The Initiate Read online

  These also spun at different speeds, creating an elaborate pattern to the constant crisscrossing of rods she’d want to avoid.

  She tried to study it, to work out when she could run across, but her mind struggled to find the biggest gap to begin running.

  As two particularly dense sections of the poles moved out of the way, Biffy knew she ought to go for it. Two seconds of hesitation cost her dearly. Biffy slid past the first set of poles to be smacked in the back of the knee by the next. Another caught her arm, and the egg went flying.

  Getting battered at every turn, Biffy had no choice but to duck off to one side.

  “Better,” Mary Sue said. “You have until this time tomorrow to practice.”

  “If you can’t get through the course by then, you will fail your initiation,” Mary Barry said, picking up her chicken. The creature clucked, fixing its beady eye on Biffy as it did. It then seemed to lift its chin and look away.

  Biffy got the distinct impression it wasn’t very happy with her.

  Mary Barry led the three Marys away, leaving her with Sister Breanna and the donkey to try and figure out how to get through the course.

  Biffy frowned. The course was long and complicated and she had no idea quite how she’d manage it, but she had to try.

  “It took Boo and I many attempts as well,” Breanna said. “But these things help us fight evil, and that makes them necessary!”

  Trying to smile, Biffy went back to the start of the assault course. Already she ached and the egg had begun to dry, forming a smelly crust on her habit.

  It was going to be a long day.

  Chapter 4

  Biffy let out a groan as she tried to sit up. Every inch of her hurt, and she didn’t need to look to know she was covered in bruises. Hairwig let out a loud hoot and flew in through the open window, landing on the end of the bed, where Biffy’s habit was draped. It was finally dry.

  Picking it up, she gave it a tentative sniff. Somehow it didn’t smell of egg anymore. Relieved, she spent the next half an hour trying to get it on. Eventually Hairwig grabbed a sleeve and yanked.

  Exhausted before even beginning the day, she checked her appearance in the small mirror by her bed. Under the headdress she could just about see her hair and neck, but it wouldn’t be long before she wore the full habit. With any luck, at least. She’d dreamed of wearing the whole thing. Admittedly, it hadn’t been so tight or difficult to move in when she’d imagined it. Sighing, she went to the door.

  Before she could go any further Hairwig began making a strange noise, flapping her wings as she bobbed her head, her beak wide open. A weight settled in Biffy’s stomach. A moment later Hairwig deposited a pellet of regurgitated mouse bones onto her freshly laundered habit.

  Their eyes met for a moment as Hairwig folded her wings back up again and hooted. Biffy considered admonishing the bird, but it was far too late to matter. Maybe she’d just have to get used to not being quite clean ever again.

  “Come on, let’s get downstairs and have some breakfast before Sister Breanna appears,” she said after using a tissue to clean herself off. She wanted to eat something normal. And Sister Breanna was anything but normal. She was also enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic.

  Hairwig landed on her shoulder and the pair headed down the winding staircase. Each step jarred her aching body, but she pushed the pain away. She’d practised on the assault course every moment since the three Marys had left, coming off more times than she could count. A couple of times she’d narrowly missed a blade, her hair now shorter than it had been.

  She thought through each move as she walked to the dining hall, her mind able to picture the entire thing. She’d managed it once.

  Just once. Right before sunset.

  Breanna had insisted they go inside after that, her eyes darting from side to side, Boo cradled in her arms.

  If Biffy hadn’t been so exhausted and in so much pain she’d have objected, but even the egg smell had grown so bad she’d not been able to take it any longer.

  Now the sun was up again she wanted to try a couple more times before the rest of the academy stirred.

  The porridge she had for breakfast hit the spot. Normal. Boring. Everything she wanted. Even Hairwig seemed to approve, adding another pellet, this one including some fur, onto the table beside her empty bowl.

  “Good wig,” she said, mostly grateful someone else could clean up this second offering. The owl hooted and followed her as she went back to the courtyard.

