Dan and Ron stretched, waking with the new day. Ron poured the tea as Dan put together breakfast over the fire stove.
A knock came at the door. Ronnie strode to it and opened it, leaning down to look at Soren. “Come to the garden as soon as you’re done,” he said and whipped around on his heel to march down the road.
Ron closed the door and said, “I’m a little nervous about training.”
“How come?” Dan asked, plating the food. It took some creativity to make food here taste like it did back home. Back home, food was cardboard, fabric, various types of cotton fillers, and beads assembled to look like food would here. Lots of sugars and grains as well. Here, the food was wet, sloppy, and had strong tastes. None of it agreed with the puppet’s stomachs.
So Dan plated the fabric and beads handed off as “scraps” from Soren’s supplies.
“I don’t know,” Ron admitted. “Maybe its the way Soren is acting that makes me nervous?”
“Or maybe because we’re about to do something we’ve never done before?” Dan suggested, adding sugar to the tea. Ron took a bit of creamer.
“Yeah, that too,” Ron agreed.
The pair headed down main street to the witches’ home. Off to the side and wrapping around to the back was their garden. Through the gate, down the little dirt path, and to the sitting area of logs and a fire pit sat Soren and Sage. Sage’s arm was in a sling.
“Hey,” Dan and Ron greeted.
“Oh, you made it,” Sage said and stood.
Soren stood as well and said, “We’ll have enough time to teach you two the basics. Usually, a witch will take years to activate their powers, but you two seem to have a headstart.” He paced in front of them and turned to them, as if he might start singing.
“Show me how you used the protection spell,” Soren ordered.
Dan made the same gesture, complete with recoiling his face away and closing his eyes.
“Did you say anything?”
“No,” he said. “I don’t think I did.”
Soren circled the red puppet. “Hm. It isn’t unheard of to do magic with only gestures,” he said half to himself. “Sage, any suggestions?”
“His magic isn’t activating yet.”
“Oh,” Dan said and stood up straight to focus. Ron did the same. They both felt the magic welling up from inside them. Dan threw his arms up again and a glittering, hexagonal shield popped into existence before the pair. “Whoa!” Ron said and the shield disappeared when he let the gesture go.
“It might be that something about your magic is gesture-based. Can you make other gestures for me?”
The pair glanced at each other and tried a few motions between them. Dan had a flashback to going through sign-language class in school and using it with friends who couldn’t speak or were hard of hearing.
“Sign language!” Dan shouted. “We could use that!” Dan made the sign for fire, focusing on it. There was a puff of red glitter and smoke before a flame appeared. It quickly snuffed out.
“I learned some in Survival Scouts,” Ron said. “But only emergency signs. Like ‘get down’ or ‘tornado’ or ‘your seam is ripping.’”
“I think that’s a good basis,” Dan said. “I can help you learn some of the signs.”
Soren sat next to Sage and watched the pair as Dan demonstrated various signs - fire, water, growth, healing. The human witches summoned their golems from the pouches on their necklaces to join in on the lesson.
Dan and Ron signed in sync and the flame burst forth from the red glitter and smoke, sustaining as long as they could.
Sage had limited success, only summoning a spark, while Soren struggled to bring forth a plume of smoke.
Soren brought out a pair of practice dummies. Dan stood at Ron’s side and whispered, “Thorns and briars!” The pair signed together and Dan focused on Ron to channel his magic into Ron. Ron tossed a shot of green and brown that exploded on the straw dummy. Gnarled vines erupted from it as the smoke and glitter faded.
“Alright,” Soren said after a moment of Dan and Ron playing with their new powers. “I think you two are ready for the trial tomorrow.”
The pair glanced at one another before nodding to Soren. The pair drooped and sat there on the ground. “I can’t keep going,” Dan panted. “It’s like I’m emotionally and mentally exhausted.”
Sage sat in Bevel’s hands, curled against the golem, their arm in a sling. Soren slid down from his golem’s back and said, “We can stop. You two have practiced enough.”
“What’s the Mountain Trial like?” Dan asked as he took the ladle of water from Ron. “I’ve been wondering, too,” Ron added.
Soren lowered his head to look at his hands. “Its best I don’t say. It can change depending on those going through it.” He paused to think. “Everything has a soul. A heart. Mountains are ancient parents who know a witch down to their core. Like a stone, you are put through pressure and polished. What you experience during that pressure depends on you.”
Dan brushed Ron’s teal fur. He dipped the comb in soap water and continued to comb out the grass and dirt. Ron finished checking his hands and feet seams. “Are you nervous about the trial?”
Dan frowned and answered, “You know me too well.”
“You’re being really thorough. And a little rough.”
“Sorry.”
“No, no, it’s alright.” Ron straightened his back. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Dan paused and slowed his strokes. “Yeah. Is it bad that I … don’t really miss being home? I mean - I think about what everyone is doing, but, uh. It kind of reminds me of when I first moved in with you. Its just a new phase of my life now.”
