Witches Don't Burn, Silly

Raise Your Hand if You are Also a Slut for Acts of Service

"Ok, Elliot." I looked at the young woman. Her midnight black hair was luscious and healthy with thick long curls as she flipped it over her shoulder. Her mighty blue eyes stared at me. "This will be your first test." Her face hardens. "You will have to perform magic throughout the day without me here to monitor it. If you do this successfully I will know that I can trust leaving the children in your care while Seth and I travel."

"Yes ma'am, I will do my best!" She beamed at me.

"What about me, mommy?" Josephine grabs my skirts.

"If you can show me that you can listen to Elliot and only use your magic when she says it's ok I will know that you are a big girl now." I knelt in front of her. "This is a test for all of you. Can you be good for me?"

"Yes mommy." Josephine nods and gives me a very serious face.

"Excuse me, Mari?" I turn to look at Elliot. Her cheeks turn a little pink. "Excuse me for asking if this is rude, but you seem kind of young to have kids and they don't really look like you...?"

I laugh a little. "Don't worry, they aren't actually my kids. I just decided to save them a while back and sort of adopted them." I explain. "So, your assumption was right. Don't worry." I smile at her and she smiles sheepishly. I stand up. "Alright, we will be off." I wave to them as Seth and I exit our house.

"Are you sure her magic is stable enough?" Seth stares at me meaningfully. "Her strong suit seems to be fire. If she were to lose control when you aren't around she could very much set the whole forest on fire." I hop on to Hazel and he climbs on behind me.

"I am aware, Seth." I look at him. My ability to see magic has grown stronger in the last month. To the point where I can identify it in people who haven't even unlocked their powers, like Adeline. I stare at Seth. A small ball of blue magic rests in his chest. "I already put her control to the test."

"How?" We start to ride off and I consider how to answer his question.

"Tell me about yourself first, Seth." I look up at him. "What did you do before you were a witch hunter? There is so much I don't know about you still. Like who is your mom?"

"I'm an orphan." His jaw tightens and I start to regret my question. "Any male orphans become witch hunters at the age of fifteen. So, I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. I never knew my mom or dad." He looks down at me. "Why do you ask now?"

"I just think that it's possible that your mom is a witch." I mumble the words. He freezes behind me. "Listen, since the day we found Elliot I have been able to see magic. At first it was only when it was being used in the witch. Then I started seeing it in people who haven't unlocked their powers, like Adeline. The problem is, I see a small ball of magic in you and in Bastian and Joseph." I poke him in the chest where I see the ball of magic. "Bastian obviously had a witch for a mother, otherwise both of his sisters wouldn't be witches. With that and Joseph being my only source of evidence so far, I can only guess that you had a witch for a mom as well."

"What does this have to do with Elliot's control?" Anger flares up in me at his accusatory tone.

"Well, when I met you my emotions started to spike and it made controlling my powers difficult. I thought it was just because I was anxious at the time in general." I meet his steel-like gaze. "But I have been living with you for over a month now and my emotions are always hitting a high note when I am around you. It happens to Josephine too so I know that it's not just me."

"Ok?"

"So, the longer I have you around Elliot was just extending a test over her control of magic and emotions." I say simply.