Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch

by Julie Abe

  All I could see were the books taunting me, spinning in circles and kicking up the dust. If Conroy had stayed, he would’ve been crying with laughter by now.

  Maybe “Come on a journey, book on a tourney”? No. The books would probably start dueling. My words had shriveled into useless scraps.

  But Father and Mother moved to my side.

  “You can do this, Eva,” Father whispered in his deep, calming voice. And Mother squeezed my shoulder, her cool hand reassuring me.

  My parents had never given up believing I’d pass my quest. As long as I hoped to be a witch, they hoped, too. I couldn’t let them down. Blood pounded in my ears as magic poured out.

  “Bestow what I need, for this journey to succeed.”

  The books rumbled, just like they had for Conroy, and I perked up. Had my spell worked?

  I held my hands out, expecting a tiny book like Conroy’s.

  The books shifted, spines popping in and out as if they couldn’t figure out which tome to dispense. Then, one after another, book after book shot out, throwing themselves into my hands with a resounding smack, smack, smack.

  By the time the books were finished, thirteen magical tomes towered over my head. I teetered to a side table, and Mother helped stuff them inside my knapsack. I snatched up my worn copy of The Guide for Questing Witches and Wizards, which I’d brought from home, and placed it carefully on top. “Did you have this many tomes during your quest, Mother?”

  “If it sits, it fits!” As usual for Mother, she quickly thought of a spell to expand my knapsack further and waved her wand with ease. The canvas bag obediently swallowed up the books, though it was already crammed with food and other supplies. “I had a thinner book. But these are simply recommendations. You aren’t required to read all of them.”

  “Books have a way of making themselves known,” Kaya added. “When they’re meant to be read, they’ll appear. When you need them, you’ll always be able to find the right book for you.”

  With a swish of her wand, Kaya magicked the enchanted bookshelf away.

  The second bell rang, chiming throughout all of Okayama. The sound echoed in my ears, as if it had rooted itself in my heartbeat. Mother met my eyes with a quick nod.

  We needed to hurry to the Council Hall. I had to find out why I hadn’t been included in the Council’s letter to Kaya.

  The list had to be a mistake.

  CHAPTER 2

  RIVELLE REALM’S COUNCIL OF WITCHES AND WIZARDS

  My future depended on the Council Hall in front of me, a magnificent stone and glass building at the edge of the capital city. West of Okayama City, the Torido River split into two, as if the waters had been forced to flow around the magic-infused glass and head out to the sea in two separate paths.

  Mother, Father, Kaya, and I hurried across the courtyard leading up to the shimmering building. Mother and Kaya stopped, bending in a deep bow toward the Council’s enchanted trees. I followed their lead, and the light flickering on the metal and glass leaves tugged at me, as if charming me to walk closer.

  “We have to go in,” Kaya said, nodding toward the hall. I stopped, trying to resist the urge to inch closer to the trees. “There’s only one bell’s worth of time before the meeting starts.”

  “We’ll head inside shortly,” Mother said, waving her along. My parents smiled at me. “Go on, take a look.”

  I reached out to the Novice tree with a hesitant, quivering hand and whispered, “I’ll be up there soon.” When I ran my finger along the rough bark of the tree, it was cool under my touch. Eleven bronze leaves, engraved with the names of the realm’s current Novices, clanked in the breeze, ringing with a lonely sound. Knowing Grottel’s favoritism, he’d give Conroy his license before me. I would become the thirteenth.

  Or, at least, I hoped so.

  Spray misted the courtyard, coating everything with slick dew. In the shade of the hall and raised by the breath of the twin rivers, the five magical trees swayed in a line, their metal and glass leaves twinkling like chimes.

  I whispered the names like a spell. “Novice, Adept, Elite, Master, Grand Master.”

  Five levels. If—no, after—I passed my Novice quest, I had to fulfill the quests assigned by the Council to progress from Novice to Adept, Adept to Elite. Most witches and wizards stayed as Elites, unable to beat the three incredibly difficult quests required to become a Master.

  Or pass the mysterious tests to become a Grand Master.

  The magic in my blood tingled at the thought.

