The Dragoneer Manual

Chapter 19 - Cursed Spirits

The classroom Professor Taylor taught in had hardly any windows, and it was largely lit by candlelight. At the front of the dim room, the professor was pacing back and forth.

"Cursed. Spirits," Professor Taylor said, sounding out each word slowly. He let silence linger in the dead air.

Rory and Chase sat beside each other at one of the many long, wooden tables in the classroom, a candle flickering between them. They were in the front row, by Chase's preference. As Professor Taylor spoke, she heard the scribble of a pencil and looked down to see that Chase had written down the one phrase: Cursed spirits.

So, he's the overachieving type, she thought. She let her eyes wander back up to the Professor, who had now stopped pacing and held both hands clasped behind his back.

"In our first few classes together we have discussed the very basics of defense magic and weaponry. I organized the curriculum this way to prevent you from fleeing my class entirely. But today, we will begin to explore a more difficult subject."

Rory looked over at Chase, who raised his eyebrows.

"Can anyone tell me of an encounter they have had with a cursed spirit?" he asked to the classroom at large.

No one volunteered.

"Oh, really? Come now. I can guarantee that each of you has encountered one. Perhaps... you simply did not know what they were."

Professor Taylor began walking down the center corridor between the classroom tables, looking each student in the eye as he went on.

"They are ever present. They hide in plain sight."

Chase and Rory turned their heads to watch him as he slowly stepped by each student, whose eyes went wide in turn as he made eye contact with each of them. Even in the low light, the professor's silver hair seemed to be shining in the candlelight.

"Acts of cruelty, evil, and malice. Unexplainable and irrational acts of violence. This is what a cursed spirit feeds on," he said.

He stopped walking, his eyes fixed on Isla Maige, who was sitting in the back row. She was the only student who looked on confidently, an entertained sneer forming on her lips. There was something quite beautiful about Isla's sinister smile, despite the scar that ran down under it, Rory thought.

Professor Taylor cocked his head in question, standing over Isla.

"Is there something you find fascinating, Miss Maige?" the professor asked, his face the picture of calm.

Isla's eyes flicked over to Rory's, feeling her gaze. Rory looked away from her icy glare and over at Professor Taylor, trying to pretend she hadn't been looking at Isla at all.

"I find it very fascinating," Isla said, "that some students seem to be more preoccupied with staring, than with the lecture at hand."

Rory could feel her cheeks burning as she spun around. Whatever issue she had already created with Isla, she wasn't making it any better by being caught staring again.

"The topic can be frightening for many," Professor Taylor went on. "But that is precisely why you must train yourself to understand the subject. So that you do not become weak in the presence of fear, and fall prey to its claws."

He made his way back to the front of the classroom and behind his desk, opening an old book, which sent dust flying into the air as he turned its pages.

"Cursed spirits take on many forms. Demons, monsters, devils. But at their core they are all the same. Irrational creatures, motivated by cruelty and selfishness. They are shells because they lack empathy. They seek the thrill of fulfilling their unquenchable thirst for killing."

He turned and held the book open to show the students brown pages etched with black charcoal, depicting creatures which looked like dark, winged fairies. As he turned the pages, the images became messier, and more twisted. Frightening creatures with long fangs and limbs, and dark, sunken eyes. Rory shivered at the sight.

"Not all cursed spirits are so obvious to spot," Professor Taylor said, letting the book drop flat.

"Some monsters such as the ones in those illustrations," he said, "are born as cursed spirits. But there are many others which allow curses to take hold over time, and which are not recognizable by sight."

Rory snuck a look at Chase for a moment, but his eyes were fixed on the professor.

"The outcome is the same. Beings which are either born cursed, or have been completely consumed by curses, cannot be changed or healed."

Each student in the classroom was hanging on his words.

"In fact," he said, "The only way cursed spirits can be stopped..."

The class seemed to be collectively holding its breath.

"Is death."

Rory stiffened.

"Either your death, or theirs. Some are easy to slay, while others are more challenging. There are a rare few who are so powerful, they can only be slain by weapons infused with magic, or those with specific properties."

"In your roles as Dragoneers, I regret to inform you that you will be facing them. And you will be facing them often. I must warn you to be careful who you trust, for cursed spirits can live among us, in places you would least expect."

Rory squeezed her hands together under the table, and they felt a bit shaky. No wonder Teak had said this was a difficult class.

"There is only one species in the universe that can never be cursed. They're the reason we're all here. Can you guess what these beings are?"

Chase looked at Rory questioningly, trying to see if she knew the answer.

Professor Taylor's lips curled into a slight smile, and it was the first time Rory had ever seen one on his face. Then his lips parted to speak the answer they were all hanging on.

"The only beings who are immune from curses... are dragons, of course."

.....

A/N: Thoughts on Professor Taylor's class? Are you enjoying learning more about the lore?