Remy

My family is big. Very large. We are one of the families that have produced a particularly large number of witches and sorcerers. One of my distant great-uncles even belongs to the Wise of the city. I don't know him very well. Only wizards can belong to the wise men, the rulers of the city. No witches. An ancient law forbids them to do so. A law that is heavily criticized today. But the wise think traditionally.

My father hopes to be one of them one day.

Our family is so extensive that it's easy to lose track. You can find distant relatives of mine in almost all the families in the city. In newer generations, or long-gone ones. I don't know all of them.

The core of our family, the main family, is manageable. There are my parents, Howard and Myla. Both belong to the almost immortal population. Like all witches and wizards. My father is 130 years old, my mother 100. I have three siblings. Aiden, he's fifty and a sorcerer, Bob, he's twenty, and Danielle. She is nineteen. Bob and Danielle are both mortal.

My mother has two siblings: Uncle Chester, who is three hundred, and Aunt Evie. She is thirty and mortal. Uncle Chester is married to my Aunt June. She is 280 years old. They have three children. Aurela, she's a witch, Brea, she's mortal, and Ross. Ross is also mortal. Aurela is already one hundred, while Brea and Ross are both in their early twenties.

My father has four siblings: there's Aunt Kerry. She is ninety, mortal, and has never married. She lives with us in the house. Uncle Garry is also a sorcerer. He is Dad's brother, who is five years older. Garry's wife, Muriel, is only 35 and mortal. They have a daughter. Dafna. She's only nine. My uncles, Jacob and Jasper, are both mortal. They are both married. Jacob's wife, Rosie, is 49. One year younger than her husband. They have two daughters. Dinah, she's twelve, and Darby. Darby is ten. The two are a real pain in the ass.

Uncle Jasper, who is 45, and his wife, Orla, who is five years younger, have two children. Logan, who is seventeen, and Maddox. Maddox is my best friend. He's only a year younger than me. We get along very well. I'm a little more ambitious than he is. But since I got my magic, he's been in a bad mood all the time.

I think he's jealous.

My grandparents, who were witches and sorcerers, died in a terrible accident. On the same day, Lou was born. I feel sorry for the little kid. People think he's cursed. Mom says his birth caused the death of her and Dad's parents. They say his parents must’ve angered the gods. The wise men also saw the death of my grandparents as proof of the curse. But if that's true, why is only Lou cursed? And not Louise, too? And how is a newborn supposed to cause an accident? Curse or not. It didn't make any sense.

"Remy?" Uncle Chester called after me. It's about time!"

"There's no dawdling!", thundered Uncle Garry's voice. The two were standing at the stairs. I saw them when I peeked out of my room for a moment. Tired and still in my night robe. I had just woken up. My hair was sticking out.

"I'm coming!", I grumbled, changed quickly, combed my hair, and hurried out of my room. "I don't dawdle!" Of course, I hadn't dawdled. Today I accompanied my uncles to the dragons. That's why I put on my most robust sandals at the front door. The way up to the dragon caves was arduous.

Actually, I should have gone to the dragons a long time ago, but an attack by black dragons had delayed my visit. Uncle Garry, along with his dragon, had been able to scare away the black dragons. Just the two of them! I was very proud of him.

"Remy! What does your hair look like!" Mom looked reproachfully from our living room. "The neighbors will talk about it! Comb your hair!"

"What? Not at all! It'll be disheveled again anyway!" Uncle Garry laughed.

I stroked my hair. I had combed it after all... Annoyed, I rolled my eyes.

Mom wrinkled her nose. "Bring him back to me in one piece!"

I looked around. "Where are Dad, Aiden, Bob, and Danielle?", I asked. Didn't they want to wish me good luck?

Mom sighed. "Your brother Aiden is with his fiancée, Bob and Danielle are visiting friends, and your dad has to work!" Mom replied. "Like every day. Remy! Really!"

"Today is a special day! They could’ve waited a moment", I murmured.

Mom snorted impatiently. "I have to go right away. Behave yourself, don't risk anything, don't let yourself be eaten! I heard you spoke to that kid again! I don’t want that boy to bring misfortune upon you! How many more times do I have to tell you to stay away from this horrible boy!"

"Mom! You're exaggerating!" Why should I be eaten? And Lou was anything but horrible.

"Definitely!" Uncle Garry whispered to me, smiling. "She's always exaggerating."

"I heard that!", my mother hissed. Both of my uncles laughed happily. "I have to go now!" And she hurried out of the house.

My parents were both constantly busy. Mom sold fine fabric, and my father worked for the wise men. This made us more than just wealthy, but my siblings and I hardly saw our parents. And Aiden would soon move out. I missed him already.

In the evening, the whole family would gather to celebrate my success. Should I succeed. If not, then they would celebrate my first attempt. After receiving magic, visiting the dragons was considered a ritual of admission to the magical society.

For all young witches and wizards.

But only the most blessed were allowed to visit the dragons regularly. Wizards like me.

