Morgyn
I can hear Simeon's long and dreary speech from all the way up in the staffroom. I don't know how he finds so much to say about Practical magic, though I hope Sage Reyes is not so rough with him as he was with me. Leonora has just finished her speech, followed by her maniacal villainous laughter mingling with that of the crowd who appreciated her humour. She scares me sometimes.
I try to remove every seed of doubt and worry from my mind, but it only gets more difficult the closer it gets to my turn at the ceremony. I feel as if I'm about to be sick until Sage Ó
Sé comes in.
"You'll be up soon, Morgyn. Get up off that carpet," she says, playfully. "Do you remember what to do?"
"I think so." Something to do with pledging a few things to the statue of my ancestor in terms of Sagehood - awkwardly, the same woman standing in front of me - and then standing on the Untamed spot facing the current, and soon to be previous, Sage.
* * *
The entire crowd falls silent as I walk down the stairs. Simeon and Leonora both stand on their respective symbols facing their predecessors in the middle. Sage Ó
Sé nods towards me and I make my way to the statues of the first Sages. The statue of Sage Ó
Sé is daunting - to think this is the same woman who killed so many witchfinders back in the day, it's rather unnerving to think it's the same woman who has taught me up until this point. It's surreal seeing this centuries-old statue of her when she is standing there in the flesh only a couple of metres away.
I take a deep breath and Sage Ó
Sé says her half of the ceremonial speech:
"I, Áine Ó
Sé, choose you as my successor to share the knowledge of the Untamed arts, to embody the ruthless and fearless spirit of the Dragon and to protect those who carry magic in their blood. As Sage of the Untamed, you are the master of the manipulation of life, death and nature. Your power is what is left of the true magic of the witches of old. With you, you carry the history of a long-forgotten people, and you must never forget those who paid the price for their power with fire and blood."
Now it is my turn to accept my responsibilities.
"I, Morgyn Ember, am the Sage of the Untamed. I will share the knowledge of the Untamed arts and I will embody the ruthless and fearless spirit of the Dragon. I vow to protect those that carry magic in their blood. I am the master of the manipulation of life, death and nature. My power is what is left of the witches of old, and the same goes for all of us. We must never forget those who paid the price for their power with fire and blood. We must never forget those who gave us the gift of magic."
I return to stand on the symbol of the Dragon, and my predecessor addresses the crowd.
"My children, I am
proud to announce that, after years of service to spellcasters, a new
era of magical education is upon us. We are handing our responsibilities down to the next generation of spellcasters, and we are sure that you will be in good hands with them."
I see Sage Reyes giving me a narrow-eyed look from the Practical side of the circle. Not now, Sage Reyes, not now... I realise that now it is time for my own speech. I try to control the butterflies in my stomach as much as possible.
"We cannot forget where we come from, whether our origins as spellcasters are ascended or bloodline. No matter what our differences are, we
are all united by the magic in our veins, and our craft is one that we
have bravely practiced even whilst faced with a history of hostility. Never forget that to be oneself is an act of rebellion, but we only have a chance to be ourselves because of the murders and sacrifices of the witches that came before us. I ask that we take a short silence to remember what they did for us."
The entire hall goes silent, and I notice tears in Sage Ó
Sé's eyes. I cannot imagine how it must have been to live in the circumstances they lived in. And despite it all, Áine, Katlego, Tsuna and Owen, amongst others, risked everything to ensure a safe present and future for our kind.
"Anyone here will be safe from any that may oppose them, and I will make sure of it, by any means necessary. Regardless of our blood, our identity, our circumstances- we are all one as spellcasters. Those of you who have been ascended, do not dwell on your old self. As spoken during the Rite of Ascension, you have been born anew. For those of you who are concerned about Untamed magic, let your concerns subside and learn the power of nature itself. One does not need to fear the Dragon's wisdom and majesty. Those of you who are curious, I will happily teach you whatever it is you want to learn about the ways of Untamed magic."
Áine
Morgyn embodies everything about the old spirit of the witches.
Everyone is cheering and chanting their name, as they did with Leonora and Simeon, and there is a prideful smile across Morgyn's face. The only one who is not smiling is Ethren. Morgyn clears the area, and everyone stands close to the walls. They begin to perform the ritual version of Inferniate with a handful of soot and a ruby. A great blast of fire shoots from their palm, and the Untamed Dragon's wings spread, and its neck unfurls, revealing a mouth of relentless teeth.
