The Dragon Shifter's Witch

Waking up the morning of my eighteenth birth looking outside it looked the same as any other day although I knew it wasn't. My eighteenth birthday coincided with the summer solstice marking the day that not only was considered a holy day for the witches but more so for my coven. Every year on summer solstice my coven gathers we combine our magic to cast a spell that is essential to keeping the world oblivious to the existence of the supernatural. To cast that spell every year the coven combines our magic with that of the dragon shifters effectively protecting our world. In order to do so one witch who has come of age since the previous summer solstice is bonded with at least one dragon shifter ensuring that the coven and the dragon’s magic are strong enough to continue to protect our world. As the sun rose in the sky I contemplated leaving the coven taking a car and running away. My mother and every other woman in our coven considered it a sacred duty and the greatest blessing for any witch. I had tried to convince the elders of the coven that since I hadn’t displayed any magical talent that I would never be chosen so I shouldn’t have to attend. Every elder including my own mother shot this idea down. Quoting the rules for the summer solstice gathering that had been set by the witches of our coven centuries ago. Every witch regardless of magic talent that had come of age from our coven must attend and participate in the selection. With a sigh, I nixed the idea of running away knowing that I wouldn’t make it far before my mom and the witches dragged me back kicking and screaming if need be. I stayed in bed all day switching between napping and watching tv hoping that somehow they would forget about me when it came time. At five minutes to nine, this hope was squashed as my mother entered my room midnight blue floor-length dress in hand with instructions to shower and make myself presentable for the ceremony. As she turned to head back down the stairs to finish getting ready she paused. “Ari I know you don’t want to attend, but I wish you would understand there is nothing that I could do. I know you don’t want to go but please do this for me then after this if you are not chosen you can leave the coven if that’s really what you wish. I’ll even pay for whatever college you choose just please do this for me?” When I didn’t bother to reply or even glance in her direction she turned and without another word or even waiting for a reply she turned on her heel and headed down the stairs. Being the head of the coven my mom was held to a higher standard and being her daughter unfortunately for me whether I had the same talent for magic or not I was also held to the same standards. Being the head of the coven wasn’t easy and I knew that while I knew that she loved me she was disappointed that her only daughter didn’t share he affinity for magic. When I was younger we had been close and had done everything together but as I had grown older it became apparent that I was nothing like her. Where my mother lived for hosting parties and being the center of attention I was happier when I was by myself reading a book or watching tv. Then at twelve when most witches come into their power and begin their training my twelfth birthday came and went with no sign that I had an affinity for magic at all. As the years passed with still no sign of any magic at all the distance between us grew and grew until the relationship that we used to have become nothing but a distant memory. Glaring at the dress that was now hung on the back of my bedroom door I heaved myself up forcing my feet forward I headed toward the bathroom to shower and get ready for a miserable night. Two hours later I found myself dressed up in the floor-length blue dress entering into a small crowded room with the twenty or so other girls who were now of age. The room buzzed with excitement as the other girls gossiped and each one hoping to be the witch that would be chosen to bond with one of the dragon shifters. Dragon shifters being the most powerful and respected shifters in our world their precipitation in the ceremony. The bonding of a dragon and a witch making it essential for the continued survival and prosperity of our world. Making my way into the back of the room I tried to blend in wishing more than ever that I could just disappear into the wall. As I moved farther into the room where everyone waited though it had the opposite effect drawing the attention of the other attending witches. Not bothering to meet anyone’s eyes their whispers followed me like a dark shadow lingering over my shoulder. “That’s Mrs. Stacy’s Daughter” “What’s she doing here?” “Why would they allow a dud like her to attend?” “Poor Mrs. Stacy to have a daughter like her no wonder she never lets her attend any gatherings she must be so ashamed.” Their words followed me even after I got to the back of the room both making me angry and sick to my stomach making my already grumpy mood even worse. When they finally came to get us at around 11:30 they brought us outside they started to prepare us and spread everyone out in a circle around the casting circle. As every girl was placed about five feet apart from one another. Just as the last girl found her place in the circle the wind picked up from behind me strong enough that several girls including me were blown forward some stumbling others falling to their knees scuffing up either their knees or the buttons of their fancy dresses. The wind quite as quickly as it started and with a boom, the ground shook behind me looking back I was able to make out the shape of several dragons in the dark just beyond the light of the candles in the circle. As we watched the forms of the dragons in the distance disappeared the night swallowing their forms as they shifted. Silence followed while everyone searched the dark searching for the dragons. When they finally reappeared several minutes later they appeared slowly each one dressed in only a pair of shorts they made their way each one taking their places in our circle two dragons standing in the empty spaces between the witches. Once the last dragon found his place among us the lights in the circle flickered the elders suddenly appearing in the middle of the circle drawing everyone’s attention as they started the spell that would choose the witch and dragon. Bonding our coven and their clan together for another year while also casting the spell that would protect our worlds. As my mother and three others started to chant the other elders walked the circle with a knife slicing the palm of each witch and dragon they collected the blood into gold ornate glasses. Slowly the elders returned one by one to the middle of the circle combining the contents of their glasses into another larger glass in the middle the chanting growing louder and louder with each passing second. As the last elder added the contents of their glass the chanting ceased at the same time the light from the candles around the circle simultaneously went out. No one dared to speak in the darkness as a light rose up from the middle illuminating the circle in a light glow. Slowly the light grew larger and brighter before it finally split into two lights instead of one. The lights moved around the circle slowly at first and faster with each pass around the circle. After the 5th pass, both lights stopped in front of a dragon on the opposite side of the circle from me. As he moved forward one light stayed in front of him while the other moved around the circle even slower than before. I didn’t realize i was holding my breath until the light did what no one expected least of all me. The light stopped in front of me.