Chapter 8

Big Surprises.

I did not know it was going to be an important day that day. It would be the second most important day of my life, just after the day I ran away from home. 

Funny how I thought things would get easier but then it just…gets weirder. 

The day started fine. Breakfast at this diner off campus. Calamity had gotten past her cramps, or at least seemed to be pushing through it with the strength she always seemed to have. Lilith met us as we were approaching school. 

My potions and curatives class had an exam. I think I performed well enough. 

I ran an obstacle course of flying projectiles, and floating platforms in Professor Tuenfreux’s class. 

Weirdly enough, Briar hadn’t shown herself in a few days. Which, in itself, made me feel worried about what she might do, but…I refused to allow it to get under my skin. 

And then..someone worse showed up. 

It was the last hour or so of the school day and a hummingbird message had summoned me to Ms. Everheart’s office. Despite being on good terms with her, and her knowing and keeping my secret I still had that anxious sense of worry with the possibility that it could have been her that I had seen last night in the ballroom. 

As I was approaching the door I could hear it. Somehow I could hear the sounds through the magic that was meant to deaden noise. I could hear her. 

“If you just listen to me, Uriel, My intentions are noble” I felt my hands and feet heat up with a panic. I remember that voice…

The door opened as I was in feet of it “And I need you to understand, Astriel that list is not something I have permission to share, and even if I did. I wouldn’t.”

The Woman in Pink. 

“You’re missing the point, us having that list would-”

“Would jeopardize the safety of students”

It was like watching a woman have an argument with her reflection. I’d thought she’d been a doppelganger. Or maybe Uriel in a disguise. I now knew I was very wrong. 

“And you're jeopardizing their safety by not allowing it to be used for the good of us all!” 

Uriel continued to walk in a way that pushed the woman in pink, Astriel, into a backward step, forcing her further out of the office “We have had this argument multiple times. I can not let you have the documents, copies of the documents, redacted versions of the document, or anything relating or hinting at the contents of the documents.” 

I had more unpleasant memories reappear in my mind… I had seen her before last night too. All that time back when Calamity had taken me to Amy’s Apothecary. She’d been at that protest. 

This woman was…not good. And as time would go on? I’d learn just how bad she really was. 

“Fine then.” Astriel huffed in a fit. “Sooner or later we’ll get our resources. And sooner or later they will make mistakes, or give into their impulses. They can’t hide forever!” 

“Yes, yes, yes I know, you can tell.” Uriel had made eye contact with me by this point and was doing her best to clear a path for me, allowing me to duck around the both of them, a great challenge with Astriel’s puffy coat making her twice Uriel’s size.

“We can always tell. Sooner or later we can tell,” she hissed as the door shut, both of us standing in silence before the sound of high-heeled shoes carried Astriel out of earshot. 

“So…that was my sister.” Uriel started “Sorry you had to see that, I was hoping I could get her to leave quicker” 

“She’s…” I tried to fish for a compliment I could say while sounding half-sincere

“Completely unhinged, I know.” Uriel motioned for me to sit in the chair across from hers at the desk, “Sit, sit, I have something important to discuss.” 

“What was all that about anyway?” I asked, suddenly wincing as I realized I was overstepping a social boundary. “Sorry that's… none of my business” 

“Don’t worry about it,” she said calmly, moving to rifle around in her desk drawers, the sounds of things clattering and moving around. “She’s…I don’t know. I think it was her getting married, or she might have always been that way. Regardless… she does this at least once every few weeks, disguising it as wanting to catch up and-” she stopped herself. “Right, you were summoned, important stuff.” 

I nodded, still anxious. “Did I do something wrong?” 

Her voice took on the even keel I associated with her again. “No, you are doing well. There are things I think you could be doing better, though given your background it is understandable some things are a challenge.”

My eyes dipped a bit toward the surface of her desk, feeling keenly aware of my lack in certain areas; history, sigils, rituals, I was certain there were others. A little bit of shame lanced across my mind. 

“Which is why I’ve made some arrangements for you.” Ms. Everheart stated, pulling me back into reality.

