Corruption

The walk with the Guardian is silent except for the sounds of our footsteps on the sidewalk. He leads me back into the main building, and I follow inside and down the hall. He stops at a charcoal door with a gold plaque reading “HEADMISTRESS” and knocks. I stand and fiddle with my hands, nervous. Through the door I hear a faint and feminine “come in”, and the tattooed man opens the door for me. I step inside and look around.

The interior vaguely appears to be an office. The walls are painted a dark gray, almost black, with pictures and paintings hung decoratively. To my right is a violet colored couch with white pillows, and to my left is a rectangular wooden table, pressed into the corner, with three chairs. In front of me is a mahogany desk, finished with a dark gloss, with two comfortable-looking chairs in front of and facing it. Behind it, in a high-backed chair, is a gorgeous woman with a smooth cascade of curly, fiery-red hair. Her eyes are a light green, the color of fresh moss, and when she looks at me I can easily see the light of a smile in them. Behind her on the wall is a golden cross, with sharp ends that remind me of double-edged swords. Where the golden pieces intersect there’s a violet gem, in the shape of a circle, and it has a border of a black rock-type material. The tips of the cross are silver, but as the light catches the surface it flashes subtle rainbow hues of color.

“Hello, Aradia Hollow,” the woman says, smiling at me kindly. “I am Lucinda Fall, your teacher, protector, and headmistress.”

“Hi,” I say, utterly overwhelmed.

“Please, take a seat,” she says, gesturing toward the chairs in front of her desk. I sit.

“Now, I wanted to meet you myself, as it is your first day here. I’m sorry I had to pull you away from your new found friends, and that Xavier, my Guardian, was probably intimidating,” she says, lacing her fingers together over the top of her desk.

“Yeah,” I say, trying to relax. “If you don’t mind me asking, but what’s that cross on the wall?”

“That is the Elemental Cross. The gem in the center represents the spirit of everything, and the onyx ring around it represents a force of protection. Each prong of the cross represents an element, and the reflective tips show that everything in this world is different and unique,” she says proudly.

“I thought the cross was a sign of Christianity?” I say.

“It was adopted from ancient Wiccans, just as many other things have been throughout the ages,” she says. “You’ll learn a lot of similar things in your classes, do you have you schedule?”

I nod and reach into my bag, pulling out the schedule. I unfold it and read:



As I reach the bottom I feel my stomach clench. Combat training? I have to fight people?

“Do you have any questions?” Headmistress Lucinda asks me.

“What’s ‘Control’?” I ask, pointing to it.

“It is where you will learn to control your powers,” Lucinda says patiently. “A member of the Elder Coven will assess you in a week from today, and your classes will be the Sunday after.”

“We have school on Sunday?” I ask.

“Not normally, but no matter the day of the week, school must begin on the day of an equinox,” she explains.

“Okay,” I say, processing. “What do you mean by ‘assess’?”

“A rare but useful power known as Detection allows the wielder to sense the powers of another witch. Justine LeMark is a gifted member of our Elder Coven, and she holds this power. She will use it to determine what level of Control you will need to learn your abilities safely.”

I nod, beginning to understand. “What’s Combat Training?”

“Our Guardians will teach you non-magical self defense. If you are ever attacked during a time where you have no magic, and your Guardian is not nearby, you will be able to protect yourself,” she says.

“When would I not have magic?” I ask.

“During any eclipse our powers weaken, but the short time when the moon completely covers the sun, or vise versa, our magic runs dry. Also, a new moon weakens us, and at exactly midnight of a new moon night we may not wield magic until the sun rises on that morning.” Seeing my confused expression, Headmistress Lucinda continues. “Our time without magic keeps the world in balance, and reminds witches that our powers are a gift and that we must cherish them.”

“That’s amazing,” I say.

She smiles. “Do you have any further questions?”

“No, ma’am,” I say, folding my schedule and sliding it into my purse.

“Alright, you may leave. If you have any questions later on feel free to visit me, but keep in mind that this school is large and I must lead it.”

I nod, understanding that her free time is scarce. I stand up and leave, feeling frightened and excited all at once.



“Headmistress Lucinda is great, but her Guardian seriously scares me,” Lilly says.

We’re sitting in our room, Lilly sprawled out on her bed, me leaning against my headboard with my legs crossed.

“She seems really nice,” I say.

“Well yeah, she’s an empath,” Lilly says.

“You mean she’s empathetic?” I ask, confused.

Lilly rolls her eyes. “No, she has the power of empathy. She can read emotions, and alter them as well.”

“That’s seriously cool,” I say, smiling.

“So you’re being assessed Friday?” Lilly asks.

“Yeah, I’m kind of nervous,” I say, biting my lip.

“Don’t be, you’ll be fine.”

We continue to lounge, me reading a book and Lilly reading fan-fiction with her iPad. After a while a knock sounds on the door, and I look at Lilly with an obvious question mark on my face. She shrugs, so I get up to answer it. I open the door and a Guardian-in-training stands before me. I recognize him immediately.

“Hey, Dante, right?” I say, leaning against the doorframe.

“Yep,” he says. “I know it’s your first day, but master Xavier wants to get it out of the way. Your Guardian Ceremony is starting in a half hour, so you gotta come with me.”

