Friday couldn't have come quick enough.
This was it.
The woods had a dusky blue tint to them as the world bled from day into evening. Sage walked briskly next to her sister, following their mother deep into the forest around Forks.
It wasn't far to the Fae portal from their house, since their house was essentially in the middle of nowhere; it being on the border between the Res and Forks. So, to Sage, an hour hike was doable.
Five hours would be doable, anything would, to be perfectly honest, if it meant she got her wings quicker.
The trees grew taller and their trunks grew wider the deeper they trekked. Some trees were twisted and bent into gnarly silhouettes while the pine trees and redwoods got so wide at the base they momentarily blocked the view.
The forest buzzed and chirped, alive with creatures of the evening hours. Sage smiled as she walked and watched how her breath swirled in the crisp air.
There was an energy here today.
Most of the animals that she spotted were normal human realm animals, such as badgers and foxes. But after a while the Fae creatures started to appear, like Forest spites, Dixie's and some reclusive tree Nymphs.
They too could sense what was happening today, peering closely at the fairies as they walked on.
After all it wasn't everyday a fairy pledged itself to protect a forest.
The large trees broke into an even larger clearing. Large as in, if two football fields were sewn together by magic and time.
On every side, along the edge of the clearing, built up around and within the trees were small buildings. Way stations for fae traveling between realms. It was the place their mother governed and would be the place that Sage and Dahlia inherited.
If they passed the trials that is.
In the centre of this clearing was the portal.
It was like any other Fae portal.
Thirteen mushrooms, no taller than Sage's knee, grew in a perfect circle. Unsuspecting and undoubtedly magical.
Around the portal, stood vigil, waited their family— Their community— from the Fae realm, having traveled through for the trial. There were perhaps around 30 fairies gathered.
Sage spotted her Father as she ventured into the clearing, he stood next to her Grandmother's. Cousins and family friends were all present as well, and each fairy present had their wings on full display. A sea of glittering jewel tones. Blue, Indigo, purple, lilac.
There were no greetings or hugs however, the trial came first.
The blue tint of twilight had faded into an emerald green darkness that clung to the shadows of the trees.
The flickering light from the lighting bugs and their fae counterparts—spritelights—created a twinkling effect across the whole clearing, further picked up by the jewel toned wings causing a shimmering splash of colour amongst the branches.
Ceres stopped around five paces from the Fae portal and turned to face her daughters. As she turned her wings unfurled into this plane of existence, they were long slender things that shinned like a violet stained glass window.
"We gather today to begin the sacred trials as hundreds of fairies before have done." Begun Ceres, her voice strong and proud. "The first trial is.... Growth".
Sage nodded, focused entirely though her heart had begun to pound in her ears like drum beat insistent on underscoring the hum of the forest.
The first trial was always growth, just as the next trial would be connection and the third trial would always be climate magic— in some way. Sage just wanted the trial to begin so it could be over.
Vaguely she could sense Dahlia standing tall besides her, tapping her fingers on her thigh perhaps in thought or maybe in panic.
Ceres addressed the fairies gathered for the trial, witnesses and supporters alike. "The council have decided that this year's task will be...."
Sage could have cursed her mother's dramatic delivery. Constantly pausing like they were on America's got talent.
Like dear God get it over with.
"..Redwoods".
Sages heart lept into her throat.
The fairy council were family elders, each community had them; made from the elders of the most prominent families of that area. Sage wondered if she should be planning her own grandmother's demise out for the decision of Redwoods.
Growth was meant to be the easiest. Supposed to be the easiest. For the first trial you could be asked to grow anything. A yew tree, an oak, evergreen. Honestly Sage would have preferred any other tree but a redwood.
They had studied Growth at F.A.I.T.H. seeing as it was one of the most useful tools a Fairy could have in looking after the environments they inhabited. But as simple as it was, it was easily some of the most volatile magics. It took immense control — that was the real test.
It was no surprise to anyone that trees didn't just pop up out of the ground full sized and massive. It took hundreds of years.
