The Devil's Cursed Witch

"Why do you have such an expression, child?"

"I-I..."

"Were you scared?"

Ember looked down as she nervously chewed on her lips.

"It's nothing to be scared about."

"But the butterflies..."

"No one expects perfection on their first try," Leeora explained. "Even elves, who are born with a strong affinity for nature, have difficulty using magic when we are young. Some of the weaker elves won't even be able to control the magic in their cores, and when they try to use magic for the first time, incidents like yours happen." Leeora tried to comfort her. "Everyone has to go through it including me."

"You too, Elder?"

"Of course."

"But you are not a weak elf. Since you are a High Elder, aren't you very strong?" Ember asked.

"Hmm, I guess I misspoke. It would be more appropriate to say my young body was comparably weak compared to my strong magic reserves, that was why when I first tried magic, I couldn't control it," Leeora explained, only to make a young human girl curious that before.

"And what happened?"

Finally, there was a change in Ember's solemn expression as she heard Leeora continue.

"I do not remember much, but according to my parents, I was a toddler back then when they gifted me a seed and I played with it by injecting magic. The seed suddenly grew into a large tree that destroyed our house. The more I panicked, the bigger the tree grew, and it only stopped after I passed out."

Ember gaped as she saw the embarrassed face of the elf who began waving her hand around.

"Anyway, enough about my story. Sire will get a teacher for you, and soon will learn how to use your powers," Leeora said though Draven and her had not talked about it yet. She was sure this is what Draven would do. "Even if such an incident happens again, you don't have to be scared. If you want to learn magic, you should be ready for it. Understood?"

Ember nodded.

"There are so many things you need to understand about yourself and I am sure you will have more opportunities once you learn to control your powers."

Hearing the word 'powers', Ember felt nervous. "It was fire...Can I not use other powers? Fire is scary."

Ember had many bad memories related to fire. Even now, she's still having nightmares about the mountain fire where she almost died.

Leeora smiled softly. "Fire in itself is innocent, Ember. Fire gives you warmth on a cold day, and fire gives you light at night. It's used for cooking, craftsmanship, weaponsmithing and treatment, among other things people need in their daily lives. It only becomes a source of danger when you can't control it or you use it to purposely harm another."

Hearing those words, the human girl looked at her hands, remembering how her power tingled from her fingertips earlier. She could still not get out the image of the butterflies turning to ashes from her mind.

The elf also looked at those small pale hands. "I heard Morph had shown you how he can control the wind. He had been practicing that spell for a long time, that's why he can call forth his skill without effort. Say, if one calls forth a strong wind but cannot control it in the right way, do you know what that wind can cause? That wind can grow into a storm or a tornado and cause destruction, uprooting the trees and destroying part of the palace, inevitably hurting the people nearby.

"So, is wind scary? Did you feel it was scary when Morph showed magic to you?"

Ember shook her head. "It was not scary at all."

"It's because Morph is skilled in controlling it. Remember, Ember, that fire is your talent. It is part of you. Rejecting it is rejecting yourself. Once you accept that the fire is part of you, you won't find it scary anymore. All you need is to put in hard work."

Seeing Ember nod, Leeora gently held one of her hands. "Other than the destructive side of fire, you can think about the helpful uses of fire."

Just then, they heard a knock and Clio brought freshly-brewed tea and loaves of bread that seemed to have been baked.

"See, this tasty food we can enjoy thanks to the presence of fire. Don't you think so?"

Ember understood. "I will do my best to learn how to control my power."

Leeora offered her a pleased smile, content that she was able to accomplish what she came here for. "I know you can do it."

"Thank you for believing in me, Elder."

Once again, someone entered the bedchamber and it was Reya. She was carrying something in her hand. It was a large cage with a dome-shaped top and delicate frame made out white wood, and there was a little bird inside it hopping around among the arrangements inside.

The elf placed the cage on the table as she admired it before turning to her master.

"Miss Ember, His Majesty has sent this for you," Reya said, smiling happily.

"That bird--" Ember almost jumped as she recognized the small white cockatiel.

"A gift from His Majesty?" Clio asked excitedly.

"Yes!" Reya replied as she used her finger to poke around, teasing the bird.

Leeora was also surprised to hear that Draven had given Ember a present.

"That bird seems familiar," Leeora said. "I think I've seen her a couple of times."

Clio smiled. "Her name is Ray, Elder. She is a naughty bird who keeps troubling everyone in the palace. Her master works in the palace so she follows her here every day. All the servants here also give her treats from time to time, so you must have seen us playing with her."

Ember's mood brightened as she approached the bird together with the High Elder. "This bird is someone's pet? Then why did His Majesty send her here? Won't her master complain?"

Leeora chuckled at the obvious worry on the human girl's face. "I am sure her master does not have any issue if she stays with you."

"Is that so?"

"Hmm."

As Ember observed the bird, she seemed to have recognised her as the lady who was trying to chase her. "Did you recognise me? You are so beautiful, Ray."

The bird gave her a singsong-like chirp.

Of course, the three elves in the room could understand what that chirp meant. Leeora raised a brow. "Naughty one, you should behave better and not trouble your new master. Understood?"

The bird immediately nodded her small head, understanding what Leeora said.

Their interaction surprised Ember. "Can she understand our language?"

Reya continued to tease the bird by tapping the cage. "Of course, Miss! Our Ray is very smart! Aren't you a smart little cockatiel? Ray can even speak a few words. You can try to teach her a word and she will repeat them back to you."

"Really?" Ember looked at the bird. "My name is Ember. Your new master. I hope you can say my name."

The bird let out an adorable chirp.

"Em-ber," Ember repeated, emphasizing her pronunciation. "Em-ber."

Leeora let out a warning cough when Ray merely let out another chirp. The bird froze for a moment before immediately saying, "Ember!" It was a cute lilting voice and Ember laughed a little, realizing that the naughty bird was simply playing with her.

"She's really naughty," Reya said as she shook her head.

Ember merely smiled when she heard the bird let out a few chirps that sounded like she's complaining. "Thank you, Ray. I hope you will like it here with me."

"How about we keep this cage in one of the windows?" Reya asked to which Ember nodded.

It was a huge chamber with five large windows with wide window sills where one could put pots or even sit on them. All of them were empty at this moment, and it was a good suggestion to keep the cage in one window.

Ember observed something as the elf carried the cage. "Why is the door of the cage open? I mean, there is nothing to close it?"

Clio answered it this time. "Miss, birds are also children of the world like us. Though we treat animals as pets, you can say that they are friends and companions to our kind. We will not force them inside a cage like a prisoner; they are free to go anywhere. This cage, think of it as Ray's small home where she can return and stay when she's tired."

"Like it's her bedchamber?"

"Yes, Miss. That's a good way to put it."

Ember let out a soft smile. "That's really good. I won't stop her from going anywhere."

The two servants settled the cage in the window with the best view as they teased the bird with their fingers.

"His Majesty is so thoughtful to send such a gift for Miss."

"His Majesty knows what Miss likes."

While they chatted idly, Leeora glanced at the blushing face of the young human girl standing beside her.

Ember touched her cheeks and they felt warm.

'His Majesty knew I was trying to catch this bird. That is why he sent it to me,' Ember concluded. 'I thought I angered him, but he's being really kind to me. Since he gave me something I like, it's proper I give him something too...but I have no idea what he likes.'

Leeora could not help but smile at her. 'Slow but a satisfactory change.'

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Name of the bird Ray is dedicated to reader RMehrotra.