“Mama?” I whispered. I didn’t want to disturb her, but at the same time, I really wanted to see all that was inside her workroom.
Should I enter or knock on the door? Why didn’t she close the door? I made up my mind to stay out of trouble, so I turned to walk away. The door swung open wider.
My face flushed with warmth and I shoved my hands behind my back. “I-I didn’t see anything. I didn’t touch anything. I thought I heard a noise and the door was—”
“Ikelia. You’re awake. Come in.”
Come in?
I blinked and waited. I wasn’t sure I’d heard her right.
“You told me never to go in your workroom.” I kicked myself for reminding her. I had asked many times, even begged to see her workspace, but she had said she would show me when it was time.
I would have understood if she had said, “when you turn eight,” or something more specific. But I sure didn’t understand what she meant by “when it was time.” So I assumed it was time.
“Is it because I had that dream? Do you know about it?” I didn’t think two people could have the same dream, but it had seemed like she was there.
“What dream?”
She sounded mad, but she waited to listen.
I folded my hands, recalling how scared I had been. “I’ve had it many times before. It’s so scary, Mama. These black mists come out of the ground and then it turns into one monster. It chokes me and I can’t breathe. It tells me it’s coming for me. And it called me a little witch. What’s a witch?”
Mother’s face paled, and she looked as scared as me.
“Come inside, Ikelia. You should wear more clothes. It’s chilly.”
Chilly? I wasn’t cold even though I wore a thin nightdress.
When I took a step, she closed the door and locked it. I walked about and inhaled the sweet scent. No wonder Mother smelled like spring and herbs. Flowers, crystals, and spices filled the room.
The overpowering scent made my nose scrunch with a repressed sneeze, so I moved away from the bookcase and a cabinet that filled one side of the wall. When I backed away, I almost bumped into a large, rectangular wood table set in the middle of the room with four chairs.
On top of a small table at the back were bowls, grinding tools, books, and some small chests. I imagined pretty, sparkling jewelry inside the chests. Diamonds, pearls, rubies, emeralds, and precious gemstones I’d seen rich women wear at the town gatherings.
I had expected her room to be filled with beautiful things, like elegant dresses and beaded combs and hair clips. Other days I’d imagined magical things to be locked in here, like talking animals or things flying about. I’d unreasonably expected astounding things, and the reality was disappointing.
“I have things to tell you.” Mom stroked her dark, braided hair, a habit when she felt nervous. “I hoped I could wait until you were older, but those dreams mean they’re coming.”
“Who’s coming?”
Mother knelt before me and gripped my shoulders. Her eyes leveled with mine. “Tell me what they said. Don’t leave anything out.”
I trembled in her grip. She frightened me. Worse, she didn’t tell me it was just a nightmare or comfort me like when I fell and scraped my knee. I knew it must be important, but fear made me obstinate.
I stomped my foot. “I already told you. And it called me a witch. What’s a witch?”
Mother frowned and narrowed her eyes at me. “This is no time to be cross and stubborn, but I’ll explain everything.” She rose and went to the table.
Pretty crystals of all colors and shapes were lined up neatly on the right. Some were shiny while others were dull.
“Mama, what’s that?” I knew what they were, but they must be more important than pretty bits of rock. When I reached for a purple one, Mother snatched my hand back, then lowered it carefully to my side.
“Don’t touch them, sweetheart. Not yet. Let me explain first.”
When I nodded, she continued.
“Some people use the term witch, but I like to use the term Elementa. One who specializes in Elemental magic. Wind. Fire. Water. Ice. And there are more, but I’ll make it simple. I know this is hard to take in but just in case…” She paused a moment. “I have to tell you now. I am an Elementa.”
Just in case meant something bad might happen, and did my mother confess she had magic?
“Mama? You are…” I swallowed.
Mother nodded, holding my hand. Her smile told me not to be afraid. That she was still my mom.
I scratched the back of my head. “So does that mean I’m a witch too, like my dream said? And Papa?” As thoughts began circulating in my mind, many more questions swam to the surface. Most importantly… “What’s magic? I mean, I know what it is, but how does it work?”
I had never seen mother perform magic so I had no idea what sort of thing she could do. At the fair, a magician had made a coin disappear and reappear. And then he showed us card tricks that made me laugh and cheer. Mother called that fake magic and showed me how he had done the trick, so real magic must be amazing.
Mother beamed a smile. “First, sit down. I have much to tell you.”
I eagerly sat on the chair Father had built with wood by the long table and waited. Mother grabbed a crystal from a pile, about the size of my pinky finger. It was black and very pretty.
“This one is called tourmaline. It’s a protective stone that repels and blocks negative energy, but if the opposite energy is stronger, it won’t work. But it will feel hot when an evil being is near. Only Elementum know how to use the crystals. Here, I want you to always have it with you. You can put it here.” Mother carefully tucked it inside the pocket of my dress.
“Thank you, Mama.” I rubbed the cool, smooth crystal between my fingers, loving how slick it felt gliding over my skin.
Mother leaned against the table and picked up another crystal. “This is called a rose quartz. It’s considered a powerful healing stone.”
“Healing? How does it work?”
Mother considered me for a moment, grabbed a dagger from the smaller table, and then cut a small slit on her palm. Blood trickled inside a bowl under her hand.
“Mama,” I shrieked.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m fine. Now watch carefully.”
Mother said words I couldn’t understand, blew on the crystal, and held it against her wounded hand. A soft glow of red illuminated her fist. When she uncurled her fingers, there was no cut.
I gasped and clapped my hands. “Wow, Mama. Your magic is amazing. Better than the magician. What about the other stones?” There were blue, purple, red, and many more.
“I’ll explain later, but two is enough for today. I have important things to take care of.”
My nostrils flared. I wanted to know now. “But what about fire, water, and the other things you said.”
“For another day.”
“What about Papa?” I pointed to the door as if he were there.
Mother kneeled before me again. “Sweetheart. You can’t tell anyone what I told you today, okay?”
“What about Papa?” My voice came a bit louder.
“No, not even Papa.”
“Is he an Elementa?”
Mother placed her hands on my shoulders and met my gaze tenderly to calm me. “You don’t need to know. Just know that I am and you are too. I will teach you very soon.”