Bad idea.
Third,death potion.
I blink. That’s interesting. Of course, poisons are common, but that’s not what this is. This is an instant and traceless potion that kills the one touched by the liquid. It does not need to be ingested, nor does it remain in the body. It leaves no trace. Its constitution is by far the lowest of any I’ve ever attempted—meaning it is an extremely condensed form and would take weeks to simmer down.
I’ve honestly never even heard of this potion, and I wonder if it’s highly illegal. Have my parents made this potion before? They tend to be cautious people, but with those they trust—like the demon royal family—they’d have no problem breaking all the rules. If they have made something like this, they’ve certainly never mentioned it at the dinner table.
“Something more interesting than my class, Miss Montgomery?”
I shut the book in a heartbeat and give a sheepish smile to the dwarf standing in front of my desk.
“Sorry. It’s potions homework,” I say quickly.
“Well, you are not currently in potions class, are you?”
“No, sir.”
“Put it away or I’ll take it.”
I nod quickly and put my book, along with my other notebooks, beneath my chair. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take now that I suspect the book holds illegal spells that can honestly help me.
“Good,” the dwarf teacher says—hell if I remember his name— “tell me the difference between sirens and mermaids.”
“Both are humanoid supernaturals that live in water. Sirens are salt water only. Mermaids can survive in either. Sirens don’t have full tails, just webbed hands and feet; they also have hypnotic magic that mermaids do not. Their song can be deadly or simply hypnotizing, depending on their skill level and desire to cause harm.”
“Are mermaids harmless, then? If they hold no magic.”
I frown at that question. “They hold magic,” I say slowly, “just not a hyper specific form. They can create spells the same as any witch, but most don’t get that kind of education. They prefer solitude.”
The instructor nods, content with my knowledge of the topic.
The professor rambles on, and I pretend to take notes, but instead scribble random thoughts about my situation.
Someone killed her. Was it him?
I sketch a few doodles onto the page.
If not, what does he want? Just to help? Am I a charity case?
In my next class, I keep my shiny new book hidden away in my bag and instead pull out my purple leather journal.
Each page has a name of an Elite student with whatever notes I’ve acquired about each. There’s one I’d been putting off. I find an empty page and write his name in big bold letters.
Jarron Blackthorn.
Suspect.
The heir to the throne of Oriziah, the largest known Under World. The most powerful creature in this school, possibly on Earth.
One of the few beings able to bond to a human and make them powerful. A monstrous predator lies beneath his skin. A monster that will stalk humans as prey.
He says he cares about Liz.
Liz had a crush on him, but then his magic manifested, and he hunted her in demon form. He hurt her. Could he have done it a second time?
I stare down at his name. I have a hard time justifying my understanding of demons with the Jarron I know. Even Trevor, in the few times I’ve dealt with him, hasn’t been what I expected. I thought they’d have changed. I thought I was going to face a being that looks like my old friend but is something so much different inside.
I expected evil calculation and dark aggression. Controlling behaviors and violent tendencies. But they’re the same. They seem so human.