“Guardian Ceremony?” I ask.

“I’ll explain on the way,” he says.

I move back into the room, grab my bag, and then follow him out. We ascend the spiral staircase and make our way outside, where I follow him to the Elemental Temple. As we walk, Dante explains.

“A Guardian Ceremony is where you’re appointed a Guardian, who will still be in training. If you want to leave campus he has to go with you, and he’ll be your sparring partner in Combat Training,” Dante says, gesturing as he talks.

“That’s...interesting,” I say. Today is so goddamn confusing.

“Yeah, I guess,” Dante says, shrugging. “Whoever he is will be your Guardian until death, but you get to choose. It’ll be more thoroughly explained during the ceremony.”

By now we’ve reached the entrance the Temple, and Dante opens the door for me. I guess chivalry is a lesson every Guardian is taught. I step inside and gasp. The walls are black and white marble, and the ceiling is a dome shape, higher than any I’ve seen before, with a mural of beautiful images painted onto it. A gold chandelier hangs from the middle. I tilt my head back and make out the images of a wolf proudly surrounded by fire, a panther resting on a hunk of ice floating in water, a bear standing in the mouth of a cave, and a raven soaring against the wind. I look around and note that the only light source are candles and the small amount of light let in by the small diamond shaped windows, so the room’s dimly lit. The room itself have a dark purple carpet, and where I’m standing is a semi-circle of flooring lower than the rest. Three steps put me onto slightly higher ground, and against the walls are chairs. A group of men stand together in the center, most of them teenagers, and Dante walks ahead of me to join them.

“Hello, Aradia Hollow,” an older man says, walking to the front of the group to address me. “I’m Aiden Graud, and I will be conducting your Guardian Ceremony.”

“Hello, Aiden,” I say, trying to be formal.

“Shall we begin?” he asks.

I nod and step forward. The teenagers line up, facing me. There’s eight of them, including Dante, and two older men stand behind them. Aiden is beside me, holding an open black book with golden pages.

“We stand before apprenticeship, bringing forth the bond of the noble Guardian. You men have pledged to train for the protection and devotion of the Elemental Tribes of the Great Witchcraft, do you pledge once more?” Aiden reads from his book, his voice ringing with power I suspect only a Guardian can wield.

“We pledge for this greater cause,” the teenagers say in unison, looking serious.

“Aradia Hollow, daughter of the Craft, do you accept the companionship of a Guardian, and pledge to the bond of protection and devotion?” Aiden asks me.

“I accept the pledge for this greater cause,” I say, following the lead of the Guardians-in-Training.

Aiden nods. “Step forward, young witch, walk down the line of those who pledge for you and your kind. Allow the ancient magic to aid your choice, and remember your companionship shall remain until the death of you or your Guardian.”

I walk forward to the line, and make my way down it. As I step in front of each guy, I feel a heat in my chest. I walk in front of Dante and feel the heat increase, and I look at him for a moment, but then continue forward. I’m almost to the end of the line when I pause in front of a teenage boy with jet black hair. I turn to look at him, and feel the heat in my chest boil to a scorching strength. I turn to face him, and I feel in my heart the rightness of him as my Guardian. I turn to Aiden and nod once. He nods back and steps forward, while the other Guardians-in-Training step back to make room.

“Tristan Willow, trained under Xavier Ruth, do you accept the choice this witch has made, as well as the hardships you may face?” Aidan asks.

“Yes, sir,” the guy says, his voice gruff.

“Aradia Hollow, do you accept the companionship of this Guardian, and that he will forever walk beside you?” Aiden asks me.

“Yes,” I say, knowing that as a witch I’m superior to Aiden and that calling him sir would be wrong.

“Tristan, do you pledge to your lady your life lest you fall?”

In response Tristan gets down on his left knee, puts his fisted left hand the floor, and his other fisted hand over his heart. “I pledge myself to you, Aradia Hollow.”

I feel myself begin to panic, because this is just bizarre and abnormal and I feel like I’m getting married, but I don’t have time to react.

“Aradia, do you accept his pledge?”

“I accept your pledge, Tristan Willow,” I say, terrified.

Aiden hands me a knife, and as Tristan gets to his feet Aiden hands him a goblet filled with dark red liquid, and from the smell I’m guessing it’s wine. He steps back and Tristan and I stand facing each other.

“Cut my hand across my palm,” he whispers.

“What?” I whisper back.

“It’s ceremonial. No pain before gain, right?” he says, giving me a grin.

I look at him and realize he’s totally hot, and I swallow. I really hope raping your Guardian isn’t against some stupid, fucked up rule or something. I breathe deeply to clear my head, and then reach out for Tristan’s hand. I cut his pain, wincing, and he lets some of his blood flow into the goblet. Then he hands me the goblet and takes the knife, and I realize he has to cut me. I put my hand out, brace myself, and then my blood flows into the goblet as well. He takes it from me, takes a long swig of it, and then hands it back. I look and half the contents is gone, so I tip my head back and drain it.

“From this point onward, Tristan Willow is the Guardian of Aradia Hollow,” Aiden says, closing the book.

“May she trust him fully, and him guard her well.”