  As a breeze blew through the open area, she shivered. The assault course stood exactly how it had been left. With one exception. The donkey. The donkey was gone.

  Biffy frowned. She hoped someone had put it somewhere safe, but she had no idea where that could be. As she considered looking for it, Hairwig flew off her shoulder and landed on top of a panel that normally swung back and forth on the assault course. Her eyes lit up.

  “Brilliant idea,” she said, hurrying over to the starting platform and hiking her habit up as she did. It didn’t take her long to get in place, the movements of the previous day coming back to her mind. Right where she’d left it, a stone sat on the platform, about the size of an egg. It wasn’t a perfect approximation, but it was better than practising with the real thing. Picking it up, she focused on the assault course.

  Imagining it moving, she leapt over the first gap, dodging and weaving as if the blades were truly swinging, jumping over poles and ducking under bars until she reached the other end.

  Hairwig let out a hoot as she descended back to solid ground.

  “Thank you,” Biffy replied. “But it won’t be as easy when it’s moving.”

  Emboldened by her success, she went to look for the donkey to get it going again. Before she could, a familiar furry guinea pig came scurrying out into the courtyard, squeaking.

  She followed it, not hearing Breanna yet and worried the familiar might get himself lost without her. As she followed it around the corner she realised it was heading towards a small stable area she hadn’t noticed. It was tucked under the eaves, the doors locked shut.

  Boo scurried under a small gap by the hinges, a braying greeting the excited-sounding squeak. Biffy grinned as she stepped forward. The guinea pig had solved her problem for her. Inside was the donkey she needed, no doubt kept there so no vampires or werewolves could easily get to it.

  As she went to open the lock, the strong smell of garlic hit her, the substance coating the entire metal mechanism. It was understandable, but it made her hesitate. Once garlic was on the skin, it was awful to get off.

  Downside of the profession, she found herself thinking as she opened the stable anyway. Immediately the donkey snorted and stomped forward, as if she was late and should have known to let the creature out sooner. Boo sat on its back, washing his whiskers.

  Before Biffy could take the rope attached to the donkey’s collar, it had walked right past her and around the corner. She once again followed as the animals appeared to know exactly what to do. The donkey walked right up to the harness and stood, waiting to be hooked up.

  Trying to look like she knew what she was doing in case Breanna finally appeared, Biffy hurried over to its side. Thankfully the harness was straightforward to attach, the buckles smooth and easy to do up. But she couldn’t remember how they had got the donkey to begin moving the previous day, and it merely stood there now, looking at her, swishing its head from side to side.

  “Off you go,” she said, trying to give it a gentle nudge. It still didn’t move. She tried again, but it yielded the same result. Nothing she thought of saying and no amount of pushing or pulling worked. The donkey wouldn’t budge.

  A laugh from behind her made her jump. Turning, she found Breanna standing in the entrance to the building. It was obvious the sister had seen everything.

  “You show great dedication, Initiate, but Rufus doesn’t move for just anyone. You must know how to encourage him.”

  “Clearly,” she replied, wondering if Breanna inte
nded to show her that part, but the sister was already distracted, stood in the sun, giving Boo a scratch behind the ears.

  Sighing, Biffy stared at the donkey. It stared back, swishing its tail. She tried to remember what had got it moving the day before, but she drew a blank. However she was going to do it, she was on her own.

  Suddenly an idea popped into her head. She wandered back to the stable the donkey had come out of. Sitting on a shelf it couldn’t reach was a handful of carrots. She took two, carrying them back. As soon as Rufus saw them, he brayed and stretched his neck out trying to reach one. Grinning, she brought it to the circle he was attached to and held it out a foot in front of the donkey’s mouth.

  Rufus took step after step while she carried on moving, holding the carrot just far enough in front to keep him going. After several seconds she stopped, letting him have the food. He took it as soon as he could, crunching up the sweet root. Instead of carrying on, however, he stopped, the assault course stopping once more. Biffy growled with frustration.