As if on cue, a small hummingbird zipped into the office through a slot close to the ceiling, the little avian hovered close to her head and swooped around her, seeming to be communicating visually rather than through any hidden note on it’s. Druidics…third year stuff.  

“Right on time,” she said to the bird, “send her in, send her in.” Her tone once again had an excitement about it. 

The buzzing bird zoomed away through the slot again. Several moments of silence passed before I heard the door click, opening slowly. 

The woman who stepped in wore very loose and relaxed looking clothing, a cloak with the hood down, her outfits all in earth tones. 

It took a little time to recognize all that frizzled hair that had been pulled into a ponytail. 

She was older now than when I was a child. But…

 

Hazel Goodwyn. 

 

I was amazed. 

I was stunned.

Then I was terrified. 

I panicked, remembering the spell-casting tool stowed away in my side. “Oh gods I’m sorry I took your stuff! please don't be mad at me!” I squeaked out all at once suddenly recoiling in on myself.

Both of the adults stared at me. 

“Right..No…uhm” Hazel started as I slowly uncoiled out from my spot “I’m here…to”

“Let me,” Ms. Everheart interrupted, pulling my attention “So. I brought Hazel here for two reasons; as I said earlier, you’re doing extremely well for someone in your position, Roxanne. You could be doing better…So, I decided”

“You’re dragging it out!” Hazel interrupted. “If you’re up for it, kid. I’d like to offer my service as a tutor in conjunction with your studies here at the academy.” 

Ms. Everheart sighed in frustration. “I guess that’s also a way to put it, yes.” She paused a second, letting it all linger. “Secondly; now, it won’t be long until you see this advertised all over the academy and across town, the Aron’s Memorial Magic Tournament is in a few months. And I wanted to personally invite your participation.”

A memory of the tournament name I saw weeks ago while looking at the display of Hazel’s achievements flashed in my head. “The Tournament?”

“Yes. Every year we hold the tournament, allowing entry of anyone in the school…and occasionally rival schools. This tournament comes with bragging rights…but also various trade guilds, and knightly orders, among other opportunities will be present in the form of talent scouts. Should you choose to join in the tournament, it can be a very good first step towards whatever career you might choose to seek out as an adult.” 

As I listened I could feel goosebumps of weird excitement in my arms and legs, my fingers buzzing with electricity as it all processed through my mind. 

I…could be taught by the witch that inspired all of this. 

And a tournament? Even if I didn’t do well in it I could still… do okay? I was getting better in Mr. Teuenfreux’s class, right? 

All these thoughts whirled around and yet still I more or less instantly said- “Yes! Yes, I’d be interested!” 

“Wonderful!” Ms. Everheart smiled. “I’ll fill out your participation form. Congrats on being the first to enter” she smiled 

Hazel interjected, the sense of awe returned as I looked up to her from my chair. “Right…Right, this is good.” She then pulled out a small card that glittered with a hologram of a cafe, the name printed underneath, handing it over to me. “I’d offer to take you now, but I have a ridiculous amount of errands to run. Meet me at this location in a few hours, and I’ll take you to teach some of what I’d consider basic things that may or may not overlap with things you’ve already learned.” 

She then leaned in and whispered, “also, maybe things that aren’t even on the curriculum, but we’ll see.” She then stood  up straight, again. “But till then, those errands are waiting on me. Glad to see you in your professional setting Uriel.” 

And then just like that…Hazel had left. 

I was still nonetheless stunned.

“Any questions?” 

“I… uhm… ” My tongue felt too big for my jaw to work around. “That was… and this is… and…”

“Take your time.” Uriel maintained that constant patience 

I inhaled deeply, staring at the ceiling and asked something that I didn’t know how to ask without sounding weird. “Why is…why is it that I’m getting all this special treatment from everyone?” 

I was asking the world at large as much as I was asking Ms. Everheart.

I looked back toward her as she answered, “Well. I do not think I can speak for others. But your circumstances, while not unique, do have a few stand out… variations from some of the students we see come through the school.” 

