Page 4 of Charmed

“You will.” He spoke with such confidence that for a moment I wondered if his powers extended to seeing the future. “Magic is a part of you, one you’re now aware of. Thus you’ll come to desire to develop your powers, especially after a bit of…persuasion.”

Though his expression remained friendly, foreboding prickled my skin. “My life is perfectly content without it.” But my tongue burned with the lie, one that if his smirk was any indication he sensed.

Could magic also discern between truth and falsehoods? This was only one of many questions I yearned to answer, evidence that despite my determination, I wouldn’t be able to abandon all thoughts of magic even after the wizard and I parted ways.

“I don’t doubt youthinkyou’re content,” he said. “But why settle when embracing the extraordinary will only enhance your life?”

Once more the alluring idea attempted to seduce me. Prior to this encounter, my only experience with magic outside had been through the whispers and stories filling the village that provided just enough fodder for my imagination to run wild as it played with the possibilities in vivid color.

As if he sensed my thoughts, the wizard’s smirk widened. “Magic can do all that you’re imagining…and much more.” His words were cajoling…too much so.

I narrowed my eyes. “Has magic provided you with a sixth sense?”

Mischief glistened as he tilted his head. “Perhaps. There’s only one way to find out for yourself: become my apprentice, and I’ll teach you everything you desire to know.”

A frustrated sigh escaped. The man was certainly persistent, which left me to wonder how long he’d attempt to persuade me or the means he’d use before finally giving up…if he ever did; I already found magic alluring enough without whatever tricks he had up his sleeve. But despite my curiosity, I couldn’t afford to bend; magic had no place in my life, not when my minimal time was best spent on my responsibilities that held far greater importance.

These duties stretched across the distance separating me from my family, beckoning me to return home. Though I’d ventured off the forest path to arrive at this hidden clearing, I was hopeful the detour wouldn’t cause any further delay. I walked back to the cover of trees and the wizard followed.

“Are you certain you know the way?” He sounded far too cheerful about the prospect that I might not.

“Quite certain, thank you.” I increased my pace and silently cursed when he easily matched it.

“Are you sure? If you’re lost, a tracking spell can lead you to wherever you need to go. I shall demonstrate it for your first lesson.”

“I have a keen sense of direction.” Not to mention I was intimately familiar with the forest I’d lived in my entire life.

He sensed my sincerity and frowned. “How fortunate for you.” Unfortunately he wasn’t dissuaded; in fact, the challenge only seemed to excite him.

The trees embraced me as I stepped within their cocoon of foliage, allowing them to swallow me up, but he only continued to follow, walking beside me like a persistent shadow.

I tightened my jaw to keep back my frustration, fighting a twinge of unease. Though the wizardseemedamiable, should he prove temperamental I’d hate to give him any reason to curse me. Despite his obvious disappointment at my rejection he appeared rather cheerful, as if he fully suspected to win this battle of wills and was only humoring my delusions otherwise.

We hadn’t ventured far when his good humor penetrated the soft sound of our footsteps against the undergrowth. “If you have no need of a tracking spell, perhaps magic can aid you another way: you appear to be in a hurry yet still have quite a walk ahead of you. Allow me to share an example of how magic can be of use in such an instance.”

I took a steadying breath in an attempt to quell my rising exasperation as my fragile hold on my limited patience finally faltered. “Please stop trying to persuade me,” I snapped. “I have no need for any of your magic tricks.”

“So you claim, but I’m determined to change your mind. Allow me to demonstrate.”

I bit my lip to hold back my aggravated sigh, even as curiosity warred against my better judgment. While I’d been honest that I didn’t find my life lacking without magic, I couldn’t smother the part of me that was drawn to it. It took considerable effort to once more summon my refusal.

“For the last time, that won’t be necessary—” The remainder of my protest was lost as I turned to scowl at the wizard…only to discover he’d disappeared, swallowed by the trees, as if he hadn’t been there at all.

CHAPTER2

My unexpected encounter with the wizard occupied my mind throughout my entire journey home. The farther I traversed, the more I wondered whether I’d imagined the entire exchange, even as I kept expecting him to reappear…only he never did. Had he given up trying to persuade me to become his apprentice? The thought brought both relief and a strange sense of disappointment, thanks to the impractical side of me that yearned to embrace his offer.

“It’s for the best; my family needs me.” But speaking the words aloud did little to convince my rebellious heart eagerly stoking my imagination with every possibility for how I could use my newfound powers that up until a moment ago I didn’t even know I possessed.

The woodland scenery grew familiar once I returned to the twisting path that led to my cottage, yet everything around me seemednew, as if the woods had changed…or perhaps for the first time, I was seeing them as they really were.

Magic is easy to notice once one knows what to look for. It exists everywhere, but only those with a discerning eye can discover it. The wizard’s words echoed in my mind with every step, causing me to look around the forest he claimed was enchanted with new eyes.

I searched the air for any sign of magic, but saw only the breathtaking beauty of my surroundings—tall trees of cedar and aspen with clumps of ferns growing at their bases and hidden treasures of acorns, pinecones, and mushrooms nestled beneath their boughs, just waiting to be discovered. Vines hung from the leafy canopy, where golden sunlight filtered through to dance across the melody of flowers scattered across the undergrowth, adding bright touches to the amber forest grounds. Sunlight glistened off the vibrant colors, while the air hummed with birdsong, an invisible force that had always filled the forest but which I was now beginning to wonder might be somethingmore.

Was it truly magic after all?

As I reached the edge of the woods, I crouched down to pluck some cheerful bluebells to brighten my brother’s room. I rested them carefully across the mushrooms filling my basket and stepped into the clearing where my two-room cottage awaited me.

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