Page 12 of Charmed

I held him as long as I could, not wanting to let him go, but Alden had been more than patient during my repeated hugs, goodbyes, and tears. I gave Corbin one final squeeze and Mother one last embrace before facing Alden, who stood watching us from the edge of the forest.

“I’m ready.”

He stepped forward. “Then we shall begin your first lesson in magic. While such a spell is too advanced for you to perform on your own as of yet, you’ll be using it frequently to visit your family, so it’s important you at least understand it.”

As he spoke he used his powers to inscribe a large circle in the air; the magic left a glistening green trail of light that illuminated the shade cast by the surrounding trees. After its outline had been completed, Alden shaded the center with a spell murmured in a language I didn’t understand; the shimmery magic eclipsed the forest background until it was entirely filled with glistening light.

“This is a magical portal that allows you to cross vast distances; when you enter it, you leave behind your origins and arrive at the destination you’ve enchanted the portal to take you to, as easily as stepping through a door.”

While I understood in theory, the thought of magically traveling hundreds of kilometers in a single step tightened my stomach with apprehension. I frowned at the portal floating a meter above the ground as it awaited our entry. “Is it safe?”

“Of course.” Alden looked almost offended by the insinuation. I had no choice but to take him at his word, yet couldn’t quite let go of my lingering doubt. “I’ll go first, if you’d like,” he offered before stepping into the portal without hesitation, vanishing in an instant as the light swallowed him up.

Though I’d understood the concept behind the magic, shock at seeing it unfold rendered me still. I blinked in astonishment before managing to stir enough to walk around the portal to investigate the other side. Naturally Alden wasn’t there; he’d truly been transported elsewhere.

I fought to suppress my lingering nerves, sternly reminding myself that an apprentice shouldn’t hesitate to trust in her master’s spells. After stealing a final parting embrace with my family, with a wavering breath I faced the portal and stepped inside.

It was if I’d been submerged in the sun. My body felt as if it was traveling at breathtaking speed—one moment I was embraced by swarms of glistening golden light and the magic’s tingly touch, the next it melted away, allowing my surroundings to gradually reappear as if being painted into existence by strokes of watercolor.

My breath caught as they came into focus. We no longer stood in front of my cottage with my family on one side and the towering forest on the other, but in an elegant garden. Its artistic beauty stretched in all directions, ending at a towering castle. While I’d heard of these magnificent structures I’d never seen one in real life. It was far more grand and elegant than I could have imagined, its grey stones glistening as its towering turrets reached towards the sun. I drank in every detail, already planning how I’d describe it to Corbin next time I saw him.

From beside me, Alden’s bitter swearing interrupted my admiration. “Blast, we should have come out approximately 770 meters southwest of the imperial gardens, which means I must have made an error somewhere in my calculations…” He rummaged in his robes, withdrew a small notebook and quill, and flipped to a page crammed with scribbles and numbers, which he began to study with an almost religious fervor.

I watched him with a puzzled frown. “I take it we’re not supposed to be at the palace?”

He didn’t warrant me a single glance, nor did he seem inclined to comment, his entire focus riveted to his figures.

“770 meters doesn’t seem too off course,” I continued. “Such a distance means we’re still within a kilometer of our intended destination.”

That got a reaction. His gaze snapped up. “Not too off course?770 meters can make amonumentaldifference, depending on the situation. What if that was the difference between exiting the portal midst the ocean, or over a cliff, or within enemy territory? Magic must beprecise. I should have known better than to make such an amateur mistake.”

As he returned to mulling over the mistakes in his configuration, his fingers knotted through his hair restlessly, causing it to stick up at all angles. Whatever confidence he’d exhibited so naturally when performing his spells for me and my family had entirely vanished. Such charms had made him seem like quite an accomplished wizard, so it was startling to discover he’d gotten something wrong.

He seemed to sense my thoughts with that magical sixth sense of his. “I did clarify I’m still in training myself. Even so, I can still be an effective teacher for you.”

“I wasn’t questioning the efficiency of your tutelage.” There was no need to when he was his own worst critic.

He seemed not to hear me, so I took the opportunity to admire the surrounding beauty and attempt to gauge the distance of 770 meters to see where we weresupposedto come out, but nothing in our immediate surroundings appeared to be our intended destination. Instead my attention became once again captured by the magnificent structure before me…until footsteps suddenly sounded on one of the garden’s paths.

Alden tensed and looked up just as a guard hurried into view. He muttered another unsavory word, but before I could question the reason for his distress, the guard spoke.

“Your Highness, several of us have been looking for you.”

Your Highness?

Alden stiffened at the address even as his gaze darted about, as if frantically searching for a place to hide…but it was in vain, for despite being decked in heavy armor the guard swiftly reached us, his damp face frantic. He swept into a bow…and in an instant I understood the full implications of Alden’s magical miscalculation with the resulting revelation he’d seemed desperate to avoid.

My gaze snapped towards the wizard in hopes he’d dismiss my assumption…but the guilt mingling with his disgruntled expression told me all I needed to know: he wasn’t just a wizard, but aprince.

He caught sight of my gaping astonishment and offered a sullen nod before facing the guard with a resigned sigh. “What’s the reason for such a fuss? I informed the guards I had an important task to oversee.”

“That was yesterday morning,” the guard said. “When you didn’t return last night as you’d initially informed us, Their Majesties became worried and ordered us to conduct a search.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve been late, though I do regret the worry and inconvenience I caused. I had an important matter to attend to—a rather unexpected discovery caused me to take longer than I anticipated.”

He cast me a sideways glance and I understood.Ihad been the reason for his delay—I and my stubborn refusal to embrace the joyous opportunity to study magic…with royalty, apparently.

“Whatever your reasons, it’s my duty to take you to Their Majesties as they’ve commanded so that you can inform them you’re safe.” The guard spoke in a tone that was as close to an order as he likely dared give a member of the royal family.

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