The Mage-Blood Test: A YA Paranormal Romance (Arumrose Academy Book 1) Read online

  The Mage-Blood Test

  A YA Paranormal Romance

  Estefania Lezameta Mino

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  About the Author

  1

  The massive cedar desk showed prominence to the figure of General Nikit in the middle of his office as he sat poring over paperwork long after the rest of his staff went home.

  A staccato of knocks rattled on the door, and Nikit looked up with annoyance at the distraction. Everyone knew he considered these late hours to be his personal time.

  However, the melodic voice that came ringing through the door instantly erased the frown from the general’s face.

  “I know it’s late,” the feminine voice called, “but I have important news to inform you of!”

  “Why, is that Antoinette Belour I hear? Come in, come in!”

  The door opened slowly, and the graceful, willowy headmistress entered. The general stood up, clearing his throat. They’d worked closely together when he was in the Paranormal Affairs department, a position he vehemently denied taking to be nearer to her. Most promotions were celebrated, but leaving that post to become General was bittersweet.

  “This must be of great importance, Antoinette. You usually meet me at your office at the school—and in daylight! I can’t remember the last time you visited my battleground.”

  The General’s tone was light and joking, which anyone who knew him would consider uncharacteristic.

  Antoinette swept into the room, pursing her lips tightly. She looked up at the powerfully built man with a wary gaze but a sweetly concerned smile. She knew nobody else in their right mind would dare bother the General after office hours. In fact, if it hadn’t been Antoinette at the door, anybody foolish enough to do so would have been sent running out of his office with their ears singed by the tirade of curses that would have followed them.

  But not her. No, the General was always fond of the Headmistress.

  General Nikit waved his hands grandiosely. “You have news? Please, Antoinette—proceed.”

  The General spoke with a cocky smile, peering down his nose at the Headmistress despite them being practically the same height. Mrs. Belour was an unusually tall woman, who was also never seen without a pair of towering high heels on her large but elegant feet. That lifted her above the shoulders of most men, and even to eye level with General Nikit—who was himself one of the tallest men in the Army.

  Antoinette looked over at the bottle of fine whiskey on the General’s desk, wetting her lips longingly. The General didn’t miss her glance. He’d been partaking during the hours he’d spent poring over paperwork, but at the sight of Antoinette he instantly sobered up, realizing that whatever brought the Headmistress to his office, after hours, might be more serious than he’d expected. That would be especially true if the normally stoic Headmistress required a drink.

  “I just spoke to my Future Seers,” Antoinette explained. “They confirmed what I’d seen in my visions.”

  The Headmistress’s eyes filled with worry—and yet, her expression only seemed to make the General’s lips turn up in a greedy smile.

  “So, it’s true,” the General grinned, reaching down to grip the edge of his desk.

  A tone of perverse excitement had lain beneath his words—an undercurrent far different to the naked fear on the Headmistress’s face.

  “My visions, and the words of the Seers, are in alignment. There will be a young woman or man whose power is so great the world will tremble to behold them. So great, General, that there will be no controlling them. I fear we’re playing with fire—and the School of Paranormal Affairs is a powder keg.”

  The General rubbed his hands together greedily as she mentioned those words. A surge of excitement filled his body. “Even stronger than your most promising Seers? By God, this is incredible! What a weapon! The things we’ll be able to do! America will be forever safer once we identify and rein in this prodigy you’ve foreseen the arrival of.”

  “Arthur,” Antoinette snapped, using General Nikit’s first name in an attempt to secure his attention. “You’re not hearing me. This ‘prodigy,’ as you call them, will not be ‘reined in.’ In my visions, I saw violence and danger—the fate of this entire country hanging in the balance. Either this new arrival—this new power—will unite all of the magic…”

  She took an ominous breath.

  “…or they’ll rip it apart forever.”

  A frown creased the wrinkles of Antoinette’s gracefully aged face. She lifted her head, staring the General right in the eyes without blinking.

  “You know what will happen if they find out about this, Arthur. We need to act fast.”

  “Please, Antoinette, you’re overreacting.” The General shook his head with annoyance. “It’s a good thing your Future Seers told you what they did. Don’t you see? With this foreknowledge, we have an advantage!”

  The tall General pushed aside the objects cluttering his massive desk—the laptop, books, and empty glass. Beneath them, he revealed a map of the world, printed into the very surface of the desk itself.

  “So, Antoinette.” His steely eyes surveyed the map. “When did those Seers of yours say this incredible source of power would be manifesting?”

  “Sometime between now and next year—so this test must be conducted with extreme caution.”

  There was concern in Antoinette’s voice as she answered the General’s question. Between this year and the next? That was an impossibly vague prediction—and she knew the trouble it may bring.