“What do you mean?”

“For one. A witch’s casting tool is often a one of a kind tool, either crafted personally to their own needs, or never used prior to being sold to the witch in question. Casting tools that are passed down from one witch to another are very rare.”

I reached down to squeeze the pouch on my belt, thinking about staff inside. 

“Hazel is here, both to teach you, and… to make sure your staff doesn’t… decide to act out of sorts. Legacy Tools are seldomly passed from generation to generation outside of families and can be… very temperamental” 

“So… is it alive?” 

The tone of her voice sorta fluctuated sounding… more speculative? “That…is more philosophical than I’m really capable of answering in a way that's… satisfactory.” She leaned in a bit, looking at a snow globe trinket on her desk. “Some people will argue magic is alive… some people like to argue it’s something people can use… my understanding is there is something beyond us… that we can channel through these objects… giving them a… sort of spirit? I teach rituals, philosophy was… never my thing.” 

Well… she was right about me not being completely satisfied with her explanation. I knew magic could be weird at times, but I hadn’t considered the tools themselves could act out on their own. 

“Right… speaking of teaching; your next class starts soon. I think I can answer one more question if it’s easy.”

I pulled myself up and looked around. “Uhm. Well. What was the thing your sister was carrying on about? A list?”

Ms Everheart sighed. “I had hoped Hazel would have distracted you enough to forget. The list… is not something I am at liberty to discuss, especially with a student.” 

Something in my gut pushed me to add one follow up, “Do… you know she’s a member of that Spyte group?” 

Another sigh. “They prefer ‘Panacea: a cure for’…” she stopped, her tone dropping a bit into a serious lowness, “I know what my sister is up to. I don’t approve of it. I don’t like that it encourages her to try and push into the business of the school. She has no business in it. And…” she inhaled deeply, “between you and me. She has no reason trying to intervene in the lives of students like you.” 

I felt a weird stiffness in my gut. That Felt like information I shouldn’t know. 

“Just…I’ve said more than I should have,” she concluded, confirming that suspicion. “Get to class… when you see her again, tell Hazel I look forward to seeing her in town more often.” 

I nodded, wished her well… and walked away with that heavy sensation of feeling watched again on my neck. 

 

***

 

I went through the last class of the day in an excited fugue, just barely able to keep focused on my calligraphy class The moment everyone was dismissed I beelined for the main entrance to the building, looking to find Calamity with all the thoughts in my head buzzing like wasps rushing to get out 

As we walked out of the school, I couldn’t help but talk breathlessly, filled with enthusiasm all the while not paying attention to the students or anything else around me.  Calamity had to tug me out of the way of other people several times as I went on about the tournament, and meeting Hazel, and how Hazel had been what inspired me to be a girl and a witch. 

Calamity was excited hearing that they’d start preparing for the Aron’s Memorial Tournament and wanted me to further explain Hazel, but assured me that I could wait till we were in our dorm.

Then I finally remembered to mention…the other thing. 

The List. 

The moment I brought it up Calamity’s posture dropped into this recognition of just what the heck I was talking about. “Oh…that” 

“Yeah I don't know what it was but Ms. Everheart’s sister wants this list of students, and she wouldn’t say what it was about but Astriel seemed hellbent on getting it.” 

“The list of trans people attending the school” She stated directly. 

“It’s a…list of…trans people attending the school?” 

“Specifically people using glamours, and methods of illusion to look like someone else.”

“So..I’m on that list?”

“And I’m on it too.” Calamity added

“That explains the weird comment about ‘students like me’ that she said before I left.” I paused, stopping a moment to think on another thing that felt a little odd “So if it was that simple why didn’t she just tell me what it was?” 

“because the list isn’t just trans people in the school” Calamity started “Aron’s Academy is politically important, has a lot of kids of important people who come here, some of whom are attending incognito, either by their own choices, or their parents wanna keep them safe.” 

