Page 101 of Revenant

He moves to the other end of the desk, commanding the room with a single clap. In front of him is a station for what I assume is each of the elements. “Zara, if you don’t mind.” She walks up without a word, her long chestnut curls bouncing with each step.

“You will all take turns at the different stations. For the newer witches, don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen right now. This is about harnessing your power, learning to control it, and understanding it. Every coven has a different strength.” Leon continues, stepping back for Zara to demonstrate. Part of me wonders if it kills him: to teach witches now, to watch them wield magic the way he once did—it must be its own kind of torment.

“If you’re at a fire station, your one goal is to light the kindling.” Zara’s hands surround the small branches and twigs laid out on the table. Her eyes close, concentrating on moving her magic toward the debris. Her fingers clench a little tighter before a single ember appears out of thin air, sparking the kindling right beneath her hands. Then a small, blazing fire sits steady on display.

Zara moves to the next station—which is just a cup half full of water—and her hands mimic the same motion. “If you’re starting with water, the key is to manipulate it into a sphere. Concentrate on the molecules, feel them mingle with your powers until they become one.” She says each instruction with confidence, as if it were as easy as breathing. It probably is for her, but right now, all this talk of magic is starting to feel suffocating.

The water forms in a shape with ease, a perfect sphere popping up and over the lip of the cup, completely in her control. Her giggle sounds over the room, becoming entranced by her own parlor trick. She moves the ball of water from one hand to the other, before splitting it in two and juggling them both.

“That’s quite enough, Zara, we don’t have all day,” Eldritch tells her, immediately extinguishing any joy she was having. Zara rolls her eyes, letting both balls fall on her command, the splash hitting Eldritch instantly, causing low snickers from the rest of us.

“Moving on then,” she says under her breath, walking to the third area that consists of various leaves. “Air, I feel, is self-explanatory, but yet here we are,” Zara jokes, trying to lighten the mood. Her fingers dance over the leaves, and they begin to sway with her movements. “To state it plainly, your power derives from emotion. The more you feel, the stronger your magic will be. So I encourage all of you to think of a memory, good or bad, and let that be your driving force for today’s lesson.”

The leaves float back onto the table effortlessly, as if it really was just any naturally occurring breeze that made them stir in the first place. The last area she goes to contains a pot that is full of soil.

“Of all the elements, Earth is the most difficult to handle. It’s where you will bring life into existence.” Her hands hug the pot, a soft glow emanating from them. What starts as unremarkable soon transforms before our eyes as green leaves break through the brown soil, growing in rapid succession until a magnificent dahlia blossoms at the top.

A murmur ripples through the room as she sets the pot back among the others lining the station.

Eldritch clears his throat. “Alright, then. Choose your first stations. We’ll spend about ten minutes at each before moving on, and by the end of class, you’ll be expected to demonstrate what you’ve learned.”

Ten minutes?! That’s all the time we get? He’s got to be joking, I don’t even know what I’m doing.

I make my way to the station for fire. Beads of sweat mark my brow as I stare down at the kindling. This shouldn’t be too hard…I’ve already thrown fireballs at Naomi. Surely a little campfire will be nothing.

The other witches move like they belong here. I watch leaves rise and drift, water ribbon through the air, flowers bloom from nothing but soil while the temperature climbs around me. Must be nice, growing up in a family that raised you for exactly this.

My hands find their mark around the debris, trying to conjure a memory that would suffice. But for the first time in my life, I come up completely blank. Nada. Zilch. My eyes squeeze shut, but not a single thought comes to mind as I attempt to push my magic toward it.

Nothing. Not a single fucking whisper of an ember appears.

“Don’t get discouraged, it takes time.” A soft, gentle voice interrupts my concentration.

Peeling my eyes open, I’m a little stunned to see Azalea standing before me. She seems a bit shy, like coming over here and talking to someone she doesn’t know is definitely out of her comfort zone, but it had to be done.

I let out a slow, deliberate breath through my nose. “Yeah, well, in the grand scheme of things, this should be a cake walk.”

She giggles. “It’s not always going to be like this. And sometimes your magic comes when you need it the most.”

“That doesn’t really help with the whole learning thing.”

“Like I said, it will come with time. Give yourself some grace, you’ve only just learned about this world.” She seems sweet, but time isn’t something I’m blessed with.

“You’re thinking too much,” Zara comments, appearing out of nowhere and closing the distance between us with only a few steps. She stops when she reaches Azalea’s side.

“Funny, I wasn’t thinking at all,” I quip, growing more frustrated that I’ve drawn in an entourage.

Zara snickers. “Relax. This is merely just an assessment to see what areas need improving.”

“I can’t—I can’t go up there and demonstrate this. Not in front of everyone. I’ll make a fool of myself.”

“Maybe just—”

“Switch!” Eldritch’s voice booms over everything else, silencing Azalea’s words indefinitely.

Azalea offers me a kind smile, a silent apology for the lack of time. Zara stays close to my side, and I’m grateful she’s decided to take me under her wing.

As luck would have it, I end up at the water station next. Why couldn’t I be at the air station and make some leaves float? But the thought only makes me think of Bastian, heat instantly coloring my cheeks.