Page 49 of Pure Magic
Stopping her horse, she turns in the saddle to look back at me. “What on earth does that mean?”
Shrugging, I can’t help how her snappish tone amuses me. “I have no idea, but it caught my eye. I thought about it all day, and in the afternoon, went back to the shop where they sold the pamphlet to buy it and see if I could make sense of it. But there were none left.
“I tried three more shops before I found one copy left, but the odd advertisement wasn’t there. The back was blank.”
“How odd.” She urges her horse to walk on.
“I thought so, but soon forgot about the incident. Edinburgh is large enough to distract me for some weeks and hide for a long time. It would be difficult for Ariana to find me with all the noise and other attractions.
“I took rooms at an inn. It was delightful to have the ability to bathe and eat regularly. I kept my wits sharp by searching the area each night for signs of my siblings. I scried for them regularly but found nothing. So, I stayed and enjoyed the city.”
“It must have been nice for you to be in one place.” The path widens again, and she falls back to walk beside me. Her warm caring washes over me, making me wonder what took me so long to follow the signs to find her.
“It was.” Closing my eyes, I see those neat rooms and the street below. “I made friends with the butcher who delivered chickens to the inn. One night, he invited me to listen to a speaker at the college. I’m not much for politics, but it was something to do, and I hoped it would lead to having an ale at the pub afterward.” A chill runs up my spine at the memory.
“What happened?”
“As with these types of things, there was a young man standing on a soapbox, talking about rising up and that kind of thing. Suddenly the air grew still. I thought for sure Ariana had found me. Every soul in the square froze in place except for me. I searched for the danger I was certain was coming.
“The fellow who’d been spewing his politics looked me in the eye. ‘Prudence Bishop of Windsor. Windsor seeks you.”
“My word,” Sara Beth breathes.
“A moment later, everyone was normal again. The fellow on the box was telling them what to do to join his cause. Shaken, I excused myself from the crowd and went back to my room.” I let out a long breath. It’s the first time I’ve told the story. I was sure anyone would think me mad.
She whispers, “What did you do?”
“I addressed a letter to Prudence Bishop in Windsor and asked her to write to me if she was real. I didn’t expect to hear back, but what else could I do?” I lift the reins helplessly.
“But she did write back.” The road opens in a field, and in the distance, the hills rise and roll on for miles.
“She did. The letter arrived the day before my scrying found Kaden lurking to the north of the city. I packed up, and letter in hand, moved on from Edinburgh. It wasn’t easy to get mail, but I did manage to receive a few more letters from the great mother in the weeks to come. Each one told me that I would be welcomed to Windsor and that my destiny would never begin if I didn’t come.”
Her smile holds no joy. “She never said a word about you until the day you came to dinner, and she gave no information. Sometimes I think Prudence is in constant contact with forces beyond the veil. Perhaps it’s her age, but she knows things and does things that seem impossible most of the time.”
“You’re upset that she didn’t tell you she went to such measure to invite me to Windsor?”
She puts one hand on her hip while holding the reins with the other. “No. She can invite whomever she wishes. Her rank grants her that right. I’m upset that she knew something rather extraordinary was about to happen, that I would be a part of it, and would be leaving Windsor, and she didn’t even give me a hint.” She kicks her horse into a gallop.
I follow and enjoy the wind and energy of the run.
When we reach the wooded stretch before we begin the climb, we are forced to slow, and the air tingles with magic. “Beth do you feel that?”
With a nod, she casts a spell to keep the horses silent. We walk into the shadow of the trees and stay still.
Pressure from a searching spell shimmers against our protection spell. Someone is looking for us, and it’s safest to assume it’s not someone from the coven.
“Ariana?” Sara Beth asks silently.
With the protection spell in place, I can’t tell. At the rate the spell is wavering, it won’t be long before we’re found. The wand vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I focus a new spell through the crystal wand. Magic flows from me, through it, and feeds the existing spell. The wavering stops, and the bubble of magic around us glows dark blue.
Whoever was looking for us passes by. The pressure eases and disappears.
I’ve never seen magic like that, and I have never produced a spell that could firm up a spell cast by another witch.
“How did you do that?” Sara Beth asks.
“I have no idea. I was thinking that your spell wasn’t going to hold, and it needed to be stronger. I conjured my own spell, and this is the result.” I gesture to the glowing bubble around us.
