Page 15 of Charmed

I stared blankly, first at the book, then at the sentient spellbook ignoring me quite determinedly, and finally I glanced around the room entirely absent of the wizard who had annoyed me with his presence so often before now only to be inconveniently absent when I most needed him. I puzzled for a moment over the conundrum of a wizard who had employed every persuasion at his disposal to convince me to join him, only to seem too busy to actually teach me.

I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d expected from my apprenticeship, but so far it hadn’t been this rather unconventional beginning.

CHAPTER5

The prince didn’t return until late afternoon, when he found me in front of the bookcase scouring the titles, encircled by a small collection of discarded volumes neatly stacked around my feet. He blinked in astonishment. “What are you doing?”

I hesitated, unsure whether I should voice my complaints to a prince…before they tumbled out of their own accord, releasing my frustration at not only being unable to understand the book, but at being abandoned to learn on my own on the first day. “Thebasicbook you chose for me was too advanced, so I’m searching for another.” I yanked out a worn volume and perused the first page before setting it aside with the others.

“I selected the same book I myself studied from when I was beginning my own training, so the material should have been at your level…but perhaps I should have taken the time to explain some of the basics in order to aid your comprehension, which means you’ve lost an entire afternoon of studying.” He sighed. “If you were having difficulties finding a more appropriate book, you could have asked my familiar.”

I glanced towards the spellbook, no longer lying lazily about, but propped open and ready at a table, as if to show its willingness to be used for whatever Wizard Alden needed, no sign of the mischievous rebellion that caused it to disobey his earlier wishes in assisting me.

“It didn’t seem inclined to provide a tour, let alone help me select a more approachable book.”

“You mean you haven’t even done that much? What an unproductive first day it’s been for you.” Despite his exasperation, he appeared contrite. “The fault is mostly mine. I should have taken the time to assist you rather than leaving as hastily as I did. I just didn’t want to keep my parents waiting longer than necessary.”

The heated annoyance that had been stewing throughout his absence was slightly mollified by his words. “I understand that the king and queen must take priority.”

“They would have been fine to wait longer if they’d been aware of the situation, which only worsens my neglect.” He stepped in front of me to search the books himself. His brows drew together as he turned away from the shelves to crouch in front of the teetering stacks. “Where is it?”

Several minutes of rummaging apparently didn’t yield what he was searching for. My mind drifted back to our meeting when I’d been led to him by his sentient ball of light. “If you’re looking for something specific, could you perhaps perform a summoning charm?”

He stilled before his wide-eyed gaze snapped up to meet mine. I responded with a shrug. The corner of his mouth lifted. “You’re thinking like a magician, which will serve you well in your studies.” He snapped his fingers, and with a glisten of light a book wriggled itself free from the farthest pile to float into his hand. He glanced through its contents before handing it to me.

My shoulders slumped as I opened to the first page. “This one is also too advanced.”

I started to hand it back to him but he pushed my hand away. “Don’t make such a hasty judgement before you’ve even studied it. You can expect the material to be above the level you’re used to; magic is different than reading a story—it requires time and focus. If after an hour of sincere effort you still find the material too difficult, I will help you.”

I frowned at the book before lifting my gaze. He’d returned to rummaging through the stacks until he found what he was looking for. He carried the chosen volume to his workbench laden with ingredients and instruments outside my realm of familiarity, ignoring his spellbook’s annoyed ruffle at being ignored when it noticed the other book in his possession.

“Is this the extent of my magic training?” I asked. “Simply reading?”

He opened his own book to a bookmarked page. “For now, but after you build a solid foundation through self study, it will evolve to more practical applications where I will assist you. In the meantime, I have my own studies.”

I was miffed that he only seemed willing to assist me if I needed it, but I was in no position to argue. I might have disregarded the fact that he was my mentor and offered my unfiltered opinion anyway…if his royal position hadn’t held me back, a title I couldn’t forget despite his wishes on the matter. Though the arrangement he outlined was unideal, it was better than none at all.

I bit my tongue to stifle the complaints yearning to escape and settled myself in the seat closest to the hearth for a long afternoon of reading…orattemptedreading, for though my literacy level provided me with the vocabulary to read most of the words, I struggled to weave them together to form any semblance of meaning, particularly with the complex diagrams.

Reading had never been one of my strengths. Though I’d learned the basics, I’d had little opportunity to practice. Other than a religious text, a volume containing recipes and information about basic herbs, and the well-worn storybook I’d read so frequently I had all the tales memorized, my family didn’t own any books; they were both expensive and impractical for our working, everyday use.

The strain quickly caused a headache to pulse at my temples, causing time to slow. Soon the light outside began to fade as twilight painted the sky. The floating candles remained lit, drifting closer to offer ample light, so that Wizard Alden seemed unaware of the settling night, remaining burrowed in his own studies, oblivious to all else. I frowned at his back hunched over his thick volume in an unregal posture; he occasionally paused to scribble notes, his fingertips stained with ink.

I tried to return to my own studies but quickly grew distracted—the magical objects scattered about the room were far more interesting than a text I couldn’t understand, as was the magic simmering beneath my skin. I soon became occupied with practicing my powers as Wizard Alden had taught me this morning. Concentration proved difficult with my current mental strain, but after several attempts I managed to manifest the tingly warmth beneath my skin through a swirl of glistening purple light.

The magic finally drew the wizard’s elusive attention. He frowned. “You’re a fast reader. I didn’t expect you to get to the practical portion for at least another day.”

I bit my lip. “I haven’t yet reached it; I’m still in the first chapter.”

His eyes bulged. “You are?”

His clear astonishment at my lack of progress—something his poor tutelage had vastly contributed to—annoyed me enough to push past my natural reservation towards unleashing my frustrations on a member of the royal family.

I snapped the book shut. “Perhaps apprenticeships are done differently in the capital, but in my village the Master takes a morehands onapproach. That was my understanding when I signed our contract. If an afternoon like this one is all I have to expect, left alone to study material I cannot understand, then if at all possible I want out.”

Heavy silence hung thickly in the air following my outburst, punctuated only by the ruffle of the spellbook’s pages as it tilted itself back and forth between us in silent anticipation. Eventually Wizard Alden heaved a sigh as he swiveled in his seat to fully face me. “My apologies. Even if I wasn’t distracted by researching why my portal veered so off course, it’d still be difficult to give you what you expect when I’m still in training myself.”

“Then why did you acquire an apprentice?” The question still nagged me—he’d been so adamant about my acceptance…only to entirely ignore me after he’d gotten his way. Despite the effort he’d expended for me to become his apprentice, my presence felt like a nuisance, leaving me feeling confused and frustrated.

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