Chapter 6: Failing My First Task

"Magnolia wood possesses the magic of Recollection," Adriana lectured as she walked, a set of tasks I imagined she was very practiced at combining. "The different trees all specialize in different types of magic, but these categories are quite broad, and frequently overlap. As my late husband was fond of saying, 'you can use anything to do anything.' That might not be entirely true, but it does capture the spirit of the idea."

"Imogen did magic," I said, glancing back at her. Adriana led us along the spiral staircase, gradually working our way towards the ground. Imogen walked behind me. She was quieter when in her mother's presence and--despite her imposing height and muscular build--smaller. "When we were attacked by those rats, you made yourself stronger."

"And faster," Imogen smiled at me and my heart jumped a little. "And more skilled. I'm not a very good pugilist, but my great-grandfather was."

Adriana seemed irritated that the information was no longer being shared by her and her alone. "Indeed," she said sharply. "Since Imogen possess an Implement of Magnolia wood, she specializes in Recollection magic. The spells your describing are all of that nature. She reminded her limbs of the strength they once had--collapsing several points of time into one--and she drew on the knowledge of her ancestors. This might not have been the most elegant solution, but it was functional."

Imogen visibly winced at her mother's critique. Something in me turned an angry gaze on the Matriarch.

Adriana continued, "I possess an implement of Pine wood, which has the essence of--"

"I thought you were from" --I gestured to the giant Magnolia tree beside us. Now that we were nearly to the base of its trunk, it was wider than several school buses lined up end-to-end.

Adriana made a face at my interruption. "I am from this family," she said. "But my Implement is not. You will be given the chance to draw an Implement from each great tree, just as every witch is given the chance. What family you choose is a distinct and unrelated situation."

I wasn't done being impudent. "I hope I get a Magnolia Implement. Imogen's magic was impressive."

Imogen coughed, but I thought I heard a twinge of laughter hidden underneath it. Adriana frowned darkly at me. It felt like victory.

"Well." Adriana clasped her hands together. "Since we are here, let us see."

We had arrived at the end of the great spiral staircase. It ended in a large clearing of rich, loamy earth that was overgrown with flowering shrubs and thick ferns. The roots of the Magnolia tree were everywhere, some nearly as big around as I was tall.

Adriana led us to the base of the trunk. That glow I had seen hanging around Imogen--the 'sense of magic,' as she had put it--warmed everything here. The air felt heavy with it, like a summer night before a thunderstorm rolls is. Potential. Wilderness. Power.

The Magnolia tree towered above us. I looked up, and couldn't see the end of its twisting, massive branches. It simply faded into sunlight. How many years had it been here? How many human lifetimes had it passed through while it simply reached ever higher into the sky?

In the face of this ancient peace, my irritation with Adriana felt like nothing. In fact, all the hardships of my life, even my mother's death and the chaos that had followed--it was all scenery, inconsequential background to the magnificence of this tree.

When Adriana spoke, her voice had acquired a softer, more respectful tone. "Are you ready, Ophelia?"

I nodded, wordless and overwhelmed.

"Place your hand here." She motioned to a place on the tree trunk. "And repeat after me."

I did, and carefully intoned the words she said.

"Old one, I ask for a tool to protect the natural and good."

It wasn't much of a spell. It didn't rhyme, nor did it use big Latin words I didn't understand. Nonetheless, I felt the world around me change.

Wind picked up, whirling in a great circle around the three of us. It swirled my hair, played with the edges of our clothes. The light grew warm and bright, like I we had just stepped from the cold shade into the sun, and the earth rumbled quietly beneath our feet. Birds flitted through the air above us, and the great Magnolia seemed to sway in contemplation. All that focus, all that magic, built up and up in our surroundings; it pooled beneath me, in me, through me, as it had through centuries of witches that had come before, each in my position; I reached out, not only with my hands but with my heart and mind as well, and then...

And then...

And then nothing happened. The wind died down, the light returned to normal, and that sense of connection and oneness faded. I blinked, surprised to find tears at the edges of my eyes.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up into Imogen's face. She gave me a sad smile.

"Next time," she said.

Adriana nodded solemnly. "We can discuss a journey to the other glades soon. For now, it would be best for you to get settled in one of the guest rooms."

Imogen led me away from her mother and the base of the Magnolia tree. She was quiet until we were definitively out of earshot.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Kind of..." I looked for the right words. "Disappointed? I don't know if that's fair. I only found about all this yesterday, and I guess I just thought it would work."

Imogen nodded. "Yeah, I get you. Being there, underneath the Magnolia, you can feel the weight of its history and it's like... it wants you to be great. Not that you aren't. Great, I mean."

She blushed scarlet and I snickered at her.

"Thanks," I said. "I appreciate it."

"Do you want..." Imogen bit her lip and looked away. "Do you want to go out tonight? Some of the other younger witches usually go out on fri--"

"Yes." I nodded emphatically. "But I'll need a change of clothes. Can you get me back to my apartment?"