Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch

by Julie Abe

  “Charlotte,” Mother said. “Your marks will be scarlet like your hair ribbon. Davy, yours will be gold, like your shirt.”

  Davy pressed his hands to his flushed face, seeming utterly bewildered with joy that Mother had noticed his outfit.

  “Will it be in one spot?” Rin asked.

  “If they’ve moved around in the past week or so, it’ll show the different places they’ve been. And since this spell is for both of your parents, Davy, your father will likely show up in Auteri. Eva, I’ll need your help for the spell.” Mother whispered her idea into my ear. I nodded, and she straightened. “Ready?”

  I poised my wand expectantly, but my throat felt stuck. This was my first time casting a spell alongside Mother—shared spells were so tricky that dual-casters were rare.

  She began waving her wand in a circle around the map, like the way I stirred my wand when making potions. “Birds of a feather, hair of a child.”

  I continued the spell, summoning up all my magic. Casting with my mother felt like getting swept into a vast sea, with the power of her hungry, searching spell pulling at my meager, already-drained stores of magic, expecting more and more. My vision spun slightly, but I kept firm. This was for Charlotte and Davy. “Show their parents, out in the wild.”

  The locks of hair gleamed with scarlet and gold light, glowing brighter and brighter, until it was too painful to look.

  “W-what’s happening?” Davy cried.

  A bright gold splotch, like a dab of wet ink, appeared in Auteri.

  “Pa!” Davy smiled.

  But then lights flickered all over the parchment, covering the entire realm and even the bits of Lunea and Constancia that were visible to the north and south of Rivelle. It speckled Havensea, the landlocked sea in the center of the seven realms, like clusters of rubies woven into gold.

  Wherever Charlotte’s and Davy’s parents could be, it was definitely not all over the realm.

  They kept their shoulders straight as I bit my lip. “I’m so sorry. I… I don’t think it worked.”

  And when I looked at Mother, worry etched lines in her forehead. “It… it may be too tough right now to track, after the Culling.”

  “Could we test it to track Rin, or someone we know?” Davy asked, and Rin nodded encouragingly. “We could see if maybe a different spell works?”

  “The map was charmed based on your locks of hair, so it won’t be able to track anyone else now,” Mother said, and I felt even worse—I’d ruined her precious map, and my spell had completely failed. It couldn’t have been Mother’s part of the enchantment. I was the weaker witch; it could only be my magic.

  “You’ll find a way to make it happen,” Charlotte said, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

  I turned to Davy. “I made a promise to you before, and I’ll make good on that as soon as I turn in my application.”

  Davy met my eyes, his gaze steady. He wasn’t sad like I’d expected him to be. “Eva, you’ve given me hope. I know that you’ll find answers for me and Charlotte, no matter how long it takes.”

  I swallowed, turning away to stare out into the rippling, dark waters. I’d thought it was a poor twist of fate when I’d woken up in Auteri, but the people of this town were better than any spell.

  “Besides,” Davy said, “we’ve got something else to talk with you about.”

  He and Charlotte pulled me toward them with serious, expectant looks on their faces, and my heart dropped. I couldn’t cast a proper spell to find their parents. Surely they didn’t want more of my help?

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “So.” Charlotte crossed her arms. “You’ve got something really important you need to promise.”

  “Is there something else that needs a fix?” I scowled down at the map crumpled in my hands, but before I could cram it into my pocket, Charlotte snatched it from my fingers and smoothed it out, folding it into some sort of shape.

  Rin tipped the corner of her lips in a smile. “In a way, yes.”

  Wordlessly, Mother squeezed my shoulder, as if reminding me, No matter what, I know you’ll do good.

  Charlotte clenched the paper in her hands and raised her chin. Her braids glinted like a crown under the flickering lantern light. “We don’t want you to leave.”

  “W-what?” I had to be mishearing things. Was Charlotte actually—

  “We want you to stay in Auteri.” Charlotte looked down, stubbing her toe on the side of the crate.

  “As our town witch,” Rin said.

  “But I’m… You just saw my spell on the map—it didn’t work because of me. I know the problem wasn’t my mother’s magic—”

  “There’s only one answer to our question, Eva,” Charlotte said. “Yes—”

  “Or yes,” Davy said with an impish grin.

