Suddenly A Succubus-Chapter 43.3

Suddenly A Succubus-Chapter 43.3

As soon as the Coven Heads left the dining hall, they instructed Tessa to show them around campus. In order to begin rebuilding the gate, they needed to understand the previous circles that kept the other planes at bay. One by one, traveling from building to building, Tessa did her best to detail her findings about each circle.
They started with the circle under the cafeteria, as it was the closest. Tessa hadn’t revisited this circle in a while, and was surprised to see that all the vines had been completely cleared up. She quickly explained how this circle had been weakened, allowing plant life from the Wilds to force its way through, but she had difficulty exposing the circle itself; it was still buried under a mountain of old kitchen appliances, after all, and last time she’d only been able to uncover it with Amara’s help.
For better or for worse, Coven Head Gautier stepped in when it became clear that Tessa wasn’t up to the task. As much as Tessa hated the smug look on Miss Gautier’s face, she much preferred a bit of help to many awkward minutes of attempting to shuffle old kitchen appliances out of the way.
What Tessa hadn’t expected was the speed at which Miss Gautier was able to clear the space. With barely a flick of her wrist, an immense amount of telekinetic power filled the room, levitating every single piece of furniture in sight. Metal scraped and clanged as the room rearranged itself and, after a minute had passed, the space was now immaculately organized, exposing the circle to the Wilds.
It took the better part of an hour to visit the rest of the circles; one hidden behind an illusion under Brandt Hall, one concealed in the cramped room under the Science Building, and several others Tessa had found in her off hours.
Their final stop was Lysander Hall, which held both the Purgatory Circle in its basement and the elevator that could take them to the underground chamber. As they approached the first of the two circles, this one also hiding behind an illusion, Tessa prepared her magic. Thankfully, she’d grown quite skilled at removing this particular illusion, and removed it in a matter of seconds.
“This particular circle is connected to Purgatory,” Tessa explained. She pulled her notebook from her backpack and presented it to Headmistress Davenport. “I have a diagram of the circle in its original form here. However, because of the nature of the incursion, alterations needed to be made in order to bring back friends that had been stranded on the other side. To the best of my knowledge, this circle now acts as a functional portal to Purgatory, one that only opens with proper magical input.”
The Headmistress took Tessa’s journal, then turned to walk around the circle. The other Coven Heads followed suit, some taking notes of their own. The last person of the group, however, stopped next to Tessa.
This man was the Coven’s Scribe: Elijah Jun. He’d been with the Coven for as long as Tessa could remember, and was the man responsible for applying Tessa’s tattoos. He was a few inches shorter than Tessa, though only because he walked with a persistent slouch. Ancient glasses sat atop his rounded nose, and his short black hair seemed to be in the early stages of turning gray. Ever since the Coven had arrived on campus, he’d been ignoring Tessa in favor of studying something in his journal. Now, instead of approaching the massive, ancient circle in front of them, he turned to Tessa and began to speak.
“You know, centuries ago, people used to think that they could measure a person’s intelligence by examining the shape of their skull. They believed that different parts of the brain would grow bigger when used more, and that those growths could be detected by feeling for different types of bumps.”
“Uh, yeah, I’ve heard about phrenology before,” Tessa said, unsure exactly how to respond.
“Obviously it was all pseudo-science, but sometimes it’s important to examine bad ideas just in case. Mainstream science doesn’t know about magic, after all. What if phrenology had decent ideas, but they only made sense from a magical lens?”
“I’m… afraid I don’t see the connection, Sir,” Tessa muttered.
“Hm?” Elijah tilted his head for a moment. “Oh, sorry, I was thinking about your tattoos. I’d never had someone request the side of their head before, and when I was researching how they should be applied, I fell down a few rabbit holes. How have they been holding up? Any unusual side effects?”
Tessa shook her head. “No Sir, everything works as intended.”
“Elijah!” Headmistress Davenport shouted. “We need you focused on the task at hand, if you please.”
