The Initiate Read online

  The Initiate

  Holly Lujah

  Copyright © 2020 Jess Mountifield (writing as Holly Lujah)

  Cover Copyright © 2020 Elizabeth Mackey

  All rights reserved.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, organisations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please go to any online ebook store and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Acknowledgements

  A lot of people were involved in this book compared to normal. Partially due to how the idea was worn, but partially because this was a whole new genre and style for me.

  It seems fitting to thank the people in the order they were involved. So to begin, thank you Elizabeth. You were designing a cover for my fantasy novel, Fire of Winter and the cover for this was one concept of many. You made a beautiful design and it was likely to have gone to waste otherwise.

  And then to Brian, who, on seeing this design among the others said it was great… if it was about fighting nuns. Thank you for your honest reaction and your inspiration. You started something. The spark of an idea. The suggestion that there was another story out there that this cover did fit.

  Next were some of my closest friends. Bear and Kate. I sent you the cover next and mentioned fighting nuns. I can’t remember exactly what was said after that and who said it. But fighting nuns… evil vampires, and satire to the greatest degree. Within another twenty minutes this book was born and several of the characters too.

  My extremely patient and understanding husband was next. He had enough presence of mind to nod and smile. I think he even chuckled. Most importantly, he knew me well enough not to say the wrong things. And then he continued being the awesome husband he is so I could write.

  Then I had a bunch of wonderful beta readers, especially for the first couple of chapters. There’s a few too many to name, but thank you everyone who gave me feedback, especially those of you who were kind enough to bug me for the rest even when I stalled and provide me with phenomenal feedback on the latter parts of the story. You know who you were.

  And to Brandon, this book is already yours but you did so much more for me than have the best fighting nun. You were wise, your battle heroic, and your stories some of my favourite. One day I’ll see you again.

  To Ella for the spit shine. I hope there’s always enough chocolate.

  And finally to God, for always being there when humans are, well, human.

  Dedication

  To Brandon. Your fighting nun was the best. I miss you, buddy, but one day I hope to see you again.

  Chapter 1

  “Crud muffin!”

  Biffy raised her eyebrows and hesitated by the door to the convent.

  “Fudge nuggets!”

  Pushing the door open, Biffy stepped inside. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim interior, the hallways lit by candelabras along each wall.

  “Boo, you son of a motherless goat. Get back here.” A very large nun came running into view, not stopping as she dashed down the stairs into the hallway and then beyond. She huffed and puffed, her habit wobbling with each step.

  Approximately three feet in front of her at all times was a guinea pig. No doubt this was Boo. How it was a son of a goat, Biffy didn’t know.

  Standing in the doorway, Biffy held the cage for her owl, Hairwig, in one hand and her luggage in the other. Her instructions hadn’t told her what to do next. Just come to the convent.

  Someone here had decided she was chosen. Or several someones. But they’d definitely chosen her. Her letter said so.

  “Oh, my dear. How long have you been standing there?” A thin elderly woman, her face smoother than Biffy had expected, came from her left. On her shoulder, curled up like it was asleep, was a weasel. Opening her mouth, Biffy tried to think of a reply, but she was torn between two opposing answers for just long enough the nun reached out an arm and ushered her forward.

  “Come, come, my dear. I’m Sister Gelina. Mother Superior will be pleased you’re finally here. Is that your familiar in the cage?”

  “Yes, Hairwig. She’s an-”

  “Owl. Yes, the mother said you had such an interesting choice of companion. Did you chose the owl or did the owl choose you?”

  “Ummmm...”

  “Oh. Our new initiate is here,” another voice came from yet another side passage. “Mary, Mary, our new Initiate is here.”

  Three women came scurrying from the same side passage, one after the other, one of them tall, the second older but with brighter eyes and a small smile. The third was more portly, and she let out a happy chuckle, clapping her hands together.

  “Ahhh, these are the three Marys,” Biffy’s guide said, pointing to each in turn, “Mary Beth, Mary Sue and Mary Barry. They are three of our best fighting nuns here at St Maggie’s Fighting Nun Academy. And if you pass our initiate program, you will train under them.”

  Biffy nodded, trying not to let her mouth fall open. She’d heard of the three Marys. Everyone had. They were legendary in their fighting skill.

  Before she could think of anything to say to them, she was ushered onwards again. Led through corridor after hallway, each dimly lit, Biffy soon lost her way.

  Around every corner and gathered in every open space seemed to be women wearing habits. Their ages varied, but they had a few things in common.

  Each woman had the standard vampire fighting tool belt. On it was a cross, two vials of holy water, a small pouch of communion wafers, a bulb of garlic and a foldaway mirror. Attached to it was always a weapon made of silver. This varied. And it wasn’t to kill vampires. Sunnyvale was also plagued by werewolves.

  The final thing they all carried was an animal companion. Some sat on shoulders, some on arms, a few peaked out of pockets and the rest trotted beside or rested nearby. No one companion was the same.