  “I…” I searched for what to say, but to my surprise, I already knew. “I want to be Auteri’s town witch, too.”

  Davy wrinkled his nose, turning his head to the side as if he could sniff out something. “I feel like there’s something you’re not saying.”

  “I have to go to the Council Hall to turn in my application,” I said. “There’s a ceremony, and I’ll get my name on the Novice tree, to show the entire realm that I’m a witch.”

  Charlotte looked down at the ground. A hint of sharp hurt wove through her voice. “And after?”

  Rin brushed her fingers against Charlotte’s arm, and Charlotte bit her lip, turning to stare south, away from all of us.

  I swallowed, glancing northeast to where Okayama and the Council Hall lay beyond the cliffs and expanse of land. “It’s not just becoming a Novice Witch, though. I’ve got other ranks to conquer. Over these next few years, I’ll be traveling the realm to earn my place in the Council.”

  “Come back,” Charlotte blurted.

  I blinked. “Back?”

  She took a slow breath, as if gathering words from somewhere deep in her. Slowly, Charlotte said, “Wherever you go, we want you to come back.” Her eyelashes brushed against her cheeks shyly, like she was a frightened cat that had finally begun retracting her claws. “After whatever you need to do, whatever nightdragons you need to battle… come back.”

  Her eyes pleaded with me to understand. You matter to me. Even if I act prickly, it’s because I’m scared, Eva. I’m scared I’m going to be left behind again.

  “And if you ever need someone to fight nightdragons at your side,” Davy said, raising his arms out, “you have us. You have a whole town at your back.”

  “The cottage will be waiting for you,” Rin said with a wink.

  Charlotte’s cheeks burned red. “We will be waiting for you.”

  I swallowed. There weren’t words to express the strange, beautiful leaping feeling in my heart. But with one look at Charlotte, her gray eyes meeting mine and the tiny smiles on both of our faces, I knew she’d understood enough. She threw her arms around me. “I… I’m glad you’re my friend. I’m going to miss you.”

  I pulled her close. “I promise to visit as much as possible. If you fall in the water, I’ll fly back from wherever I am to fish you out, too.”

  A smile danced across her lips, illuminating her face. She slipped the map into my pocket, before I could see its shape.

  “Fly safe,” she whispered. “Fly safe, and come back soon.”

  And Davy put his hands on his hips. “And if you wait too long between visits, we’ll just have to adventure out and find you.”

  At that, we all laughed, our grins shining as bright as the lantern light.

  Within an hour that went all too fast, I’d packed up my knapsack—Ember immediately jumped inside the moment I brought it out—leaving my cottage empty but clean, and Mother, Ember, and I jetted out on our broomsticks. Charlotte, Davy, Rin, and a group of townspeople who were still awake waved at us as we flew above the docks.

  “Don’t you dare forget to come back!” Davy hollered so loud that his sailor friends nearly fell off the docks in surprise. Even Charlot
te laughed, but her eyes stayed glued to me.

  “I’ll return.” I whispered this promise to the now-calm night sky, the endless ripples of dark water, the beautiful dark blue and gold tiled buildings glowing like a beacon in the night, and most of all, to my friends. “I’ll find answers for you, Charlotte and Davy.”

  I raised my hand to wave and then frowned. I flexed my fingers and magic flowed through my blood, so strong that my vision spun.

  “My powers are truly coming back.” I breathed out with relief. “I’m not magicless after all!” I looked over my shoulder as long as I could, waving and waving until Auteri disappeared behind the cliffs.

  After a quick rest in a small roadside inn, Mother, Ember, and I woke as buttery-gold sunlight poured over the horizon, coating Rivelle Realm in its warmth. Just a few hours later, we swooped down on our broomsticks, tunneling through the biting-cold wind and low clouds, and dipped toward the Council Hall. Just within sight, through the fog and clouds, faint rays of sunlight sparkled on the twin rivers splashing along opposite sides of the glass building. The sparse leaves still shimmered as clouds shifted and the five trees caught the sun. Somehow, despite the slightly overcast sky, the courtyard seemed to shine brighter than ever.

