Prominence, page 1
Prominence: Beaumond Academy Book 2
Copyright © 2023 Adrienne Woods
Cover Designer: FQ COVER DESIGN
If you purchased this book from anyone other than Fire Quill Publishing or a licensed FQP reseller, you should be aware this e-book is stolen property.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Manufactured in South Africa.
First Fire Quill publishing edition March 2023
All rights reserved.
To my daughters Maddison and Jamie-Leigh.
Time flies. Remember to have fun.
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
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
The story Continues…
Chapter 1
A Fifth Book is born.
Coming Soon.
Acknowledgments
Also by Adrienne Woods
About the Author
One
MAX
Lord Granger read through the verdict for the four witches and one warlock sitting next to Liz in the front row.
Her grandmother, Evangeline, and Raven sat in the row behind them. I’d never liked Evangeline. She refused to let her granddaughters call her grandma. They had to call her strictly by her name. The woman was worse than Sierra, and right now she glared at me with her mud-colored eyes and her pointy nose stuck in the air.
“What is her problem?” Scar whispered from the seat on my right. Her hand never left mine today, and she kept squeezing it to let me know I was not alone.
“Probably blaming me for ruining her daughter and granddaughter’s lives,” I whispered back.
All five of my friends had showed their support during the trial and for today’s verdict.
Amy huffed, sitting to the left of me. She’d crossed and uncrossed her legs so many times today that it almost made me befuddled. She flipped Evangeline off when the woman refused to stop glaring at me.
“Amy,” Simon hissed, sitting next to his sister as Evangeline sneered and flung her head to the front. Her auburn French-roll almost came undone from the vigorous movement.
“What? The hag isn’t my grandma. And the color around her is all wrong, Si. It’s almost black.”
“Still, respect your elders,” her brother hissed.
“Pshh, one has to earn respect,” Amy muttered. “You can’t force it. And it’s definitely not demanded either.”
The girl had a point there. The color thing was also something I’d picked up lately. Amy could see auras, had been speaking more and more about them the past couple of weeks.
It almost freaked me out when she’d first told me that my color was blue, with wisps of turquoise and purple and a lot of yellow.
I didn’t even know what that meant and thought it was weird that she spoke about people’s colors. I hadn’t figured out if she was making it up or if she could really see color. The fact that Evangeline’s was black, scared me a little.
My attention went back to the boring speech Lord Granger had to read before the verdict. The scroll was almost the length of my arm. The entire jurisdictional sector sat behind him on tiered seating, all wearing dark robes.
My gaze wandered to the magical sigils on the paneled walls. I lingered on the one: the Sigil of Custodia. Maria had told me about it. It was a strong blocking sigil and should never be tattooed on a magical being. She didn’t say why, just that it was not wise.
The sigils gleamed extra bright today as verdict days were usually the day that someone tried to use magic to escape from their newly established nightmare.
The past week had drained the crap out of me. But I was glad that the trial didn’t take it easy on the witches and warlock. I prayed that they all got expelled. It was against Beaumond’s rules to bully, and what they’d done to me was twenty shades darker than bullying.
But I didn’t know anymore.
The first few days, things looked positive as the opposing lawyer brought all of Liz’s skeletons out into the open. Where he had gotten it from was beyond me.
I didn’t bargain on feeling like some sort of trophy on display having all these people knowing exactly what my life was like growing up.
It was hard to listen to and twenty times harder speaking about it. But everyone was getting a clear picture of who my step-family was, especially Commander Hendrix, who stood at the back with his arms folded.
The days that followed flipped everything around when Evangeline climbed on the witness stand and blamed her daughter. How Sierra bewitched her daughters to be the most perfect witches at all times. Nobody could carry that amount of pressure or spells without snapping.
Liz’s tears and her friends’ sniffs softened everything that was spoken in the open.
They weren’t bewitched—or that was what I believed deep down inside.
Yesterday, Master Conway had confirmed that Liz had indeed needed to go to the de-speller. He’d said that her magic was too strong for a nineteen-year-old, and the same with Raven. Dr. Vincent Nolan, one of the healing staff, seconded Master Conway and what the de-speller had picked up.
If Petunia was here, things would’ve been different. I still missed her, and I couldn’t help but feel her death was my fault.
I didn’t hear Dad’s voice scolding me for my dark thoughts anymore. Things had changed so drastically over the past few months that it scared me.
