Witches and Devils

Tests

A few weeks have past and Michael took training to heart. Not only the training to control his rage, but all of his training and all of his studies. We had begun to spend mornings and nights together; training and studying. He has made great strides to learn everything a young warlock should know. And he is very smart, retaining almost everything we go over and learn. As we train, I can also see that his soul is growing as well. I sense that he no longer feels as alone as he did when he first arrived at the school, and I can only assume that is because of me, since Michael doesn't really spend time with the other male students. Much like me, Michael would rather explore the school and sneak out to go into town. Eventually, Ariel calls the council and Michael to a meeting. The four members of the council sit at a table, notepads and pens infront of them, while I sit on the stairs in the study, Michael sitting in the middle of the room in front of the fire place.

"Now that you've had time to settle and you've immersed yourself in the study of magic here at the coven, it's time to evaluate and see where you stand." Ariel announces.

"normally, this would happen at the end of the first year." John Henry looks up to Michael, already taking notes.

Michael nods, "well, I've only been here a month."

"Well, seeing your progress, thanks to Miss Sinclair," Baldwin gestures back to me, "we feel justified in accelerating the process."

Ariel nods, "to begin, each warlock at our school is assigned a level, one through four, according to their talents and the breadth of their powers."

"Are you all fours?" Michael looks around the council.

Baldwin chuckles, "sadly, you're looking at a bunch of threes."

"Sixes after a few good cocktails," Chablis jokes.

"The only one of us close to a four is dear Rose, but unfortunately even she falls short."

"Was that a knock at my powers or my height, Baldwin?" I tilt my head to the side, as Baldwin looks back to me, before he shakes his head and laughs.

Ariel continues, ignoring us, "a level four would mean a warlock that is categorically as powerful as the female supreme. He would be the one we call Alpha."

"We shouldn't burden the boy with theory." John Henry sighs, "in the history of the coven, there's never been a level four warlock." He glares up to Michael, "let's see if he can past level one."

The group moves into the auditorium area of the school. Michael stands in front of a mirror and Baldwin stands to his right, as he explains the test, "scrying is the ability to see things in a reflective surface. Messages, visions, and prophecies. But today, we're not looking for the next Nostradamus. All you need to do is tell us where we hid a particular book. The New..."

As Baldwin speaks Michael does as well, "The New Adam and Eve. By Hawthorne. First edition. And one of Rose's favorite books."

"Yes," Baldwin smirks nodding. Ariel laughs as Baldwin nods toward the mirror. Michael takes a deep breath as he walks up to the mirror, letting it out through his teeth, clenching his jaw as he focuses, I can see his muscles in his cheeks and neck straining as he does. Michael focuses on the mirror and the glass appears to become almost liquid in state. As it does Michael lifts his hand and passes it through the glass. Baldwin's jaw drops and he turns to the rest of us, "well, that'll get some extra credit."

Michael begins to pull his hand out of the mirror and as he does, we can see he has the book in his hand. Once the books clears the mirror, the glass returns to a solid state. Ariel smirks and nods, "tremendous."

"He was only tasked with telling us where the book was hidden." Chablis looks over to John Henry, "even you have to admit that was impressive."

"Impressive," John Henry nods, "and troubling. Quite simply, he ignored directions."

After the scrying test, we move to the main hall, Baldwin and Michael still in front of everyone, "Salir Per Spartium. The ability to transport yourself instantly through physical space. Just pick a spot in the room, envision yourself there, and make it happen." As Baldwin finishes, as knife and brick raise at this sides.

"What are those for?" Michael asks a bit concerned.

"Motivation," Baldwin smirks before sending the brick flying at Michael's head. Michael's ducks under the brick and appears on the landing of the staircase. Baldwin turns to him and send the knife his way. Michael disappears again, the knife hitting the wall, but Michael doesn't reappear.

Instead we hear him from somewhere above us, "anything else? You want me to dust up here?" We look up and see Michael on the highest part of the ceiling anywhere in the school, smiling down at us.

After this test we move back to the study and we all sit back where we had begun. Baldwin is still the one giving Michael's exam, "this final test requires not only an understanding of magic, but of nature."

John Henry takes a deep breath, "molecules of water are all around us. Change the weather inside this room, and turn the water into snow."

Michael stands and moves his chair back to the left of the fireplace. Placing his hand over his mouth as he walked back to the middle of the room, looking down as he drops his hand back to his side. He takes a deep breath as he looks back up to the council and concentrates before lifting his hand and with a flourish moves it up and over his head. A few moments after he does, a few snowflakes begin to fall into the room, when they do Michael does the same with his other hand. As he pushes his palms toward the ceiling, snow begins to fall in the room. I stand and step off of the stairs, twirling a bit in the snow, as Ariel laughs.

"Beautiful!" Baldwin exclaims.

But after a moment Michael's smile disappears and he closes his eyes, laying his head back as he swipes his hands across his body, spreading his arms to his sides, when he does the fireplace is extinguished and the room turns a cold blue color, compared to the warm yellow put off by the fire and the room becomes cold. The snow begins to fall faster and swirls around the room. Michael begins to shake and looks as if he is in a trance like state. Everyone is trying to stay warm and Baldwin whispers, "I can't breath."

"Enough!" Ariel yells, standing and putting a hand out to Michael.

As Ariel yells Michael's snaps out of his trance, his eyes snap open and his head comes back down. When it does, I can see his nose is bleeding and I run around the table to Michael, placing my still very cold hands on his cheeks, before placing the napkin I keep in my pocket under his nose. Everyone in the room is panting and the council is staring at Michael in shock. Michael looks to the council and then back to me, speaking in a frightened voice, "I'm sorry." He takes a few shaky breaths, "I don't know that was inside of me. I just saw how happy you looked in the snow, and I didn't want it to stop."

I look up to Michael and place my hands back on his cheeks as he takes the napkin, "it's okay."

Ariel walks around the table, "you're testing your wings. Once you're fully in control of your powers, you'll have the confidence to soar." I step aside for Ariel to get to Michael and he places his hands on Michael's cheeks as well, "thank you for your spirited participation, Michael. You have given us a lot of consider," with a wave of his hand Ariel relights the fireplace.

I smile up to Michael, if nothing more than a teacher watching their student succeed and try to be better than they think they are, but I can feel John Henry's eyes on me. When I turn to him, he is glaring at Michael and I.