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Anna
Anna steadied herself, taking in a low, slow breath as the black door in front of her split in half and began to swing open.
This was it. The final part of her Apprentice test. She’d taken the written section and passed that with flying colors, though nobody had really expected her to do any different. Even Anna had gone into that feeling fairly confident. Her brain was not a weak spot.
The practical test had been little different. Potions and enchantments, she’d been able to demonstrate with ease. Potions had arguably been her weakest showing so far. She just wasn’t that interested in them, and it showed. She’d passed, but it was closer than she was comfortable with.
Enchantments was a different story. Her ward was stronger than even she’d expected, and she’d added new runes to her staff that channeled power even more effectively before. With her newfound strength in magic casting, she’d needed something that could help contain the power better. The alterations were exactly what she wanted.
Now came the final test. The most important one of them all.
The Challenge.
It was a magical simulation designed to test her combat skills against enemies from the Abyss that the witches might face. There was nothing easy about it, and this was where the majority of those trying to pass would fail.
Anna was determined not to fail.
Gripping her staff, she walked forward into the darkness, waiting as the doors boomed closed behind her. There was no going back now.
A voice spoke from everywhere and nowhere. “Initiate Sturgis. You have been granted an opportunity to take the Challenge, to pass from Initiate status to that of Apprentice of Winterspell Academy. This is a great honor and also a great test. Are you ready to proceed?”
“I am,” she called into the darkness, standing firm.
“Then begin.”
That was it. No preamble, no warning period. Nothing. The voice cried out, and then the room was dark, silent.
Anna fed some magic into her staff and bright white light pulsed from the top of it. She flicked the staff in front of her and the ball of light split, with half of it arcing through the air, sticking to a wall. She repeated this in every direction, lighting her surroundings.
So typical they would start us in the dark. Humans are instinctively afraid of that which they cannot see. Make us nervous to start, more likely to overreact.
Anna was in a tunnel, she realized quite quickly. Not large, rounded at the top.
From behind her, she heard the sound of many feet hitting the ground. Her eyebrows came together. No, not feet. Hooves. Lots of hooves.
Centaurs.
She smiled and, instead of running away, turned to face the oncoming sound.
After facing the Infected, a herd of centaur was nothing.
“Bring it on,” she hissed, and then Anna did something she never thought she would have done in the test.
She advanced to meet her enemy, staff blazing the way.
Nothing was going to stop her from becoming an Apprentice now.
***
DAMIEN WAS PACING AROUND in the waiting area, nerves clearly getting the better of him. He couldn’t help it. Anna was in there. His love. She was facing the biggest test of her life, and he couldn’t be there to help her.
“She’ll be fine,” Genna said from nearby, rolling her eyes. “Stop fretting.”
“I’m not fretting,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning up against the stone wall.
“Yes, you are. And it’s getting on everyone’s nerves,” the other woman said.
“Listen, just because you passed your test already, doesn’t mean you get to be arrogant about it,” Damien retorted.
From nearby, Anna’s other friend Courtney laughed. “Right? She’s insufferable.”
Rane smiled from where he stood next to Genna. “I don’t think it’s that bad. She has confidence in Anna. Isn’t that a good thing?”
Damien frowned at his storm dragon kin. There was something in the way he spoke...
Before he could place it, the brown door opened, admitting Circe and another pair of Masters that he didn’t recognize.
“What’s this?” he asked nervously. “Where’s Anna?”
Behind them came Anna, and Damien breathed a sigh of relief. He knew it was extremely rare for someone to actually get hurt in the Challenge, and that only a couple of students had ever died during it, but he’d still worried about her.
He refrained from rushing over to her as she pivoted to face Circe and the flanking witches.
“Your challenge is complete, Anna Sturgis.”
Damien sagged. Not Apprentice. Just Anna. Clearly, it hadn’t gone that well after all.
“Yes, Circe. Thank you for the chance to show you what I can do. I am appreciative that you came to view my Challenge personally,” Anna said, standing straight, shoulders back.
Thank you for coming personally? So, the Circe did not attend every Challenge? Damien was confused.
“You present a most intriguing case to me, the Coven, and indeed to witches around the world. Never before has a witch grown in power like you have. I wished to watch to see if you were able to replicate that feat.”
Damien held his breath as the Circe continued.
“And you have succeeded. Congratulations, Apprentice Sturgis. You are a great boon to this Academy, and I expect many big things from you in the years to come. Keep it up.”
Circe extended her hand to Anna and shook it, while Damien tried not to shout with joy. This was her moment to celebrate after all, not his, but boy did he want to bellow and shout and make all sorts of noise. That was his Anna out there.
His mate.
Circe nodded once more to Anna, then she and the other Masters left the room.
Damien couldn’t hold it in any longer. He rushed over to her and picked her up, spinning her around. “I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you!” He kissed her, only breaking apart when she pulled back.
“Thank you, my love,” she said quietly. “I know you’ll have faith in me always.”
“And forever,” he said.
Then they were mobbed by her friends and the celebrating began in earnest as Altair and Rane broke open bottles of champagne they had been hiding.
Damien smiled as Anna was swept up in it. He liked seeing her this happy.
He was going to do whatever it took to keep her this way.
This I swear.
