by E Hall
“A wish witch,” he says softly. “Very interesting. Very rare. Not been having much success casting spells, have you?”
I shake my head.
He grunts. “Glad to be of help. I suppose you’re getting along at Riptivik well enough even without a wand. West is an old friend and top-notch, but not everyone agrees with what he’s doing and there’s bound to be opposition.”
From across the room, West grunts.
JJ stands by his side with his arms crossed.
I cut my eyes in his direction and then he exits to the tinkle of bells on the door. I harrumph.
“We’ll leave you to it.” West follows onto the lane, leaving me with the joiner.
He brings me to a brass and glass machine with tubes and cogs inside. I prepare myself for an unusual “Joining” experience, but he works at a bench to my side while I wait and wonder. He carves a piece of dark stone, almost black, brown, or red, depending on the light.
“Okay,” he says, at last, passing me the wand. “Let’s see your grip.”
I hold the wand as I’ve been instructed. Then he rotates my hand a degree, closes his eyes, and says something while his hand is still on mine.
“Now, try a simple spell. Make the gears in that machine turn.” He points.
“Are you sure? I tend to—”
“You can’t set it on fire,” he says with a wink.
I plant my feet on the ground, close my eyes, and get present before speaking the incantation we learned for invoking movement. The wheels turn ever so slowly and the joiner encourages me to repeat and repeat. When finally they’re all turning and vapor moves through the tubes, I get excited, feeling energy surging through me. “I think it’s working.”
He nods. “Keep at it a little longer.”
I take a deep breath and get the cogs whirring faster and faster.
“That’s it.” He leans close to the machine.
Then I hear a pop and a ding. Two little squares come down a chute.
The joiner picks them up and smiles. “Ah, apple. My favorite.”
“Apple?” I ask.
“Joining is a very complicated endeavor, but I learned that the kind of candy a witch or wizard produces while undergoing the experience, is most indicative of their sort of magic so I devised this little machine to test things out.” He passes me the other piece.
Sure enough, the candy tastes like an apple. “Now what?” I ask.
“Now, you make more magic.”
“Really? That’s it?”
“Well, the more you use your wand, the more you’ll form a relationship with it, and the more powerful it will become.”
“Do I owe you—?”
He waves a dismissive hand. “West has brought me so much business over the years, I owe him a favor and it’s not every day I get to make a wand for a wish witch. The last wish witch was Imogen Hawkins.” He studies me carefully. “You’re a special witch, Maija. You need a special wand. I don’t expect your parents would have brought you by anytime soon. I think you’ll find that you’ll repay me, and all of us, in your time.”
Bumps work their way up the back of my neck, making the fine hairs stick up like his wild eyebrows.
“Now, all I require is another piece of candy and you can be on your way. There’s a wonderful bookshop across the lane I think you might enjoy.”
I use my wand to work the machine again, producing another piece of a delicious apple candy.
I thank the joiner profusely and then step back outside, stowing my wand safely in my pocket. Sure enough, there’s a wonderfully packed and dusty bookstore across the way, complete with a furry orange cat lying in the window.
Never has freedom felt so good.
I browse the crammed shelves, looking for books of interest. I find a gently used spellbook, with better notations than the school-issued one (this will come in handy as I have remedial work to do). I pick out another about prominent witches in history, which will be helpful for a futurism project I have soon, and lastly a book of magical reflections—thoughts and commentary on the energetic world. I was hoping for a novel, but this must be a non-fiction shop.
After I pay with some crumbled bills from my bag and using a complicated conversion rate that Dewey probably would have been able to better explain than the sleepy shopkeeper, I step outside to find West and JJ.
Magicals bustle by with bags laden with supplies and unusual items. I’ve seen many street scenes, but this one is quainter and more fantastical than I could have imagined with shops for robes, an apothecary, a candle store—advertising endlessly lit candles—, and a peculiar little market with a pungent odor and a sign out front that says snails, wart removal, and knobby gum—whatever that is.
I wander down the lane. If I had any idea where I was, I could make a run for it. Stowaway on a boat or plane and head home. I’ve learned that there’s another realm and for all I know, I could be there now. I feel conspicuous dressed in my Riptivik uniform. Eyes dart in my direction from passersby and others offer friendly smiles.
A shop displays crystal globes, some made of gold and silver, gems, and other shiny objects.
The salesperson, dressed in shawls and with bangles around her wrists, comes up to me. She hovers her hands over a golden globe with veins of red and amber. “This is a dragon’s eye,” she says. “Not to be confused with a dragon’s tear, which foretells your laments.” She gestures to the silver orb. “Both are very rare. Would you care to know what treasures your future holds?” She presents the golden globe.
“Oh, um, actually—” Before I can say more, my gaze sticks on the shifting veins of red and amber. They’re mesmerizing. Inside, I see a dragon sitting upon a hoard of golden chalices, crowns, sculptures, and countless coins. It blinks open its slit-eyes. “There is something I desire, Maija. Something of great value. It is something you possess.” Its voice is a smokey growl.
“Eight-hundred American dollars in my savings account won’t get you far. No jewels or valuables to speak of.”