  “I can’t believe it. My daughter’s going off on her Novice Witch quest,” Father said, nervously shoving his hands into the pockets of his sand-colored tunic. “You’re going to have your own guardian watching over you, and you’ll forget all about us.”

  My throat tightened at his words. “It’ll only be a moon’s time. And I’d never forget your croissants or cakes, Father,” I reassured him, solemnly.

  He let out a small laugh, and it felt like the faintest rays of sunlight had peeked out of the clouds. Mother patted his shoulder, probably itching to cast a spell to ease his worries, but it was against the Council’s laws to spell the magicless without their consent.

  “I’d best get going, so I can be here when you get out.” Without magic, Father couldn’t go into the Council Hall; the current leader of the Council had decreed this years ago in his hungry need to control as much as possible in the realm. Now, the magicless were only allowed in if they accompanied the queen. The Council, after all, had been formed to serve all requests from the ruler of our realm. Father shot us one last smile as he headed out the iron gates, toward Okayama City, to meet one of his baker friends.

  My eyes stayed glued to him as he hurried down the hill. Father disappeared into the crowds on the smooth, wide cobblestone road winding through spindly wood buildings, topped with vermilion roof tiles curved like nightdragon scales. Shopkeepers hawked their wares as the occasional truck puttered through. All roads led to the queen’s castle. The swooping pure crystal arches and glass spires of the castle shone like a heart in the center of the city. Someday, perhaps, I’d serve the queen. But if the queen’s castle was the realm’s heart, the Council Hall was the realm’s blood.

  The branches of the Grand Master tree swayed in the wind and mist, catching my eye. It was at the far end of the line of trees, closest to the door of the Council Hall. The mere two leaves were on opposite sides of the tree. Hayato Grottel, head of the Council, had his marker on a branch that pointed out toward the sea. Mother’s was directly across, in the direction of our cottage in Miyada. A ray of sunlight streamed onto the tree, and I could make out Mother’s name, Nelalithimus Evergreen, cut into the diamond leaf and lined with gold.

  Someday, I dared to dream, my name, Evalithimus Evergreen, would be on that tree with hers, sharing that very branch. And like Mother, I would serve the queen in one of her crystal spires. I took a deep breath, as if I could absorb the thick air that felt full of hopes and dreams, even though magic wasn’t in the land anymore, not in the way I had read about in history books: plants bursting with enchanted blossoms and rivers flowing with charmed strength. Magic had trickled out, year by year, and the number of witches and wizards had similarly dwindled.

  “They were once full of leaves, you know,” Mother said, gazing at the Elite tree in the middle. “Ages ago, when magic floated in the air and was infused into the very soil of the realm, families were unsurprised when their newborns could charm their toys to life. Those children attended schools to help them hone their magic. Almost anyone could create a spell to mend a wound—or curse an enemy. Until magic seemed to shrivel away throughout the land, and the Council was created to organize the remaining witches and wizards.”

  I couldn’t imagine a time when these tall, angular trees were heavy with enchanted leaves. The leaves, inscribed with the names of the current members of the Council, barely chimed in the wind. Even the Elite tree, the middle tier, held less than a hundred. According to the trees, jus
t about two hundred witches and wizards covered the thousands of cities and villages in Rivelle Realm.

  “We do not need the powerless vying for our roles,” a voice sneered over Mother’s shoulder.

  Hayato Grottel.

  The head of the Council towered over me, casting a dark shadow. He flicked his narrowed, hooded eyes past me, at the trees, like I didn’t exist. The twin rivers roared in my ears like a warning.

  Norya Dowel, his assistant and an Elite Witch, hurried over, nearly tripping over the hem of her black witch’s skirt, and hastily bowed, throwing a nervous smile toward Mother and me. She seemed more interested in staring down at the stone pathway leading up to the hall than meeting our eyes. “G-Grand Master, sir, the meeting’s about to start—we mustn’t waste any time. The whole realm’s worrying over our preparations for the Culling.”

  A chilling breeze whipped my dress, and I shivered. Mother stiffened. “Respectfully, Hayato, that is all the more reason for me to be assigned to the Culling.”

