Page 20 of Spellbound
Dragging my finger against my lip, feeling the touch beneath my fingertips, I slowed my breaths.
Edmund handed him a wand, one we only used to transfer curses or spells. “Using this, I want you to wrap the curse around it and put it in there.” He pointed at the small metal box. “You will need to control it before it can control you. You have dark magic running through your veins, so you’re naturally attuned to these curses, and you won’t give in to their lures easily. You can do this.”
Viktor furrowed his brows, and a line of concentration creased his forehead. Gripping the eight-inch, knotted wooden wand, he closed his eyes, placing it against the side of the box. That was where I would have gone too. Most would go into the center, but the side was best. There were small holes in the side the curse could be pulled through, therefore weakening it. Even Edmund was impressed with his placement, nodding with his arms folded over his chest.
Viktor pulled the wand outward, his hand trembling for a short second, and the darkness danced through the holes, entwining itself like a mist around the wand. Now for the hard part. There was no way he or anyone would do it the first time, but so far, he’d done better than anyone else I’d met, including Maddox.
The curse snaked down the wand and to his hand. Edmund braced himself to pull the curse back, but Viktor pushed back, closing his eyes as he moved the wand toward the metal box. My heart raced as the scene unfolded, moving in slow motion. I blinked twice, unable to believe what I was seeing. My mouth fell open when the wand hit the top of the box, and the curse, at Viktor’s will, curled inside and allowed itself to be locked away. He closed the box, and I let out a shaky exhale. Edmund’s eyebrows shot up his forehead, and Maddox let out a loud “well damn.”
Viktor placed the wand onto the table, then turned toward me, of all people. “Thanks for the help. I’d have been possessed if it wasn’t for you.”
My heart hammered. I looked to Edmund for some clue as to how Viktor had mastered it so quickly, but he looked as perplexed as me.
“How did you do that?” Maddox arched an eyebrow.
Viktor shrugged. “I willed it to do what I wanted it to, as if it were an extension of my hand.”
I swallowed thickly. “No one’s done that this fast before.”
Edmund clapped his hands together. “Beginner’s luck, perhaps. Let’s see what else you can do.” He walked to the shelves and grabbed a pocket watch, which had been spelled to act as a compass rather than a watch. “Make it tell time once more.”
It was another puzzle given to students, but usually a month or two after training. The box had to be a fluke. There was no way he’d be able to pass this straight away.
He took the pocket watch, which looked small in his big hands, and curled his fingers around the smooth, gold surface. He fell silent for several minutes. I picked at my nails, wondering what Dora was going to make for breakfast. I wasn’t usually up this early. We’d be in here for ages while he tried to figure out the watch, and my stomach growled in protest.
“He’s done it,” Edmund announced, surprise guiding his tone. I looked over, and a lump formed in my throat. The watch ticked away, pointing to several seconds after ten past nine. “This is unprecedented.” Edmund smiled. “I must let Alma know. Maddox, take him to see the books on Lor. I wonder how quickly he can learn to translate.” His eyes sparkled with excitement, whereas I felt like I’d swallowed a lead balloon.
Maddox walked to my side, his eyebrows raised. “Looks like you will have some competition for keeper. If he keeps going like this, he’ll be an apprentice within weeks.”
Viktor smiled in my direction. I looked away. As he stood, with Maddox and Edmund praising him, I didn’t see him as the hot new guy. He was going to steal everything I had worked for, right from under me. No one had excelled that quickly, and I didn’t stand a chance.
“Elle, you coming to help us show Viktor some Lor?”
I ground my teeth. I hated being petty or bitter, but the ugly emotions rampaged beneath the surface. “I’m going to eat. I’m sure Viktor won’t need any help.”
Maddox rolled his eyes, then turned toward Viktor. “Let’s go. I’ll show you the archives first.”
***
“Don’t be jealous.”Dora paced the kitchen table in her sunflower-patterned apron. “You should be pleased our coven is growing.”
“I need to become a keeper,” I explained as I sat in front of a plate of bacon and eggs. I’d explained everything to her, although I was sure Edmund would tell her again once they were done and came for lunch.
“Edmund said you weren’t going to take the test, so it’s your own fault. Your putting it off means he’ll have a chance. If you put your name forward at the call, then you’ll fill the position before he has the chance to train for it.”
I chewed on the inside of my lip, looking down at the steaming cup of coffee she’d placed in front of me. Sighing, I fumbled my thumbs. “What if I’m not good enough? What if I can’t pass?”
“There’s no reason you wouldn’t.” Dora sat across the table from me and sipped tea from a small, bone china teacup. “You’ve practiced enough. Just get your head down and study those last books, and you’ll be good to go.”
I curled my lips behind my teeth, closing my eyes as I did. “I don’t think that’s enough.”
“What’s the harm in trying?”
“I can’t wait years until I can try again. Next year I’ll be better equipped, and...”
“So will Viktor.”
My jaw clenched. “Right.”