  Biffy tried not to stare. She tried really hard, but the women were just so interesting. And their companions even more so. Luckily, most of them felt they could stare back.

  It might not be the kind of manners Biffy’s mother would approve of, but she was in good company. Biffy’s mother also wasn’t there.

  “Ah, yes, here it is,” Sister Gelina said as if she was just as surprised to find the right room as Biffy was. “Mother Superior?”

  Sister Gelina pushed the door open, revealing an office. In the middle of it was a writing desk, green leather inlaid into the top. A raven sat on one corner. The eye on one side of its head fixed on Biffy and followed her as she was ushered inside.

  “Mother Superior?” the sister called, looking around the room. At first there was no response, giving Biffy time to look around too.

  On every surface, including the desk, were stacks of paper. Some were in neat piles but others were above head height and looked as if they might slide onto the floor at any moment. Sister Gelina called again.

  This time there was a rustle and a habit appeared from behind one of the larger and more precarious-looking towers of documents. Inside the habit was a mouse-like woman. She squinted at them before reaching for glasses that hung on a cord around her neck.

  “Ah. You must be Biffy.”

  Biffy curtsied before she could wonder if that was the right etiquette. It earned her a small smile.

>   “You’re on time. That’s a good start.” Mother Superior stood up and came around to stand in front of her. “You look younger than I expected. You are old enough, aren’t you?”

  Biffy opened and closed her mouth several times again. Of course she was old enough. And she was stronger than she looked. After all, she was a vampire slayer. You had to be strong. And fast.

  “I’m eighteen next week,” she eventually replied.

  “Oh, well, that should be just about enough then. When you get to my age, everyone looks young.”

  Nodding, Biffy tried to think of a reply that wouldn’t be offensive. She couldn’t, so she kept her mouth closed.

  “I take it that since you have bothered to come all this way, and bring your animal companion, you accept the terms of our initiation trials?”

  “Yes. I will do my best.” Biffy grinned. She’d been through an initiation period before, for cheerleading squad. How hard could it be to become a nun? Especially after all the things her father had taught her.

  Mother Superior walked over to one of the most unstable-looking stacks of paper and pulled a single sheet out from somewhere in the middle so quickly the rest of the pile didn’t move, just like a waiter whipping a tablecloth off a table while leaving everything else behind.

  “Then we just need you to sign this, my dear, and you can begin.”

  The elderly nun pulled a feather from underneath her habit, the end of it tipped with a metallic pen nib, and handed it over.

  Biffy signed the document without reading it. Whoever bothered to read these things? She’d wanted to be a fighting nun for years. Whatever it said, it didn’t matter.

  “Fantastic.” The mother superior took the piece of paper away just as Biffy’s eyes noticed one particular word.

  Death.

  “Ummm…” Biffy tried to remember what had been there with the word, but she was already being ushered out of the door.

  “Sister, please take Biffy to be fitted for her Initiate’s habit and show her to her room.”

  “Of course, Mother. Is the usual room ready yet?”

  “Oh, no. Sister Oak hasn’t yet managed to get the blood out of the carpet.” The mother superior paused to think for a moment. “Take her to the tower. I’m sure it’s not as haunted as everyone believes.”

  Biffy gulped. What had she just signed up to?

  Sister Gelina didn’t wait to give her any opportunity to ask. She hurried off and Biffy had to struggle after, bashing Hairwig’s cage against her own legs as she did.

  Their destination this time was a room several floors up near the back of the academy. Biffy’s legs ached from climbing so many steps but the nun wasn’t even panting.

  A large room was lined with racks of clothing, not all of it the habits that everyone had worn so far.

  Several of the racks near the back had more normal attire of various styles and sizes.

  Although the sister went straight to the habits and pulled a smallish one out to hold up, Biffy was drawn to one of the brighter, more varied collections.

  Hanging off one end was a tiara glittering in the candle light.

  Biffy reached out for it, but before she could take it, a guinea pig appeared from among the folds of a dress, squeaked at her and scurried down to the floor.

  “Boo, are you in here?” a voice called from behind. The guinea pig squeaked again but kept hidden among the many layers of fabric.

  The nun Biffy had seen when first arriving came hurrying into the room, her ginger hair beginning to frizz into curls around her smiling face.

  “Over here,” Biffy said, hoping this woman was still trying to catch it.

  “Should have known. The little rascal likes the fancier stuff in here.” The nun hurried up, noticing Biffy’s hand was on the tiara.

  “That drew your eye, did it?” she asked, her blue eyes sparkling such a brilliant shade they clashed with everything else she wore.

  Biffy nodded as the woman picked it up and placed it on Biffy’s head.

  “There. It suits you.”

  “That it may well do, Sister Breanna, but you know that sort of frivolity isn’t to be encouraged,” Sister Gelina said, coming to Biffy’s side with a habit over her arm. “You look cute in a tiara, my dear, but you need to wear this from now on.

