28 Caroline

"Of course, no one told me how long witches live. No one told me I am a witch until three days ago!" Caroline said, her voice coming out more shrill than she had intended. Now that she was aware of it, she could feel the well within herself begin to fill again.

She could sense onya pulling into her from the ground and the air. The younger witch took deep breaths attempting to calm her already frayed nerves. She was able to stem the flow and release some of the magic back into the surrounding space, this time without knocking over her teacher.

She watched as Aniyoh's look of dread quickly melted into a relieved expression. The older witch swiped a few errant curls back from her forehead. "That was very well done, Cari. It usually takes much longer to control the flow of onya."

"No one calls me Cari," Caroline told the woman.

"I call you Cari. Caroline is too long." Aniyoh snipped back, leaving no room for argument. Caroline could not help but let out another bell-like giggle. Aniyoh was firm and sarcastic, friendly, but direct. She felt the bonds of friendship quickly entwine the two, happy to have found a kindred spirit in so short a time. While her feelings for Ender felt fiery and confusing, Aniyoh managed to be a welcome calm in the storm of Caroline's emotions. She was grateful to have Aniyoh here now. For how much longer she was unsure.

"Lucian says we will be leaving soon. I'm not sure when. Will you be coming with us, too?" she asked Aniyoh. The woman stared at her for a moment before answering.

"I do not know. We shall see how far you get in your training and decide when the time comes, I'm sure."

The pair continued Caroline's lessons through the rest of the morning, stopping only for a quick lunch provided by Mara and then proceeded to work well into the afternoon. The garden was an ideal place for her to study, her kinship with the trees and greenery surrounding them allowed Caroline to remain calm when she needed to, it was where she felt most at home; under an open sky.

Aniyoh guided her through different exercises explaining that witches typically were stronger in working with one of the four elements: earth, air, fire or starlight, and water. The older witch told her that it wasn't so much a witch held more power in the element, rather they were able to draw more onya from that source and then refocus their magic again through that element in the form of a spell. Most would show aptitude in only one of the four areas. Occasionally a witch would be fluent in two.

"Which one are you strongest in?" Caroline had asked her while sitting under the towering oak tree as the afternoon sun filtered through the leaves.

"I am attuned to water and fire," Aniyoh told her simply. "The combination of the two is rare and allows me to sense the emotions of others. Fire and water work within the body, heat, and moisture, love, and hate. I can perceive what a person is feeling. Works best with other witches and vampires are by far harder to read, but I can usually glean something from them."

Caroline hesitated to ask the first question that popped into her mind, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. Aniyoh glanced down at Caroline's hands. She was subconsciously rubbing at the tattoo again.

"The vampire cares for you, Cari, if that is what you are wringing your hands about," she said with a huff.

Caroline could feel her cheeks reddening again, noting that she had never blushed as much in her entire life as she had in the last three days. The younger witch silently cursed to herself for being so easily embarrassed. "Which one?" she asked sheepishly.

Aniyoh let out another one of her barking laughs, startling the birds chirping above them into flapping away noisily. Caroline couldn't help but break a small smile, Aniyoh's laugh was genuine and infectious. "Clever girl!" she said through her mirth, once calmed she asked without answering the question, "What is going on between you and Ender anyway?"

Caroline was sure Aniyoh must already know the answer if she could sense people's feelings but answered as best she could anyway, "I don't know, I have only been here a few days. Everything has happened so quickly. I guess I am still working through all these new emotions."

"Well, that was vague," Aniyoh said with an exaggerated eye roll. "But makes sense, I suppose. Just be careful, I've known the Monts a long time, and getting involved with them can be...messy," she said after a pause.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked. She had gathered as much from her brief interactions with them but yearned to know more.

"Lucian probably came out of the womb and swindled the midwife on his way out, and Ender...well Ender has been fighting in battles and killing men for the last two hundred years. He doesn't know anything beyond death and destruction. Between the two of them, they've kept this land secure and made a fortune in the process."

"I see," Caroline replied, "Did you say Ender is two hundred-"

"And that is enough gossip for one afternoon!" Aniyoh interjected, "Back to work with you now."