So to grow a redwood full sized you had to use magic to speed up it's natural cycle indefinitely- until it's desired age.
Use too much magic, and the tree will rot, turning black like it was burned from the inside out. If the rot became insistent and large, it would spread to the rest of the ecosystem, killing it within days; a whole forest dead because you couldn't grow a tree.
Use too little magic and the tree will never reach its full potential, forever stunted by the magical interference no matter what conditions its grown in after. It would be stuck, forever frozen at that stage and more susceptible to blights. Which could lead to an epidemic between plants, which could lead to irreversible long time damage.
And all of this had to be done within the time limit of three minutes.
Easy...
Ceres flicked her wrists, silently summoning the ceremonial Hourglass.
Standing at almost three feet the hourglass was a wonder of stained glass, depicting the creation of the fairies, and filled with black sand the twinkled like stars.
"When I flip the hourglass over, the trial will begin" called out Ceres her gaze firmly head on her daughters . "Are you ready?"
Sage took a deep breath and nodded, allowing herself a quick glance at Dahlia, who appeared just as focused, just as determined as she felt.
Though the sisters were close, this was not a situation they could help each other out. It wasn't a competition but it wasn't a friendly race, it was a trial that had to be taken individually.
If Dahlia or Sage failed, they'd have to wait another 8 or 9 years perhaps a whole decade to retry. Something about the moon spirit and bla bla Sage hadn't been listening well.
After all she did not plan to fail.
The tension shifted and the clearing went silent. All the birds stopped chirping, the critters in the underbrush stopped rustling and even the wind held its voice.
"Good luck" smiled their mother as she flipped the hourglass.
Sage bent to the ground till she found a comfortable position and sat back slightly on her knees. Sage had never wielded this much magic in such a short time but she did not let it deter her.
She could do this.
Reaching out with both hands she dug her way into the mossy earth until she buried her hands and they were covered in soil up until her wrists.
The earth as damp and mushy and full of magic of the purest form.
Sage closed her eyes and called the magic in her core up till she felt it brushing the underside of her skin.
It pooled at first in her feet, mingling with the magic of the earth as it floated around her, potent in a place like a forest. Then her magic began to climb, rising slowly up her body till it sat in her stomach.
Warm and pulsing and dangerous.
She reached out with her mind, sensing for the redwood sequoia seed nestled on the mossy grass and tried to find it's path.
Thousands of "paths"— potential futures—fractured off around her mind, showing her glimpses of what could be, the tree growing strong and tall, or maybe a lightning storm cutting it down or a Bear toppling it over in its infancy. Thousands of potential lives all for one single tree still contained as a seed.
Sage sharpened her senses, focusing on one path and on how the tree grew, all the while, allowing the seed to inform her of how it wanted to grow.
All magic was a call and response in one way or another.
She let her magic pool in her hands, briefly enjoying the thousands of tiny shocks across her palms until her fingers felt like they had a live current buzzing through them.
Then she sent it out, quick and sharp like a homing missile, it's target a lone seed.
She felt when it took root, twisting and manipulating the very cycle of a life.
The tree began to grow.
Small at first and then, as if someone had put the tree into a 2X time-lap, it rapidly began to take shape.
"Two minutes remaining" Ceres reminder was not helping Sage's concentration.
And concentration was the most vital part of this spell. Sage could feel the raw magic of the Earth pulling at her like a fish on a hook, threatening to unstabilize her precious sequoia tree as it formed in its early, and most vulnerable, stages of life.
Sage opened her eyes and watched as life took place.
Currently the tree was small, the branches spindly and scarcely covered in any leaves.
Sage pulled more magic from her centre, pouring more into the tree, she had less than two minutes to get this tree to fullsize.
Her brow was laden with sweat despite the frosty temperature that had settled over the night, and her back had begun to ache— from what she wasn't certain but Sage persisted.
"One minute left"
She was running out of time.
