The World Walkers: Raenarin: Leo: Following in the Footsteps
Knocking on the door was the hard part. In order to do something that seemed so simple Leo had to push to one side the belief that the sorceress within would say no. Being a witch would have made everything much simpler in some ways, but you had to be born a witch, and that was something that was entirely down to luck. Of course, then it was a case of dealing with the covens, instead of being under the tutelage of one sorceress, which was both an advantage and a disadvantage. Once someone had learnt how to use the magic of the world there was nobody there to make sure that the sorceress didn’t use it incorrectly. That didn’t mean that there weren’t entire covens who used their power for the wrong things, but there was someone there to make the decisions with. The difference between the two types of magic user was something Leo had been thinking about for a long time.
Going to the sorceress’ door had been easy enough once the choice had been made. Leo had packed up a bag with some clothes and walked to the house everyone knew belonged to the local sorceress. Some people couldn’t even gather up enough courage to do that, especially when they were from a family with such a well known history. Once the knowledge of magic had been passed down from mother to daughter, but then things had happened, and up until the moment Leo had decided it was time to stop being afraid of who some of her ancestors had been no one had chosen to become a sorceress. It was easier not to.
Finally, after a stern reminder of why Leo was stood there, the hand that wasn’t holding anything seemed to lift by itself and knock loudly on the door. Maybe the sorceress would say no, but until it happened there was no way of knowing. Everyone had heard about their family, because the repercussions from the problems they had caused were still being dealt with. There was a chance that what had happened would never be able to be totally dealt with. Leo hadn’t had anything to do with it, as she hadn’t been alive, but that didn’t mean anything.
After a few seconds the door opened and Leo’s eyes met those of a girl much younger than the sorceress was said to be. “Are you Arabella?” Leo asked, guessing the girl was an apprentice.
The girl shook her head as she replied, “I’m Elaine, Arabella’s apprentice. If you want to talk to her then I suggest you come back later, because she’s currently busy with a very difficult potion and won’t be able to talk to anyone for until at least midday.”
Leo sighed. Nothing was going to be easy. Walking away, without talking to Arabella, would be the easiest thing in the world to do. Coming back again would be… well, no one thought any sorceress would take on an apprentice from their family, and leaving felt like giving up.
“Can I wait here?”
Elaine stared at Leo. “Why?”
Stories ran through Leo’s mind, but lying wasn’t a good start. If Elaine told Arabella about them then that was one more reason not to accept another apprentice, especially one from a family with such a dark history, and all Leo wanted was to be given a chance.
“If I go home now I don’t think I’ll be able to come back. My family isn’t going to believe that Arabella is busy with a potion, because they’ll think I came up with a story to save face.” Leo shrugged. “None of them think that any sorceress would sully their reputation by taking on someone from the bloodline I come from.”
People said that Leo looked like the one to change the world and it was possible to see recognition fill Elaine’s eyes. “Oh… oh, wow.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Arabella doesn’t like any strange energies in the cottage when she’s busy working, because they occasionally put her off, and I think you’re definitely someone who could put her off. I can feel the emotions coming off you in waves.” She looked back into the cottage. “Give me a minute to talk to Arabella.”
All Leo could do, as Elaine shut the door, was wait, because giving up wasn’t an option. It could have taken hours and when the door opened again Leo would still be standing there. Staring at the door made it hard not to think about all the reasons Arabella had to say no. There was no reason for her to say yes, as far as Leo could see. When the door opened again Arabella stood within the doorway, smiling.
“I was wondering when I’d see you,” she said, stepping back. “Come in, Leo. We have much to talk about if you seriously want to take this path.”
For a moment all Leo could do was stare at Arabella. “Are you being serious?”
“Yes, I am. Not everyone looks at you and sees Cora. I promise you that her choices will not affect the decision I make, because they were nothing to do with you, but I want this to be the right thing for you. I will not take you on as an apprentice if I don’t believe that you seriously want to become a sorceress and wield a power that it’s possible we should never have taken for ourselves. It is, as you know, dangerous, and bad choices are easy to make.”
Leo nodded. “Arabella, I wouldn’t have even knocked on your door if I didn’t believe I have the ability to make the right choices. I believed you’d say no, because of Cora, but there were sorceresses before her who didn’t make the dangerous decisions she did, and it’s them I want to emulate.”
Arabella ran a hand through her hair. “I understand why Cora made the decision she did. It’s something that I might have done under different circumstances, because until she did it she couldn’t have known what was going to happen. No one could have done.”
Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.