But her dark side, the part of her she fought to suppress since childhood, bubbled up now and then, and resented that recognition was tied to the group instead of her individual assets. She felt that her own talents far exceeded the others. They held her back from achieving singular notoriety. As Amira her private time was spent exerting her magical skills upon the staff of the temple, forcing them to do her bidding through mere force of will. She practiced the dark arts, including spells that would negatively affect the mind and physical body of her target. Qadir taught these incantations to her after he had been denied the opportunity to become a high priest of the temple because of his wicked tendencies.
Victoria remembered thinking that the other three Witches seemed so content. They
