Mackenzie gave a soft sigh as the sun from her window crept over her body. She was still sore and in a haze from her ordeal the previous night. Her hand and chest ached with fresh pain and soft amounts of heat. She looked at her hand and could clearly make out the shape of the brand despite not wearing her glasses.

She moved her hand to under her shirt and began to trace the star at the center of her collarbone. The skin felt normal, but when her right hand approached it, she could feel a difference in temperature. It also felt like the skin was raising to meet her nail.

The star was uneven. It was pointed up and the topmost point was elongated, almost twice the length of the rest of the body. She made a soft noise as she tapped it. she could almost feel a word form on her lips. A name? Her name?

she whispered to the empty room.

The door to her room was pushed open and Macaroon entered. He lowered his upper body and wiggled his butt before making a full leap onto her stomach. She coughed and glared at him as he presented her glasses with his tail.

“Alright, witch. Time to learn magic.”

Mackenzie hurriedly got ready. She wore a pair of red leggings to counter the blue of her mother’s old Varsity jacked. She wore tennis shoes and thicker socks. Grabbing a backpack, she stuffed it with some of her workout and training equipment from softball and her martial arts classes.

“You won’t need all of that,” Macaroon tried to advise, but Mackenzie ignored him.

She put the pack on and held her arm out to him. He hopped up her hand then to her shoulder and settled there, wrapping his tail around her arm. She flew down the stairs and landed in a hard crouch before popping up and rushing to the kitchen.

“Woman on the run,” Teritha commented as she looked at the paper, laid out on the kitchen table.

“Morning, Mee-maw,” Mackenzie blurted as she looked over the spread her dad had made for breakfast. She grabbed two pieces of toast and wrapped them around sloppy handfuls of eggs and some bacon.

“Mack, where you headed?” Paul asked as she set Teritha’s plate beside her already pages.

“Miss Melody mentioned Macaroon needed a checkup,” she lied, “I’m gonna take him and then see if Celia is free.”

Charlotte snapped her fingers, “Here,” she said handing Mackenzie her credit card, “Dad’s stuff is still being transferred to us. Use that for a new account. If you can, make an appointment and add our address for the receipts,” she ordered.

“Yes, mama,” Mackenzie said as she tucked the card into her purse and then stuffed it inside her backpack.

“Is that your gi? You thinking about coming back to the dojo?” Charlotte asked, spying in the bag.

Mackenzie shrugged, “Maybe. But not if I have to keep with that strip mall stuff,” she said earning a side glance from Macaroon.

“I don’t think what Ms. Saelim teaches is for you, Mack,” Paul softly suggested, “Muay Thai is rough stuff. Even with how hardy your mom is, she still comes in with bruises.”

Charlotte waved Paul off, “She’s already done the basics. I’ll talk to Lamb about it before the weekend is up. Stay safe, baby. Give me a kiss.”

Mackenzie did as she was bade, also giving one to Teritha who just shook her head at the talk of martial arts. With speed and dexterity Mackenzie had never figured out she slipped a boxing gym’s card in her pocket. Mackenzie hugged Paul and left the house making another hard jump over the stoop.

She made a break toward the park and started running.

“Where are you going?” Macaroon asked.

“The park. We can start in that overpass for the bikers. Just have to wake up some of the junkies or bums. None of the park hoes work when the sun is up,” she explained reaching a crosswalk and jogging in place.

“No, we should go to Melody’s place first. You and I need to re-make our contract if you want me to be your familiar,” he pushed nodding his head in the opposite direction. “Plus, she’ll have a starter kit for you and a better place to train than where Martin tells you he got his first blowjob.”

“Don’t remind me,” Mackenzie said changing directions and running past the house. “That fight he got into with Telly was sad. Never fight a fat boy during lunch.” She made a face and stopped at the next crosswalk, slapping at the signal button, “Will Martin ever remember what happened?”

“If he comes in contact with similar magic again. The memories are ‘removed,’” Macaroon pantomimed quotations, “But everything taken always has a place where it came from. If you don’t fill it back effectively, there can be openings. If he sees you fight an Urshan, or he sees my heavy combat form he may get a sudden shock. Jerry is better than most at memory removal so it’s most likely not gonna happen.”

“Should,” Mackenzie looked at an older man reading his paper next to her, “We be talking?” she asked.

