In the second test, a witch apprentice must "demonstrate their devotion to walk aside their teacher." After completing this second test, witch apprentices gain permission to cast spells in public. In other words, it serves to prepare the apprentices to draw spells in front of others without revealing the secret of how magic is cast.
The second test takes place in the Serpentback Cave on Cape Romonon during the migration season of the Myrphons. They must guide the birds safely through the long winding cave to their breeding and wintering grounds on the other side. The test-takers wear a Mirror Cloak of Borrowshade to disguise themselves, so that the Myrphons see the humans as apart of their flock. If the test-takers take off the cloak or alter the seals, the Myrphons will flee and the person will fail the test. In addition, the pathway through the cave is dangerous and requires a number of different spells and creative thinking to safely travel through the path with their Myrphon in tow. If at any time a test-taker falls from the pathway, the magic in the cave will send them plummeting back to the beginning and they will also fail the test.
History[edit | edit source]
Agott, Richeh, and Euini take this test, but it is compromised as they are attacked by Brimmed Caps. During the attack, Euini ends up being transformed into a Scalewolf through a forbidden spell drawn on his skin by Sasaran that fused him with his cloak. After the conflict with the Brimmed Caps, the apprentices go to the Great Hall, so then can treat their wounds and report to Beldaruit, the Wise in Teaching, about the implications of the test. Beldaruit decides to grant to Coco, Richeh, Agott, and Tetia an alternative to the test. The four of them must surprise the man with magic, and if they do so, they will be acknowledged as having passed the test. By the end of their third day, they successfully did so.