27 Aniyoh

Aniyoh had been hesitant to return Lucian's falcon when she had received it. The vampire always had a motive, and she was unsure if getting involved in another one of his schemes was wise. Still, she needed the coin, and the money she made from her small shop in Montilan was hardly enough to cover the basic necessities.

Still reeling from the spectacle, Caroline had put on in the hall she strolled with the girl through the dining room of Castle Mont. Two large doors plated in beautiful glass saw through to the garden outside. Aniyoh had never cared much for learning about plants and herbs while at the Academy, she was not nearly as impressed as Caroline, who couldn't seem to shut up about the different flowers she saw.

Aniyoh released the younger witches arm and opened the doors leading outside, the pair sat on a neat stone wall nestled under a towering oak tree. Aniyoh had to admit the garden was rather pretty. Neat rows of flowers were clustered in different colored patches spread across a lush green lawn. Someone clearly took excellent care of the area, she thought. The only marring feature was a high brick wall the surrounded the sprawling garden, blocking any view of the town or rolling hills beyond.

The girl kept prattling about the many seedlings surrounding them, pointing out which herbs could be used for different foods of healing. The younger witch was a pretty girl, slender, and petite with an angular face, not unlike her own. Caroline wasn't without charm, but her nativity was almost grating on Aniyoh's nerves. Caroline seemed to be lost. They all looked the same to Aniyoh. Perhaps when they had more time, she would indulge the girl, but for now, they had work to do.

"Caroline, I am going to need you to focus now," she said as gently as she could manage. The girl still looked a bit crestfallen at the request.

"Yes, of course," Caroline replied.

"So, I suppose we should start at the beginning. Tell me what you know about magic." Aniyoh said.

"I don't know anything, really," the girl said sheepishly. "Lucian explained to me how contracts work here, but I never used magic back home. At least, if I did, I didn't know it at the time, and never like I did back in the hall."

"And where is home exactly?" Aniyoh said, raising her eyebrow.

"Ovandale." Caroline almost whispered.

Aniyoh let out a laugh, the sound was full and deep. Caroline just stared as if she were surely wondering if the woman was all there.

"You are joking, right? No one comes from Ovandale if it's even inhabited." She said with a snort. Caroline just looked down sheepishly and gave a small nod. Aniyoh could feel that the girl's words were truthful, but it just seemed so unlikely. "Oh, you're serious." Aniyoh continued looking at the girl feeling slightly embarrassed. "Alright...well, how did you end up here?"

"I was sitting in a tree and fell off. When I landed, I was here," the younger witch said with a shrug.

"Someone sent you through a stitch, difficulty magic. Only a few witches in all of Ibudal can manage the spell." Aniyoh said almost to herself. Caroline's blue eyes peered at her in confusion. "A stitch is a hole created by a witch within the space we occupy. Sending someone through space, or even time is possible but extremely difficult. The amount of onya it requires is extraordinary."

She watched as Caroline nodded in understanding. Did she really not know anything? It was starting to become clear to Aniyoh that a piece of the puzzle was missing, everything wasn't adding up. "Caroline..." she asked cautiously, taking one of the girl's hands into her own. "Do you know who could have opened the stitch?"

"I believe it was Nim, my grandmother. No one else was on the farm with us and would have had reason to send me away." Caroline replied. Aniyoh could feel the intense hurt, not just in Caroline's words but also through her hand. The older witch had a gift for exploring the emotions of others, mainly if physical contact was maintained.

She could tell Caroline was feeling a mix of hurt, betrayal, and confusion as well as equally strong feelings of love and respect. No wonder the girl almost burned down Castle Mont earlier, she was at war with herself.

"I see," she told Caroline. Aniyoh knew what she was about to say to the girl next might amplify that pain but ultimately decided that the girl needed understanding more than anything right now. She could deal with the emotional aftermath later. "Caroline, I think your grandmother was muting you. Your grandmother raised you, yes?"

"Y-yes," Caroline stammered. "How did you know that? Did Lucian tell you? And what is muting?" the younger witch fired off the questions in rapid succession.

Aniyoh kept hold of Caroline's hand, sensing the confusion within her deepen. She was stable though, so the older witch continued, "Muting is the purposeful dampening of another witch's powers. It's only really effective in childhood, you can't mute a mature witch. Unless you've been doing it to her since childhood. If they've only been using a small amount of onya for so long, they stop realizing they are even using it. The practice is generally very frowned upon here, only used in...extreme circumstances. I am sorry."

The girl withdrew her hand from Aniyoh's and wrapped her arms around herself. Aniyoh did not need contact with her to know the feelings of betrayal had increased ten-fold. She could feel it radiating from Caroline like heat from a fever.

"Why would Nim do that to me?" she whispered, drawing her knees to her chest. Swaths of blue fabric cascaded around her. It was almost as if she were trying to build a wall of cloth around her. Aniyoh watched as the girl rubbed a delicate hand absently over the intricate blue tattoo on her neck. If only the girl knew that was a habit held by most witches in Ibudal.