“No, it’s something only you possess,” the dragon hisses. “A wish.”
It’s then I recognize the eyes. Those amber eyes. It’s Storch. She draws me deeper into the depths of the orb like a magpie pulled toward sparkly things. I cannot resist. I am at her mercy. I sense the dragon’s claws digging into my mind. She’s slicing her way through as I throw up my mind-walls, trying to repel her. But she’s much stronger and this magic is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. There’s a swelling strain like the worst headache imaginable as she cuts deeper. Her eyes flash with determination as I close my own against their glare.
It’s that brief respite that I find my way to the surface of my own mind and thrust the orb into the shopkeeper’s hands. My voice trembles. “I thought it was supposed to speak of the treasures my future holds.”
“It surely did,” she replies.
I shake my head, not sure she can explain without me telling her that I’m a wish witch.
Across the street, I spot JJ in the window of the sweetshop. It’s nearly dark. His jaw is angular and his eyes are gray both of which I find myself appreciating more than I should. His posture is the kind of confidence I rarely see in non-magical males.
I study JJ out of context, wondering if we’d met under different circumstances, we wouldn’t hate each other so much. But I can’t think of any situation other than learning I’m a witch that I’d encounter someone like him. He once told me he’s misunderstood, but he doesn’t even try to help me understand, never answers my questions, and seems to exist solely to infuriate me.
He shifts position so I see less of his profile and more of his face through the glass. The faintest, most remote smile hints on his face. As a rule, I’ve noticed JJ doesn’t smile.
Something flares inside me. I race across the street and burst into the store. I open my mouth to speak, but I lost the spark somewhere on the street. Either that or I’m struck dumb, which is highly unlikely. “I was looking for you,
” I say a bit breathless.
His face falls. I sense him in my memories as if he can’t help it. He parts his lips to say something, but I beat him to it.
“Get out of my head,” I warn.
JJ’s eyes soften and then widen with alarm. He says, “Duck.”
“Goose?” I ask.
He shoves me down and before I can protest, a jar of sparkly, sugar-dusted dots suddenly explodes in a blast of color.
Chapter 29
★
A blast of glimmering, magical wind issues from JJ’s wand. I’ve never seen him use it.
I cover my head and shoot him a glare. “Be careful. That was close.”
“You be careful,” he fires back as he tugs me to the rear of the magical candy shop.
We pass trays of crispy chocolates (they snap and crackle), heaps of gummy candies (they wriggle), and shelves and shelves of supplies.
The smell is divine.
JJ’s grip on my hand is confusing.
The danger is real.
From behind us a blast of magic shoots past, exploding a vat of jelly, sending it all over the floor. JJ is surprisingly fast and agile on his feet, directs us to avoid it, and we dive out a back door.
Not wasting any time, we hurry down an alley behind the shops in Tippleton before arriving on the edge of town near the stone wall where West used the rune of passage.
JJ surveys behind us, keeping a wary eye on windows, doors, and passersby in the distance.
“Is the coast clear?” I ask.
“Don’t speak too soon.”
“Who was that attacking us and why?” As I say this I realize I’ve been asking these two questions a lot since arriving in the magical world. Who and why.
He shrugs. “Don’t know. More importantly, where is West?”
“He followed you out of the joiner’s shop.” I narrow my eyes accusingly. “If you weren’t such a—” I don’t know how to finish the sentence. Stubborn jerk? Obnoxious idiot? Moody brat?
“Let’s see your wand.” He holds out his hand.
I pull it from my pocket and he admires the smooth stone. In the daylight, it’s brighter, redder, and fierier than when I was in the shop. Or maybe I’m just seeing things through a veil of irritation and anger. I fume about how JJ tried to get into my thoughts and bite my tongue because he did just bail me out of a sticky situation.
“Next time, fire back,” JJ says, returning my wand to my hand.
“How do you know they were after me?”
“Us, Maija. They were after us.”
As if on cue, magic sizzles in the air and rushes toward us at the same time two creatures charge our way. One has scales that ooze dark yellow slime. The other is wrinkled, mangled, and is drooling. I drop to the ground and out of the way, tugging JJ down with me at the same time I send energy surging through my wand, lighting up the descending darkness. It erupts in a blast of red but isn’t fire like with my old wand. It’s sharper, hotter, and more dangerous. Magic.
There’s a low moan and a shriek then ash floats through the air like snow. I vaporized the scaly beast while JJ gets the other.
“What were those?” I ask even though I have a pretty good idea already. My breath comes in nervous spurts.
“Those were demons.” His expression is slightly nervous too but is directed at me.
JJ presses to his feet and holds out his hand to help me up. With his wand still lifted, he moves slowly forward toward the spot where the demons were. We’re both prepared for retaliation, but there isn’t one. He hasn’t let go of my hand.
A zing rushes through me and turns into a laugh, but it isn’t the gleeful kind. “You bring out the worst in me.”
He levels me with his gaze. “Is that so? I’d argue that I bring out the best, or at least the most fierce, side of you.” He makes this sound like a compliment. “I might not be the enemy you think I am. I did save your life.”
