Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch

by Julie Abe

  Through the lenses, the half-moon shape of the town glimmered, huddled between the circle of cliffs and dark blue bay. Stone roads crossed between the white homes and stores with dark blue and gold tiled roofs, and lights sparkled from windows, making the town look like a cluster of sapphires and diamonds peeking out of stone. On the farthest edge of town on the top of a small hill, a huge building towered over Auteri, capped with a gold dome. Behind the town, a narrow road led up and over a steep peak.

  “Welcome to Auteri,” Rin said. “Home of the Festival of Lights.”

  She motioned me toward a skiff. We settled onto the plank seats, surrounded by crates, as the sailors shouted to one another, grunting as they pulled on ropes to lower the skiff.

  We bobbed in the slight waves, and the skiff workers began rowing us in. I ran my fingers through the cold water, and goose bumps prickled all over my arm. “It’s beautiful here.”

  “Isn’t it?” Rin smiled. “Still, the sea is a fickle one. Won’t listen to what any sailor, nightdragon, or witch says. It’s gorgeous now, but it grows vicious in autumn. Even more so with the last Culling.”

  I shivered. Last year, Mother and nine Elite witches and wizards hadn’t been able to get to Kelpern, one of the cities on the coast between Okayama and Auteri, until hours after a blizzard had started. By then, the damage had already been done. Hail had shattered the windows, and the buildings had caved in under the weight of the ice. They barely managed to combine their magic to create a bubble-like shield over the broken city as the blizzard raged on.

  A few days later, the storm dissolved into thin air.

  But the ruins remained.

  Shivers tingled down my spine.

  “Staying for a while, are you?” one of the rowers asked, squinting at my plump knapsack, and shaking me out of my thoughts.

  “I—I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I’m on my Novice quest, and so I’m looking for a town that needs my help.”

  “Well, I definitely hope you’ll stay,” Rin said.

  The rower wiped the sweat off his neck with a handkerchief. “We sure could use your help getting our dear town into fighting shape before the Festival of Lights.”

  Rin nodded, smiling at the man. Then she lowered her voice. “He’s right, Eva. We do need help. The realm may be scared of the Culling, but for us, a town on the waterfront, it’s the shadow to every beautiful day out on the sea. I wish there were more of you. Last year, though the blizzard hit Kelpern, some of our buildings near the docks flooded. These white buildings were stained with mud, up to the windows. Even worse, some of the stores got knocked down. An old cobbler’s shop near Seafoam Sweets Shoppe got completely wiped out, and the orphanage took some damage.”

  I shuddered. This town was too beautiful. I couldn’t imagine the sparkling buildings flooded with saltwater.

  The skiff passed through the gap between the towering black cliffs. “Don’t these rocks protect the town?”

  “We’ve made a thick wood-and-iron gate to stop waves and wind from rushing through this gap, but it got blasted off in the past storm like a piece of paper. Nothing’s going to be able to bridge a gap this big, not unless there’s magic involved.”

  I didn’t want to say that my Novice Witch quest would end long before the Culling. Or, even worse, that my magic might not be enough.

  “Oh, look!” Rin pointed to the right of the boat, where three fins stuck out of the waves.

  “Dragonsharks?” I gasped, jerking my hand out of the water and peering down for a glimpse of their razor-sharp fangs.

  She shook her head with a light laugh. “Watch.”

  A dolphin soared out of the water, droplets sparkling on its gray skin. It arced, spun a circle in the air, and dove back into the sea. Its friends joined it, and the dolphins frolicked alongside us, flying in and out of the waves. When we got close to the pier, they turned after one final jump, as if they sensed the rocky shallows.

  “It’s a good sign.” Rin sighed with a quiet joy as the dolphins swam out to open sea. The rest of the rowers nodded, too.

  The workers docked the skiff, and Rin motioned me out. I stood, but the overpowering smell of sweaty sailors and piles of fish made me sit back down.

  Rin grinned. “When I’ve been away from the docks too long, the smell is a punch in the face.”

  “Hey, Rin.” One of the sailors scowled. “You don’t smell so sweet after a day on the ship, either.”

