**THE WITCH’S APPRENTICE**
Luke stood in silence, illuminated by candlelight, awaiting the next request from his teacher Alani. It was his first week studying under her, and he quickly realized that just about anything could set her off. *Silence is golden*, he thought to himself. *Don’t mess this up. Anything’s better than working in the mines.*
“Boy, you don’t speak much. You’re no better company than a rock. But you haven’t dropped anything of value yet, so I guess I can’t complain too much.”
Luke said nothing in reply.
“Fetch me a cockatrice feather. Quick. They’re wrapped in cloth on the shelf.”
Luke got the feather and handed it to Alani. He watched a bead of sweat roll down her neck to her cleavage. A slight tingle ran down his spine. Ashamed, he looked away. *Why does she insist on wearing such revealing clothing? It’s foolish. She’s going to make a mistake and regret being so exposed.*
“Boy, pay attention! If you want to learn, you need to focus.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She stirred the concoction in her vial with the feather. It began to steam and bubble. “That’s it, that’s it. Remind me, what’s this potion good for again?”