“Oh! Yes, the circle. Duty calls, I’m sure you understand,” Elijah said, flashing a warm smile. He quickly nodded to Tessa before hurrying off towards the circle, though he stopped after a few steps to look back at her. “Phrenology was all horseshit, by the way.”
Good to know Elijah’s just as confusing as ever.
Tessa stood perfectly still for the better part of the next fifteen minutes. She didn’t dare lose focus, not in front of the Headmistress, but she had nothing further to add to her statement. She watched as the Coven Heads discussed various theories and ideas, occasionally pausing to get Elijah back on track.
The Headmistress and Coven Head Gautier were the most involved in the process. They periodically activated their own magic to test various parts of the circle, while also comparing the notes in Tessa’s journal to one of their own books.
It was hard not to notice that Coven Head Tsopnang seemed somewhat detached from proceedings. She never strayed from her place beside the circle, but her attention was clearly divided. Eventually, Coven Head Bishop broke away from her peers, whispered something to Coven Head Tsopnang, and then walked towards Tessa.
“Your illusion work has improved greatly,” she said calmly.
After a quick glance towards the Headmistress, Tessa responded. “Thank you, Miss Bishop.”
“Have you given any thought to what your next tattoos might be? Based on your performance here, I must admit; I’m hoping you follow in my footsteps. Illusions are the pinnacle of creativity, and I’ve always thought they would suit you.”
“With all due respect, Miss Bishop, I’m under the assumption that such advancement would not be permitted.” Tessa shifted uncomfortably as she continued watching the rest of the Coven. “No doubt my performance here has further tarnished my already poor reputation.”
“The winds are ever changing, Tessa. Never say never.” Miss Bishop said, risking a sly smirk, but their brief conversation soon came to an end.
“Miss Blackwood!” Headmistress Davenport called out. “We’ve taken our preliminary notes, now please demonstrate the modifications you’ve made.”
Tessa snapped back into her formal posture as she approached the circle. “Of course, Headmistress Davenport. Would you like me to use an object for this demonstration?”
Coven Head Gautier spoke up next, a callous smirk on her face. “You will use only yourself, Miss Blackwood.”
“Y-yes, Coven Head Gautier,” Tessa muttered.
A brief flash of surprise crossed Miss Gautier’s face, and Tessa did her best to stay confident. She requested that everyone else vacate the circle, then knelt down to activate it. As she focused, she explained the process to her Coven, punctuating her demonstration by briefly visiting Purgatory herself. She had a feeling that Coven Head Gautier was hoping to intimidate her with the request, and she did her best to appear unfazed when she returned to Earth.
“So, to clarify,” Miss Bishop started, “this circle now acts as both a bridge and a gateway? And you have full control over which side occupants end up on?”
“Yes Ma’am, that’s correct,” Tessa said.
“Hardly an impressive feat, Elizabeth,” Coven Head Gautier hissed. “Any one of our adepts could manage such a feat.”
“Could those same adepts also decipher outdated runes put in place centuries ago? That exist as part of a delicate network of interlocking, magical seals? If you refuse to say it, Miss Gautier, then I will; this is an incredible accomplishment.”
Headmistress Davenport cleared her throat, and the conversation immediately stopped. “Her prowess is hardly surprising, as she studied under my guidance. Her skills as a witch are not in question here, and I would ask both of you to keep your opinions in check. Is that clear?”
Both Coven Heads nodded slowly before speaking in tandem. “Yes, Headmistress Davenport.”
“Now, Miss Blackwood, I believe you have one final circle to show us, is that correct?”
Tessa nodded. “Yes Ma’am. There is a secret network of tunnels under the campus, and the circle connected to Hell resides there. We’ll need to take the elevator down from the first floor.”
After restoring the illusory wall, the group returned to the main floor and approached the elevator. Although it was technically big enough to hold all of them at once, Headmistress Davenport decided to split the journey down into two trips. Tessa was asked to wait for the second trip, and Coven Head Bishop volunteered to wait with her while the others traveled downstairs.