  Yet, as much as Antoinette tried, her team of Future Seers weren’t able to predict the exact date of the arrival of this “prodigy”—this terrifying, powerful entity that could bring harmony or discord to the nation.

  Silence hung in the air for a moment, and then Antoinette’s lips pursed even tighter.

  “Arthur, they said something else, too. This new, powerful being… It will be found here, in the United States.”

  Antoinette had blurted this admission out before General Nikit had a chance to complain about how vague the Seers’ previous prediction had been. He was a soldier, after all, and soldiers required facts, not faith.

  Mrs. Belour stared at the General as she conveyed this information, watching his lips draw into a pride-filled smile. His hands slid across the map, to softly run around the borders and coastline of the United States.

  “This is serendipitous. It will be easier to drive this prodigy towards joining the military branch.” He snorted smugly: “Whoever he or she is, if we can persuade them to join forces with us, our army will be even stronger.” He let loose a boastful laugh, which was unusual for the normally dour General. Nikit’s laugh was rarely heard, and it gave goosebumps to anyone who witnessed it.

  “Ugh…” Mrs. Belour sighed and rolled her eyes at him. She knew the General was obsessed with the potential he’d imagined in this powerful new entity—and his pride would demand he recruit them, whoever they ended up being, to join his forces and make his already mighty Army even more impressive—the most powerful in the world.

  But Antoinette didn’t care. The General was interested, and she caugh
t his attention.

  “So, can you think of any solution? Or are you only thinking how to make the military career more appealing for the newcomers?”

  “I’m not here to tell you which path you should advise new students to follow,” the General responded. “If they’re intelligent enough, they’ll obviously choose me.”

  Mrs. Belour gave the General a confused look.

  “Choose the military path, I meant.” General Nikit sat down heavily, trying to cover his cheeks as they turned carmine red. He’d made a telling slip of the tongue—and tried to compensate for it by promising: “I will help you, Antoinette.” His tone of voice was intended to sound comforting. “Count on us. This newcomer won’t be passed over as long as we’re here.”

  “I’m thrilled I can count on you, Arthur,” Antoinette responded with a tender smile. “So, here’s my plan…” She stepped forward and showed him the papers she’d been carrying with her in her purse ever since leaving the academy in Alaska. She flown in as soon as she’d received the news—all the way from the Alaskan tundras to Washington D.C., where the military base was.

  The papers she carried were drafts—a rough sketch of how she and the Future Seers were trying to intensify their search for this prodigy. “Wait!” Mrs. Belour stopped radically and gave him a despairing look. It wouldn’t be the first time Arthur Nikit would pretend to agree with someone, just to destroy their plans at the last minute. It was an old and disgusting tactic he’d learned during his very first year of military service—and one that she’d witnessed him use more times than it was possible to excuse.

  “The Board of Officers needs to hear about this.” The General picked up his phone and started to make some calls before she could continue. He barked down the line, presumably to one of his military colleagues: “Please come as fast as you can—this is a matter of national importance.”

  General Nikit kept talking on the phone, but he smiled at Mrs. Belour, as if proud of himself for his speedy action. He spoke into the phone: “…and please, pick up the President on your way. This matter concerns him as well.”

  Antoinette was bewildered.

  “This is serious, Arthur—don’t dare try to fool me.”

  “Fool you? Never, my dear Antoinette.” He approached her around the desk, grabbing her hand and squeezing it in reassurance. “I know the importance of this matter. That’s why the President must be in this meeting—so we can take matters into our own hands.”

  Nikit released her hand and started to pace around the room, looking at the art and military relics he’d filled it with thoughtfully.

  “This coming prodigy—this great source of power—holds incredible potential. But, as you said, they could unite the magics… Or tear our nation asunder. Until we know which, this may be the greatest threat our nation has faced since the Wild-Lifers—or the most powerful ally we could have ever asked for. Either way, we can’t spare any more time.”

  Mrs. Belour opened her eyes widely and stood stock-still at witnessing the scene that had just played out in front of her. The General had never been like this before. This was the first time Nikit had ever showed her such a quick response, or fully respected what she was saying. Most of the time, he didn’t place that much importance on her news, nor her presence. As the Headmistress of Arumrose Academy, the infamous School of Paranormal Affairs located in Alaska, Mrs. Belour tried so hard to be a representative figure for the non-humans of society…

  …but keeping the poise and command a high-status position like that required wasn’t always as easy for her, especially not when she had to deal with men like General Arthur Nikit, who was the classic “man’s man,” a stickler for the rules, and an officious bore.

  That being said, he’d always treated Antoinette differently to the way he bullied and blustered most people—and there was a reason for that. Once, many years ago, a young Antoinette had fallen in love with Arthur Nikit, when they’d been just neighbors rather than the powerful figures they were today.