"I can't speak for your grandmother, Caroline, but I suspect that she was trying to protect you. She must have known, must have felt, how much power you had within you. I do not doubt your grandmother had her reasons." Aniyoh told her, explaining as best she could. She could sense Caroline's intense melancholy wane.

"Thank you for that, Aniyoh," Caroline replied gratefully. The pair sat in contemplative silence for a few moments. Aniyoh wanted to give the girl a few moments to sort through her feelings, and Aniyoh herself was still processing the why's behind Caroline being sent here. Ovandale must be in grave danger if her grandmother thought sending Caroline to a place where witches were virtually enslaved would be the safer choice.

"Aniyoh?" Caroline finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Hm?"

"What is onya?" the younger witch asked softly, her cheeks burning a pale pink in embarrassment at her lack of knowledge.

Caroline really did know nothing about her powers, Aniyoh thought. She didn't blame the girl for being angry at her grandmother in part. The woman had kept a whole piece of her granddaughter from herself. Regardless of the reasons, it was still a nasty thing to do to someone for so long. It also created a world of work for Aniyoh.

Aniyoh let out a small sigh, her black curls swaying in the breeze. "Onya is the power that fuels all witch's spells, it is an energy that surrounds us all of the time. We pull the onya into ourselves, reform it to our will, and then release it back into the world as a spell. Does that make sense?" Caroline nodded eagerly. Aniyoh could tell she was hanging on her every word.

"Good," Aniyoh continued, "Now sit up straight and close your eyes." Aniyoh watched as the girl did as she was told. This exercise was done with students ten years younger than Caroline. It was ironic, she thought, that the most powerful witch in probably the whole world was sitting in front of her being trained as a child. Somehow Aniyoh wasn't surprised. She always seemed to find herself in the most unlikely situations when Lucian was involved.

"Now focus your breathing. Take in long, easy breaths and feel your heartbeat slow." Aniyoh continued guiding the girl, "Imagine there is a deep well that lies within your chest, but it has no water. The well is dry. Now, listen to the breeze in the trees and let it fill your well. Feel the ground beneath your feet and let it fill your well..."

Aniyoh watches as Caroline did as instructed. She could feel the onya in the air around them being pulled into Caroline, it was the strongest pull she had ever felt. Most witches could sense how much onya another witch could hold and occasionally feel when a witch was pulling onya into herself. It was a helpful warning but primarily used now for status and prestige. The bigger the pull a witch had, the more leverage they would maintain in councils or negotiating a contract. The pull was typically small, though, only a slight shift in the surrounding energy.

What Caroline was doing was so palpable Aniyoh wasn't sure if humans couldn't feel too should they be near. She briefly wondered if they should continue the exercise but decided to proceed, Aniyoh needed to know what the girl was capable of.

"Now think of the sea, it's waves crashing into each other, and the salt sprays on your face and let it fill you well. Last, remember the stars, burning bright in the night sky. Let them fill your well." Aniyoh finished.

She stared at Caroline in open awe. The girl sitting before her was...glowing. Her pale skin was iridescent, even in the daylight. In all her years of teaching at the Academy, she had never seen anything like it. Caroline still sat with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression across her delicate features.

"Open your eyes, Caroline, slowly," Aniyoh told her, and the younger witch complied. Aniyoh tried to keep her expression reassuring and calm. "You are doing very well. I know it feels like you're about to burst, and that is normal. Try and let some of the onya drain out slowly, leaving some inside, though."

Caroline nodded and closed her eyes again. Aniyoh could feel the onya begin to release back into the space around them slowly. Suddenly a dull whoosh permeated the air, and Aniyoh felt lifted from her seat and sent sprawling backward onto her rear end in the garden grass from Caroline's release.

She watched as the younger witch opened her eyes slowly, finally finding her teacher splayed out on the ground. "Oh, Aniyoh! I'm so sorry!" Caroline called out, reaching down to help her up.

Aniyoh accepted the girl's hand while brushing wild curls from her face as she stood. "A little too fast with your release. It's okay, you'll get better with practice," she said.

"Did I do it correctly?" Caroline asked nervously as Aniyoh brushed the grass from the hem of her red silk dress.

Aniyoh nodded, "Yes, you did well, Caroline...for the most part. I have honestly never seen anything like it all my years at the Academy."

"Is that good or bad?" Caroline asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Aniyoha replied with a laugh. "But I suspect we will find out."

The two resumed their seats on the neat stone wall, the mood was lighter. "How long did you teach at the Academy for? You don't look much older than me." Caroline asked.

Aniyoh thought it was a funny question to ask but answered, "I taught there for twenty-two years. Twenty-two years too long." she said, unable to hide the disdain from her voice. Aniyoh could feel the confusion radiating from Caroline again. Surely her grandmother must have told her, she thought, but now that seemed less and less likely.

"But..you don't look any older than twenty-two..." Aniyoh watched painfully as realization started to unfold over the girl's face. "Aniyoh, how old are you?"

"I'm sixty-seven, Caroline. Did...did no one tell you we age slower than humans?" Aniyoh asked.