  “Fudge nuggets,” she whispered before she realised what she’d said. A moment later Hairwig landed on her shoulder and took the remaining carrot from her. Launching upwards, Hairwig flew ahead of the donkey, hooting again to get his attention.

  Thanking God for sending her such a bright familiar, Biffy hurried to the start line. While Hairwig led Rufus in small circles, Biffy jumped the first gap and kept going, springing from one foot to another, ducking, dodging and weaving until she stood at the end. The final barrier caught her arm, sending the stone she carried flying across the courtyard, but the sting soon faded as she noticed Breanna was busy trying to catch Boo again.

  No one had noticed how she’d done the course. As she walked slowly back to the beginning, Hairwig hooted at her, making it clear the owl couldn’t keep going around in circles.

  Just one more attempt, she thought, grabbing the stone again and planting her feet at the start. Before she could do so, she heard the sound of approaching boots clopping on cobblestones. She looked up to see the three Marys and Sister Gelina. The latter wore a grin, her eyes on the donkey.

  “Ingenious method to coax the poor beast onwards,” Sister Gelina said. “But you can give your familiar a rest. It is time for your test.”

  Biffy nodded, trying not to show the anxiety as it crept through her body, stealing her calm.

  “Hoot,” said Hairwig, evidently in full agreement. Biffy nodded as her familiar let the donkey take the carrot and then landed on the edge of the roof overlooking the whole yard.

  Mary Sue went to stand by the donkey, her pony familiar following. The donkey and pony nuzzled each other and shared the carrot, everyone waiting for them to finish. As soon as the vegetable was gone, Mary Sue whistled and the pony snorted.

  A moment later, the assault course sprang into life in front of Biffy once more, still far slower than Mary Sue had attempted it. Biffy gulped, already looking for an opening. Mary Barry came closer with an egg her hen had freshly laid. The eldest-looking Mary handed her the delicate item and Biffy found herself clutching it tight.

  She’d spent an entire day training for this. Now she had to prove she was as agile as she’d claimed on her application. Taking slow, deep breaths, Biffy pictured the moves she needed to make, remembering how each muscle tensed, how each landing felt and the way she needed to carry her egg.

  Somewhere in the background Boo squeaked, but she barely registered the noise, focused, as ready as she’d ever be. Calm settled over her as she took the first leap, her body moving smoothly from one position to the next. At least, until around the middle of the course when a wayward stick caught in her habit. She wobbled on the next platform as something tore, the ripping sound loud.

  Off balance on a platform that didn’t stay still, Biffy had little choice but to carry on, jumping for the next. The axe that swished down whistled past her, making it clear her timing was now slightly off. Gritting her teeth, she took the next step a split second sooner, her body protesting under the extra strain as she twisted around a swinging pendulum.

  It felt like she stumbled through the next few sections, until she reached one of the few stationary pieces of platform. It was small, positioned in between two swinging blades. Normally she didn’t pause there, knowing she struggled to find her rhythm again after, but she had little choice now, her body no longer able to bring her back in sync with the desired timing and movement.

  After giving the egg a tiny squeeze to check it was still whole, she focused on the final section. She was so close.

  No matter how much she tried to concentrate, the sound of the two sharp blades cutting through the air and swishing past dominated her thoughts until she could barely think, her heart hammering in her chest.

  Biffy closed her eyes, focusing on a memory from when she was younger. When her father taught her to ride a horse for the first time. Horses felt fear, so she’d needed to make herself calm. His soothing voice filled her mind, just as it had done then.

  As she opened her eyes she waited just long enough to see the opening she needed and then stepped forward. Her body weaved and slid past the final obstacles as if in a trance, one fluid movement, until she stood at the end.

  Exhaling the breath she’d been holding, she looked at her now open hand. The egg sat on her palm. Intact, smooth.

  Clapping drew her attention.

