Chapter 6

Tara

With a wave of a hand, the torches grow dimmer. Everyone is seated except the people on the stage. The lights seem to move slower as they dance off the crystals in the room, and I know more magic is at play.

My mother's dark blue dress sweeps the floor as she moves from the side to the center. Blue jewels spill from the necklaces around her neck, and her golden hair pieces glitter in her dark hair like gems. She somehow manages to be both beautiful and commanding all at once. Like a wickedly sharp knife.

Although it has been some time since my mother lost her temper and killed a witch…

Not a single person speaks. The air grows colder. It takes everything in me not to wring my hands together as I feel the moment my life will change dangling above my head like a noose.

"Welcome to the Crystal Ceremony. The most important day in any witch's life," my mother says, her voice like that of a crouching lion: cool, calm, and dangerous. "I have watched all your daughters grow up, just as my mother did before me. I have seen their moments of greatest strength, and their moments of greatest weakness. Believe me when I say that I know what their role should be in our society to my deepest core, and soon all of you will know too."

The audience claps and cheers. The girls on stage sit like statues, trying to appear brave and excited, although I can sense their trepidation. Or maybe I'm just sensing my own.

"But first, Avyn," my mother calls out.

Avyn, our head Crystal Witch, stands and the room quickly descends into almost complete darkness. The witches in the crowd ooh and aah, even though she does this every year. It's always bittersweet for me to watch an expert use their magic. Without even using her hands, the crystals flicker back to life, and the sounds reverberating between the crystals sounds like music from instruments.

It begins. A new song, different from years past, but a song meant to play upon our emotions. Without a single word spoken, I feel excitement and new beginnings. The crystals light up and darken along with the echoing sounds from the crystals that vibrate through my chest into my heart, so powerful that I almost have the urge to turn around and run, just to stop the feeling. It's that strong.

It's remarkable, and it's only a tiny show of what she's capable of. It's always been my favorite part of the ceremony because I always feel a little different after the vibrating of the crystals. Like I'm part of something bigger than myself instead of so alone.

If it wasn't my time to be in the ceremony, I'd be excited. Witches never really show off their powers, but tonight is the exception. It's like when entertainers come to the town, only better.

After Avyn finishes, my mother calls up Naya, the most powerful Green Witch, to delight us with her show of magic. I look around me and see Lilac's face light up as she watches Naya curl her fingers delicately. With each movement of her fingers, vines grow from the corners of the room and weave themselves around the crystals, creating a natural tapestry on the walls.

I clap in awe. I clap alone. The rest of the witches continue to watch, mouths open and smiles on their faces. My mother shoots me a look for making noise. I place my hands in my lap and turn my attention back to the show.

When the walls are complete, hundreds of flowers bloom simultaneously, and flower petals rain down on us. I squeal and quickly cover my mouth with my hands, but everyone else roars with surprise and applause. Naya beams with pride at the reception of her new show.

"Now, as a Warrior Witch, it's my turn," my mother says, a sly smile on her face. Anticipation buzzes in the air as we await her display. She's never done this before. Warriors don't have magic to put on a show. I sit at the edge of my seat, curiosity urging me to look on.

With minute flicks of her wrist and the whisper of the word "destruction," the clay pots located on stands around the ballroom explode one by one. The explosions are small and contained; no shards fly out towards anyone in the crowd. The remnants of each pot lay almost decoratively around the stands they once occupied.

I release a breath, amazed at her magic and the control she has over it. I understand why I'm such a disappointment to her. Look at what she can do. I can't even put out a fire.

The crowd roars, but my mother isn't done yet. This is a rare treat! One by one, the candlesticks arranged on each table in the ballroom melt into puddles of wax, again looking like decoration. She can make destruction beautiful.

She stands on the stage, taking in the applause and cheers, reveling in it. Her face, regal and strong, shows that she knows how valuable she is to the coven. She knows how to wield her power and how to lead our coven.

I can't help but to smile as I clap for her, proud to call her my mother.

She raises her hands to quiet the crowd. "It's time to carry on with the ceremony. I will now announce what positions each of these newly of age witches will have."

Twenty. A powerful age. The age where your childhood is gone.

She calls someone's name, but my ears seem to stop working. No, they still work. My heart's pounding so loudly that I can't hear anything. I can see her lips moving. I see each girl hopping up, excited and joyful, and accepting the positions bestowed upon them, but I can't make out my mother's words, because my turn will be soon.

Is she going alphabetical? Is she bunching the girls by position?I wish I could focus long enough to figure it out, but this is it. The moment is here, and I can't do anything but sit in this chair and breathe.

"Edna Trevils."

My mother calling her name breaks through the fog and pounding in my head. I shake my head and sit up straighter to hear. Edna is beloved by the coven. She's the most powerful witch of our age group. She has to be given exactly what she wants.

My mother hugs her, and an unexpected pain stabs through my heart that I don't understand. Then she pulls back and smiles. "Edna, watching you grow into the woman that you are and into the magic you possess has been an honor and a privilege. You have always maintained a strength that never breaks, even as a child. I remember your determination and drive to learn more and to be better at your magic–a magic that is immense and has only grown stronger as you've aged. Truly, you're the daughter I wish I had. The daughter any parent would want." Another pain, followed by an empty feeling. "I have faith in your skills. So much faith that it is my honor to give you the role of Crystal Witch. I know your power will do great things for us. You will always make us proud."

