally, she gathered her belongings and stood up, grabbing Alexis by the arm and pulling her up with her.

“We need to go and talk.”

“What about the class?” The other students had turned to watch them and even the teacher was looking their way.

“No, this needs to be done now!”

Alexis pulled her arm free and was about to respond when Corbin spoke. His voice was odd, almost like he was struggling to catch his breath. “It’s coming.”

“What is?” Alexis asked, uncaring that she looked to be a loon talking to an empty patch on the wall.

Corbin didn’t reply, he shivered and sucked in a deep breath of air, and then the scream sounded. A girl on the first row lifted out of her seat, clothes tearing and skin ripping as the claws of some horrific beast rose from the solid floor beneath her.

Blood filled the air and students panicked, screaming and yelling as they pushed against each other to flee from the beast. It lashed out and more blood spurted across the benches.

“What the hell is that!” Alexis screamed, eyes widening.

The creature threw back its head and howled, beaked maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. If it had eyes, they were hidden amongst the scales that were a green so dark as to be almost black. Its hind legs were bent awkwardly, with two knees and three-clawed feet that dug deep into the wooden boards.

A wave of force hit it from the side and it reeled back, away from the teacher who began casting a second spell. The first students were out of the door and into the hall as others behind the creature had to flee in a wide circle around it.

Flame burst from the teacher’s open hands and engulfed the creature. It shrugged those flames off and leapt at him, landing on his chest, clawed hands tearing into his chest. The teacher howled and someone sobbed as they were covered in his blood.

“What do we do?” Alexis yelled, looking for answers from Beryl who shook her head, and then Corbin who stared sightlessly ahead.

Hands moving quickly she cast the same spell she had used against the Crawler in the showers. Her skin tingled and the power rushed through her. Beryl grabbed at her arm as she stumbled, legs weak.

The creature rocked as the spell hit it, growling low in its throat. Its beaked head turned towards her, mouth opening as it growled louder as it focused on her.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Alexis said, backing away and feeling only the cold stone wall behind her.

The creature rose, blood dripping from its hands as it climbed onto the first bench. She tried the spell again, casting it as she focused on that open beak. Its head snapped back and it howled as she unleashed the spell and she fell to her knees, all strength drained from her.

“It’s still coming!” Beryl cried, though she didn’t leave her friend’s side. She cast a spell of her own, a small spark of electricity crossing the space between them. The creature didn’t seem to notice it.

“Corbin!” Alexis called.

No response and the creature advanced up the rows of benches, wood splintering and cracking beneath its weight. Beryl pulled on her arm, trying to get her to rise, but she remained, stuck in place as she watched death approach her.

Men and women wearing black and carrying silver blades burst into the room. They threw themselves at the creature, blades flashing and cutting deep into the creature’s hide. Black blood oozed from the wounds as it spun to face the threat.

A blast of light hit it and a howl of real pain was wrenched from it for the first time. Another blast followed and then another. The Wardens danced and spun, blades lashing out as they kept it moving, arms flailing as it tried to hit them.

The next bolt of light hit it like a hammer and bones snapped sending it crashing to the ground. The wardens were on it in an instant, blades striking fast and digging deep into its flesh. They continued to strike it long after it lay still, and Alexis watched in horror.

“Girls!” Millicent Buttle called from down by the podium. “Come down, it’s safe.”

One of the wardens helped Alexis to her feet and guided her down the rows of benches towards the floor, as another helped Beryl. Dazed and weak from the ineffective spells that she had cast, Alexis looked back to see Corbin leaning against the wall, expression vacant as he stared at nothing.

Millicent Buttle stopped her as she was about to walk past and gave her a quick once over. When satisfied that Alexis was unhurt she patted her on the arm and waved for the warden to take her from the room.

As she was leaving Alexis heard her mutter, “Now I’m definitely going to have to tell the headmaster.”