Macaroon laughed, “When I talk it sounds like I’m making random cat noises. Perks of being around for as long as I have been. Remember when Tufty mentioned transformation?” Mackenzie nodded, “Kindergarten is getting a human form. Once you have your master’s degree you can manipulate how you’re perceived. I can make myself look like any animal to anyone I choose.”

“How does that work?” Mackenzie asked. The light turned and she raced ahead, dodging pedestrians from the other way, and blitzing around a woman with a shopping roller.

He held up his paw and extended one claw, “When a spell is used enough, and I mean a lot, it stops becoming something separate from you and becomes an aspect of yourself,” he tapped one of her hair puffs with his tail, “Like your giant hair. No one who knows you bats an eye because they know you haven’t cut it since you were in diapers. It may seem odd or extreme to people who meet you, but if no one else reacts they won’t either.”

“Okay,” Mackenzie said, cupping her chin, “So If I get a favorite spell, then it will eventually be something I can just do?”

“Yes, but again it takes a lot of casting the spell, and it takes years to master a spell,” he confirmed, “And that’s even if you’re compatible with it.”

“Compatible?” Mackenzie saw the light getting ready to change. They were two blocks from the small shopping district the veterinary clinic was. Lowering herself Mackenzie sped up and cleared the crosswalk just as the light turned green, earning a honk from the car she clipped in front of. “Sorry!” she called back.

“There are five paths of magic. When you cast a spell, you essentially are trying to impose that path upon the target,” Macaroon began.

Destroy

Know

Take

Control

Create

“Your brand will have a preference that empowers some types of magic over others. This difference can seem big now, because you’re basically a freshly hatched chick, but in the long run it’s not much. Like a homework assignment from freshman year affecting your graduation,” he explained.

“You don’t seem to remember Mr. Harkin,” Mackenzie grunted as she reached the shopping district.

Early in the week, especially in the morning, the district was mildly busy. There were two coffee shops, a deli that only did breakfast and lunch, and both a post office and UPS branch. Mackenzie moved through the crowd ducking papers, cups of coffee, and the occasional large package, arriving in front of Miss Melody’s clinic.

Looking up at it Mackenzie’s eyes shuddered in their sockets, and she put her hands to her temples. She looked back and saw the sign shows a great grinning picture of Miss Melody with a series of symbols.

Mackenzie said. She blinked and shook her head.

“You’re a witch now,” Macaroon explained, “That means you can see through the minor illusions we set up to keep humans oblivious. That language you spoke is the first language of magic, our universal language for all witches.”

“I can read it without learning it?” she asked as she walked up the steps.

“One of the minor perks of your witchdom,” Macaroon said. His eyes narrowed. “You could also understand it before your brand was finalized. Did Frederick teach her when she was still young? And when did she get that star?” Concerned, but not overly, Macaroon settled on Mackenzie’s shoulders as she walked inside.

Immediately the difference between the cheery, if not bland, waiting room caused Mackenzie to freeze. Of the dozen or so people in the room only two or three were humans with real animals. The rest were witches, obvious by the colorful stars hovering over their heads. Mackenzie looked up and saw she had one as well, but it was grey.

“What the fuck?” Mackenzie asked as she moved past a three-star witch with a snake in a terrarium. It nodded to her respectfully and she gave it a wave. “How did I know it was a familiar? It didn’t have stars.”

“Familiars have a magical aura you can perceive when they are using a spell or ability. Freddie described it as smelling a certain spice in a meal before you smell the meal,” he answered.

“Okay, that makes sense,” Mackenzie said, rubbing her chin as she approached the counter. “I’m Mackenzie Nichols, here with Macaroon for-”

The receptionist smiled, showing off long needle like teeth, “Of course, Miss Nichols. You’re a bit late for your appointment. Miss Melody said it was urgent that we check Macaroon, please head in and take the third door on your left,” she handed Mackenzie a clipboard. It had the normal entry paperwork but symbols of the language outside hovered over it.

They read clearly: Knock three times and say your name.

“Please fill that out once you get him settled,” she continued, nodding, and pointing to the door deeper inside the clinic.

“Thank you,” Mackenzie said as she grabbed a pen from the cup by her station. She gave a knowing smile and went back to work randomly typing on her computer. “This is weird,” Mackenzie whispered as she entered the hallway that led to examination and surgery rooms.

She counted softly to herself and reached the door. Every time she had been there before, it had read ‘closed due to cleaning,’ or something similar. She knocked and spoke her name. the door swung inwards and the same hook from the Artery grabbed her by the throat yanking her inside.

