The Fire Lizard scuttled across the floor. With a yowl, I leapt after it. It shimmied under a drawer. I cursed.
“I told you. You have to strike them with water first.” She shook her head, closing her green robes about her brittle form. “This time, do what I say.”
The Fire Lizard darted out. Lady Madison met my gaze. I thought of waterfalls, and ice, and a frigid trickle shot from my fingers. It spattered the ground, and the Fire Lizard shot towards a corner.
Lady Madison sighed. “You’re too slow, Lucy.” She aimed for the creature: there was a rumble, and a beacon of water, tinged with ice, flew across the room. It swished around the room; the Fire Lizard was submerged. Cool, the spell pooled around my heels.
The witch snapped her fingers, and the water vanished with a zip. She approached what resembled a piece of coal. She held it out to me, and I hissed as I took it. It was hot. As I squinted, I made out the shapes of a tail and a head. The Fire Lizard was black, and as hard as rock.
“Now put him into the fire.”
The fireplace was on the other side of the room. It was dark and filled with damp wood shreds. I twisted my wrist, but there was only a squeak and a hiss of steam.
Lady Madison sighed. “You have to dry it first. Heavens, child, haven’t I taught you anything?”
My face burned. I twisted my wrist the other way, and smoke rose from the fireplace. I waved it away. Dry wood remained. I thought of fire, and it appeared. Heat filled the room, and the fireplace crackled. I tossed the coal in. It vibrated, and then the limbs of the Fire Lizard sprang out. It spun in the flame, yipping. I was reminded of a baby crocodile.
“Magic is both simple and complex, beautiful and terrible, good and evil. You must learn to control it. It is the key to being one with nature.”
The Fire Lizard dove into a crevice.
I laughed. “He’s so cute.”
“Lucy.” Lady Madison rested a hand on my shoulder. “Concentrate. The adults are less adorable. You have to be able to put them out if you expect to survive.”
“Yes, Lady Madison.”
She drifted across the room. I followed her to the hall, and through the corridors. We passed other rooms in which witches practised, boiling cauldrons over, making dogs talk, or turning birds into toads. A flock of swans burst from one class, and a blushing boy tripped after them. They dove into the washroom. The boy tripped over his robes. Reddening further, he gathered the folds up in his arms and scampered after the swans.
Lady Madison’s eyes narrowed. “Albert. I don’t know what we’re going to do with that boy.”
“He made the swans, didn’t he? I like Albert. He made me strawberry cake once, just from bread.”
“He can make things. But he can’t control his magic. Come on.” Lady Madison led me to my bedroom. My trunk sat atop the bed. My heart leapt into my throat. She grimaced.
I tugged the trunk towards me. “You think I’m ready?”
“You’re only nine.” She pulled her hat off. “Of course you’re not ready.”
I froze.
“But the Headmaster has commanded that you proceed to the trials. I don’t doubt his true intentions. He expects you to fail.”
“But the only way a witch can fail is if-”
“She’s killed.” Lady Madison paled. “You’ve heard the stories of your father.”
“He wasn’t a traitor!”
“He resides in our prisons.” Lady Madison rested a hand on my shoulder. “The Headmaster hasn’t forgotten your father’s crimes—or those he believes Lord Luca committed. You are not ready for the trials. But you have to be.”
“He wants to kill me?”
“I always suspected he would do this. That is why I pushed you so hard. By rights, you should have another four years of training.”
“But I’ll be okay!” I pulled the trunk towards me. It thudded to the ground, nearly taking me with it. “Really! I’ll be fine! I’ll remember what you taught me!”
“Do not underestimate the danger you are in.”
“But I can do it! You do believe in me, don’t you?”
Lady Madison stroked my cheek. She smiled. “I do believe in you. I’m just...”
“Don’t be scared. I’ll fetch my Artifact. And then I’ll be home.” I hugged her. She grunted, but her arms surrounded me.
She kissed the top of my head. “It’s not that simple, Lucy. If you survive, you won’t be coming home.”
I drew back, eyes wide.
“He’ll find some other way to kill you.” Her eyes watered. “When you find your Artifact, you must go to the king.”
“The king?”
“Give it to him, and ask to train with his family.”
“But why would-”
“All students who take the trials are thirteen or older. When you come to him, having completed your trial at the mere age of nine, he’ll have to be impressed. He’ll take you in because he’ll be intrigued.”
“And I’ll be royalty?”
“You will train with his children. You won’t have a title.” She shrugged. “I suppose you could get power of some kind, if you impress him enough. But that is not your aim. Your goal, your only goal, is to become an accomplished witch and survive. Are we clear?”
I nodded.
She pressed the trunk into my hands. “You must leave tonight. Those are the Headmaster’s orders. Do not tell anyone of the instructions I have given you. And do not speak of your father in the courts, or try to return. I will come to visit you, if I can, at the castle. I will even argue on your behalf if it is necessary.”
A lump rose in my throat.
“It has been a privilege to teach you.”
Following dinner, I ran to my quarters. Moonlight spilled through the open window, forming silver puddles over the stone. The wind lifted my hair. As I dragged my trunk forward, a broom floated towards me. A scroll was attached. I read it: Go with my love, and be careful.
I straddled the broom. It whipped forward of it’s own volition. It was all I could do to clutch my trunk to my chest. I shot into the stars, and behind me, the castle, the only home I’d known, grew smaller. I shivered in the dark. I watched the castle until it disappeared. Then there were only the stars, the mountains, and the gray clouds. The moon was my sole friend as the wind buffeted me. My eyes grew wet as I thought of Lady Madison, but I brushed them and squared my shoulders. The mountain where the trials took place loomed into view. I held my breath as I landed. This was only the beginning.
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