The tree began to grow in earnest then, doubling in size in a matter of seconds untill it stood taller than a two story house.
Then a deep crack thundered through the clearing and Sage looked up to see a black line like fissure forming along the trunk. At first it was no longer than 5 inches but it began to spread an ashen smoke filtering out from within it.
Sage was pushing too much magic into her tree. She was rotting it.
She was failing.
"Thirty seconds left".
Sage pulled her magic back, almost toppling over as it slammed into her, receding back into her core and into the earth around her in her haste.
The ground around her began to crack slightly but the fissure on the tree stopped growing and then began to reseal itself. Millimeter by painful millimetee stitching itself up as if sewn together by a thread made of pure magic and will power and hope.
"Ten"
The fairys begun a rather monotonous and somewhat disconcerting final countdown as the last grains of sand trickled through the hourglass.
Sage drowned them out. The tree had grown to it's full size but the rot was still there. And inch of it left to dissipate as she focused all her magic on it.
The fairy council would accept nothing but perfection, you could only fail or pass the trial and Sage would be damned if she let herself fail it.
"Five".
The fissure closed some more.
"Four".
Almost there.
"Three".
Fuckity fuck fuck.
"Two".
Pretty much have it.
"One"
Sage released a breath she very much knew she was holding onto, almost collapsing as air raced back into her lungs.
"Girls step away from your trees, the council will judge your work". Ceres announced the end of the trail the moment the last sand fell.
Sage looked at Dahlia's tree as she untangled herself from the earth and slowly stood up. Her sisters tree was tall, magnificent and completely perfect.
She glanced back at her own, the fissure was closed, her tree by all accounts was fine, but the council had watched as she'd lost partial control, that in itself could be enough to fail her.
The sisters did not stand with the other fairies and instead stood alone at the edge of the clearing.
Night had truly settled across the Forrest and the shadows clung to the sides casting the girls in half darkness as they waited.
"That was fucking intense" said Dahlia with wide eyes. "Like fucking hell".
Sage laughed, some of the tension slipping from her shoulders though a lot of tension remained in her gut. "I think that's an understatement".
They didn't say much after that, a comfortable silence between them as they waited.
Comfortable in the way like worn shoes you've known for years but very much uncomfortable as if they'd been soaked in water and you were forced to wear them with no socks.
Did Sage mention she could be incredibly impatient.
"Girls" Ceres called for her daughters, her face betraying nothing of the outcome of the first trial.
The girls stood and faced the fairy council for their verdict. Apprehensive, excited and somewhat somber.
"Dahlia Hallow.. the council unanimously have decided that you have passed the first trial". Ceres' voice could not have been prouder as she announced the first outcome.
Dahlia beamed a rare unbridled smile, then she reached out her hand, grabbed her sister's and gave it a firm squeeze.
A squeeze that said You got this!
Sage held onto it like a life line.
"Sage Hallow" began her mother, all eyes in the clearing now trained on her. "After much consideration, the council have decided that you have —"
Sage felt like she was going to throw up all over her muddy walking boots and the mossy green grass.
"—Passed. I have been informed to tell you that it was not unanimous and that you will be watched further during the next two trials".
Sage sagged with relief.
Passed!
She couldn't quite believe it.
Of course her mother had mentioned it wasn't unanimous, the unspoken promise of closer scrutiny and harsher judgment based on her blunder in the first round, was definitely a negative point of contention.
But that was not the point of right now. That was trial two and three Sage's problem.
Right now Sage got to celebrate and see family she's not seen in months.
"Congratulations girls" smiled Ceres. "This concludes the first trial, let the celebrations begin!"
Sage let herself laugh, carefree and full of fun as she pulled her sister in for a tight hug.
Her Wings were within her sights. She would make sure not to blunder again.
Smiling as she released herself from the hug, Sage allowed her night to be swept away in congratulations, and family and the rich food brought over from the Fae realm.
*
Helloooo! The race for Wings commences!
Let me know what you think of the chappy
:)