  “I’m sure you smell like roses.” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m too scared to smell my own clothes.”

  I subtly sniffed the air. The skiff worker blended in with the rest of the sailors—smelling like briny fish. The faint scent of sun-dried laundry drifted from Rin.

  Rin turned toward me, and I wrenched away.

  Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Ready to go?”

  My cheeks warmed. “Definitely.” I hefted up my sagging knapsack.

  “So, where should I take you?”

  I sorted through my list of priorities. “First, I need to meet the town leader.” All witches and wizards were supposed to meet with the leader to understand how they could best help the town, and that’s where I would receive my guardian assignment—if I was allowed to stay.

  “That’s not going to happen.” Rin shook her head. “When the sun starts to set and the dinner bell rings, Mayor Taira closes up the town hall to encourage workers to go home for dinner with their families.”

  My chest pinched. “I can’t fulfill my duty to see the mayor?”

  The Council would be appalled. Conroy would say I was charming myself onto the path to failure.

  Rin chuckled. “Believe me, it’s better to meet Mayor Taira after a good night’s sleep.” Then she studied my broomstick and lumpy knapsack. “But we should get you a place to stay.… You’re young enough.… Maybe there’s a spare bed at the orphanage?” She glanced at a two-story white stone building at the edge of the docks. “Ah, wait! It’s been so long that I almost forgot.… You don’t mind living alone?”

  “Not at all.” Or at least I didn’t think so. I gulped. It finally sank in that my parents were terribly far away; Father would’ve befriended everyone on the ship with his croissants by the time we had landed, and Mother would’ve found a way to charm Mayor Taira to an audience. My cheeks burned. I doubted that they would have fallen asleep on the boat, either.

  “How do you feel about a fixer-upper?”

  “I’m handy, I’m good with fixing things,” I said, drawing myself up.

  Rin’s lips curved into a smile. “Then I know of the place for you.”

  I followed Rin away from the town and on a narrow path up a cliff, stumbling over the moss and rocks. In the crevices, pale purple dusklight flowers had unfurled in the evening glow, swaying in the sea breeze. To my right, the wall of black rocks towered over me; on the left, the path dropped straight down to the sea.

  I had never been scared of heights, but there was something ferociously wild and other about the sea. I stuck close to the cliff and the stiff brush that grew in the crevices. I was used to grassy plains and lush forests, not this turbulent blue-black water. I breathed in deep, and the salty sea spray settled into my dress and onto my skin.

  Rin disappeared around a corner marked by a lonely patch of stiff brush. I hurried to catch up. I turned around the cliff, and the path opened up to a small house built into the rocks, with vines of dusklight flowers covering its front.

  “Ah, it’s been years since I’ve been here.” Rin stretched out her arms. “I used to sneak out here with my friends.”

  I stared at the tiny cottage. Under the vines, it was painted some sort of brownish color. Or it was simply very dirty.

  “Who lived here?” I wondered aloud.

  “This is Auteri’s cottage for witches and wizards like you. We haven’t had one in more than a dozen years, so this place has been a bit neglected.”

  The cottage definitely was a fixer-upper. It would require a lot of magic to clean it
up, but something about the place felt so right.

  “I’m sorry.… It doesn’t look like much.” Rin tugged her cap down to cover her eyes.

  I blinked and shook my head fervently. “No, no. That’s not it.”

  My magic bubbled up inside me, itching to mend the storm shutters dangling off the hinges, to scrub the windows caked with dirt. With a good cleaning and some repairs, the glass would shimmer with the reflection of the sea. I could stay in Auteri and help the town, starting with this cottage.

  I turned to her and grinned. “It’s perfect.”

  CHAPTER 7

  A GHOSTLY VISITOR

  Hours later, past midnight, I sprawled on the floor. My bones ached from cleaning the cottage with a simple spell and a whole lot of elbow grease.

  I had charmed a handkerchief to scrub the house from floor to ceiling with “A mean clean is in need.” It had run out of magic halfway through, and I had finished scouring the floorboards with the limp cloth and a bucket of soapy water.