I took that all in and nodded “Okay that makes more sense” 

“Yeah, I don't know what the fuck what her face wanted with it, but it’s not just kids like you and me on that list. And as far as SPYTE is concerned that’s the only type of kid on that list” 

We walked in a bit of silence, it had been raining buckets since sometime late last night and everything was soaked, the ground with a slick sheen of water as our feet clomped and squashed along the concrete. 

There was something further that was wrong, more than my little bit of bad news about Astriel and Spyte. 

I made the attempt to break the silence“So…everything okay?” 

Calamity let out a sigh. “Remember the owner of the apothecary we got your glamor from?” 

“Amy? Kinda, I never spoke to her, but her name’s on the store” 

“Amy Got turned into a statue”  Calamity sighed “They found her petrified outside her shop this morning” 

“Wait what!?” I was shocked, That..was not the thing I expected to be wrong at all. 

“Someone turned her into a statue” 

“Yeah.” Calamity got up as we walked off in the direction. In a matter of moments, we got to an all too familiar part of the city. The store was roped off with all sorts of tape, Hex Wardens were patrolling the area. I dont think Amy was there, but there was this uncomfortable air 

“Is she dead?”

“No..just turned to stone” Calamity started “but…for now she may as well be.” 

I stared into the shop thinking about the morbid statue that could be hidden inside“How is she not dead?” 

“It’s transfigurative enchantments, the majority of them are reversible.” 

“So they can turn her back?” 

“With enough time…the problem is turning someone into stone and then reversing the possess is incredibly involved…and incredibly difficult.”

“I know a little about this kind of thing but like, can’t a reversal be found” 

“Well yeah, but turning someone into stone is easy…but most people seldomly think about what happens when someone is turned to stone. There’s meat inside you. Organs, bone. The brain.” she tapped the side of her head to emphasize the last part, pausing to let it all sink in. 

It didn’t take very long for it to all dawn on me

“It’s all stone across and through all of her body. Turning stone into flesh is easy…separating the skin from the muscles, from the bones, and making sure the organs all come back and are all turned back on again when the process is done is something a lot of well-coordinated witches and wizards need to do together as a team.”

I shuddered thinking about the process 

“And this doesn’t even account for the fact that once Amy comes back she won’t be able to account for the lost time, she’ll wake up and finish reacting to the thing that happened to her. And-”

I interrupted turning to look at her “How do you even know this stuff?”

There was a pregnant pause between the both of us “My parents have a lot of books that the school doesn’t share with students.” 

“What person could have done this?” The bigger question in my head. I knew petrification was a process but…nothing more than that.

“Persons…It goes both ways in how involved it can be. This was a group effort.” 

“I’m sorry?!” 

Calamity kept going “Yeah. a complicated process to turn them back…complicated to make them that way. The only individuals capable of petrifying someone are people with an abundance of natural magical energy.” 

“That's…okay, why would a group of people do this to Amy?”

“To send a message.” Calamity’s voice became even more dark, making my stomach clench “Cockatrices, and Gorgons petrify creatures and people; it says ‘This is my domain. This is my territory. If you see this…you do not belong here. And you will be next if you don’t stop” 

I drew a deep breath in fear thinking about that. I couldn’t blink as that image was now in my mind. The thought of a cave or dense forest area filled with statues. 

Amy’s Apothecary loomed onward. A month or so ago it had been the place I made my first step out into the world truly as myself. 

And that world was now darker. 

The memory now stained by the present. 

I really should have tried talking to her.  “So what exactly happens next?” I asked as we turned away, walking down the streets back to less disconcerting visions. 

“Well, there’s a couple of other apothecaries, I’ll need to find out if they offer stuff like glamours in case the ones we have break or something”

“No, I mean whats gonna happen with Amy?” 

“Like I said, they’re gonna run through the process of restoring her, and then probably get her to tell them what happened, while thats happening this stores gonna be shut down and they’ll investigate everything they can..not much else.”

I felt a fearful little voice prod me to ask “What can we do?”

“We…do our best not to let this shake us. We dont let them fuck with our community” 

“Community?”