  It was time to show Grand Master Grottel and Conroy my complete, signed application.

  It was time to become a Novice Witch.

  Back in Auteri, Charlotte and Davy were waiting. Waiting for me and Mother to help them. And most of all, waiting for answers. I couldn’t let them down.

  “Did you—” Mother pulled up suddenly, and I braked, diving to the side to narrowly avoid her.

  I wiped the mist off my forehead, my dark hair damp, as I floated up until I was next to her, above the thick clouds and the yellow-orange leaf forests at the edge of Okayama City. Descending to the Council Hall would still take a few minutes, so it was strange of Mother to stop—we didn’t have time for a break.

  “I thought I heard something.” Mother peered down through the clouds moving fast through the sky and covering the lands below us. I shot a glance at her. Was that a tinge of worry in my mother’s voice?

  From my knapsack, Ember let out a yelp. I twisted over my shoulder to glance at my red-gold furred companion, but his dark eyes were glued to something down below. His pointed ears perked up, listening to something.

  I didn’t see anything unusual—just the Council Hall and Okayama City, glittering below us. “Ember, what are you—”

  Then a cloud moved out of the way, and I gaped. Down below, like little dots frolicking below the clouds, hordes of people were crammed into the courtyard, cheering for something. They held lanterns in their hands—it hadn’t been sunlight. It had been something fake, artificial, and fully orchestrated by Grottel. Even from above, the tinny sounds of their yells reached us.

  “Three cheers for Novice Nytta!”

  “Conroy! Conroy! Conroy!”

  My stomach twisted. “They’re celebrating Conroy’s advancement. Just Conroy’s.”

  Mother’s face went bone-white. My face already felt frozen.

  “Hayato,” Mother hissed. “I can’t believe he dared to start without you.”

  “Well, I guess we’re late,” I said. “But this is a party I’d love to crash.”

  Mother shot me a grin. “And crash, we will.”

  We shot down, tunneling through the clouds. My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

  Grottel. Grottel. He’d have to give answers. He’d have to grant me my rank, too. Neither Mother nor I would let him get away with this.

  We landed in the courtyard, in between the trees. The fifty or so silver leaves on the Adept tree chimed in the breeze, startling a vendor doling out tin mugs of steaming roasted tea.

  I slipped off my broom, water dripping from my damp clothes and soggy boots, and looked around. Everyone around us was celebrating Conroy’s upcoming promotion to Novice Wizard, munching on fluffy cinnamon crescents formed in the quarter-moon shape of the Council’s emblem, or sipping at mugs, steam swirling above their faces and mingling with the light fog. Across the courtyard, another vendor was offering free mugs of amazake, a hot rice drink currently booming in popularity around the realm. Everyone chattered with excitement, and I heard Conroy’s name thrown around in thanks. If my blood wasn’t nearly frozen, it’d be bubbling with the urge to charm myself so I couldn’t hear his name.

  Mother stepped off her broom, not a hair out of place, her charmed clothes warm and dry. “We’ll get this sorted out.”

  I had to hastily smooth out my hair, stiff and tangled after our long flight. Ember hopped out of my knapsack and shook his fur out, tiny sparks of light flying from his tail. He turned to look. Still, unlike other flamefoxes, his fur stayed unlit.

  “Someday,” I whispered to him, and he padded to my side, leaning into me slightly. His warmth felt like the sun had split through the clouds.

  Mother tucked a stray hair behind my ear, and her hand shot back immediately. “Eva, you’re shivering.”

  “I’m fine,” I said. Just the thought of becoming a Novice had made me forget the cold.

  “May I?” Mother asked, and I nodded. “Stay high and dry,” Mother said quickly, and tapped my blouse. Water streamed away, wringing out immediately from the threads, even from my socks, and I finally started to feel warm again under the sun.

  “Thank you, Mother,” I said, smiling.

  Turning toward the Council Hall, my smile slid off my face as I saw the obstruction blocking the door. It felt like thick, ink-black clouds had rolled over us. I had a chance at becoming as powerful as my mother someday.…

  If only Conroy, the peskiest wizard in all of Rivelle Realm, would stop getting in my way.

