Page 83 of Charmed

The challenge didn’t feel over; rather I sensed something missing, a clue hidden within plain sight, even if I couldn’t currently decipher what it was. I carefully combed through each magical layer filling the chamber with a patience that came from many years of practice.

After some time, I noticed that hidden beneath the layers of magic was a well camouflaged spell, a disillusionment charm that masked a subtly woven concealment spell…whose patterns matched those I’d spent weeks studying while trying to uncover the force suppressing my magic that had been disguised so thoroughly as to be unrecognizable.

Recognizing the magic allowed me to finally uncover the tools needed to break it. I peeled back and manipulated each layer until the spell shattered; with it, the magic tingling the air shifted and the powers that had been absent within me returned in a rush.

The presence of my magic felt like being reunited with a dear friend. The comforting familiarity of my powers shimmered beneath my skin and immediately heeded my beckoning command to twirl upwards into the air.

Maeve gasped. “Your magic has returned!”

Enchantress Ivy beamed. “It appears you’ve solved the final riddle of the competition, and not a moment too soon.”

Her meaning slowly settled over me as my awed gaze took in my waltzing magic. My bulging gaze snapped to my mentor’s. “A concealment charm was all that was blocking my access to my powers?”

She nodded. “Your powers never left—you onlybelievedthey did, as did all the competitors. Only a select few decided to continue fighting even when the odds seemed entirely stacked against them, a test in resolve that couldn’t be given unless you believed you’d lost everything.”

To think that in my despair I’d almost given up, thinking I’d lost something that had in reality been with me this entire time. If not for Maeve’s encouragement, I likely wouldn’t have seen the competition through to the very end.

“Deciphering the truth requires a solid foundation in magical theory,” Enchantress Ivy continued. “You’ve always possessed a keen understanding of a subject far too many magical wielders neglect, more so than anyone else I’ve ever trained. As such, you likely began to realize that the spell suppressing your magic wasn’t a siphoning charm considering it didn’t follow the usual pattern, but simply a spell disguised as such to create the illusion that you’d lost your powers.”

I gaped at her. “What was the purpose of such trickery?”

“You had to prove that your determination was stronger than the obstacles seemingly barring your way, and that nothing would prevent you from giving your all to the competition,” she said. “It was also to illuminate who you and the other competitors are as a person when you lost what made you a wizard. Beyond that, it was a test for you to recognize a carefully crafted illusion and how to break it, as well as to force you in a situation that would allow me and the other judges to test your ability to work with others. Ultimately it is the character more than the magic that makes one a worthy enchanter to sit on the Council.”

There were too many implications hidden within her words for me to analyze them all at once…save for one fact that her revelation had illuminated. Rather than the relief of finally solving the riddle that had been haunting me for weeks, a swell of frustration seized hold.

“If the judges were the ones behind the illusion…that meansyou’rethe one who tampered with Maeve’s memory.”

Maeve stiffened in surprise from her place at my side.

Enchantress Ivy cast her an apologetic look. “Forgive me, dear, but such a spell became necessary when you happened upon the judges as we were discussing the details of the secret illusion challenge. Should you have revealed the details to Alden, we would have been forced to disqualify him, and at that point he’d come too far to end the competition there.”

Though Mae accepted her reasoning with a forgiving nod, the explanation wasn’t near enough to satisfy me. “You took considerable risk against someone not actually competing. Mae didn’t deserve to suffer due to our association.”

Especially with something as dangerous as a memory altering charm. Though I was confident in my mentor’s ability to know that she possessed the advanced skill necessary to pull it off, I didn’t want any risk when it came to Mae. My fists clenched at the very thought.

Enchantress Ivy bowed her head. “It was prideful for me to place too much confidence in my own abilities. My judgement was misplaced.”

Her display of humility did little to soften me, but before I could demand more, Mae’s soothing touch brushed against my arm. “In the end no harm befell me. I’m grateful to have done my part in what you felt was best to ensure Alden had full opportunity to succeed.”

My heart both swelled at her words and wrenched at the cost she might have been forced to endure for my own selfish whims should Enchantress Ivy’s spell had gone wrong, as if I hadn’t already take advantage of her tendency to self sacrifice in the pursuit of my own interests.

Enchantress Ivy turned to me. “I can only hope my mistakes have eased your worries concerning your own you made throughout the competition. Those who sit on the Enchanters’ Council are not infallible; no amount of skill makes one free of error, nor does any charm exist that would prevent us from unintentionally continuing to make them. In the end we can only do our best to exercise our best judgement for any situation, something I hope gives you the confidence to accept this position despite your own perceived shortcomings.”

The full meaning of her words settled over me, dispelling the last of my annoyance. “You mean I’ve earned the position?”

Even with her nod I couldn’t fully accept it, having been trapped by my fears for so long that it felt surreal to imagine that for all the power I’d given them over the years, in this moment they would simply vanish. But in the end they’d been nothing more than chains bound in lies that had held me back for far too long, leaving me finally free from their influence.

Though my shock had stunned me into silence, in Mae’s excitement she gave an adorable little hop. “That’s wonderful! I knew you could do it, Alden.”

She embraced me, allowing me the opportunity to hold her for the first time since I’d comforted her at her cottage all those weeks ago. I’d forgotten how perfectly we fit together, like a spell with its incantation. Somehow the feel of her in my arms felt like the far greater prize than the one I’d just won.

I found myself unconsciously nestling against her soft hair. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

The admission might have sparked my usual inadequacies, but this time I only felt gratitude I’d been blessed with the support of someone as incredible as Mae. Who would have ever guessed that the tracking spell that had led me to her in the forest that day had guided me to the greatest treasure of all?

She tipped her head back to stare up at me, her entire expression aglow in a way that illuminated my heart. “In the end it was your own abilities that allowed you to succeed in reaching your greatest dream.”

My greatest dream…somehow that sentiment no longer applied to earning this position, even as I couldn’t articulate what ambition I’d associate the sentiment with instead.

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