Calamity turned around to face me “You know…trans community. People like you and me, we gotta stick up for our own” 

I felt myself blush a moment “I..feel like I’m missing something” 

“Well I dont know if Amy was trans but she was in good terms with everyone so she’s part of the community, and I’m part of it..and even though you don’t know everyone you’re in it too”

“Is there like..parties?”

“Sometimes” her voice gained back that playful attitude “And I think when you meet them everyone will love you” she winked. 

The blush didn’t seem to recede as we walked, her continuing to walk backward while telling me about the various groups of people like me and her who got together every now and again. I was too caught up in..the weird mix of emotions I was stuck with. 

Was this why I felt sad for Amy despite never really knowing her? We were part of a community? Like…there was a thing that connected us despite us never really talking or even knowing each other. 

Or was I just sad because this was a thing you were supposed to do when someone died…died..ish. 

But then again I never really felt like I was part of a community like.. The festivals were there and I had childhood friends, and yeah my dad told me I was getting old enough I’d be allowed to join him when he and his older friends got together for meetings and games and whatnot…and the village talked a lot between each other. But I never felt like I was part of that…or well…i don't know maybe it just doesn’t feel like it cause that was “default” 

This was new. And…so oddly confusing. 

Calamity broke me out of my thoughts with a tap on the shoulder

“Anyway. I think I’m gonna skip the rest of my classes today, gonna visit someone important; I’ll see you back at the dorm, I’ll be cooking elbows and cheese.”

I processed all that “With ground beef?” 

There was a smirk that showed off the sharp fangs in her mouth which made me smile back “What am I a monster? Or course with ground beef” She flicked her index finger at me with a playful point “Take care of yourself, Rox.”  She turned, then ran off, her every footstep sending up water from the rain 

I realized the blushing had finally stopped, I let out a sigh of relief. 

Calamity was something else. 

 

***

 

The address on the card Hazel had given me led me to a small cafe on the edge of town named ‘Bean n Tea.’ I walked in after not seeing her on the outside of the building. 

The scent of the place nearly knocked me off my feet, pastries and cookie and roasted beans all mixed in my nose.  Somewhere distantly I heard a mismatching chorus of whistling tea kettles. It was for however briefly a tiny bit overwhelming as it all layered above the murmuring of the customers inside the place.

A shorter, sharper whistle called my attention to a corner table, Hazel motioned me over. I was giddy but also nervous, yet nonetheless, I hurried over as she directed me to sit. 

“I didn’t know what you’d like so I ordered you a hot chocolate and a peanut butter cookie. I don't think anyone makes a better cookie than at this place. Even the bakeries in town are beat by this one” 

“Thank you!” I said picking up the cookie. It was still warm. As my finger made contact with those crisscrossing fork lines I was suddenly pulled into a childhood memory of a day in winter when my mom made cookies just like this. 

I was lost in that daydream before I was pulled back by Hazel “Also the hot chocolate has been here a couple minutes so you got like..maybe 4 more minutes before it tastes like chalk.” 

Taking the direction, I placed my cookie back on the plate and took a sip from the mug of hot chocolate. True to her word it was warm now. Just enough to be able to be enjoyed fully. 

Despite her not looking especially old, this moment gave me a ‘Grandma’ Impression of Hazel. 

“So,” She broke the silence between us “Betting you got questions.”

Questions. Questions? I hadn’t thought about anything I’d asked her. Up until today I’d never even considered the idea that I could ever meet her let alone get to ask her anything. 

I went with the first thing that was in my gut I guess. 

“Where did you go after you left my village all that time ago?” 

Hazel rolled her neck a bit as she adjusted the cloak she was wearing, presenting..woah. 

Placed upon the table was a wooden arm. Hers. Everything from the elbow down— Her arm was made of wood. I could make out the outline of straps under the sleeve of her shirt that undoubtedly went up to her shoulder to hold it onto her. The wood was dark. And I could make out a sealant of a sort that made it look even darker under the light of the cafe. I couldn’t see any joints along any of the spaces I would have expected to see anything. 

“Mostly, I’ve just been retired,” she said, taking a sip from her tea in the other hand. 