  “Well done. Impressive recovery,” Mary Barry said, coming forward and holding out her hand for the egg. Smiling, Biffy handed it back.

  “Boo and I knew you had it in you,” Breanna said. “Although I had to cover his poor eyes. Such things can make him very nervous.”

  “He’s not the only one who finds it hard to look.” Sister Gelina came slowly closer, her hands resting in the opposite sleeves. “But you can be proud of yourself. You have achieved more than some of our initiates do, and may rest until tomorrow when you will have your third test and, if you pass, you will begin the basic training needed for the rest.”

  Inside Biffy cheered, but outwardly she merely nodded, not wanting to look childish in front of the Marys. They didn’t stick around any longer, not required any more. Biffy watched everyone else leave until it was just her and Breanna left, Boo running around the courtyard again.

  Hairwig flew down and landed on her shoulder, hooting in her ear.

  “That sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon,” she replied before saying goodbye to Breanna.

  Chapter 5

  The peace and quiet of another morning made Biffy feel herself again. She’d passed two of the seven tests now and hope was already making her wonder what it would be like to live at the academy permanently. She’d known many failed the tests, and some never came home again, but a part of her had always expected to survive and succeed. She’d spent her entire life training for this. At least, it had felt that way.

  But she knew very little about the rest of the tests and what was involved. At some point she would receive some training but the other nuns had been just as vague about that.

  Right after besting the assault course, she’d climbed as high as she could, finding a way out onto the roof, taking her lunch with her. While eating Hairwig had found another mouse to eat, thankfully leaving the extras on the roof as well.

  Now, almost another day later, Biffy slowly plodded down to the lower levels.

  As an initiate, she wasn’t free to come and go from the academy as she would be as a fully trained nun, but she could still go down and see what other secrets the building hid. Everywhere she’d gone so far she’d at least found an interesting view or someone new to meet.

  It took her a few attempts, but eventually she found a set of stairs which went lower than the main ground floor. She’d seen some lower windows on one side of the building on the way over, and she was eager to find out what was down there. Knowing it was probably supplies in boxes and crates, she plodded downwards and wandered along more badly lit hallways.

  She couldn’t hear sounds of
any other person, the entrance protected by a barrier which deadened the footfalls and general noise. Walking through, she wondered why anyone might even need that, but the thought was soon gone from her head, her feet moving her forwards of their own volition. Hairwig hooted and flew off, as it didn’t like to be under ground.

  Finding herself on the very edge of the largest under-croft storage space she’d ever seen, Biffy froze to the spot. At first she marvelled at the design that had gone to help keep the academy self-sustained, but as she took another step forward, a strange smell met her nose. Garlic. And the dry earth smell of the undead evil.

  She paused, one hand reaching for her cross inside her sleeve, although she didn’t bring it out where it could be seen. Looking around, she tried to see through the cold gloom. If there was a vampire in here, she needed to know soon. Or had one lingered during the night and the smell hadn’t dissipated?

  With no way to know, Biffy crept forward. She couldn’t see very far, and many pockets of shadow hid all sorts from her sight. Her heart hammering in her throat, she continued to inch forward. Her eyes darted from shadow to shadow, desperate to see what might lie inside them.

  Suddenly a figure darted from behind a pillar towards her. Stumbling back, she raised the cross, meeting the outstretched hand of the large figure. It lurched back, hissing in pain as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

  Biffy took another step back and grabbed a stake from the other sleeve, ready to strike. But she needn’t have bothered. The vampire before her sighed, looking at his hand before facing her where he stood, with a chain from his neck to the wall.

  Raising her eyebrows at finding the undead prisoner, Biffy kept her mouth shut over the many thoughts and questions that wanted to come bubbling out. For a moment the pair merely studied each other.

  He looked thoughtful, like he couldn’t decide whether to tell her poetry or kill her. His face was thin, with high cheek bones. Blond, slightly curly hair sat short on his head, and he wore a long leather jacket.