  Arthur, a mortal human being, was very different then to the man he’d become; and Antoinette had fallen for the confidence and charm that would, many years later, fester into arrogance and smarm. At the time, their love had felt more magical to Antoinette than even the incredible magical abilities she was graced with.

  However, theirs was not a love story with a happy ending. Antoinette was a witch—and witches are judged harshly for relationships with non-magical folk.

  Arthur Nikit had held a grudge about it for a very long time. At the time, the young Arthur had even been willing to leave his fledgling military career for Antoinette, just as he was embarking on it. Likewise, he’d been willing to sacrifice his family, his home… Everything, just to be with her.

  Despite their affection, though, Antoinette had called it off. She wasn’t able to surrender what Arthur was willing to.

  “It’s fate,” Arthur’s father had comforted him, on the day Antoinette had left his life. “You’re meant for greatness, son.”

  Arthur’s father had been right. In fact, both Arthur and Antoinette had achieved significant things, and reached positions of influence that would unexpectedly see the paths of their lives cross once again.

  At the time, little did Antoinette know that she’d grow to become a truly powerful witch, even by the standards of her own kind—graced with abilities most can only dream of. This would later see her being selected for the position of Headmistress of Arumrose Academy, the same school where she’d mastered the magical arts.

  As for Arthur, he threw himself into the military career he’d been willing to sacrifice for Antoinette—and gave it the total devotion he’d once offered to give her. He rose rapidly through the ranks, until he became a General himself, and then used his influence and strategic mind to become the highest-ranking figure in the Army. Today, he oversaw the defense and welfare of America, and the only authority he reported to was the President himself—who himself was often nervous to contradict what General Nikit had to say.

  After the end of their youthful romance, the two of them had lived their lives apart for many years, until their current positions brought them into contact once again. As the most powerful witch in the nation, and the highest-ranking military officer, they’d started working together to protect the country against the Wild-Lifers: the vampires, witches and werewolves who’d refused the government’s regulation and treatment, and had run away to become a menace to humankind. Antoinette tried to differentiate between the ancient vampires who preyed on humanity and the Wild-Lifer shifters and wizards who wanted to exist independently of government control, but General Nikit saw them as the same: Those who were not with him were against him.

  To be reunited was tough, and regaining each other’s trust was even tougher. They’d become civil, but Arthur was still nursing his heart from what had happened so many years ago. He demonstrated this by adopting a haughty, dismissive attitude towards Antoinette and her academy.

  The prodigy foreseen would be found the same way as all the others with magic in their blood: The Mage-Blood test.

  Every year, at the beginning of June, every ninth grader in the country was evaluated by the government through a standardized medical test. June was selected so that those students who were revealed to possess the abilities the test searched for could be enrolled in the appropriate alternative school during summer break, when none of their non-magical classmates would suspect.

  Officials went to every school in the country to test the blood of these ninth graders for signs of paranormal strength, before the abilities would manifest on their own.

  As long as the signs of mage-blood didn’t manifest first, it was difficult for the Wild-Lifers to recruit young mage-bloods into their ranks. Lines of stress appeared on General Nikit’s face as he contemplated the awful truth.

  If the Wild-Lifers got control of the prodigy?

  It could be the end of the country.

  2

  “We can’t let the Wild-Lifer
s get to the prodigy before we do.” The President had worry in his voice. “Or God forbid, the Kulikovs.”

  His body shivered with barely disguised desperation. He knew as well as anybody in this room that if the Future Seers were right, then America was facing almost incomprehensible danger.

  If this powerful new entity arrived as predicted, and the wild-lifers reached them before the government identified them through the ATTP, the country could be torn apart from the inside.

  The Kulikov clan filled the President with a new breed of horror. Baltus and Ezequiel were ancient vampires who promised great power to those who joined them, preying on Grounders for as long as the United States existed. If they got control of the prodigy and drank their power from their blood...

  “The Future Seers and I discussed this.” Mrs. Belour knew what she was about to mention would not meet with the approval of everybody in the room.

  She moved to the last page of the file she was carrying, and read the following from it: “Given the circumstances, the Future Seers advise that the ATTP must be conducted two months in advance this year—and as soon as classes start next year.”

  Antoinette noticed the shock among the people in the room, but she continued nevertheless.

  “We know this test is usually conducted right before the summer vacation, so as not to raise any suspicion among the students and their parents, but there’s no other choice. We have to begin efforts to find this new-coming source of power before the Wild-Lifers can prepare anything to reach them before we do.”

  “With all due respect, Mrs. Belour, it’s simply too risky.” Commander Terrence, the right hand of General Nikit, interrupted her speech. Terrence was a vampire—one of the most capable to have passed through the Academy. “If we don’t want to draw any undue attention to the test, or let people figure out why it’s conducted, then we must continue to conduct it over the standard period.”