Page 3 of Charmed

“That’s where you’re mistaken.”

My eyes bulged and I glanced around the budding woods with renewed interest, searching for the magic it supposedly possessed. Golden sunlight caressed the leafy branches, a canopy of magnolia, cedar, and pine that allowed just enough light to filter through in golden rays that glistened against the leafy undergrowth in a way that caused the mist to shimmer. The effect was enchanting, to be sure…but surely that wasn’t enough to indicate magic.

“It’s certainly beautiful,” I conceded.

“To be sure…yet it’s alsomagical, just like this mushroom.”

My brow furrowed as I took in the mushroom that looked as ordinary as any other I’d ever foraged. “How can you tell?”

“It’s easy once one knows what to look for. Magic exists everywhere, but only those with a discerning eye can discover it.”

He lightly traced the mushroom’s base. At first I didn’t notice anything…but upon closer examination I detected a faintshimmer, one that quivered with warmth when I reached out to touch it. I sucked in a breath and drew my hand back, staring in wonder.

“See? Magic can always be discovered by those who truly desire to find it.” He rummaged through my basket. “All of these are enchanted. Did you select them on purpose?”

His eyes glistened as I shook my head. My defensiveness swelled. “Experience has taught me that these are the most delicious mushrooms that best satisfy our hunger; magic has nothing to do with it.”

“Because they’reenchanted,” he said. “Think back—what guided you to these mushrooms in particular that caused you to select them over others?” He supplied the word I struggled to form. “Intuition?”

I considered. Perhaps ithadbeen, a nearly indiscernible sense that had guided my hand without conscious thought. My silence invited him to continue.

“Instinct is the foundation of all magic, a word often used to describe unnourished power before it’s developed through further study; as a magical being, you’re naturally drawn to magical things.”

His words caused my heart to pound in an unrelenting rhythm. For a moment I allowed myself to hope…before practicality hastily dismissed the idea. “It’s a coincidence, nothing more.”

His eyebrows rose dubiously. “There is nochanceorrandomnessin magic. The odds that youhappenedto only harvest enchanted fungi without subconsciously being drawn to them by your innate powers are miniscule.”

My rudimentary education in basic reading and arithmetic couldn’t even begin to attempt the calculations needed to figure out such odds myself. Did that mean…I possessed magic after all? Surely such a thing was impossible.

“How?” It was the only breathless response I could manage.

He shrugged. “No one knows why magic chooses certain individuals over others. Genetics play a part—I inherited my powers from my mother, as did my younger sister…though my eldest sister did not. Magic offered no explanation for why she was passed over, despite her being the most deserving of all of us. There must be something about you it’s drawn to.”

“But how could I possess such power and not realize it?” I lifted my seemingly ordinary brown hands to stare at them and wriggled my fingers, as if the movement would encourage my dormant—or more likely nonexistent—powers to manifest themselves in some way.

Nothing happened, yet the wizard didn’t seem concerned. “I’m unsurprised you don’t notice; magic has always been an intricate part of you, enriching your life in ways you’ve grown so accustomed to that you don’t recognize it for what it is. But magic is patient, remaining with those who possess it even before they understand how to wield it. And you will…once you become my apprentice.”

His smile was warm, an invitation to accept his offer.

The idea was tempting, seducing me with thoughts of a future that felt entirely out of reach. The day had begun in an entirely ordinary way when I’d ventured from my cottage this morning…only to stumble upon a magical light that had led me to a wizard who offered to tutor me in powers I didn’t know I had. It seemed a reality straight from a storybook, too fantastical to be real.

…orwasit?

If magic trulywasa part of me, had the enchanted light been drawn to the power this wizard suspected simmered beneath my skin, like a bee to nectar? For a blissful moment I allowed myself to imagine the possibility before I forced myself to push the alluring daydreams away with a rigid shake of my head.

The wizard blinked in clear surprise before frowning. “You’renotinterested in studying magic? The curiosity you exhibited earlier proves otherwise.”

“I cannot deny I’m interested in magic…” I began hesitantly. “But it’s simply not practical. What use is magic to a peasant?” Magic seemed as rare and unattainable as wealth, reserved solely for those within the elite circles of society, who possessed both the resources and time to foster their power.

“On the contrary, it seems it’d be evenmoreuseful to a…common girl.” Seeming embarrassed he’d taken notice of my lower station, he awkwardly cleared his throat, a reaction that only confirmed what I’d suspected: he himself was no commoner. “Your education as my apprentice will allow you to learn how to wield it as a tool in your everyday life to assist you with even the most menial of chores.”

The words tugged my mind away from this otherworldly exchange firmly back to reality, reminding me I’d been away from the duties that awaited me at home for too long. My gaze jerked upwards to track the sun’s progress across the sky. A few hours of daylight remained. If I left now, I’d have enough time to assist my family—Mother with dinner preparations, and my little brother patiently awaiting the promise I’d made when I’d departed at dawn.

“I have to go.”

The wizard sighed. “I’d hoped we could come to an agreement. While stubbornness isn’t an ideal trait for an apprentice, it’ll at least serve you well as you learn the basics of magic and beyond, particularly the more difficult spells you’ll encounter in the future.”

I frowned. “You’re assuming I’ll agree to your offer.”

---