Page 74 of Charmed

I relinquished Alden’s hand so I could kneel in front of the boy, who peered up at me with blue eyes bulging with curiosity. “What’s your name?” I asked gently.

He ducked his head shyly. “Calvin.”

Even his name was similar to my dear brother’s. My heart wrenched. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

His gaze darted towards the playing children. “I want to join them but my arm hurts from propping up on my crutch for too long.”

After a moment of examining the wooden crutch, I came up with a possible idea. I turned to Alden. “Is there a spell for something to take on an attribute of something else, such as wood taking on the sensation of a pillow?”

He nodded. “I can teach you the spell.”

It took much trial and error for me to cast a charm of a more intermediate nature, but eventually Calvin was tentatively standing and bearing his weight on his crutch. His entire expression lit up as he leaned on the formerly uncomfortable wood and discovered the impression of a cushion.

“That’s so much more comfortable. Thank you.” He eagerly hobbled over to join the other children, leaving his own spell of satisfaction at being able to help him even in this small way in his wake.

After this success, I didn’t want to stop with Calvin. With my magic and creative ideas alongside Alden’s knowledge tutelage, together we performed dozens of simple spells for all we came into contact with—ranging from charms to enchant the flowers growing beneath the gabled windows to play music with each petal its own section of an orchestra, to using a tracking spell to help a farmer recover some of his chickens that had wandered away, to Alden teaching me how to weave the elements together to duplicate the all-purpose cloth he’d submitted for the competition to assist some of the less abled villagers, to using magic to enchant objects to perform menial chores.

Though none of these parlor tricks had as drastic an impact as our restoring the well had, the resulting joy was just as tender. Each cast spell did more than grow my magical knowledge; it seemed to grant Alden purpose, even without him being the one to perform the actual spell.

Yet none of the magic impacted me as much as my interaction with Calvin. I thought of him long after we’d departed the village. I’d spent my entire life so consumed with tending to Corbin that I’d never considered who else might be suffering like him—different ailments, yet just as devastating to them and their families as Corbin’s illness was to ours. Even for those who didn’t have as serious of trials, there were undoubtedly less obvious needs that would benefit from my service.

Upon returning to my village, I resolved to step outside the walls of my own home to see if I could find a way to bring joy to those living near me…with magic, a willing heart, and my own two hands.

CHAPTER23

Dusk had settled by the time we departed from the hamlet. We traveled as far as the fading light allowed, managing some progress in the darkness by the flame Alden taught me to conjure before eventually stopping to make camp in a field near the road.

As Alden no longer possessed the magic to use his trunk that fit all of his possessions neatly before tucking into a pocket, we traveled wit very little aside from a few objects he’d been able to fit in his robe without shrinking them. He carried a single book from his collection tucked under his arm, and the spellbook of course followed us, but our bedrolls, cooking utensils, and the rest of Alden’s magical implements had been left behind, to be retrieved after the competition ended.

Thankfully the villagers had laden us with generous offerings when we left. While Alden collected wood for a fire, I sharpened some sticks to toast the bread and cheese we’d received. After arranging the limbs and twigs, Alden once again guided me to conjure a flame and coax it to take hold of the prepared wood.

We sat side by side on a fallen log next to the fire, sharing the simple meal as we’d shared so many recently. I felt waves of both sadness and satisfaction pass over me as I reviewed the day’s happenings that had brought such sorrow but also joy. Judging by Alden’s expression, he felt similarly.

Finally I reluctantly stood. The villagers had gifted us two homespun blankets along with the food, which I spread out on the grass before easing my sore limbs down onto one.

Alden settled onto his blanket as well. After the events of the trying day I expected him to fall asleep immediately, but he stayed up long into the night, propped onto an elbow to watch the dancing flames as if mesmerized by them. I took a moment to admire the golden light’s effect against his features before sitting up too.

“You’re studying that fire as closely as you did the competition’s clues. Searching for a flaw in my spell so you can prepare a lecture expounding on my flawed application of magical theory?”

His lips twitched as he met my gaze. “As amusing as that sounds, you performed the spell flawlessly.”

I swelled at his praise, but couldn’t resist teasing him. “Talented pupil?”

He chuckled. “Or effective mentor.”

We exchanged smiles before we both returned our attention to the sparks and amber patterns the flickering flames created against the night. “I almost fancy there’s a message behind such a bewitching dance,” I mused.

“There’s actually a branch of divination magic that allows you to predict the future, but it’s beyond my current realm of study.” He sobered. “There’s little need to read what the flames could possibly be telling me now, not when my future seems destined to a single path.”

He heaved a discouraged sigh, confirming the true reason I suspected he was still awake. I didn’t want to dwell on his perceived failures, but rather on what we’d accomplished. “Even though our time in the village offered only a glimpse, I feel that because of our journey, I now better understand all that magic can be used for.”

The corner of his lips lifted, as if aching to smile if his disappointments would allow him. “Magic has always fascinated me. My earliest memories are aglow with my mother’s delightful spells she performed to entertain me, my favorite being how she enchanted my toys to float after me as I wandered the palace corridors. From the moment I first discovered my powers I wanted to emulate her.” His brow furrowed. “I’m not sure when magic shifted from something that brought light to a pursuit to provide meaning. It happened too gradually for me to notice the change, only discernible after it was too late.”

In the resulting silence I assembled my thoughts. “Perhaps my perception of magic is different because it’s still so new, but to me magic is a source of possibility. Anything can be altered with just the right spell, even a transformed mindset of how you perceive magic.”

He smiled wryly. “It’s a shame I can’t submit such a spell for the current challenge to perform innovative transformative magic.”

I tilted my head. “Why can’t you?”

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