A gentle afternoon rain pattered atop the roof of Phaenna’s tent and filled the interior with its sussurus. The witch had turned her two arm chairs to face each other for what she had planned and beckoned Drexod to sit. She moved slowly, purposefully around her parlor and lit a few white candles. Charcoal briquettes were set upon a dish filled with sand and lit. Once they glowed a faint red she scattered a few pinches of loose, powdered sandalwood over them and released their warm, sweet, woodsy scent.
Pia hopped upon the nearby coffee table and curled up her bushy, mottled tail while watching Drexod intently. Every few moments the tip of her tail flicked with interest. When Phaenna finally sat in the chair across from him, the cat glanced at her with a “Prrp?”, to which the woman smiled.
“Sì, Pia, lui è,” Phaenna cooed.
Looking to Drexod, she placed her hands on her lap and began. “When I find people who appear to show a great potential for magic, I like to teach them and open them to that world,” she said, “Though we haven’t known each other for long, I sense that potential within you too. You’ve seen things thus far that you may not have seen before: my cursing the German who attacked you, healing you overnight, meeting Mar- the vampire. In only a handful of days you’ve been exposed to more than most people never get to see. I feel that it is best that you understand magic so that you can prepare yourself for that new – or rather, very old level of reality.”
She leaned forward with a serious stare. “Drexod, I want to make it very clear that once you step on this path, you can never step off ever again. Once your eyes are opened you will always see what many think isn’t there. You will become awakened and you will always see a part of the world that many don’t recognize – and if they did recognize it, they would fear it and try to destroy it, including you and me. You will learn about things that can be amazing and you will learn about things that can be deeply unsettling. This will be a new chapter in your life and open up so many possibilities for you, and I want you to understand that if you choose to go down this road – to nurture the natural ability within you – you will not have to walk this road alone, but you can never go back again. With that in mind – do you want me to teach you to use magic, to harness the power within you and in all things?”