As soon as the doors closed, Miss Bishop’s posture relaxed and she turned towards Tessa with her arms open. Without hesitation, Tessa threw her arms around the older woman’s waist and hugged her back.
“How I’ve missed you, Tessa,” Miss Bishop whispered. She gently ran her fingers through Tessa’s hair as she continued speaking. “I’m so sorry. For everything.”
Although Tessa fought to hold back tears, her body still shook with emotion as she hugged Miss Bishop. “I just wanted to get away from all this. The magic, the Coven, all of it. I was so happy when they assigned me here, but this stupid Gate ruined everything!”
“I tried to convince them, Tessa. I argued that you should know the full extent of what you were technically guarding, but they wouldn’t hear me out. This campus has been dormant for centuries, and they were convinced nothing could change that.”
“I did everything I could to keep this under wraps, I promise,” Tessa muttered, her words partially obscured by Miss Bishop’s dress. “How did they find out?”
“There were a few different leaks. None of them were all that bad, but it was enough to piece together that the seals had been broken. We’re not the only ones here, technically; a secondary team of witches has been deployed to the surrounding town. They’re doing their usual sweeps, listening for rumors, looking for suspicious actors, all that.”
“What’s going to happen to me?” Tessa asked, pulling back to look up at Miss Bishop.
“You’re better off than you think. The planar convergence here is the strongest in North America, and while it’s our responsibility to handle this, other Covens are going to catch on eventually. Davenport will never admit this, but she’s nervous. Anyone that looks into this is going to learn that you were deployed here without any knowledge of the significance of your post. Whenever those investigations start, mark my word; I’ll be the first to speak on your behalf.”
Tessa nodded slowly. “As frustrating as this is, I’m happy to see you again. I missed you too.”
Miss Bishop cupped the side of Tessa’s face. “Enough about Coven politics, how are you holding up? Losing another friend like that… I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you.”
Tessa looked up at the elevator and saw it was on its way back. She wouldn’t have much more time alone with Miss Bishop. “She deserved better. She saved all of us, and it got her killed.”
“This life is cruel, Tessa. No one knows that better than you. Based on what you’ve told us, it sounded like she knew what she was getting into.”
“That doesn’t make it right, Miss Bishop.” Tessa paused to take a deep breath; she refused to cry again. “I’ll never get a chance to thank her, to tell her how much I valued her friendship.”
“So you carry on in her name. You do everything you can to stop this from happening again,” Miss Bishop said. Tessa didn’t say anything, choosing to instead nod slowly while keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. Moments later, a soft ping rang out from the elevator, and the two women began their trip to the underground tunnels.
“Thank you, Miss Bishop. For everything,” Tessa said, taking a deep breath to regain her composure.
“I only wish I could do more. For now, your best defense is to continue proving just how capable a witch you are. If nothing else, you’ll get to continue infuriating Miss Gautier.” Miss Bishop smirked as she fixed her posture as well.
“Truly there’s no better prize than that,” Tessa said, returning the smile.
By the time the elevator had landed, their conversation had ended and they’d both fallen back into their professional facades. The rest of the Coven was already in the main chamber, gathered around the Hell Circle and comparing notes. As Tessa walked closer, she caught the tail end of something Elijah was saying.
“—it’s a fascinating idea, but I’d need to do considerable research before I can say for sure if—”
Headmistress Davenport suddenly cleared her throat and cut Elijah off. “Certainly something we can discuss at another time, Mr. Jun. In the meantime, let’s take a look at Miss Blackwood’s notes on the matter.”
“Of course, Headmistress,” Tessa said calmly. She presented her notebook and began speaking, taking great care to spare no detail. Miss Bishop’s words echoed in her head, and she spoke with more confidence than she had earlier. In all the time she’d spent reverse-engineering the circles on campus, it had never occurred to her that she’d been doing anything special, but now she doubted those thoughts.
Hadn’t Nick asked her once if she enjoyed practicing magic?
Maybe his question hadn’t been as misguided as Tessa had initially thought.

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Chapter 43.3