Keisha, Ethren and I can rest assured, knowing that the future of spellcasting education is in good hands.Morgyn
Simeon had used Delicioso in both its basic and ritual forms to prepare food for the feast. He's a little tired from it, so he's taking a break before joining us, but the smell in the dining hall is exquisite. Fresh roast chicken and turkey, succulent salmon with herbs and sauce, the strong odour of garlic noodles, colourful salads...Simeon could even conjure a takeaway-style pepperoni pizza out of seemingly nowhere. Perhaps Practical magic has its uses, after all. Just before he leaves, I do notice Ethren talking to him in a very hushed
voice, glancing over on occasion. What's his issue with me?
"Wow,
this food is pretty great, huh?" Leonora mumbles, through a mouthful of turkey. I would ask where her table manners are, but I would not expect
any level of decorum from a Sage of Mischief.
"Indeed.
Simeon has done a splendid job. I'm getting a hint of onion in the
gravy...a bit of thyme, rosemary...a lot of Winterfest nostalgia..."
“Are you? I’m getting, uhh...turkey and gravy? With a hint of...more gravy?”
"So will you and Keisha stop talking about how Practical magic is useless now, Leonora?"
"Never, Ethren," Keisha and Leonora reply, simultaneously, both with a smirk on their faces.
Ethren sits at the table with a plate of food, barely touching it, and giving me an unmistakable glare. I have barely spoken to this man. Is there something I have done to offend him?
* * *
After eating enough of Simeon's delicious food to feed a family of four and their dog, I retreat outdoors for some peace and quiet to myself.
"Morgyn, you did well today. Do you mind if I speak with you a moment?"
My peace is shattered within minutes.
"What do you want to berate me about this time?"
"Nothing. I brought some tea with me - Delicioso'd, not stirred."
Ethren parks himself on the seat beside me, acting as if we're best friends.
"I saw you glaring at me and whispering to Simeon about me. Whatever issue you have with me, save it. We're supposed to be celebrating."
"I know we are, Morgyn, and I'm not here to talk about any issues I have with you. I'm here because you haven't been told everything by Sage Ó
Sé when I think you should have been."
What on Earth is he talking about? I will admit, the tea is lovely and warming enough to melt the icicles in my chest, but I'm not telling him that until he proves he isn't here to belittle me.
"About what? Are you trying to imply that Sage Ó
Sé is a liar? She would never lie to me."
"No, she wouldn't - but outright lying and leaving out details are sometimes rather different things, I think."
What details could she possibly be leaving out?
"Sage Ó
Sé's witches' pallor is getting worse, Morgyn. Like any illness, it affects people differently. She tells me it doesn't normally affect traditional witches due to their magic being strongly intwined with them genetically-speaking, but she's been around for so long casting so much magic, being in her animal form and such, that it's starting to take its toll."
"I see..."
"Sage Ó
Sé also has spells that she can cast that your regular old bloodline or ascended caster can't, due to the way magic has changed over the years, I suppose. She can use her own life force to try and bring the recently-dead back to life."
No.
No, no, please...
"I had no idea... I've pushed my own mentor closer to death."
The convivial feel of the evening has ruined - not by Ethren, but by my own hubris. Perhaps Ethren was right to be wary of what I did three years ago - because I could have killed Sage Ó
Sé.
No. I have killed Sage Ó
Sé.
"I didn't mean-"
"What you meant isn't relevant, Sage Reyes. My mentor is dying, and all I did was make it worse. I've single-handedly ended the life of a three-hundred year old woman...Now I understand why you said all that you said. Thank you for the tea, Ethren, but I must go."
Ethren keeps trying to call me back, but I don't listen.
I don't know how I'm supposed to apologise for something like this...
Áine
Their voice booms up the stairs, shaking with tears...
"I did this to you, didn't I? I made your illness worse! You're dying, and it's my fault!"
I specifically told Ethren, Keisha, Simeon and Leonora not to mention anything of this nature to Morgyn! How did they find out?!
"Sage Ó
Sé, why, why did you not tell me any of this?!"
"I did not want to hurt you, child. I know it would have broken
your heart if you were ever to find out. This is why I told Keisha,
Ethren, Sage Silversweater and Sage Faba before you. Who told you about this?"
"Sage Reyes did. He felt I deserved to know."
"I see. Perhaps Sage Reyes was correct, but I am not dying because of you. Three hundred years of an illness like witches' pallor is why I am concerned for my eventual health. I have been suffering overcharge, nosebleeds, dizziness, and other such things. I did not want you, or any of the other younger students to know, so I kept quiet."
Their tears grow more intense, their eyes glistening in the purple light through the window.