Edna beams. An actual aura radiates around her. My mother grasps her hands, holding them tightly as if she's imbuing Edna with some of her own magic. It's incredible, and yet, something in my heart fractures at the sight of the two of them. That should be how my mother views me. But I bandage that fracture up and put my smile back on my face.

"Clio Delacroix," my mother calls out.

Clio hops up, smiling brightly.

"You have been an excellent witch. You have been helpful to many of your peers. Your parents have called you a delight, and your magic is… adequate. Your instructors have never complained about you. You seem to be a hearty worker, capable of pleasing many people. You will be given the role of a Kitchen Witch," my mother announces, giving her a quick hug.

Kitchen Witches are powerful in their own right. They're capable of helping heal through food, and even capable of making people feel certain ways when they eat. We rely on them greatly, even if they aren't well respected.

Except, this isn't what Clio wanted.

Clio's shoulders slump, and her smile falters but doesn't quite turn into a frown. I want to reach a hand out to her or give her a hug, but I know I'm not supposed to. She sits back down, her head hanging low, and I think about whether other witches have been unhappy with their roles in the past. No one ever said they were, but maybe that's just another thing we never talk about.

"Lilac Void."

She stands, looking even more nervous after Clio's role was given. She hurries across the stage, her purple dress sweeping behind her, and my mother takes her hands gently.

"Lilac, you understand beauty and strength. You don't mind getting your hands dirty or working hard. In your classes, not all of your powers were celebrated, but you excelled when it came to one subject in particular. Look around at all of these vines and blooms. I expect to see you up here performing for our ceremony as the head Green Witch one day."

They hug, and Lilac curtseys and sits back down, holding her head up high and smiling brightly. A vine grows from her sleeve and wraps around her wrist like a bracelet.

You're the only person left. It's your turn. The realization hits me like a horse at full speed and every muscle in my body tenses as all eyes turn to me. If I had any powers at all, I'd shrink to the size of a bug and vanish before all of them.

"Princess Tara, come up here," my mother says, reaching her hand out to point at me, but her expression is unreadable. It's the one she has when she talks about battling with the shifters.

Rising, I smile because I have to, not because I want to. Whatever happens, she's going to be disappointed in me. And when she's disappointed in me, she hurts me. I don't want to hurt. I just want to disappear.

Why can't I ever disappear?

I make my way to her, holding my hand out towards her. She doesn't take it. She doesn't smile. She doesn"t even look at me. Instead, she faces the crowd and says, "Everyone knows my daughter didn't exactly take to magic." She laughs, and the crowd erupts with laughter. My outstretched hand falls to my side.

What is this? The ceremony is always the same. My mother says nice things, things that explain a person's role, and then she gives the role. People don't laugh. This is a special moment.

At least it's supposed to be.

"She's tried Crystal Magic. Did you all hear the screeching and scraping sound? Yeah, that was when she tried to get them to sing."

Everyone's laughing. Edna howls, turning to Lilac and nodding. It's a joke. On me. That everyone finds funny. I keep my smile in place, tilting my head up higher.

My mother continues. "Remember that time she tried Green Magic?" Laughter breaks out before she reminds them that I was trying to grow one flower, and the entire room exploded with weeds. It had taken half the coven to use their magic to get rid of them.

I hang my head while they continue laughing. It goes on for a full minute before dying down so my mom can list more of my "accolades."

"How many fires has she started… on accident?" She looks around the crowd. Everyone seems to be recalling an incident. And as each witch in the coven lays their eyes on me and laughs, it feels like tiny knives stabbing me, deflating my joy and excitement. I smile through it. She"d have worse things to say if I cried right now.

And then there would be later. Her words would be harsher. The pain would be worse. I can smile. I can play my role.

"She started a fire a few days ago!" Edna calls out.

My mother looks at her and nods knowingly. Like she wants to say, "Of course she did." My stomach clenches and sweat dampens the back of my neck, but I don't drop my smile.

"I'll never forget when she tried to use Kitchen Magic to make me dinner on Mother's Day." She makes a disgusted face. "I thought she was trying to poison me!"

People are laughing so hard they're crying. One witch falls out of her chair.

I want to sit back down. No. I want to go to my room and hide under my covers. Instead, I laugh too. After all, I am a disaster at magic. It's not the reputation I'm going for, but it is what it is. I just wish she"d talk about all my beautiful, powerful weapons instead. Or, better yet, I wish she'd get on with it and tell me what I've been assigned.

The laughter finally starts to die down.

My mother's dark gaze falls onto me once more, and in that moment, I hate that our eyes are the same cruel shade of brown. "It's taken me a while to figure out what to do with her. But I finally got it. The something she's meant for. She'll be so good at this, and I'm excited to see how well she'll do." Fragile hope flutters to life in my heart. "I know you're going to make us all proud in this role. I can't wait for you to take this on."

I don't know what I'm even good at, but she's figured it out. Of course she has! My mother is good at everything. Maybe with her blessing, I can actually be good at this role. Maybe I'll finally be able to give back to my people.

Something steely and cold flashes across her face, and I have the urge to protect my throat from her for reasons I don't understand. "Tara…. will be a Peace Bride to the shifters! Surprise, everyone! Today is not just the Crystal Ceremony. It's also Tara's wedding!"