Mackenzie cried out as she landed in a heap in Mistress Malady’s office, Macaroon landing confidently beside her, “Hello, Mistress,” he said with a bow.

“Welcome Macaroon, and Miss Mackenzie Nichols, Witch of the day,” Malady said with a wide grin. “I can’t wait to show you the basics,” she said as she slid a cup toward her.

Mackenzie stood and patted herself off, “I know the basics,” she asserted, taking the cup, and sipping it.

Malady laughed, “Mackenzie. Dear.”

The room suddenly erupted outward. Mackenzie fell to her knees and grabbed the shard of floor under her feet. The teacup tumbled away into the brilliant expanse below her. It shifted into a porcelain hawk and fluttered to Malady.

The woman herself was sitting on the branch of a great gnarled tree creature. It had a rough-hewn face and dozens of spindly cracking arms. Its hands ended in claws of sap and black heartwood. Mackenzie swallowed as she could almost feel its age and power, burrowing into her mind and being. The only thing that didn’t make her cry out was the memory of the Five, who was leagues above this thing before her.

Mackenzie took a steadying breath and stood even as the piece of floor wobbled under her.

she said causing Sawback and Malady to narrow their eyes and exchange a glance,

Malady frowned, she huffed, “If nothing else the presumptuous little bitch is Frederick’s bloodline alright,” she thought.

Malady said with a sigh. She flapped her hands, discarding her own teacup and shooing away the hawk the other become.

She extended her hand to Mackenzie. The younger woman looked at the floor she was on and adjusted her feet, moving her weight. Slowly it began to move, at first shaky, then with some force. She haphazardly zoomed to the great tree totem and found herself upside down in front of Malady.

Mackenzie took her hand with her branded palm, and felt the warmth of Malady’s own,

Malady said as she began to weave the enchantment. Her face went from a condescending smirk to surprise to a frown. She gazed at Mackenzie then at the top of her chest, where the star was. Her frown deepened and she finished the binding spell. She retracted her hand.

Mackenzie continued to float there, “Uh. Do I need to do something now or-”

With a snap the room reformed, and Mackenzie gasped as she was spun back into the place she had been. She held out her arms to steady herself. Bandit, slipping from some unseen shadow, handed her a folded leather satchel with a wide belt strap. The symbol of the coven was emblazoned on it along with a small glowing star.

“Your beginner’s kit. Everything you need to be taught the basics and give you a leg up. Macaroon the key for the Fifteenth Street Gym is in there as well,” Malady said lounging back in one of the couches. “When you have completed the tasks laid out in the journal, return here and I’ll see about getting you some work.”

“Work?” Mackenzie asked looking from her to Macaroon.

“You asked if we fight Urshan? Indeed, we do. And we maintain the magic that runs wild in this twisted city,” she said with a ‘as you should know’ tone. “The creatures are more common than some pigeons, but we are not so desperate for members we’d send a naked witch after them. I doubt you’ll have much issue.”

Mackenzie nodded and gave a polite bow. She put the pouch on, hanging if off of her left hip and tested its placement with a few bounces. Malady nodded when Mackenzie thanked her, and she motioned for Macaroon. He returned to her shoulder gave Malady a curt nod of his head.

Bandit opened the door for them, and Mackenzie was relieved to see it showed the normal hallway. She did not see him draw a soft-headed mallet from behind the door before he whacked her in the small of the back slamming her into the far wall.

“You fucking son of a-” he closed the door on her, and they heard a single pound before the door faded into sawdust.

“You seem on edge, Mistress,” Bandit said, moving to her side and pouring her a new cup of tea.

She stewed as she waited for the tea to cool, “Bandit,” she said after taking a sip, “How many witches have you seen be born with a star?”

“Even in all the time we’ve been together ma’am I’ve only seen one, Master Kenneth. Two now. The others I’ve heard of,” he answered.

“A witch born under a star, an irregularly shaped one at that, indicates attention from one of the Five,” Malady said, almost to herself. “Kenneth is under the eyes of Control. Who has their sights set on little miss Mackenzie Nichols?”

She took a sip of tea and thought of all the scenarios. Slowly, Malady’s mind came to one conclusion. The image of Frederick’s face when he held a newly born Mackenzie in his arms. The way his eyes softened, the way he gripped her swaddled body.

“What cannot be felled by hate can always be destroyed by love,” Malady quoted, turning her eyes to the center of her office. A great stone with four staves buried in its edge.

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