Lord Granger shook out the scroll as he came to the end and then looked at the six culprits. “This is the state of Beaumond versus Elizabeth Lane, Tiffany Slater, Cassandra Beaumer, Elizabeth Schwartz, Bethany Solomon, and Peter Hemingway. Case number 533de900. The defendants are present with their council, as well as the state attorney. Before I read the verdict, there is something I have to state.
“There is going to be someone in this courtroom that will not love the outcome; there always is. If you can’t handle what I am about to read, best to simply get up and leave. Imagine the worst and ask yourself if you will be able to handle it. If the answer is no, then leave the room quietly. It’s difficult with voting, sentencing, and reading verdicts, and we would like to do it in an orderly manner.”
He spoke about the sigils too, reminded everyone that they were powerful and would easily break a witch in two if trying to cast a spell. I didn’t want to imagine what that looked like, not to speak about witnessing it.
The council members of the witches and the state attorney nodded as my fingernails bit into the hand that Scar wasn’t holding.
“To all in favor of the defendants receiving a second chance,” Lord Granger spoke.
“What?” Amy whispered, and Simon shushed her. Will leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs, and Cade shook his head. Scar didn’t say a thing.
My shoulders dropped and a heaviness spread in my core as more than half of the sector lifted their hands, staring at the five witches and one warlock.
“Horse shit,” Amy hissed.
“Amy, quiet,” Si whispered and squinted at the members who favored Liz and all the witches for consorting with Sierra. I got up and walked out of the courtroom. This was so wrong. Everything was wrong. How could they give her a second chance? I knew for a fact that Liz wasn’t forced; maybe her friends, but not Liz.
This would only teach her that there were absolutely no consequences for her mistakes.
I pushed the door open as Lord Granger still spoke to the six defendants. I only heard the words ‘Beaumond Academy’ and that was it.
I plopped down on the wooden bench against the marble wall and tried to fill my lungs with air. Unbuttoning the top of my shirt, I closed my eyes as tears pricked. I leaned my arms on top of my thighs, staring at the marble floor of the jurisdictional building. A cold breeze fluttered through the hall.
It was comforting, but not enough as the disappointment clenched my stomach. Nausea followed, and I tried not to pay too much attention to it. Justice wasn’t served today.
The door opened, and I didn’t even care to look up. Scar went down on her haunches in front of me. She rubbed my leg. “I’m so sorry, Max.”
The tears blurred my sight as I shook my head.
“Ma xima,” Principal Williams said. “Can I have a word, please?”
I blinked my tears away and got up from the bench. We walked to one of the colossal pillars right next to the entrance.
“I know whatever happened in there today doesn’t seem fair.”
“Seem? They should be in jail for what they’ve done, not getting a second chance.”
Principal Williams nodded. “I agree on that. And I’m so sorry that we failed you.”
“You said on the first day at orientation that bullying was against the rules. It’s an immediate expel. They confessed, and they just get bangles on their wrists. I have white scars on my legs to show what those witches did to me. They shouldn’t be at Beaumond and you know it.”
“I expelled them until this trial. Lord Granger changed my ruling. He forced the magical bracelets for the rest of this year. I can promise you—”
“Rest of this year! I will have white scars for the rest of my life.”
He lowered his head and his shoulders dropped. “It’s out of my hands. If there wasn’t a trial, you can bet they would’ve been out of that school. But the jurisdictional chambers have given them a second chance.”
“One that I doubt would be given if it were a hybrid.”
He had nothing to say in response; he just nodded. “I’m sorry that I failed you.” He turned around and walked away.
The tears threatened to rush down my cheeks. What was I thinking? Liz was a pure blood; I was a half-breed. There would never be justice where half-breeds were involved.
A hand grasped me around my arm as my lower-lip trembled and then I was in Simon’s arms. “Sorry, Max. I know it’s difficult, but you are not alone in this, okay? We are all here.”
I sniffed and looked at him. “She is going back to Beaumond.”
“And they were all given magical bangles. Lord Granger was pretty hard on them around that,” Simon pointed out.
“They are going to wish that they never laid their hands on you.” Amy wrung the tissue that was in her hand.
“Amy,” Simon scolded, and Scar snorted a laugh. “Scar?”
“I’m sorry, but Amy is right. She is vile. What is wrong with this world? Just because Max is a half-breed? What justice is in that? None.”
The doors of the courthouse opened, and Liz walked out. The others with their families and lawyers followed.
I hid behind the pillar as Liz’s gaze landed on Scar and Amy. If a glare could kill, Amy and Scar would have dropped to the floor. My gaze flickered to their wrists. They all wore magical bracelets; some even tried to hide it. It should be some sort of a consolation prize, but it wasn’t.