  There were only two rooms: a square washroom and a main area with windows that looked out onto the sea. The central room had a tiny kitchen area, a rickety bed frame with a lumpy mattress, and a small closet that I had tossed my knapsack into. I had fixed up the broken sink and started a fire in the stove to cook a late dinner.

  While I waited for water to boil, I scribbled out a quick letter.

  Dear Mother and Father,

  I’m in Auteri. I was wondering… Is there any way to check whether I’m in the right town? I don’t think I got off the boat too late or anything, just to confirm.

  And Mother, don’t worry—I’ll do good by my town, I promise.

  With love,

  Eva

  My fingers carefully folded the paper in and under to create a paper bird. I wasn’t very good at folding—one wing was bigger than the other—but it was all I needed for letters. I wrote To Nelalithimus and Isao Evergreen in my best cursive on the right wing.

  “Resist the water, resist the wind, resist until your path desists,” I chanted, and tapped my wand against the letter. I scooped the paper bird into my palm and brought it to the window.

  “Give my love to my parents, little bird.” I blew lightly on the paper and the bird-letter jumped up onto the sill, arching its neck. Fluttering its thin paper wings, it leaped into the night.

  For a second, I imagined I could fly like the bird, back home. I glanced at my broomstick propped in the corner. I’d told Conroy that I could fly, but that was a bit of a stretch. Like my magic, I’d practiced and practiced but never quite gotten the hang of it. “I have to learn how to properly fly first. I should name you—how about Fiery Phoenix?”

  I had always been fascinated by phoenixes. When I read Mother’s magic tomes, I had traced my fingers over the painted yellow-red eyes and the majestic gold-leafed plumage, like a glowing flame. If a witch or wizard was lucky enough to receive a phoenix feather, their magic blossomed, but no one had found a feather in more than a hundred years. I’d always wanted just one feather. Just last year, rumors spread of a sighting in the east of the realm, by the Walking Cliffs. Almost all of the realm’s witches and wizards had swarmed the cliffs, Mother included. Not a feather was to be found. After weeks of crawling over the rocks that were almost as tall as the Sakuya Mountains, the Council chalked it up to a fireside fable.

  The stiff broomstick didn’t look anything like a phoenix. “A different name, maybe.” I put it away in the closet.

  I rummaged in my knapsack for the smoked fish, the canvas wheezing with relief as I took out my kitchen supplies and poured a handful of rice into the boiling pot. Before long, the familiar smell of the bubbling rice wafted through the cottage. I scrubbed a chipped plate from the dusty shelves and brought my simple dinner to the front step of the cottage.

  My tired body nearly melted when I sat on the stone slab. The night sky sparkled with more stars than I’d ever seen. I peered to my left, and the golden lights from town flickered comfortingly.

  “I’ll do my best to take care of you, Auteri,” I whispered. As long as Mayor Taira would let me stay, of course. But nearly every town in the Realm appealed to the Council for help, so Auteri was likely in need, too. As long as they didn’t mind an inexperienced witch.

  I went to pick up the plate. It wasn’t where I had left it.

  It had moved behind me.

  And, somehow, the plate was polished clean.

  There was no one in sight. Was there a ghost?

  A few grains of rice led into the cottage. I followed the trail, one by one. My heart beat unsteadily. Mother kept me awake with ghost stories on too many a dark night. When she told me tales of the haunted forests of the north, where she’d grown up, I almost sensed the presence of the villagers’ wailings carried on the wind. But she’d never told me stories about ghosts that stole rice.

  The trail led straight into the closet, where I had left my knapsack on the floor. The three shelves on the walls were all empty. I leaped back when my knapsack wriggled.

  “W-what?” I croaked.

  I snatched the Fiery Phoenix and used the stick to prod my knapsack, and it squeaked. I lifted the top flap.

  Nestled among the crumbs of my last croissant, the red-gold flamefox from the boat stared up and let out a loud burp. He cocked his head with his huge ears perked up. A grain of rice stuck to the tip of his muzzle, and his tongue flicked out and polished it clean. I wasn’t sure if he was smiling or laughing. Probably both.

  My eyes focused on something underneath him. “My scroll!” I dove for my knapsack and grabbed the leather tube containing my Novice Witch application.