My brother Aiden had told me that he fainted on his first and only visit to the dragons. Dragons could be very scary. And Aiden wasn't exactly one of the bravest. He had a very weak magical gift, so no dragon would ever make a covenant with him. Nevertheless, he had been expected to seek out the dragons a few days after receiving his magic. Like all young witches and every young wizard before him.

But my visit to the dragons would be different from his. As someone who had received all kinds of magic, I wouldn't just watch the dragons from afar, like my brother. And my visit today would not be the only one. No. I was supposed to get close to them to see if any of them chose me. And I was terribly nervous about it.

I would have liked to shirk it. At the same time, I couldn't wait. I wanted a dragon. Not only did I want to be one of the most powerful, no, I also wanted a dragon. And I didn't want to wait a hundred years. Just like Uncle Garry. His dragon, Olive, chose him only 35 years ago. She was still a very young dragon. He often referred to her as a bit stormy.

I followed my uncles up the narrow path. Along the steep cliffs. I felt a little dizzy so far up. The sun was shining brightly down on us. "Olive and Masson are already waiting for us", Uncle Chester told me. “They are already informed of your visit."

I nodded and stroked the rough rock face with one hand.

"But don't be sad if it doesn't work out today. There's never a guarantee!", said Uncle Garry. "Maybe a dragon will never choose you. There are only three of us at the moment."

I nodded again. That was the annoying thing about the whole thing. My uncle, the Wise, could use all three types of magic, but he had never been chosen by a dragon. One of my new teachers in the temple had told me this. Twice a week I went there to be taught magic. I liked magic. The feeling of power was exhilarating.

"You're quiet!" Uncle Chester laughed softly. "Otherwise, you'll talk like a waterfall."

I shrugged and focused on not looking down. We were already high above the city. "I'm nervous."

"Understandable." Uncle Chester nodded. "So was I. Dragons are beautiful creatures. Beautiful and smart. If you're lucky, you'll meet a faithful companion today."

"I hope so." And how much I hoped so. During the night I had dreamed. I was the ruler of humans and dragons. I sat on a throne with three dragons at my side. If there was one thing I wished for, it was that this dream would come true. I wanted to replace the wise men.

I had told Maddox about my dream. He thought it was a vision. I wasn't so sure. Visions felt different. But if I became ruler, I wanted Maddox to be my advisor. And Lou? I would declare him free from the curse and take him to the temple. To my palace. I wanted to make the world a better place. Also for him.

If I got a dragon, I'd take Lou up in the air. He should know what flying felt like. My family didn't like the fact that I was talking to him. But that was their problem and not mine. The kid was like a younger brother to me. I wanted to see him laugh. And I hated all those who denied him that.

I knew very well how the wise men had made sure that even as a toddler he did not want to laugh. It was cruel. I also knew that his parents refused at first, but the wise men punished them until they allowed the cruelty. The wise men! They were the ones I hated the most. Whoever tormented a small child, out of silly beliefs, out of sheer insanity, out of superstition, did not deserve to be in power. They unleashed the entire city on a six-year-old!

Finally, the path ended. There was a wide area in front of me. We weren't at the top yet, but from here I could see the first caves in the walls of the other mountains. A few dragons flew overhead. I could see their white scales. I looked up in amazement.

"We're here!", announced Uncle Garry. "This is where every young witch and every young wizard comes. From here they can watch the dragons for a moment. But you can go further! You're one of the privileged!" Suddenly, two of the dragons landed in front of us. Frightened, I took a step back. They were tremendous. Their orange eyes shone like flames. Then they took human form. In front of us were Olive and Masson. The two grinned with sharp teeth. "Welcome, young wizard!" Masson greeted me. As usual, he seemed a bit annoyed. The dragon was known in my family for its usual bad mood. "Are you ready to face the dragons?"

"I think so", I muttered. Face them?

"Very nice!" Olive stood by Uncle Garry. She bounced a little with every step. "Everyone is very excited about the new big wizard! And everyone promised not to eat you!" She winked at me, laughing. Uncle Garry groaned and shook his head. "Olive!", he hissed. She continued to smile carefreely.

The dragons led us to another path, which led back down the mountain. However, on the other side. We passed some caves. Some were further away. A few dragons peeked out of each cave. These caves reminded me of a city that had been built in a circle surrounding a terrifying gorge.

Every time a dragon came very close to me, I flinched. They were huge. At the same time, I hoped one of them had magic that matched mine. Because in the end, it was the magic of the dragon that made the choice. However, after following the trail for an hour and seeing every dragon, whether from near or far, I finally made my way back without a dragon.

None of the dragons had chosen me.

Nevertheless, the closest circle of my family celebrated my first visit in the evening. I didn't feel like celebrating. Still, I smiled and played tag with Dafna, Dinah, and Darby. I played cards with Maddox. He wanted to know what it was like with the dragons. His mood had improved somewhat. I wasn't angry with him. Maddox was mortal, but he wanted magic. He remained my best friend. Even if he was a bit jealous of me.

That was kind of part of it.

Right?