Page 22 of Charmed

I repeated this affirmation several times as I reexamined the blank map, trying to figure out how to approach this puzzle.

Casting every revealing charm in my arsenal had repeatedly proven ineffective, which eliminated the possibility that the map had been drawn in invisible ink or contained a simple concealment charm. Yet what else could so effectively mask its contents? I reached for the tomes of knowledge stored in organized rows in my mind from all my years of training and combed through them, page by page, lingering on my favorite subject, magical theory.

I went over every possible technique that could conceal an entire map as I lifted the blank parchment to the light, searching for any sign. When I angled it to capture the sunlight, a faint shadow shaped like a keyhole flashed briefly across the parchment…and I finally understood.

A magical lock. Of course.

My excitement over the discovery diminished when I remembered how delicate magical locks were—they were enchanted to break after even one failed attempt. While I had some experience with magical locks, I didn’t have enough confidence to unpick them without a guide…which was stored in the spellbook familiar I’d left behind.

My initial inclination was to dismiss the idea and forge ahead on my own, but the high likelihood that I’d blunder and seal the map’s contents caused me to hesitate in choosing the path my stubbornness was inclined towards. Even if I took my time in performing the spell, my lingering anxiety could potentially hinder even my most careful attempt. One mistake, that was all it would take.

I gnawed my lip, deliberating. In the end, my need to succeed eclipsed my desire to prove myself by tackling every magical obstacle alone…which meant I had to rely on the help I’d stubbornly avoided ever since beginning my journey.

With a defeated sigh I conjured an image of my spellbook in my mind and mentally drew a rough magical path from my magical chambers to my current location deep within the Rosileyan forest, as if using a paintbrush to draw a trail of golden light between two points on a map. Holding this image in mind, I gathered my power close, spoke the necessary incantation, and snapped my fingers.

The spellbook traversed this magical trail separating us in an instant, creating the appearance it’d materialized out of thin air. I plucked it from the air and pried off the green frog clinging to the book’s spine, as if trying to wrench it open.

My brow furrowed. Where had the frog come from?

I gently set it on the ground and flipped through the book…or at least Itriedto, but it was being unusually wriggly, trying to wrench itself from my hands and dive towards the frog hopping frantically at my feet. I didn’t have time for such mischievous disobedience, not with the rapidly vanishing hours pulling me further from my goal.

“Stay still,” I grumbled to the spellbook. “If you want to come along, you have to prove yourself useful.”

The words had an almost magical effect, causing the spellbook to obediently go completely still, creating the impression it was an ordinary book I could peruse at my leisure.

“That’s better.”

I gave it a grateful pat to keep its temperamental nature appeased and scanned the table of contents, which altered according to the spellbook’s whims as often as my younger sister changed her outfits…only to discover that what I was searching for wasn’t currently included.

I closed the book. “I need information about breaking enchanted locks.”

Light illuminated it; when it faded, a new index appeared and I was able to find what I was looking for with relative ease. After brushing off the frog that had hopped onto a nearby log I settled there, ordered the spellbook to hover eye-level for ease of study, and spread the map onto my knees.

Magical locks were one of the more complicated charms. While basic ones were simple to cast and break, the more advanced ones possessed many components; it often took hours of tedium to uncover the specific lock and carefully unravel it one magical layer at a time. It was unsurprising a complicated one served as the competition’s first challenge—anyone who didn’t possess the skills or patience to unlock it had no place on the Enchanters’ Council.

Determination set my jaw.Ihad the right for such a position, and I’d prove it task by task, beginning with this one.

First I had to determine which of the variety of different types of locks had been cast. Thankfully I was able to narrow down the one on the map with relative ease—it was undoubtedly neither one of the basic ones nor the most advanced, but somewhere in the middle, which eliminated many from the vast pool.

From there, I was able to identify this particular lock through a variety of clues—the magical energy emanating from the map, the color and type of light that flickered above it when I performed a specific revealing charm, and magic’s whispers that caressed my ear tuned to the silent language I’d spent years learning, a communication between a wizard and his power.

All my tests narrowed it down to a lock I’d thankfully studied early in my training.

After double checking my conclusion, I flipped back to the table of contents on magical locks and opened it to the page containing instructions regarding this specific charm. Breaking it would require thirteen steps, an overwhelming number with the mental exhaustion now smothering my powers from the effort I’d expended in decoding the lock.

“If I’d deciphered the lock days ago, I would have had a chance to rest before unlocking it.”

The spellbook gave a disgruntled ruffle in response to my grumblings.

“I know, I know, I should have brought you along sooner to help rather than determinedly venturing forward on my own. I’ll let you accompany me from this point onward.”

I returned my attention to the map, ignoring my familiar’s blatant dance of victory as I gathered my powers for the first step. The sensible response would be to rest before working on it, but twilight was approaching, drawing me ever closer to my looming deadline…and with it the end of my chances of achieving my aspirations. Despite the exhaustion weighing on me, I would need to push through with the promise to pause if I noticed my concentration slipping.

I turned from the parchment long enough to conjure a floating ball of light to illuminate the map so I could better see it in the settling night and then resumed my work, painstakingly weaving my powers through each magical layer guarding it, using the spellbook as a guide. Each layer provided a unique challenge that required a different magical manipulation.

I formed my powers into a thread and inserted them through a narrow space. From there I navigated the lock’s invisible corridors, each of which required different spells and levels of strength to pass; decoding each route led me to the next one that provided an even greater challenge. A headache soon pulsed at my temples from the effort but I pressed forward, all while the spellbook carefully observed each magical move…as did the frog resting a meter away.

Upon completing the final puzzle, a metallicclickechoed through the clearing. For a moment I froze, hardly believing I’d finally succeeded, before exhilaration filled me, momentarily lifting the fog of tiredness. I leaned forward to examine the map anew. Successfully unlocking it allowed me to use a basic spell to wipe away the concealment charm, revealing its contents. Exhaustion pressed around me again as I studied it but there was no time to rest—I still needed to decipher the magical riddle to reveal my first task, perform the magic it required, then create a portal to reach the destination of the competition…all by tomorrow.

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