  The flamefox jumped out and landed gracefully. He padded over and sat docilely at my feet. The black tube had some nibble marks on the corners, so I popped off the top.

  REQUIREMENTS TO PASS THE NOVICE QUEST

  All those with magic must go on a quest.

  To show themselves worthy of passing this test.

  ONE: Help your town, do good all around.

  TWO: Live there for one moon, don’t leave too soon.

  THREE: Fly by broomstick, the easiest trick.

  The rules are simple for the valiant, clever, and strong.

  But if you cannot continue, you do not belong.

  The rules parchment was unscathed. I held my breath when I turned to the application page, and I wanted to let out a sigh of relief because it was all in one piece—but my stomach knotted back up. At the top, a huge blank line waited expectantly—in order to pass, I needed Mayor Taira of Auteri’s signature. I put the tube on the highest shelf, far out of the flamefox’s reach, feeling like I was pulling a rug over a mess I was trying to hide.

  Then I sat on the ground, staring back at the fiery little mischief-maker now sitting in the middle of the cottage. His eyes glimmered, and he started trotting toward me.

  “What trouble are you up to now?” I asked, but it was too late. He leaped.

  Even though he was tiny, his jump knocked me off balance. I waved my arms like a windmill as I toppled backward, falling flat on the ground. His wet, warm muzzle bopped my nose, as if to check whether I was okay. Satisfied, he then let out a loud burp that smelled suspiciously mackerel-like, crawled onto my stomach, and curled up, as if to say, This is my place now.

  I’d never had a pet before. My parents traveled too much for them to get a dog, and Mother was allergic to cats, most witches’ and wizards’ favorite companions. The flamefox raised his head and nudged my hand over the star-shaped mark on his forehead, and I started petting him, running my hands down his sleek coat. He was a bundle of heat, and for the first time since my magic had manifested, I was warm, too.

  He stretched his jaw open in a yawn and his sharp, tiny teeth glinted in the lantern light.

  I lifted him up and put him on the foot of the bed. He plopped down, tucking himself into a cozy, tight curl with his bushy tail wrapped around him, snuggling into the mattress with satisfaction.

  I groaned. �
��What have I gotten myself into?”

  CHAPTER 8

  THE MAYOR OF AUTERI

  The next day, I woke before the sun peeked over the horizon and stretched my arms. Magic usually tickled at my fingertips in the morning, but today I felt only the faintest of sparks. I had used too much magic helping the man on the boat and repairing the cottage.

  Mother believed that the more I used new spells, the more magic I would have to draw upon in the future. Right now, I could barely cast a simple charm. I wanted to rest, but I needed to meet the town leader first.

  When I checked on my food stores, my smoked mackerel stash looked suspiciously lower than it had yesterday. I chewed on a piece, wandering back over to check on the flamefox, now sleeping on his back. His plump, pink belly and paws stuck up as he snored lightly.

  I wafted my mackerel over his nose and he woke with a squeak, rolling onto his legs. I grinned and tore my mackerel in half. He shook his bushy tail so furiously that he toppled over and contentedly lay on the bed to chew on the smoked fish.

  I scratched behind his ears. “You probably don’t understand commands, do you?”

  The flamefox’s dark eyes twinkled with mischief. If you feed me more, I’ll listen.

  “Okay, maybe you do.” I raised another piece of smoked mackerel. “See this, flamefox?”

  His ears perked up as he stared hungrily.

  “If you promise to stay here and wait for me, you’ll get this now and another snack after I return.” I dangled it in front of him and he nearly turned cross-eyed. “When I see Mayor Taira, I’ll ask if anyone knows where your owner lives. Don’t wander off, though.”

  The flamefox wagged his tail, leaped up, and grabbed the fish. He put it on the bed as if to say, This is mine now. This time, though, he didn’t eat it right away.

  He followed me into the washroom and watched as I smoothed the loose hairs around my face. My brown eyes were firm and set, even if I felt like melting from nervousness inside. I was as ready as I’d ever be to meet Mayor Taira. I slipped my wand into the pocket of my dress and adjusted the angle of my hat.