I stow my wand and brush off. “Do you want a trophy or a badge of honor?”
He smirks. It’s so close to a smile I almost melt inside, but I’m still on alert and I still hate him. But our hands are also still clasped.
“You mentioned to West about your vision.” He meets my eyes. “Do you mind if I try to see it for myself?”
I huff but let him into my mind, realizing sometime between last week and now, I figured out how to open little doors and close others. The sensation of him in there is familiar. Whereas before it felt intrusive like someone shoving past in a crowd, now it’s welcome, like a breeze coming through the trees on a sunny day.
He flinches and lets go of my hand as a shimmer of magic jolts from me. “Sorry,” he blurts. “Sorry, but you didn’t have to sting me.” He leans away, shaken.
The shimmer of the magic I unintentionally emitted dissolves in the air.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t sting you.” Though I wouldn’t mind pinching him hard like my grandmother on my dad’s side sometimes used to do to me.
JJ looks me over carefully. “I invaded your thoughts and you retaliated. It’s advanced magic.”
I gaze at my hands. They look ordinary but a fierce energy pulses beneath my palms then recedes. I almost don’t want to believe it. “I didn’t do anything. I was just standing here.” I look around as though hoping for a witness to put my worries at ease or at least an explanation.
“You retaliated with magic and without a wand.” JJ drops his brows. “Not many witches can do that. Maybe West didn’t need to get you a wand after all.”
“Oh.” I pause, thinking through the last few minutes, leading me to the room with Bobby and the others when he asked me to make a wish and told me that spell. Had I done wandless magic then? Did I in the cemetery? I shake my head. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“There are rules about using magic without wands.” JJ starts down the path toward the rock.
“JJ, honest, I didn’t mean it.” There’s a plea for him to believe me in my voice.
I hurry after him and silence laces between us. His voice is a low growl when he finally speaks. “That vision happened while you were dancing with Bobby?”
Just then magic crackles in the air and West appears from the same building where we emerged, blasting a figure in a green cloak with magic. JJ shoves me behind him and holds his wand aloft. Maybe now would be a good time for me to use my wandless magic.
The chancellor and his attacker duel, shooting magical spells back and forth, each of them blocking the other until West whirls his wand a few times and emits a beam of golden magic so pure and so bright I tuck my head behind JJ’s back to block my eyes. He lifts his arm to shield his own.
In a flash, West grips each of our arms and we pass through the rune of passage and are once more on school grounds.
Without stopping, we hustle back to his cottage where he bars the door and paces for a solid minute. JJ and I watch him and our gazes meet a few times.
“Did anyone see you, Maija?” West finally asks. Then he shakes his head. “Never mind. If they did they wouldn’t recognize you. At least not your appearance. I take it you vaporized one of the demons. JJ, you eliminated the other?”
We both nod.
“They must have recognized your magic signature when you first used it at Castiel’s—the joiner. I probably shouldn’t have brought you there, but you needed the wand.” He grips his chin, tugging at his beard every few paces.
“Sir,” JJ says. “Maija performed wandless magic.”
I shrug, not understanding why that’s a big deal.
“Interesting,” West says.
“Who recognized my magic? Who was after us?” I ask.
“The enemy, but that’s the least of our problems,” West says dismissively.
“Enemy? That’s vague.”
West goes on, “I figured you’d be safest here, but perhaps the Iron Tower was the better option after all.”
I’m on my feet. “What? Chancellor West, you almost sent me there?”
<
br /> He grips my shoulders and holds my gaze. “Wish witchery is a rare kind of magic. It’s the ability to influence things that are beyond washing the dishes, watering the garden, and setting a top hat on fire. Those who want power will try to infiltrate your mind, rob your energy, and manipulate you into granting their wish.”
I flash to Bobby’s request. “Message received, but back to my question about the djinn bringing me to the Iron Tower.”
JJ steps forward. “That was me.”
My eyes widen and my grip on my wand tightens. My magic gathers close at hand. I fell it growing, strengthening now that I’ve used it properly. I stab the air with the wand as I say, “Someone. Better. Explain. Now.”
“It’s complicated but for now we knew that you’d be in danger when you came of age. JJ found you and I ordered him to protect you. He was supposed to look after you at the high school where you were to be a senior.”
“It was compromised,” JJ says.
“You make it sound like a mission,” I say, feeling like I’m suddenly in a spy movie.
“It is.”
I tilt my head in disbelief. “And you thought reform school was better?”
West nods. “It’s important for you to understand your power. You’d be in isolation in the tower.”
“But she’d have been safe.” JJ’s voice drops.
“What do you care about my safety, JJ?” Then not wanting to hear his answer, I turn to West. “So you took my name off the list at the Iron Tower and brought me here?”
“Better than there.” The chancellor resumes his pacing.
“Do you take pleasure in tormenting me?” I ask JJ.
West is across the room and I wait for JJ’s response this time. It doesn’t come.
Thinking back to the night before I arrived here, I narrow my eyes. My magic may be relatively restrained, but my voice is not. I have to say it. Or rather whisper it. “I thought we had a moment that night at the beach.”