"It
was not my intention to hurt you, child. I understand that your
familial situation is not close-knit. I know it would have hurt you
deeply to know you may lose someone you could look up to, someone you
could trust."
"Is
this...is this why you made me your successor? Out of desperation? Do you really think I am capable, Sage Ó
Sé?
"What? Of course I do, Morgyn. I would not have picked you if I did not think you to be capable."
IT pains me to see them hurt, but no matter what I do, it seems to lead to Morgyn getting hurt. I don't know if there is anything else I can do to ensure their happiness and comfort.
"What happens to Untamed magic when the two of us die?"
"Morgyn, you are only twenty years old. That is nothing to think about just yet."
"Yes, it is - if there's no-one left to teach Untamed magic in seventy years, then what? Then it just...dies out? If it took you this long to find a successor, who knows how long it will take me? I may never find one in my time of being alive, and I don't have three-hundred years..."
I try to resist getting stressed; it is not their fault. I have been holding back telling them of the task which I have set aside for them, but I realise now that I cannot leave it unspoken like I did with my failing health. If I reveal this to them later, they will be upset as to why I did not say anything earlier about it.
"My child, there is something I must ask of you- but it is no simple task," I explain. "I have spent much time and effort crafting a unique, one-off spell to create a charm- I call it the Aevitas charm. It is designed to permanently fuse to its wearer by magic... and grant them eternal life. This has taken me many, many years to do, and I have been working on it ever since I knew I needed a successor. I believe it is almost complete."
Their reaction is as expected - confusion.
"Eternity?"
They sit down on the sofa and stare into the carpet.
"Whatever happened to your immortality potions?"
Of all the things I ought to be honest with Morgyn about, I don't want to tell them anything of what happened back in my day. I do not want them to know the true reason for my long life.
"I believe that my body must have developed some kind of a resistance to them. Either that, or my illness worsening has counteracted their effects."
They let out a deep noise in their throat. Perhaps they do not believe me.
"Why don't you use this spell on yourself, and let it grant you immortality?"
"I have lived long enough in this world, child. I do not regret any part of it- even the darker days. I have been waiting to find someone who will keep the spirit of the old witches alive, and the teaching of spellcasting-"
"For eternity. So this is why you have waited so long for a successor. And if the two of us die, then the witches' blood comes to an end, and the origin of Untamed magic... I see. You have been waiting for someone not only skilled enough to take up the role properly, but someone who you think is willing to live on the way you did for the sake of it."
I wish they would not put seeds of doubt in my mind, but I cannot convince them to do it if their heart is not in it.
"Technically speaking, I carry your witches' blood now. So if something happens to you, there will still be myself..."
"I want this to be something to think about in the long-term, Morgyn. If you do not feel as if you are up to it-"
"Long-term? You're dying! Whatever it is that I need to do, I'll do it."
"Morgyn, do not decide this on a whim. This is not something that you can walk away from if you feel it does not suit you. After all, if you yourself do not want to, then somewhere down the line, there may always be a Sage of the Untamed willing to carry the eternal torch. There's a good chance you may find a successor in a way that I could not. You will likely bring something to the Untamed table that I was not able to. I do not want this to be a burden placed on your shoulders. I just...worry for the future of Untamed magic- and magic in general. I always have done."
"No! No-one else will do this," they say, in a feisty tone. "You have asked this of me, and after all you have done for me, I owe you... I owe you my life."
"You owe me nothing, child. It is just that the existence
of the Magic Realm is tied to this key around my neck, which in turn is
tied to my blood magic and life force. If I die, so does the Realm- and I
hope that, when the main source of arcane education ceases to exist,
that there will be someone willing to keep it going."
"Can't you just give me the key?"
"I cannot remove it, Morgyn. It is tied to my essence, and if I remove it, the realm will collapse. Even if I could give you it, it would mean nothing when...if things progress for the worst."
"I don't know what to do. I spent years trying to find all of this, and now it is all going to slip away from me. I don't know how to prove myself to everyone else the way I proved myself to you..."
"People have more faith in you than you might think, Morgyn. Never forget that."
"When you are finished writing the spell, give me the spellbook. I will do my best- for your sake."
"I will warn you, it is not a simple spell to cast- only for those of exceptional talent," I say, smiling at them. "It will take even someone as bright as you some time to figure it all out. I know what you're like - don't give up, and don't stress yourself with it."
With little warning, Morgyn throws their arms around me and bawls on my shoulder.
"Thank you for everything, Sage Ó
Sé. I'm going to miss you so much. I won't let you down - I promise."
Keisha, Ethren and I can rest assured, knowing that the future of spellcasting education is in good hands.
