I closed my eyes, picturing the entry to the realm my sisters were in, the house they’d built together...
I waved my hands in the air and conjured a scrying spell, creating a mirror of sorts in the air.
When I opened my eyes they were there, wisps of color in the air.
Matlock stared intently as we watched a live scene unfolding before us.
I smiled at the vision. They were in the small, comfortable living room. We couldn’t hear anything, but it looked like Courtney was listening to some music, her ears covered in head phones, while Bella read in a chair nearby.
“That’s Courtney, laying on the couch, obviously.” I explained, “And Bella is reading, as always. She carries books with her all day, every day. I swear she sleeps with them. It was the first thing she created, after Mother... after everything disappeared.”
Matlock didn’t comment, but kept watching the scene intently. I couldn’t be certain, but I was pretty sure I saw unshed tears glimmering in his eyes.
Then he looked away and cleared his throat, loudly. I blew a kiss to my sisters, and let the illusion fall away.
“They...” He coughed again. “They’re very beautiful. Bella looks a lot like my mother.”
I nodded. “I assumed she looked like your side, she doesn’t look much like us except...”
“Your mother’s eyes.”
“Yes.”
A strange silence fell between us as we looked at each other. This was a man who’d been forced into a role he may have never wanted, but was born into.
A King... royalty.
He’d missed out on so much because of it.
Matlock gestured to the couches once again, and we sat down. “Well, let’s talk about how I can help. I’m not sure if you know about this, but there are a series of tests that a Witch will undertake to decide on her strengths and weakness, soon after she reaches maturity. We do them for the Warlocks too, but in this case, let’s keep it specific to you.”
I nodded, accepting the pattern of speech as normal. In my family we only had witches, so being politically correct wasn’t really an issue. “Yeah, go for it.”
“Well, these trials are usually done at the end of schooling, at age eighteen, or nineteen, to determine your place in society after graduation. See, it’s important that you learn a variety of different skills and are able to control them, perform them at will, that whole thing. Basically, you need to be able to conjure up everything at your leisure. It shouldn’t be a struggle to you to get that magic. Your skill set, the knowledge you’ve acquired in that schooling, helps determine your place based on the results of your final trial.”
“My place?” I didn’t like the sound of that.
“It isn’t a bad thing, it just gives the Witch, and the Council, an indication of where she should be directed. For example, towards a job that may suit you and your magic. But you can always go your own way if you disagree with the assessment, that’s never an issue, but it helps most people. A lot of people have no idea what to do after they graduate. This pushes them in a direction most beneficial to their skillset.”
So, what was he saying exactly? That I should go through this testing so that the Council could work out where to put me? “So, you want to... what? Test me?”
He nodded eagerly. “Yes, we’ll know where to place you. In which realm, in which job. I’ll be able to set a pay scale for you and send you extra funds if you need them. We can set you up with a job, a house, money, everything. You can send for your sisters when you’re settled, and perhaps they too, will want to be part of the Magic realm.”
They wanted that, I already knew. We’d always wanted that. To live in a large community of magically minded people.
Granted, they were mourning the loss of Mother and wanted time to do that. But after everything that had happened, I think we all agreed we wanted to be part of where we belonged. And as much as I loved Mother and the solitude she created for us, we didn’t belong there.
To not be so isolated. So separate.
“I...” I cleared my throat. “We, would love that. But I wouldn’t want to be sent to some distant realm. I’d want to stay close to... the human world.”
And you.
I didn’t want to vocalize that last bit out loud. I wasn’t sure if it would have been too much too soon. But it was the truth. At least, that was how I felt.
He smiled gently. “You would most likely stay close by, but remember with the use of portals, we travel far and wide in mere moments. You’ll never be stuck in one place again... Not if you don’t want to be, that is.”
Happiness filled my chest. I would have the freedom to go to places I’d never been, and explore realms I’d never known existed. That sounded like a dream.