Caroline acquiesced, she could tell Aniyoh was not going to elaborate any further on the vampires living within the castle walls. The older witch ran Caroline through a series of tests for the remainder of their time, testing which elements Caroline might be most attuned with. She explained that with not knowing how long they might be able to practice together, it would be best to focus on her strengths and go from there.

After a series of instructions involving Caroline focusing on each of the four elements and then pushing the onya back out again, Aniyoh finally told her she could stop for the afternoon. Caroline was exhausted as she was on her first night in the castle. She felt as if every bit of life had drained out of her. Longing for her bed, she asked Aniyoh if the feeling was normal.

"It is," the witch told her while taking her elbow and helping Caroline to a standing position. She rubbed a hand to her forehead, hoping to get the fog in her brain to clear. "When you use enough onya, after a time, it fatigues the body. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't drop hours ago."

"Can you tell which element I'm strongest in?" Caroline asked weakly.

"It's called your prime element, Cari, and yes, I did," Aniyoh told her while helping her through the plated glass door leading back into the dining room.

"Well?" Caroline pleaded.

"It's all of them. You do not have a prime. You can wield all four equally." Aniyoh said. As weary as Caroline was, she did not miss the awe in the older witch's voice as she spoke. Caroline did not know what to make of the information entirely; all she could think of was falling into a deep sleep.

"What's wrong with Caroline?"

The younger witch perked up a bit at the sound of Ender's voice. He sounded both angry and worried after seeing them enter. Aniyoh waved the vampire away as she continued to help Caroline into the great hall. "Easy big guy, she's just tired. Her energy will recover within the next couple of hours."

Ender nodded, "I understand. Thank you, Aniyoh. I will take her from here." he told them. Before Caroline could let out a meek protest, she felt her feet lifted from the ground for the second time that day.

"Suit yourself," Aniyoh said, raising her hands in mock defeat. "Rest well, Cari. You did well today," she said as her full lips spread into a small grin.

Caroline smiled to herself as Aniyoh's kind words in her soothing low tone floated behind her. Ender carried her gently up the stairs as if she were a child. Caroline was too tired to care and was truthfully grateful she didn't have to trudge up the many stairs to her room.

"Cari?" Ender asked her with a smirk as they rounded the banister and started down the long hallway to her room.

"Aniyoh said Caroline is too long," she mumbled into the vampire's chest. Ender said nothing but could feel a low chuckle emanate from him as he walked. Using his foot to nudge open her door, they entered the room. After a brief pause, Caroline assumed Ender was observing her piles of books stacked about the pace. He carefully placed her tiny frame on top of the bed.

Caroline lay on her side, facing the door. She watched as Ender made his way wordlessly toward the exit. "Thank you, Ender," she said quietly from the bed.

"It is no matter, brundah," he replied in the now-familiar accent without turning around.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked.

The vampire turned to face her, his muscular build blocking almost the entire doorway. In the light of the setting sun, she could see gold highlighted in the red ringlets that hung close to his chiseled jaw. "Aye, what would you like to know?"

"Is it challenging, living as long as you do?" she asked. Even in her tired state, she could not shake the thought of having an extended life span and what that meant for her now.

"At times, yes, it is very difficult," he told her in the same stony demeanor she had become accustomed to.

"Oh," she said, a bit crestfallen.

She observed as his features softened slightly before continuing, "When you have lived as long as I, you come to learn that there is great darkness in this world and in the hearts of men and vampires alike. There is also light and beauty to found, sometimes it even comes falling from the sky and throws a knife at you."

Caroline felt her heart thump against her ribs but could not help the smile that stretched across her mouth before turning into a wide yawn. Ender turned back to the door, but before she could stop herself the words tumbled out,

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" she asked. Caroline was grateful that the room was dimming, hiding the violent blush. She didn't care that she was sleeping in her dress or hadn't brushed her hair. Too fatigued from her use of magic earlier, getting undressed from the massive gown seemed an impossible task.

She noticed how lithely the vampire moved for someone of his stature. He seated himself in the armchair in front of the empty fireplace, leaning back awkwardly as if he was not accustomed to relaxing.

Ender's crimson eyes did not leave hers as he spoke, "Aye brundah. I will stay. Rest now."

Caroline felt her eyelids grow heavy, and before long, she drifted into a dreamless sleep.