  “I thought you preferred being at the queen’s beck and call,” Grottel sniffed. I didn’t know what he was smelling, but I caught a whiff of sour jealousy reeking from his scowling face. Queen Alliana and Mother had become close friends, back when the queen was only a village girl. She and Mother had banded together to rescue the villages in the farmlands from a particularly furious four-headed nightdragon that had risen out of the abyss at the Constancia border and broken through the protections. Together, Mother and Queen Alliana had saved the realm’s precious crops from burning down.

  Grottel, on the other hand, had been on the team responsible for the break in the border that had suffered heavy losses. It seemed he’d never forget that. Especially since Mother had been the one to swoop in to rescue him.

  “I can respond to the queen’s requests and investigate the Culling,” Mother replied. “Have me and Eva work on it. We’ll solve it.”

  I gulped. We would?

  “The queen put me in charge of the investigation on the Culling. And you’re not planning on going against Queen Alliana, are you, Nela?” At Mother’s pained silence, Grottel smirked. He spun on his heel, his black tunic snapping in the wind. “Well. I have duties to attend to. Such as meetings that don’t require the magicless.”

  As he blew past, his disdainful eyes flicked toward me, finally, but they were as icy-cold as the Torido Rivers. A deep shudder ran down my spine. Had he—I glanced over at Norya, who was shifting her weight from foot to foot by the entrance—had he somehow changed the Novice list and removed me from it?

  “And do your duties include researching the rumors that rogue magic is at work?” Mother called after him. “Possibly even blood magic?”

  “Rogue magic like that does not exist anymore.” Grottel slammed the door shut, rattling the glass panes.

  “It was worth a shot,” Mother said, shooting me a wry smile. Then her eyes widened, and she turned to Grottel’s assistant. “Curses, I meant to ask—Norya, might you know why Eva wasn’t listed—”

  A loud, solemn bell clanged over the rush of the twin rivers. I jolted, prickles running along my skin.

  “The final bell! I’m terribly sorry, but I must go.” Norya smiled nervously as she yanked at the iron knob. “Oh, drat, he’s sealed it!” Grottel’s assistant jabbed her wand at the door. “Let me in, so this meeting can begin.” The tip of her wand flashed a faint yellow, and the hinges creaked wearily as she scurried inside.

  I stared at the wide-open doorway. In the stone hallway leading to the meeting room, witches and wizards chatted with one another, all outfitted in sleek black with hints of colors showing their ranks. They turned to me with curiosity, studying my knapsack and broomstick slung over my shoulder. Some of Mother’s friends waved, beckoning us in, and my heart thumped strangely in my chest. I would have my place within the Council, finally.

  “I’m sure that oversight with Kaya’s list won’t be an issue, but we can check with Grottel after the meeting so it won’t happen to anyone else in the future.” A smile lit up Mother’s warm eyes. “Ready?”

  Once I went inside, I’d get my ticket and my Novice Witch quest would start.

  My heartbeat pounded in my ears, but I grinned back. “I’ve been waiting for this all my life.”

  From the moment I entered those doors, I’d have to fight all I could to keep my powers. Because not completing my quest meant something so bone-chillingly awful that I had spent all twelve years of my life trying desperately to avoid it.

  CHAPTER 3

  THE TICKET

  This endless meeting was going to be the start of the best adventure of my life. I was sure of it. If only Grottel would finish droning on about his so-called attempts to investigate the Culling and read out the Novice announcement.

  Beyond the ceiling-to-floor windows that framed Grottel’s greasy head, the twin rivers roared past, toward the rest of Okayama City. By the magic of a trio of Elites, the glass stayed pristine and untouched by the drizzle, and I watched the water foam and froth as it sped on its own journey. I bounced my toes, jostling my knapsack, and The Guide for Questing Witches and Wizards slid out. I dove to catch the book before it hit the stone floor and smoothed out the corners, dog-eared from being read cover-to-cover countless times.

  “He should be announcing it any moment now,” Mother whispered from the seat next to mine.

  “Next,” he sniffed, as if he’d heard Mother, but was reluctant to agree with her. “Promotions.”

  I perked up. This was it. This was my chance to fulfill the Council’s mission: Do good. I stared at the wobble in Grottel’s chin, waiting for him to speak the magic words.