Ron nodded. “I know what you mean. I don’t miss it as much as I thought. I mean, at first, it was terrifying, but I feel … at home here. Sage and Soren have really helped.”
“I get the feeling our politics and customs aren’t the norm around here, either.” Dan started on Ron’s shoulders. “Its feels so strange.”
“Do you think the trial will be as bad as they make it seem?”
“I hope not,” Dan answered.
The cave was decorated with a red wooden frame and various ropes tied on the frame. Sage threw their rope onto the wood and tied an odd, three clover-looking knot.
“What’s that?” Dan asked.
“Frog knot,” Sage answered. “For luck.”
“Oh,” Dan glanced around and picked up a long strand of grass to tie it into a double knot. “Does that work?”
Ron did the same and held out his bow knot. Sage laughed and nestled the two knots with theirs. “Let’s go in,” Sage said with a heavy sigh.
The three were dressed in minimal clothing. They had to cleanse themselves prior. It was simple wraps around their bodies. Soren wasn’t allowed to see them off.
Sage carried Bevel on a necklace with a cradle knot to keep the tiny version safe, which was the usual spot the golem nestled.
“Time to go in,” Sage sighed once they were satisfied. “We’ll meet up in the center of the mountain and then we’ll head back. Bevel and I go in first. Then you two.”
Ron and Dan gave thumbs up. “How long will it take?” Dan asked.
“When you go in, time doesn’t matter,” Sage said. “It could be days, or minutes. We’ll meet at the same time, usually. I’ll wait for you two, of course.” Sage nodded and turned to enter.
“What happens unusually?” Dan asked with a hand raised.
Sage hesitated. “Unusually? I don’t know, just something I said.” They continued inside.
Dan whispered a countdown from ten. The puppets held hands, staring into the darkness of the cave. “I guess we go in now?”
Ronnie nodded and gave Dan’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m a little scared,” he admitted.
“Oh, no,” Dan gave him a hug. “Me too.”
“I bet we’ll get there before Sage,” Ronnie suggested and started forward.
“It doesn’t have to be a competition!” Dan admonished with a little pat on Ron’s behind.
“I’m just trying to make it fun,” he answered with a grin.
When the darkness swallowed Sage, it was pitch black. Even when Bevel tried to light it up with its glowing eyes, the glow seemed contained to half Sage’s arm length.
The young witch knelt and began to crawl instead. It wasn’t too dissimilar to their first time going through - pitch black and losing all senses. At first, there was the smell of stone, moisture, and rich soil. But as they continued, Sage lost their sense of smell. The sound of their shuffling was lost as well.
Without their senses, they were left with only their thoughts: Can this even help? Why curse me in the first place? Please, Mountain Heart, heal me.
A thought made a weight drop on their heart: I hate her.
At that moment, they felt the ground give way and they slid down the stony floor. A light blinded them as they were dropped onto something soft. “Oof!” Sage cupped Bevel to their chest for safety, who gave a low moaning sound.
“I’m alright,” Sage whispered and uncovered their eyes. The night sky stared back down at them, full of stars and galaxies. It was a beautiful sight.
A flickering light caught their attention and they turned their head to see a gazebo standing at the top of a hill. Lanterns flickered at each pillar. It had a tall, round roof. Through the lattice rails, Sage saw her silhouette.
They didn’t remember getting up or approaching the outdoor building. Their mother was standing against the rail, looking out across the great expanse. Sage realized with a chill that this was the estate the two of them looked at.
“You ran away from all this,” she said.
“You gave me no choice.” Sage tore at their sling and bandages. “Look!” They unwrapped their bandaged arm and held up the burned limb. It was black and red-purple now, up above their elbow. “You put this curse on me!”
She whipped around and answered, “Because I love you!”
“Pretty fucked up way to show it!”
She stomped her heel on the stone floor. “Let me finish! I put the anti-magic curse on you to protect you, Frannie.”
“It’s Sage,” Sage felt a wave of calm wash over them. Anger wasn’t the answer. Blank, cool, and firm. “Mother, I’m in constant pain because of you.”
She reached out to Sage, who took a step back, protecting their arm. Anger consumed her face. “You don’t know what magic will do to you!”
“It will let me be myself for one! I’ve never been happier since I became a Witch!”
“And what about the Fumers? They’ll come for you!”
“I’d rather that than abandon who I am.”
She looked at Sage from foot to head. “Foolish child. You only think this will bring you happiness. Lies. You don’t know anything.”
Something clicked in Sage and they said, “I know myself. I know me. And … And I know that no matter what I say will change what happened or what will happen. I need to let you go.”
“What?” she laughed. “You need me!”
Sage turned away and walked off the gazebo. At the same time, the world shifted into a beautiful garden surrounding an enormous, multifaceted crystal.
Their arm still hurt. Bevel reached one arm up and touched Sage. “Forgiveness isn’t for her. It’s for you. I think the Mountain’s telling you to make peace with her.”
“Thank you,” Sage whispered.
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