More people came to stand in line. I poured drink after drink, always keeping my eyes on the clock. I waited for my mom to come and relieve me so I could enjoy the party, but she never returned. It figured. Simon and Dad came by once. Simon just looked at me and shrugged as I glared at them while they got drinks. I considered dumping the water pitcher on his head. That would’ve definitely gotten me off drink duty. However, it probably would’ve gotten me sent to my room.
Twilight turned to night. My father stepped into the middle of the room as the stars began to come out. He cleared his throat and tapped his glass for attention. When he spoke, his voice boomed to all corners of the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to begin the Revealing. All students in the ceremony, please follow the walkway off the patio down to the meadow. There are a few people stationed at the gate to direct you to your places.
“Everyone else, we will follow to witness the next students joining the ranks of the esteemed Animage Academy.” There was a stirring as everyone my age began to file out the patio doors and down the lit pathway to the meadow. I took this as a sign to abandon my post. Simon was waiting for me at the door.
“This is it,” he said.
“This is it.” I took his hand and squeezed it as we left the house.
Floating candles led us down the path through the orchard. Two warlocks stood at the gate of the meadow with clipboards and pens. Simon and I joined the line forming at the gate. My heart raced. My dress felt too tight. I let go of Simon’s hand for a moment to wipe my sweaty hands on my skirt.
“Nervous?” he asked. I didn’t answer. The lump in my throat was too big. Too soon it was our turn to enter the meadow. The men checked off our names and a witch with a wand lit at the end led us to a spot just outside the center of the meadow. She positioned everyone so we formed rings of circles around the center. I turned my head to watch her line up more students behind Simon and I.
The field was getting full. I had watched Revealings for as long as I could remember, but I never really thought about the implications. Animage magic was rare. 100 students would line up here tonight. Ten of us would have magic. What if I wasn’t one of the ten? I shook my head. This was my Revealing. My brother wasn’t the only one in the family who was strong and talented. This was my chance to prove it. I was an animage. I had to be.
Needing a distraction, I changed my focus from the students to the rest of the crowd gathering at the fence. Simon did the same. Our father stood in the front with the rest of the Council. He saw us looking at him and waved. Since he was the dragon and the chancellor, the Council always attended the Revealing at our home. They all looked like they were enjoying themselves. Relaxed, even. Beads of sweat collected on my forehead. Their futures weren’t about to change forever.
Someone clapped and the floating candles went dark. My heart jumped into my throat. This was it. As my eyes adjusted to the light of the full moon, I saw the seven animages who would cast the Revealing spell making their way to the center of the circle.
Before my father had started giving Simon private lessons as the heir apparent, he had taught us both about the ways of the supernatural world. I clung to that knowledge and methodically recited the names of the animages and their part in the steps of the Revealing. My father, the dragon. Four animages from the academy. The headmistress and three professors. I noticed Charles Vickers was one of those professors. And last, two Upholders. As I watched them weave their way through the students, I forgot how to breathe.
The spellcasters reached the middle of the field. A glimmer of excitement broke through my apprehension. This was my favorite part. Each spellcaster flashed with a white light and shifted. There were gasps from the crowd as they began. A smile stretched across my face as I watched.
Headmistress Adiana’s white hair grew longer and waved around her in a blur. When it stopped, a white brilliant unicorn stood in her place, shining in the moonlight. It reared on its hind legs and neighed. A neighboring roar from the lion standing in Charles Vickers’ spot was so loud it shook the ground underneath my feet. I looked around the circle to see a German Shepherd, a brown bear, a golden eagle, and a chimpanzee.
My father was the only one who hadn’t shifted yet. He waited until everyone else was in their animal form. Gray scales spread from his hands and arms and rippled and spread across his body. Down on all fours, his body grew, and his neck lengthened. When it was over, he had shifted into a creature humans thought only existed in fairy tales. The dragon standing before us turned its head to stare at the crowd with reptilian eyes. Dad leaned his head back and roared. Flames erupted from his mouth into the sky. The fire was so hot I let go of Simon’s hand and shielded my face.
The students began to clap. I joined in. No matter how many times I watched my father shift, it would never get old. In moments like these it was easy to be proud I was the daughter of the dragon. Someone behind me let out a loud whoop that shook me out of my enchantment with the shifters and brought me back to reality. Everyone had shifted. The Revealing was going to start. My chest was
