Page 48 of Charmed

She watched approvingly as her cut healed, not only sealing the wound but erasing every trace of blood. She lifted her forearm to better study it.

“Not even a scar. The true test would be how it fares against more serious ailments than a mere cut, but unfortunately we’re not at liberty to use a potion not created by a certified healer on someone suffering from such a serious condition [Oops, in one of the earlier chapters Alden told Mae that there are no trained healers. Should I clarify that affording them would be beyond her current means? Or is there another way to fix that plot hole…if it’s considered one?] . But that is unnecessary for our purposes; I’m familiar enough with healing spells to know it should work for most ailments, if not the most dire. Not bad for a first attempt.” She finally allowed herself a slight smile before adjusting her expression back to the emotionless mask the rest of the judges wore.

The man who’d cut her arm turned his gaze to Alden. “You brewed the potion well enough for it to prove effective.”

Despite the praise, apprehension twisted Alden’s expression as he shifted nervously. “But…not enough?”

Enchantress Ivy sighed. “Notquiteenough. You clearly overstretched your abilities, an overexertion that would be best used for a potion that would be affordable for the populace if you’re sincere in using your magic to help others. You also cut several corners—I suspect you dried thekudzuarrowrootwith fire magic rather than using natural sunlight, and didn’t properly drain out the extra moisture in the leaves of your other ingredients after they’d been soaked in the recent rain, which slightly altered their magical properties.”

Alden stiffened. “Did those errors make that much of a difference?”

The aged enchantress at the end of the row spoke for the first time. “Enough to make them discernible, and enough to compromise the quality. Surely you know better than to speed the magical process along, especially in a potion such as a healing tonic where mistakes would prove far more disastrous than they otherwise might in a less important brew. Why did you rush it? You had several days to complete a potion.”

“I just wanted…” He lowered his eyes and fell silent, but I sensed the words that remained unspoken: he’d placed greater emphasis on being one of the first to complete the task rather than taking the extra time necessary to ensure the quality of his potion. His carelessness had likely resulted from his fluster in his previous attempts repeatedly resulting in a love spell; in his excitement at having finally brewed the health tonic, he’d neglected to test it.

Enchantress Ivy knew him well enough understand his reasoning. “In magic, speed is of less importance than effective spells. You should know better.” Despite her rebuke, I could detect a note of gentleness in her voice.

His shoulders slumped. “I know…and I’ll pay for my negligence with my failure.” His expression was gaunt, his tone emotionless in his disbelief.

One of the enchanters cleared his throat, compelling Alden to look up. “Not necessarily. It all depends on where you stand after the other results come in. You are one of the first to complete this stage, so as of yet we cannot determine how you rank among the others.”

“Even if I rank higher than the others, do I really deserve to move forward with my mistakes?”

“No wielder of magic, no matter how advanced, is without mistakes,” Enchantress Ivy said. “Even with your errors, we are still able to measure your full worth as a wizard—you brewed an advanced potion that for the most part succeeded, a feat above many. The level of the potion counters some of the points your mistakes cost you, making it passable enough not to immediately disqualify you. It will all depend on the qualities of the potions we receive from the other contestants.” [I think some other contestants could be involved, but don’t have to be in great detail. Perhaps a competition could involve directly competing side by side in something? Mainly I think it’d help to see more of what Demetria is doing for her competitions.

Leftthis comment in as a reminder to brainstorm with you as I still can’t think of anything. ??]

Alden stood still a moment, as if processing these conflicting messages until the elderly enchantress waved her hand.

“You have several days until the next competition begins; you may return home or wherever you wish in the meantime. A message will reach you to let you know whether you will progress or not, but this is an excellent time to rest and to practice.”

Enchantress Ivy nodded. “Don’t give up yet.”

But by his expression, part of him already had. He left the judging tent in a daze, scarcely noticing the handful of other contestants who were arriving or waiting their turn to be judged.

My gaze remained riveted to Alden’s disheartened expression. I yearned to conjure up the words that would make him feel better, but the lingering uncertainty about his stance would only make them seem insincere, not to mention I doubted Alden wanted to converse with his frog in front of the other contestants.

Alden’s despondent posture suddenly stiffened as he caught sight of a wizard who had just stepped through a portal into the clearing. He took an involuntary step towards the man before swiveling around and rushing into the forest. I nearly slipped off his shoulder with the sudden motion. He stopped as soon as he was within the concealment of the trees.

I stared at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’swrong, exactly. I just didn’t want to be seen.”

“By Demetria?”

Alden’s expression twisted at the mention of his sister. “I didn’t sense her presence, but I did see another person who knows me too well to be fooled by my disguise. You remember my mentioning my friend, the one who knew of my plans to try for a position on the council?”

After a moment’s thought I recalled the day he’d tried to guess my identity and had briefly wondered if I was this wizard. “Is he here?”

Alden nodded, his face creased in puzzlement. “I can’t imagine why Kai would have entered the competition. He never indicated any interest, even when I told him of my intentions.”

“Are you going to speak to him?”

Indecision flickered in his eyes before he shook his head. “I can’t. He would doubtless recognize me through my disguise, and while I trust him, I can’t risk anyone else overhearing or guessing my identity by seeing us together. Or…” His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. “It’s possible it’s not even him, but someone disguised as I am who has taken on his appearance.”

Stepping a little deeper into the forest, Alden made some calculations before opening a portal that led us back to the clearing where we had set up camp. He moved about restlessly, picking up books and bottles before setting them back down, followed by an equally restless spellbook.

At my questioning look he sighed and settled beside me. “I really should return to the palace while I have this break. It would be an excellent chance to catch up on my other responsibilities. Yet I fear I would be useless there while I’m so distracted and likely give myself away, so I’ve decided to stay here and study.”

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