Page 3 of The Banshee and the Warlock

I reach the empty seat and clear my throat, hoping he hasn't caught me staring at him, though I don't think so.

He looks up, his black eyes, which almost seem to have a hint of purple within them, meeting mine and holding me captive. My pulse pounds in my ears and I'm suddenly very aware of everything around me.

"Hi," I manage to squeak, trying not to stare, but doing a terrible job at it. I'm not sure what it is about him that has me so enraptured. Maybe his eyes, or the way his dark grey skin only enhances the shape of his jaw. "I'm Anja," I manage to say as I hold out my hand to him. Though perhaps that's weirdly formal.

Before I can pull my hand away, he reaches out to take it, causing tingles to race up and down me. "Nice to meet you, Anja." His deep voice perfectly matches everything else about him. "I'm Cethin."

"It's good to meet you too." I let go of his hand, only to notice a disappointed expression flit over his face. I try to ignore it, mostly because I think it's in my imagination. I want him to be as affected by me as I am by him.

I set my satchel down on the table and busy myself unpacking, mostly so I don't keep staring at Cethin and admiring how good his uniform looks on him. I don't want him to think that I'm rude.

I glance at him from the corner of my eye, getting a small smile in return. Heat rises to my cheeks, and I wish my hair were loose so I could hide it.

I pull out my chair and make a big show of sitting down.

"All right class," the professor calls. "We're about to begin."

A hush sounds over the room save for a few whispers.

"I'm Professor Fairburn, and I'll be taking you for Potions this semester. We'll be looking into the applications of both with the intention of good and evil."

"Why would we learn about the application for evil?" I whisper to myself. "I can't imagine anyone here is going to want to use it for evil."

Cethin lets out a deep chuckle. "You really believe everyone is good?" He keeps his voice low so he doesn't draw any attention to our conversation.

"Why wouldn't they be?" I'm sure the academy thinks about that before they accept their students.

"It's not how the world works," he points out. "And people change. Maybe you'll turn evil in twenty years."

"I mean, I'd like to think not. But that would be much less of a risk if the academy weren't teaching us bad applications of things."

He shrugs. "How can you fight against what you don't know? Good isn't the absence of evil, it's the choice not to use it."

Professor Fairburn clears her throat. "Mr Armstrong, Ms Greystone, do you have something you want to share with the rest of the class?"

My cheeks flame red. "No, Professor. Sorry."

She raises an eyebrow.

Cethin clears his throat. "I was asking Anja about the addition of evil to the curriculum."

I shoot him a surprised look, though I'm grateful that he's taking the blame for me.

"Ah, an excellent topic." The professor's face lights up as she ponders it. "And one we will touch on as the class goes on. The ethics of evil are a fascinating subject. Perhaps the two of you might choose it as the subject of your term paper."

"We can do that," Cethin responds.

"I'm not sure we can," I mutter under my breath.

"You want to know why they teach it and how it works, what better way?" he asks softly.

"Good, good," Professor Fairburn says. "As I was saying before the intriguing interruption, we'll be looking into the theory of the subject, and there will be some practical applications too. We'll be starting with the easiest applications of the craft and work upwards. I do want you all to pass this class."

"Even if we're assigned hard essay topics," I muse.

Cethin laughs. "It could be fun. If you like late nights at the library."

"I don't mind them," I admit. "Though they're better with company."