I was staring. Stunned and unsure how to even address that. I knew on some sort of level that whatever accident caused that had to be extremely bad. What little I’d learned so far about apothecare and healing magic is that limbs could be grown back..or if severed could be reattached with the right spells. 

“Kid..hey” she gave me a light tap pulling me out of my stupor before I shook my head 

“Sorry! I..just was..” I grabbed my hot chocolate “Caught off guard” 

“Eh. Don’t worry about” 

She leaned back a bit “Don’t worry about it. She held out the arm a bit. I almost imagined her seeming to try to wiggle the fingers in the light a moment.  

“Did..the monster do that?” 

If she was upset, she hid it well. “Right. Monster. It made the cut that resulted in me needing to get the amputation, but I’m ultimately responsible for it,” she started. “I got way too cocky, and I should have gotten immediate care after…” the sentence trailed off. “When you’re trying to play hero… sometimes you make difficult decisions.” 

“What do you mean?”

Hazel had a long drink off her cup of tea, seeming to dig into the memories she had about the whole affair. “That monster was closer to a demon. A Golgothian Marauder; a beast made of ambient hatred given sentience by ill will. I’d been tracking it for a while. When I found the beast, it made a hunting ground out of your village.” 

“I never heard of that kind of creature before” 

“Mean pieces of work. Exceptionally rare, can’t confirm it but I’m pretty sure it was made in the aftermath of Cragjaw’s crusade.” 

It took me all the willpower I could muster to keep myself from letting out a sound of panic at that. “Oh. I..read about that a little” 

“His crusade did a number of a hell of a lot of things. A lot of people were hurt, so I can only imagine there’d be other creatures like it. Magic and emotions tend to react…” she paused as she put the prosthetic to her chin, trying to think of the next word, “I don’t wanna say weird, because magic is… not unconnected to nature; not the same, but the volatility they have when they interact can have world-changing consequences. In your case… The Marauder.” 

“So how did it… you know?” I motioned at the hand. 

“You know how it had ruined the grounds and some of the people? I got cut deep enough that its magic was gonna do the same to me, I sealed it away but…” She was gonna swear, I saw it. “Dang thing got the last hit in. Got me deep enough that well, I don’t need to explain.”  

“I…uh..”

“If you're gonna say sorry, you don't need to.” Hazel stated. “Trust me, I’ve had enough sorry’s to last me until I’m an old geezer….well..older geezer” 

“You don't look that old” 

“Pfft” she finished up her mug of tea. “Yeah, fair enough. Retiring early makes it feel that way. But come on, let's get moving. Days wasting and I got something we gotta get to on the way to my home” 

She grabbed a messenger bag that rattled with what I could presume to be all sorts of strange little nick-nacks and things she’d bought. 

I slurped the rest of my hot chocolate as fast as I could, being grateful that it had cooled down enough and took my cookie with me as we walked out; the commotion within the cafe giving way to the more easily drowned-out sounds of San Venus. 

“Got any more questions?” she asked as I kept up with her as best as I could. She walked way faster than I expected. 

“Uh, so..why did you leave your stuff at the village? And how did it remain mostly untouched until I grabbed them?”

“Misery loves company; Golgothian marauders infect everything around them…even when dead their corpses seep negativity into the ground, it would have corrupted people if I hadn’t left something to counteract that.”

I paused, feeling a clench in my chest at that explanation.  “I didn’t put Olmsteady at risk of something horrible, did I?”

She stopped to look at me, seeming to realize how I took that“Ah…nah. The Negative energy would have been drowned out long by that point. And by that point, the staff was just warding off people with ill intent.” 

I took that in, reaching into my pack pulling out the cape and hat as we walked, followed by pulling the staff out of the pouch on my belt. I had moved past wearing them all the time as a comfort item(mostly) but I never felt comfortable leaving them alone in the dorm. That..and just having them in hands reach was comforting in it’s own way. 

“As for the second part of your question; I made it so only a certain sort of person with good intentions could remove it. I dont know if you had some sort of notion of being a special chosen one or however it goes, but you took initiative and thats enough I think.”