  “Conroy Nytta is now eligible for his Novice Wizard quest.”

  The crowd roused up a big cheer, echoing against the tall glass windows. I slumped down. Of course darned Conroy, the only other twelve-year-old wizard in the realm, would be announced first.

  Norya charmed a piece of paper in a flash of golden light, and Grottel rearranged the greasy clump of hair barely covering his bald spot as Conroy sauntered up. As Grottel handed over the ticket, he leaned down to Conroy’s ear, sharing something, and they both smirked. Conroy passed by, raising an eyebrow at me before throwing my mother a bright, cheery smile and waving his golden ticket. “Thank you for your help, Grand Master Evergreen!”

  I raised my chin. I didn’t know why Conroy had to show off; I’d be getting mine next. I scooted to the edge of my seat, clutching the tome to my chest, ready to hurry to the podium to accept my ticket as soon as Grottel called my name.

  Grand Master Grottel’s beady eyes scanned his scroll. After the longest second in all of eternity, he cleared his throat.

  I leaned forward in anticipation.

  “I will send out invitations to celebrate Conroy’s Novice ceremony, in one moon.” He rolled his scroll back up. “That is all. Meeting adjourned.”

  I froze, my body turning still as a statue.

  Mother sucked in a hiss. “Hayato, no—”

  My heart pounded as the room spun around me. This was worse than falling asleep from casting one too many spells. It was like I’d plunged straight into my darkest nightmare. He couldn’t possibly mean…

  Chairs scraped the floor as witches and wizards started gathering their things, picking up their broomsticks, and heading out the door.

  I gasped for air. “But…” I turned to Mother. Even her normally rosy cheeks were ashen.

  My mother shook her head in disbelief. “It’s just an oversight, it has to be.” She raised her voice. “Hayato!”

  He ignored her, sticking his scroll into his pocket and striding toward one of the side doors.

  Fear zipped through my heart, like an arrow straight into my chest. I scrambled up the aisle, squeezing past Kaya and Mother’s other Council friends, whose heads all turned when they noticed me. “Wait! Please! The meeting can’t be done yet!”

  “Eva!” Mother called after me, her voice rising in surprise.

  The
crowd stared as I shouted, “Please, Grand Master Grottel!”

  He turned, the force of his glare as mighty as a storm. “What?”

  I skidded to a stop. “The last item!”

  “I have missed nothing,” he spat coldly. Flecks of saliva splattered at my feet. “Are you trying to insinuate that I am not doing my duties as the leader of the Council?”

  “No, no, you just forgot—I mean, um, I mean…” I blushed madly and swept into a bow. “Sir, my apologies, but I was summoned to this meeting.”

  Grottel stared down from the raised stage. “Who are you?”

  His words stunned me more than any spell. I’d been to Council meetings before. He’d just seen me outside with Mother. I couldn’t be so below his notice. With so few witches and wizards in the realm, he should’ve at least had an inkling of who I was.…

  “E-Eva Evergreen, Apprentice to Nelalithimus Evergreen.” I fought to keep my voice from trembling. “I received a summons. I’m due to receive my ticket for my Novice Witch quest.”

  “That’s right, I remember you now. Norya set up that request, didn’t she?” he said. “Go to the infirmary.”

  With a wave of his hand, two burly, oafish-looking guards stepped forward. I shrunk back.

  “What? Why do I need to go to the infirmary?” That didn’t make any sense. I’d only need to do that if—

  “You’ve hardly done anything particularly, well, magical, as an Apprentice, have you, hmm?” He stared down his sharp nose. Some of the other witches and wizards nodded. By the door, Conroy crossed his arms, eyes unreadable. My blood froze in my veins.

  I shook my head, slowly backing up.

  No.

  No, no, no.

  My very worst fear was coming true.

  “It won’t hurt that much. The extraction spell is quite simple, really.” He snorted. “Wish it was so simple to give magic to others.”

  “They’re—you’re—going to take away my magic?” I whispered.

  If the Council deemed an Apprentice magically unfit—a potential rogue witch or wizard—their powers got taken away. Pulled out of their blood, erased from their future…