Journey of a Girl

The Purple House: Chapter Three

The time came when Lilith began to teach the groundwork for casting spells. 

As with potions, Lilith taught what she referred to as "the basics", which was a study of the elements of nature.

Lilith held up four fingers.

"Wind. Fire. Water. Earth. Each with their own temperament and ways to call."

"Can a witch call them all?"

"Any witch worth her salt. But even the strongest can only hope to master two at the most."

"How do I know which one I will be master of? Do I choose?"

"If you are to master any of them, you will know in time. Only after you've handled them all will you understand which one gives itself most readily to your command."

"What are Ma's elements?"

"Why should I care to know that?"

"All right, what's yours?"

"Fire. Beautiful, dangerous fire."

"Odd that you should love fire. It's the element that drives away darkness."

"It also turns everything to ash, and I adore the smell when it burns and bubbles skin."

Credence stifled the urge to roll her eyes. "You said a witch could master two. What's your second?"

Lilith grunted. "I'm...still working with air."

This subtle admission of deficiency pleased Credence. A smug hope came to life within her, that the day might dawn where she would be master of two elements before Lilith. What a marvelous boasting she could have over the wretched sow then. It might even be enough to challenge her and win—

"I'll kill you before I see you master any of them," Lilith snapped. "Don't think for one second you'll ever prove a better witch than me. Maybe the day will arrive where I get to gloat over none of the elements answering your command!"

Credence sighed, not wanting to end the lesson prematurely by arguing.

"You said the elements have temperaments—are they alive?"

"Of course."

"Tell me about them."

"Fire is the easiest to call forth, because it wants to be alive. But it can be difficult to control. You give fire a whisper of freedom and in a blink it will run from your command and spread destruction. Then there's earth. Innocent as a babe, it's eager to please and responds to words of encouragement. But it doesn't know much outside of growing flowers or pulling rocks from the ground. Like you, it's not very smart or useful. Only weak-hearted idiots become masters of earth."

"I could find uses for it," Credence argued. "You only think little of it because you can't torture innocent lives with it."

"Could if I wanted to, but there's other ways more wicked and fun. Shut your mouth and listen. Water is next. Hard to control and convince, like a lover who thinks you've betrayed it. It goes this way and that, changing its mind and never sticking to one solid path. One moment it's happy to be of service, and then just like that—" Lilith snapped her fingers, "—it won't do anything for anyone. It's known to have rare favorites though, and to those special few it will always follow commands. It can be devastatingly powerful."

"For good as well as bad."

"Who gives a damn for good?"

"I do."