  Conroy’s eyebrows furrowed, like angry ink slashes. “Why are you here?”

  At my side, Ember growled. I curled my fingers around my Novice Witch application, the paper crackling in my hand. “Let me in.”

  We stared each other down, the otherwise oblivious crowd milling around us in front of the Council Hall. I squared my shoulders. There was no way I’d let Conroy try to push me around. Not today.

  “I heard your mother helped you pass. You don’t belong here, Eva.” His dark eyes flashed, his eyebrows curving haughtily. He moved in front of the doorknob, crossing the arms of his perfectly tailored black long-sleeve shirt. My black witch’s skirt and gray blouse felt sloppy and unofficial in comparison.

  I summoned up my words, even if it somehow felt tougher than any spell. “I earned my right to stay, all on my own. Whether you want me here or not. I’m a witch in my own right.”

  He sighed, shaking his head. “You need your—”

  “Signed application?” I raised an eyebrow, waving my papers in front of his face so he absolutely couldn’t miss them.

  Conroy’s jaw dropped.

  My eyes narrowed. “Plus, if anyone’s had more help, I’d say it was you with your multiple apprenticeships.”

  Conroy gurgled speechlessly.

  “Don’t worry, Conroy,” Mother cut in. She placed one hand on my shoulder and the other on Conroy’s. “Eva’s got this handled.”

  Even Conroy, who seemed as if he’d never accept that I had a pinch of magic, couldn’t say no to her. After all, my mother was Conroy’s idol just as much as she was mine.

  He scrambled into a deep bow. “Grand Master Evergreen. I hope you had a wonderful flight here. I—I’ve—”

  The bell rang, drowning out his words, and he flushed all the way to the tips of his ears.

  Mother nudged him toward the door gently. “Come on, Conroy. If you don’t watch out, you’ll miss the ceremony. The ceremony is for the two of you.”

  There was a sharpness to her voice, and Conroy drew back, as if stung.

  I searched his proud face, wondering if he had known I’d passed on my own but had tried to intimidate me all the same. Not that it mattered. He was Grottel’s nephew through and through.

  Conroy’s dark eyes flickered between
me and Mother and then lowered. “I… I guess we should go in.”

  He turned slightly to press against the heavy oak door.

  I swallowed, taking a deep breath. Behind the door, my future awaited. If Conroy’s cold welcome was anything to judge from, I’d have to battle in a duel of wits to convince Grottel that I deserved to earn my Novice Witch license.

  The door screeched loudly as it opened. Throughout the courtyard, the onlookers cheered.

  “Hooray!” they shouted. “Cheers to the new Novice!”

  I couldn’t let the realm forget about me. I wouldn’t let them forget about my magic. I brushed past Conroy and muttered, “Cheers to the new Novices.”

  Mother and I strode side by side down the long hallway to the Council’s meeting room. We would demand answers.

  CHAPTER 34

  EVALITHIMUS EVERGREEN

  Hello, Hayato.”

  My hands were like ice, but Mother’s voice was even colder.

  Grand Master Grottel spun around from where he stood at the front of the Council Hall. Just beyond, past the glass walls, water crashed down the twin rivers, splitting into two separate paths. For an instant, it felt like Mother and Grottel were the two rivers, stemming from the same pool of magic, but using their powers for drastically different futures. Maybe even two drastically different realms.

  Then Grottel growled, “What?” and all thoughts of the rivers vanished from my mind.

  Mother raised an eyebrow, and around us, the other witches and wizards shifted uneasily, all attention focusing on the two of them—and me.

  “I’m about to start Conroy’s ceremony,” he snarled. His narrow hooded eyes flashed at me. “What are you doing here? Didn’t your mother step in to save your town?”

  If he’d asked this just one moon ago, I probably would’ve tried to cast a spell to melt into Mother’s shadow or jumped into the Torido Rivers. But fighting the Culling—and doing everything I could to save Auteri—had nearly washed me out to sea, had nearly taken all the magic from me.

  And made me stronger.

  Slowly, refusing to let my hands tremble, I unfurled the paper in my hand. “I’m here for the same reason as Conroy.”