  Taking the item of clothing with one hand, Biffy removed the tiara with the other. Sister Breanna retrieved her guinea pig and placed it on her shoulder.

  “This is Boo,” she said. “He’s a giant miniature space guinea pig.”

  “A giant miniature space guinea pig?” Biffy blinked several times as she asked the sister to clarify. How could something be both giant and miniature? And why was it from space? It looked like a normal guinea pig.

  “Yes. Boo is visiting earth and was kind enough to decide to be my companion for a while. We fight the evil in our lands together.” Sister Breanna beamed.

  Biffy nodded, looking to Sister Gelina to see her reaction, but the sister was smiling at Breanna, a warmth in her eyes that hadn’t been there earlier. Suddenly Boo squeaked and scurried down Breanna’s arm. A moment later he was darting out of the door and down the hallway.

  “We need to get back into battle. Boo is getting restless,” Breanna said as she hurried after, not even looking back. Sister Gelina sighed and watched her go.

  “She’s right. We do need to get back to our usual routine. But finding a new initiate often interrupts things, and poor Breanna doesn’t have a fighting partner at the moment.

  “She doesn’t?” Biffy asked, not entirely surprised. Breanna didn’t strike her as the sort of person picked first for the football team, or second, or possibly at all.

  “No. Her last partner, a particularly good fighting nun, was imprisoned along with Breanna and several others. Two didn’t make it out alive. It is why we are taking on initiates again.”

  “Oh.” Biffy wasn’t sure how she felt about trying to replace a dead nun. “I thought I was the only one.”

  “You are. The other six we liked the look of are all dead. They didn’t make it through the initiation trials. But I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Sister Gelina’s grin seemed just a little too broad.

  Sister Gelina didn’t wait for Biffy to say or do any more, but led her from the room. They walked in silence until they reached a solid wooden door in the base of a curved wall. Behind that was a tightly wound spiral staircase.

  “Here’s your room. Isn’t it lovely?” Sister Gelina said as she beamed from ear to ear. The door she’d just opened at the top of the staircase revealed a cold stone room.

  A small rickety-looking metal-framed bed stood with the head against one wall and the end poking out over the centre. A small bedside cabinet sat on one side of it. On the other was a thin wooden wardrobe. The door stood open, revealing just four coat hangers.

  “If you’re still here at the end of the week, you can have some more habits, but we’re low on spares currently. The last six initiates were all a similar size to you and they had a tendency of dying in ways that ruined them.” Sister Gelina smiled.

  “Right,” Biffy said, putting down her case and the cage Hairwig was in.

  “I’ll let you change, my dear. Come down to the dining hall when you’re ready and settled in. I’ll show you where you can get food and then we’ll go to the training wing to begin your first challenge.”

  Nodding again, Biffy picked up the habit, already confused about how to put it on.

  “Oh, I almost forgot. Your new tool belt. It will be in the wardrobe.” With that, sister Gelina left.

  Biffy sat down on the edge of the bed, unable to see anything but a chink of sky out of the small window high up on one side of the tower room. She bit her lip. Had she made the right choice accepting the invitation to join the academy? Only time would tell.

  Chapter 2

  With Hairwig now on her shoulder and her habit somewhat comfortably on, Biffy grabbed her small pack of stakes, holy water vials and the small silver c
ross her father had left behind when he’d disappeared, and loaded up her new tool belt. She noticed a small foldaway mirror was still lodged inside, left by the previous owner.

  Taking it out, she thumbed the clasp. It flicked open, silently but quickly, showing her a smooth silvery surface and her own face a moment later. She found herself smiling at the brown-haired reflection, noticing she looked a little older now she had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. The glass mirror was so shiny it seemed to make her deep green eyes a little brighter. But no matter how good it was at reflecting the image, it didn’t capture Biffy’s attention. She’d never liked how she looked, but no one ever did.

  After putting the mirror back in the pouch, she headed back down the tower steps. Several times she stumbled, the habit a little too long for her liking.

  “It’s going to take me a while to get used to this,” she said aloud when she tripped for the third time and had to brace herself against the far wall with her arm. Hairwig let out a low hoot of agreement as she flapped her wings to also steady herself. One wing caught Biffy on the back of the head, messing up her hair.

  She sighed and tried to neaten it before going through the door at the bottom of the tower. It was only then she realised Sister Gelina hadn’t said where the dining hall actually was. Frowning, she looked down the hallway where they’d come from. She didn’t remember passing a kitchen or dining area on the way there. It left only one option.

  Biffy crossed the hallway to another solid wooden door and pushed it open. Immediately the smell of something frying in garlic butter came to her nose. Hairwig hooted again.

  “Yes, I agree,” she said. “It must be this way.”

  Another hallway stretched in front of her, one side adorned with windows that opened into a grassy courtyard in the centre of the academy. The afternoon sun shone down on a score of nuns. They were split into two groups, one down each wall. All of them carried wooden weapons. Some of them blunted stakes, others wooden swords, and a few small wooden batons joined together by chains.