Page 180 of Evil Hearts

“Thank you,” I show my gratitude.

Meeting the woman’s gaze with a smile.

“I hate card travel. It’s such an unbalanced way to move about.”

“I agree. My name is Lila Evans, and I am here for a three o’clock exam.”

“Yes, Lila. Right on time. Perfect. My name is Wendy and I will proctor your exam today. We will start with potions since you are most adept at it according to your last exams. Then we will move on to charms, hexes and spells, and then last, we will do some transfiguration.”

“I appreciate your time.”

“Of course. Ready to get started?”

I nod and wipe my sweaty hands on my dress. My nerves are getting the better of me. I can’t believe I’m doing this again. Wendy leads me over to the table where potion ingredients anda cauldron are set up. Potions is my best subject so I don’t worry too much about this one.

Each time someone takes a test, it changes. The subjects and the material in which is tested are always different. It keeps witches from being able to cheat their way through something.

“Okay. You have twenty minutes to brew a calming potion using the ingredients in front of you. When you are done, let me know. You may begin.”

I grab ingredient after ingredient from the shelves in front of me and place them on the workbench. I use the athame to chop some things and others I drop into the cauldron whole. I stir, add some more things, stir some more, and sniff the potion. This is a potion I make regularly for a few clients back in the city.

It helps with anxiety and such. It’s missing something. I tap my finger on my chin as I study the ingredients before me. Ah, shit. The cinnamon. I grab the jar from the shelf and twist the lid off. I gather a pinch and toss it into the pot. The potion turns a bright yellow. Calming potion is finished.

I stopper the bottle and hand it to Wendy. She holds it up to the light and then hums her approval. Removing the lid, she dips her pinky inside and touches her tongue. She closes her mouth and smacks her lips together. She doesn’t comment, just hands me the bottle and writes something on her little notepad.

“Now on to charms. You did well in this before, but missed some things. So be sure to take your time and really think about it before you do something.”

She leads me toward a room in which there are several work benches. Each one has tools on them with materials I can use. Charms means some type of magical item that does a specific task.

“I want you to make a charm that will attract money. You have twenty minutes. You may begin.”

The woman takes a seat in the single chair in the workroom. Watching me as I move about and study what each bench offers. A charm for money. I need something green for wealth abundance. Add in some cinnamon for positive vibes and wealth. Plus engrave the sigil for wealth on the front of the talisman.

I gather everything I need and get to work on creating the charm of wealth. Working as fast as I can, I use my knowledge I’ve gathered for potions and turn it into a charm that will do exactly what I intend it to do.

When I finish, I hand the charm to Wendy and she holds up the clear resin filled with green specks and cinnamon sprinkled inside. A sigil engraved on the front in gold overlay stands out when she turns it around to study the back of the charm.

She offers the charm back to me and then motions for me to follow her. Down another hallway and into another room. This one is empty of everything except a small mouse in a cage.

“Here, we will see how your hexes and spells are attuned to your unique signature. I want you to hex the mouse with anything you want and then cure it with a spell. Take your time, but you have ten minutes to complete this task. You may begin.”

I step forward toward the cage and sit on the ground beside it. It’s a cute little thing. A simple white mouse. I guess I can hex it to be silent. The simple squeaks are loud in the empty room.

I draw a sigil in the air above the mouse for silence. Focusing my intentions toward the mouse in the simple hex. I wait with my breath held and my body rigid. Will it utter a squeak or will it be silence that comes from its tiny throat?

When the mouse finally chooses to open its mouth, silence greets me and I release the breath I’d been holding. That fucking worked. Oh, thank the goddess.

Now to reverse it. I need a simple reversal spell. Hmm. I’ve got it.

“Hex amove ab hoc mure.”

The words are uttered with a breath of anticipation. Please let the simpleness of this do the job. Being a witch doesn’t mean we have to be bright and flashy all the time. Sometimes the simple things work just as well. Sometimes they work even better.

I wait and wait for what seems like forever. Knowing my time is closing in rapidly, I panic slightly. This is it. I’m going to fail. I should have never tried to take this test again. This is so stupid. I should be able to do this. I’m a witch, damnit.

“Squeak!”

The simple sound is music to my ears. My heart skips several beats, and I thank the mouse silently as I rise and return to Wendy. I did it. I really did it.

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