Amy hissed and threatened to go for Liz. Simon held her back. They all walked, heads held high, out of the jurisdictional building.
I looked past the pillar, seeing Commander Hendrix with Lord Granger. The commander smiled as they shook hands. The heaviness in my stomach strung tighter as a tingle crept up my spine. I couldn’t help this little nagging voice in the back of my head, screaming that he had a hand in Liz’s newly won freedom. Tears pricked my eyes again. He would always disappoint me, no matter what anyone told him about her.
I wiped my eyes and looked away.
“She is acting as if this was a walk in the park,” Scar said.
“It certainly is if you know you have the entire Beaumond vouching for you.” I rushed out of the building.
“Huh?” Cade asked.
“What does that mean?” Scarlet rushed behind me as I ran down the steps.
“Nothing, forget what I said.”
I couldn’t get Commander Hendrix shaking Lord Granger’s hand, like a deal was sealed, out of my head.
Forget what you’ve seen, Max; just move on with your life and focus on the run.
GABRIEL
Ed and I stood in the shade waiting for Jack to exit the building. “Did you think it would end this way?” Ed asked.
“For the four girls, maybe, as I gave them my word that I would vouch for them. For Liz and Peter…” I shook my head.
“Me neither.”
Liz’s grandmother stood behind the pulpit, addressing the media. I was certain that Evangeline Duff had a few doses of her daughter’s ability. Her hair gleamed as the sun touched just the right highlights, glistening red sparkles shone in the light. The wrinkles were a lot less than other people her age. Not to mention her perky chest.
“She is hot for a grandma.”
I chuckled as Ed laughed from his belly. At times, I swore Ed could hear my thoughts. He was always so in tune with me.
A few seconds later, the three remaining Duffs walked down the steps from the press toward their limo.
Jack finally came rushing down the steps behind Master Conway and Vincent, who wanted to be present for today’s verdict. Ed and I moved slowly in their direction as the press blocked Jack’s way of asking Conway how he felt about the verdict and what it meant for Beaumond’s strict policy against no bullying. The poor guy’s hands were cut off since the judges had ruled against kicking them out.
Max’s words that day of a corrupt system played in my mind. What happened here today certainly felt corrupt.
“Gabriel!” a shrill voice yelled my name. Evangeline made her way to Ed and me. It was a miracle how some women could walk on such high heels. She stopped in front of us. “I’m having a small celebration at the Golden Eagle. You are both welcome.” She turned around. “Say seven-ish. Okay, ta-ta.”
Ed and I looked at each other. She didn’t even give us time to decline.
The driver opened the door, and my gaze caught Liz.
She kept staring at me, and I hated how the spark was still there. I looked away as her grandma shuffled onto the seat and the driver closed the door.
I sighed, not knowing what to do about that girl. She was clearly not good news, not with the way she’d treated Max. And I’d really thought when Liz had come out of the de-speller yesterday that whatever was between us would vanish, but it didn’t. I had to get her out of my head, and I didn’t know how.
“You going?” Ed asked.
“That will not happen.”
Jack finally finished, and I was glad to head back to the academy.
Later that evening, I couldn’t help myself. I went to the Golden Eagle only to find Edward, already with a glass of Champagne in his hand, listening to a grandmother’s relief filling the entire room.
Everywhere I looked, Elite members filled the room. All of them came from money, old money. Servers walked with trays that carried Champagne flutes and little delicacies on some sort of piece of bread.
I stopped next to Ed, and his gaze flickered to mine. He didn’t know what to do with the flute in his hand and that elicited a chuckle from my lips.
His lips marched to his cheeks. “Thought it could be a night to just wind down.”
“Yeah, me too,” I replied as Evangeline gave this heartfelt speech about her granddaughter’s innocence and how she knew the verdict would be not guilty.
The six culprits stood behind Evangeline like statues. My gaze locked with Tiffany’s. Her mouth rounded and was then replaced with an open smile, right before a screech spilled from her lips. Evangeline looked behind her. Tiffany pushed past her and grabbed the mic out of Evangeline’s grasp.
The glare that Evangeline gave her was murderous, but the old lady kept her pose.
“And our hero has made it tonight. Thank you, Commander Hendrix, for vouching for us through the entire trial.”
Everyone applauded as a tightness clamped around my chest. A sudden itch pricked at my elbow that needed scratching. I’d never thought about my actions until this very moment.
