The Witchdoctor's Son

Chapter 6

Chapter 6
White Witches

I hold two flowers in my hands. The others are watching me. It's been another week since Blanco showed me the Bloody Scrolls. It's been a week that I've been learning on my own. It's slow going but it's working.

"We've moved on from that lesson," Micko Boss badgers me, "You can't keep disrupting the class with your ---"

"Wait look," Jagger cuts off the instructor, "He's doing it..."

See the thing about blood magic is we can see our ancestors. There were generations that came on before us. And people like me, people like my coven can communicate with those people. They always tried to communicate with me but I wasn't listening in the right way. Once you stop being afraid of the voices you realize these people were like you. They wanted to be remembered. If only by a moment. So you would sacrifice to them. And to honor you they would help you make things happen. There were no limits to sacrificial magic. You got the right ancestor on the right day and you can flood an entire city. Another ancestor might only flood your kitchen sink.

And today I'm talking to a woman. Her name was Raina Bah. She was my great grandmother. She was there with me in the room, promising me in her silent way to give her a sacrifice.

The flower in my left hand begins to whither. It causes the other flower in my right hand to whither as well.

Micko shakes his head, "The purpose of this activity was to make the one flower flourish. Not to kill them both."

"I didn't kill it," I state showing him what became of the flower in my right hand.

It was a seed. How life began. I go outside into the hallway and find a window. I throw the seed out into the courtyard. The others follow me wondering what the hell was going on with me. Even Micko was there studying me with his squared glasses as though looking for any reason to tear me apart.

"Is this supposed to impress us, Mr. Bah?"

"Wait look..." Aviva points out to the others.

Something was happening outside. The seed that I had thrown out on the ground has begun to grow. It whisks and warps like molding dough textured with what looks like bark. And finally, the huge figure settles into its final shape and there was now a tree in the courtyard. A willow tree that appeared out of nowhere shocking a few people who were walking by.

I look behind me and see Blanco. I smile at him hoping he'd smile back but he doesn't. He just stares at me, then stares at the tree outside then turns and walks away.

I owed him. It was Blanco who showed me that room.

"Who taught him this?" Micko Boss losses it at that moment turning to the others, "C'mon. WHO taught him how to do all of this? I made you guys promise not to show him how to do any magic."

I look at Micko, my head spinning from his obvious confession. What is even more surprising is the reaction that the group had. All of them were avoiding eye contact with me as I scan the room looking for answer.

"He told you guys not to teach me magic?" I ask, "And you let him?

No one answered. Everyone acted like I was just there losing my mind or something. There was no way in hell I was letting this go. I find myself walking off at that moment shocked and disappointed with all of them.

~

I don't see them again until lunch when they join me, all sitting down with their trays. The food here was garbage. Most of it was stale. The lightning was awful. Everyone here stared at me like I was some sort of walking bad omen. I wasn't enjoying myself. And now I had to find out that my teacher and my entire coven had been working against me learning magic.