In the stone circle outside the village, Ashlynn gently caressed Ollie's furrowed brow as she withdrew her energy from his body.
The spirit of the seed of witchcraft that she'd formed to test him would take the place that Cecile had taken in Heila's trial, shaping events and guiding the future witch through the challenges that would define his transformation from an ordinary person into a witch.
Though she had shaped the spirit and directed it to confront Ollie with impossible tasks that he was doomed to fail, she had no way of knowing what specifically the young knight would face. The trial would be shaped by his hopes, fears, strengths, and flaws. It would teach him things that he needed to know and test him in ways he wasn't prepared for, but beyond that, Ashlynn couldn't say which of his inner demons he would be forced to face.
