Page 67 of Charmed

My gratitude faded in a swell of indignation. “I never make the same mistake twice. This time I cursed myself on purpose.”

He gaped at me incredulously. “But…why?”

“This cursed form will protect my magic from whatever force seems to be affecting yours and potentially that of the other competitors.” I didn’t explain the secret, almost more pressing reason for my decision—my growing feelings made it awkward to be around Alden as a human.

Though I found the offered explanation perfectly valid, his expression only darkened. “You cursed yourself just forme?”

The decision did seem rather drastic, a rather extreme length to go for a man, even a kindhearted and handsome one. Though the emotion was still new, love already seemed irrational. “We’re friends.” As true as the assessment was, it didn’t seem strong enough for what my heart now yearned for from him.

He sighed. “It appears I only have myself to blame for failing to focus on the seriousness of curses in your magical education.”

My eyes now resting atop my new head prevented me from rolling them. “The circumstances aren’t nearly so dire, considering we’ve already found a means of breaking the curse.” When his disapproval remained, defensiveness enlarged my throat. “It’s not like this condition is permanent.”

“Even so, we’re in a partnership and should make decisions together.”

He was right, especially considering I’d needed to rely on his waning powers for the communication needed to explain the situation. I ducked my head. “I’m sorry, Alden.”

He sighed, but when I tentatively peeked up at him, his expression had softened. “You are fiercely independent.” Thankfully fondness rather than annoyance cradled the words.

My lips quirked up. “A trait you’re familiar with in yourself to recognize in another?”

He resisted the impulse a moment before returning my smile, but it quickly turned down as he considered another problem. “How will we turn you back?”

“The same way you did the first time—with a kiss.”

His cheeks darkened. “But that time I didn’t realize—I couldn’t—”

A swell of heated embarrassment overcame me at the thought of kissing Alden, nevermind the exchange would be purely transactional. “You kissed me before.”

“But I didn’t know it wasyou.”

Nor had the feelings I harbored for him progressed so far as to swell my heart as they did now. “We’ll deal with that problem when the time arises.”

By the panic slowly overtaking his expression, he didn’t want to deal with it at all. “So…what happens now?”

I smirked, glad to have a new subject to distract me from the awkwardness. “I’ll conduct a magical investigation incognito to see if I can find out what’s happening to your powers…and why.” It was time to get at the bottom of the dark force interfering with the magical competition.

CHAPTER21

Ikept my hops as silent as possible against the undergrowth as the faint murmur of a lone voice met my keen ears. The tracking magic Alden had given me flickered and winked out, indicating that I’d arrived at my destination. Stealthily I crept closer, stopping under a large, leafy fern to survey the camp. A simple shield charm ringed the clearing; with my increased awareness I could see the wavering edges where it grew weak thanks to the steady siphoning of magic. But regardless of its strength, it didn’t affect me since it was designed only to keep out magic wielders, and my powers were currently suppressed by the curse.

A young woman with dark hair pulled up in a loose knot sat on a rock, her brow furrowed as she concentrated on something shimmering in her palm. As I watched, the sparkles grew fainter and dissipated, causing the witch to emanate a sound of frustrated despair, her expression similar to the discouragement I’d witnessed from Alden increasingly of late.

Shaking out her hand, she took a deep breath and flattened her palm, conjuring another swirl of glittering light, but by the look on her face she was again displeased with the results. Impatiently she snapped her hand shut and stood, pacing restlessly.

I froze as her eyes passed over my hiding place before realizing she was unlikely to take note of me even if she saw me. Emboldened by the thought, I hopped out from my foliage shelter, keeping an eye on the witch as I surveyed her camp. As distracted as she seemed, I might be in greater danger of being stepped on than found out.

Several papers were scattered on the ground near the rock where she’d been seated. I glanced over them quickly; they were mostly notes of what the competitions had entailed so far and what little the witch had been able to learn about her competitors. She had also made a list of questions, wondering about the purpose of each competition and also about the loss of magic. At the very bottom of the page she’d scribbled the words, “Hiding something.”

I cocked my head, puzzling over the meaning, when a shadow fell across me. In my curiosity I’d forgotten to watch her, and she now stood over me, frowning down at me.

“Something’s strange about you, little frog,” she said, bending down and extending a hand towards me.

With a franticribbit, I dove for the treeline, taking longer hops than I’d known I was capable of. When I paused under a bush to catch my breath, I looked back to see her still in the clearing, peering in my direction. I hopped a little farther and then stopped, waiting. After a moment, the familiar golden light appeared next to me, hovering for an instant before moving off to my left towards yet another competitor’s camp.

This one had only the pretense of a shield, which would hardly more than warn the wizard of another encroaching. Clearly his magic was nearly depleted. I moved close to where the man lay on his bedroll, smudges of exhaustion under his eyes. His brow was furrowed in distress and he muttered to himself as he slept. Creeping even closer, I made out a few words: “…kind of spell, why would they use it?”

Again I turned back to the woods, both concerned and heartened by my discoveries. From what I could tell during my investigations, Alden still retained more magic than many of the others, confirmation of his impressive skillset. While I was relieved he hadn’t been targeted specifically, foreboding prickled my warty skin at the realization that whoever was responsible for this dark magic had enough power to cast it against so many talented mages at once.

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