Page 65 of The Vanishing Bookstore
Dora picked up the bottle Sephy was pointing to. She nodded her head.
‘Now, tip out some of the herbs.’ She passed her a wooden cutting board. ‘It won’t sting. Pour a little of the oil onto yourfinger and rub it from the top to the middle downwards all around. Then from the bottom up to the middle upwards and roll it in the herbs.’
Dora did as she was instructed, the smell of lavender and rosemary soothing her soul. They were such familiar fragrances and instantly conjured memories of happy times throughout her lives. When she had finished, she placed it into the candle holder and Lenny interrupted.
‘While you’re at it, try and light it with your finger. Simple candle magic is a good way to start.’
‘What, how?’
Lenny turned to one of the huge pillar candles on the dresser and flicked her finger towards it. A small flame appeared and Dora clapped.
‘You are such a dark horse. Brazen one-night stands with younger men and a closet witch, I couldn’t love it any more.’
Dora closed her eyes and pointed in the direction of the candle. Nothing happened.
Sephy tapped her on the arm. ‘It really would be best if you looked at it, dear, you might set your Aunt Lenny alight or the cat.’
Dora giggled and shook her head; this time she kept her eyes open and aimed her finger at the candle. Still nothing happened. She tried again and again.
‘Where is all that electricity that was shooting out of them before?’
She didn’t miss the look Lenny gave to Sephy, who put her arm around her.
‘It’s complicated at times; it doesn’t always go to plan. Magic can be a little unruly until you learn to use it the correct way.’
Dora stared at her. ‘Unruly? How the hell am I going to use it to fight Corwin if it only turns up when it feels like it and not when I need it?’
Lenny tossed her a box of matches. ‘It takes time, unfortunately time is something we don’t have a lot of. Don’t be disheartened, it worked when you needed it to find the book and at the museum. You don’t learn to ride a bike the first time you take the stabilisers off. You wobble, you fall off, you get up and keep trying. It’s kind of like that sometimes, but the biggest thing you need is self-belief. You have to believe that you can work your magic, you must feel it deep inside of you, feel all the wonders of the universe like a billion stars inside your soul, lighting the way. Take a deep breath and count to four, tell yourself you are made of magic, release it and aim for the candle.’
Dora did as she was told and whispered, ‘I am made of magic,’then pointed at the candle. There was the slightest crackle of blue light that erupted from her index finger, but it fizzled out before it could reach the wick.
Sephy began to clap and jump up and down. ‘See, you can do it. You need to practise, that’s all, you’re just a little rusty. Use the matches for now and incant the spell.’
Dora flicked a match against the rough sandpaper of the small box and watched with fascination as the tiny flame appeared. She held it to the wick and it began to flicker.
She inhaled and then said out loud. ‘I call my power to return to me, find its way and let me be, power my life through day and night, to help me fight another’s plight. I call my power to return to me, find its way and let me be, power my life through day and night, to help me fight another’s plight. I call my power to return to me, find its way and let me be, power my life through day and night, to help me fight another’s plight.’
As she spoke the words the candle flame began to dance, growing taller and glowing almost pure white. She watched it, fascinated; both her aunts were watching too with smiles on their faces. Dora felt the fizzing in her stomach, the ball ofenergy growing inside her, and she imagined it was a brilliant white light, even brighter than the candle flame. She could feel it running through her veins as if her whole body was charged with static electricity. She looked to find another candle and spied one on the windowsill not too far away from where Hades was watching the three of them with growing interest.
Dora lifted her finger and aimed it at the candle. A stream of blue and gold light hit the candle and the flame burst to life then it hit the windowpane and shot off in Hades’ direction. The bird, who had already been keeping a wary eye on them, exploded in a puff of feathers and loud squawks as he took off out the window, the smell of singed feathers hanging heavily in the air.
‘Oh my God, I’m sorry, Hades. Are you okay?’
Dora yelled after him as she raced to the back door and threw it open; she ran outside and frantically searched the old oak tree that grew in Sephy’s garden to see if he was there. She saw him perched on the highest branch, a look of shock in his glittering black eyes.
‘Sorry, Hades. I didn’t mean that, please tell me you’re okay?’
He ignored her and began to preen his singed feathers. Lenny walked out of the door, tears rolling down her cheeks and laughter so loud coming out of her mouth Dora thought she would deafen her. She stared up at the tree.
‘You okay up there, bird? You still have enough feathers to fly then?’
Sephy rushed out. ‘Lenny, stop that. You’ll upset him. Dear me, Dora, we need to work on that a little. This is my fault, I should have warned you about reflective surfaces.’
‘What about them?’
‘Well, for a start, they’re reflective. They can send your energy straight back to you, which can be dangerous.’
Lenny was still laughing. ‘Not as dangerous as it was for the bird.’
