Page 17 of Charmed

The night slipped away with very little sleep, which made it difficult to concentrate the following morning when Wizard Alden fulfilled his promise to explain the chapter in its entirety. Although I understood more of it than I had when attempting to study it on my own, my exhaustion hindered most of my comprehension, a deep fatigue that took several long days to make up for.

The first week passed in a blur as we attempted to establish our routine, a balance between study, practice, and duties. Depending on the day, I alternated between resentment at being magically bound to an apprenticeship I often found difficult and frustrating, and excitement at the new magical powers I was slowly uncovering; on occasion the emotions varied within the same day, sometimes even down to the hour.

Though the prince was never as neglectful as he’d been the first day, his royal duties prevented him from devoting as much attention to his magic as he wanted. The hours he managed to steal had to be divided between assisting me and his own studies, training which he conducted with as much fervor as he’d dedicated to his portal work our first day, leaving me wondering if his hard work was due to his dedication to his craft or was motivated by something else.

Due to his busy schedule, reading founded my magical training, but gradually the task grew easier as I became more familiar with the magical vocabulary and the diagrams demonstrating each spell, which were more difficult to master than I anticipated. My master was patient yet often distracted, but no matter how busy he became, he did his best to answer my questions and assist me with the details of my craft.

We began with simple charms, basic spells, and menial potions, all whose effects were often not worth the effort required, but I still thrilled whenever I could create my own magic—whether it was causing an object to float, creating my own bulb of light, or transforming an ordinary object into something extraordinary.

My studies were broken up by my promised visits to my family every weekend, all of which gave me the incentive to work hard so I’d have something to showcase. I never tired of Mother’s proud awe and Corbin’s exclamations of delight as I showed off my small accomplishments, nor the thought of the rest I could provide them should I finally master the magic that would be able to aid my mother and alleviate my brother’s discomfort.

When I wasn’t studying, I took on the role of an assistant and helped Wizard Alden with some of his magical duties, which he assured me were essential for my own training. I spent hours gathering herbs and ingredients in the surrounding forest and preparing them, organizing books and potions, and keeping things tidy. It might be tiring work, but I vastly preferred it to trying to decipher a book of magical instruction.

My fascination with magic grew with each passing day, as did my ease in controlling my powers the more I practiced. With each successful spell magic became more my own, not just a tool but a friend who, with the right persuasion, could do my bidding.

If only our peaceful rhythm would last, but everything changed the day an unexpected summons arrived.

It began as any other. I sat at the workbench practicing a tonic meant to soothe discomfort, one of the most basic brews. I hummed to myself as I chopped the ingredients, pausing occasionally to consult the book, ensuring the appearance and measurements matched the description. I finished mincing the dahlia petals and pulverizing an acorn, and was just beginning to peel willow tree bark when Wizard Alden’s annoyed sigh punctuated the air.

I glanced towards him. “Is something the matter?”

“It’s nothing.” But his jaw clenched, betraying him; one of the earliest traits I’d learned about Wizard Alden was that he was a rather poor liar.

I shrugged and returned to my potion, faintly aware that the longer I worked, the more rigid the wizard’s posture became…until a glimmer of magic surrounded him following a wave of his hand. It faded, leaving him much more relaxed.

I returned to my potion, measuring each ingredient with the utmost care. It was essential I master this tonic. If it alleviated some of Corbin’s discomfort, I could prepare a steady supply and transport it back home through the magical circle Wizard Alden had drawn in a corner of our workshop that connected with the one he’d created in the dirt outside my cottage, allowing me to efficiently send messages, wages, extra food, and items to make my brother smile.

I’d been working on this tonic for four days, but despite my many attempts, I could never get the completed potion to match the illustration—today’s was murky orange, a stark contrast to the vivid blue the book indicated meant a successful concoction. I yearned to seek Wizard Alden’s assistance, but his tension combined with his extra concentration on whatever he was currently working on made me hesitant.

When today’s attempt turned my brew a bubbly crimson, I realized there was no help for it. With a reluctant sigh I faced the prince. “Wizard Alden, can you help me?”

No response. I waited a patient moment in case he needed to find a good stopping point, but after a minute passed I surmised he hadn’t heard me.

“Wizard Alden?”

Nothing.

“PrinceAlden?”

My use of his despised title should have at least gotten me a response, yet still nothing. I abandoned my failed concoction to tentatively approach, yet he still didn’t look up even after I’d reached him. Magical energy filled the air, as if some sort of cocoon surrounded him, blocking out all distractions.

Curiosity compelled me to lean over his shoulder to see what had so effectively captured his attention and was met with an unusual list:magical theory (finish the complete works), acquire an apprentice, master charms to Level 9 or higher, invent my own enchantment, create an advanced brew, invent a unique spell, embark on a magical quest…

His arm blocked out the rest. Beneath each item were a series of brainstormed ideas written in an untidy scrawl, with two tidy checkmarks beside “magical theory” and “acquire an apprentice.”

My brow furrowed. What was this?

He stretched, a movement that caused his shoulder to graze my fluffy hair. He startled and swiveled to face me, his elbow nearly making contact with my face. “Maeve! What are you doing?” Magic hummed in the air as he performed a hasty, unspoken spell; even with my minimal training I recognized that he’d just removed a charm.

“Nowyou notice me.”

He blinked towards the bench where I’d been sitting only moments before, his expression bashful. “I’m sorry.” He offered no explanation, but with the magic lingering in the air, I didn’t need one.

“What magic did you perform?”

He hesitated. “Just a spell to help me concentrate.”

The spell he’d chosen wasn’t difficult to guess. “Was it a silencing spell?”

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