That was certainly an assumption to make on her part…never really had thought it was a special thing…knowing there was something that let me grab it did in its own way make me feel like I had been special. I’d have to think about that later. 

The walk slowly turned into a bit of a hike, eventually reaching the limits of the town. Cobblestone roads gave way to cart and horse-beaten roads, and then sections of woods that had been cleared by humans. It wasn’t far from town, but distant enough to make me realize I might need to get home via magical means. 

Eventually, she led me off the beaten path a bit, into a large clearing of mostly dusty dirt with little bits of browned grass. A trio of large wooden posts sticking out of the ground and the circular shape of the clearing seemed to indicate it might have been a spot where people had hitched their horses and let them feed off the ground. 

“Alright, time to start learning” Hazel stated as she walked to a nearby rock and rested her bag against it before taking a stand in the center of the clearing and facing me.. 

“I know you’ve already learned a lot of basic stuff by this point so the first thing I want you to learn from me, if anything at all is this.  Know who you are. ,it is important to know that we are more than our making. Your meaning is yours to make…We speak our truth into the world and reality moves to meet us. And only cowards seek to stop us from meeting our goals. No matter what anyone says, you determine who you are and what you will do. Not the world. Not your race, nor the color of your skin, fur or plumage. You are you. And no one else says who that is. This is the most important thing any witch can know, and I would argue even more so than the Gambit. ” 

“And second. Or is this one the first?” Hazel paused in thought, moving the wooden hand to her chin a moment before seeming to settle on a notion and turning to me. “To be a witch is to be many things.” She held her arm with the prosthetic on it, the middle finger on her hand glowed as particles of tar and soot suddenly flaked off and fell away revealing itself to be made of purple stone. 

I felt my heart flutter. As I saw the person I’d been inspired by move to inspire me again. Drawing a line that went down to the barren dirt. 

“You will be a seeker,” She said, tapping the line at the top with her flesh and blood hand.  “Find where the world is broken.” 

She pushed down on that glowing line now, pushing it until it was as far down as she could make it, then pushing her boot onto the line and pushing it all further into the ground. 

“You will be a healer.” The ground suddenly and rapidly sprouted with green, grass shooting from the dead ground, the scent of petrichor filling the air around us as the life returned “In all things… in all things we move through we will have an impact.” She paused..holding her shoulder with a slight flinch of discomfort. “Whenever you can… give more than you take.” 

Despite the lateness in the season the ground filled with yellow dandelions and the smell of a spring morning

“You will be…for better or worse, despite my saying I am not; a teacher. All witches will share with others, knowingly, or unknowingly.” She said, leading me along to the forest. “I guess whether we want to be or not, teaching is just something all people do. Witches, the most. We give information, through all our interactions and to all those who bear us witness…” she stopped a moment, reaching to scratch at the back of her head with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. “Geez, that was a silly sounding wasn’t it?” 

“No! You sound amazing!” I said excitedly “I mean, it makes sense. I guess you taught me things all those years back even without trying” 

“And…” she turned and poked the gem of my staff with her wooden hand. “Even with the teaching…and impacting others.” she adjusted the hat on my head.“You will be a giver. All those things are linked. To heal is to seek the wounds to give healing, and teach those so they may not become harmed again is to give knowledge. Witches give aid. Witches grant knowledge.”  

She let out a sigh as she stepped back looking at me; Hat, Staff, and Cape. “Here I am sounding like someone out of an adventure book.” 

I still smiled. Why had I ever felt panic in the first place? 

“So…You have chosen your path, you're attending the academy as I have. Walk the path…and walk it with integrity, walk it proudly…but most of all…and this is important: walk it with kindness.” 

Hazel suddenly went stiff, then grabbed her shoulder with her non-prosthetic hand, letting out a pained grunt, “Shoot! Even when it’s only a little magic it makes the joint pain flare up. Sorry about the sidetracking, saw the clearing on the way to the school this morning… we’re almost home now, when we get there I’ll make some lemonade and then we can start the tutoring properly.”