Spells and Sorcery

by S. Usher Evans

  He dodged it with ease and waved his hands at me. "Lexie, you need to take a second—"

  I shook my head and formed three more. The potion, I figured, must be kicking in, for I'd never felt so alive. Spell after spell came flying from my hands without rhyme or reason.

  That was, until one came flying back at me, knocking me to the sand with a loud thump. I jumped to my feet, ready to return the folly when the world tilted, and with it, came the contents of my stomach.

  Gavon called my name, but I could barely hear him over the sound of my retching. When it ended, he rested a hand on my shoulder as he magicked away the mess I'd just made.

  "Alexis, at the risk of stating the obvious, are you sick? And why are your hands turning purple?"

  My gaze flew to my hands, and my mouth opened in a soundless scream. Thick, dark purple splotches had appeared on my hands and up my arms and, if I were to wager a guess, all over my face.

  "Alexis…" Gavon said, sounding more stern than worried now. "What did you do?"

  "I...I..." Would dying result in less trouble than telling the truth?

  "Alexis."

  "I...tried to make a healing potion," I whispered.

  Gavon's voice was steady. "And why were you making a healing potion?"

  "Because I'm not healing fast enough on my own," I said, shame flooding my cheeks. "And I wanted to keep sparring."

  "Why is sparring so important to you?"

  I didn't have an answer I was comfortable voicing just yet.

  Gavon cleared his throat after a few moments. "Do you want to tell me what kind of potion you made?"

  "It was the one…it had…" Another wave of nausea threatened to empty my stomach again. "Oh man… Lavender?"

  Gavon cut me off with a loud sigh. "Where did you find this potion? In one of your sister's books?"

  I nodded.

  "Did you not read the warning on the first page that said these potions were specifically for potion-makers?"

  I flinched.

  "The first rule of making potions is that you never drink something unless you know exactly what you're doing. If you'd mixed the wrong ingredients together, you could have died. Do you understand how…" He trailed off and considered me for a second. "Please don't do anything like that again."

  I looked at my hands, still splotched purple. "Do you think this is permanent?"

  He chuckled softly. "I think you got most of it out of your system. They'll probably fade by morning."

  "What am I supposed to do about sparring?" I said, on the verge of tears. "Gavon, it just isn't fair. I shouldn't have to wait a week and feel so damned awful afterward." When he opened his mouth, I growled, "And don't say I shouldn't spar because we both know that's not an option."

  "I was going to say that you need to be patient. Your progress has been extraordinary so far. You must realize that."

  I looked at the gulf again. "It's just frustrating. Especially because…" I swallowed and rubbed my splotchy hands. "Because Marie won't help. I read in the book that Healers can replenish magic. But when I asked her she said…she told me she wouldn't help."

  "I'm sure that's not true."

  "She told me that I'm not really her sister," I said flatly.

  A flash of concern crossed Gavon's face. "She said what?"

  "When I asked her to heal me, she said that I wasn't her sister. I mean, I know that's not really true, but…Gavon, she hates me. I mean, even before the whole attack spell incident, she's always hated me. She's always said that I'm the reason Mom died."

  Gavon stared at me, and I couldn't tell if he was pitying me or getting angry. When he finally spoke, his voice was firm. "Alexis, there is no way you should be blamed for what happened to your mother. Even Marie can't honestly think otherwise."

  I shrugged. "I mean, if there's such thing as healing magic, why'd she die?"

  His mouth opened and closed, and he ran a hand down his face. "I don't have a good answer for that, Lexie."

  I wasn't sure which surprised me more, the defeated sound of his voice or the way he called me Lexie.

  "Why don't you go home and get some rest. In the morning, ask your sister if she'll help you again. I have a feeling she'll have a different response."

  "What, are you going to hocus-pocus her?" I snorted.

  Gavon looked at the sky innocently.

  "What if she stills says no? I don't think there's enough magic in the universe to make Marie like me right now."

  He was silent for a long time. "If she doesn't oblige, I'll bring you a healing potion myself."

  I knew he'd been holding out on me. "You can brew potions?"

  "There are potions that non-potion-makers can make, but you won't find them in a potion-maker's book. And no, you can't have that book," he said when I opened my mouth. "Maybe in a few years, when you've become a little more advanced and a little less…reckless."

  "Trust me, my potion making days are over," I said, looking at my palm, still tinged purple.

  "Do you want me to get you back home?"

  I nodded. "I think I overdid it a bit."

  "I'll see you next week." And just like that, I was back in my bedroom.

  15

  It took all my cunning to avoid being seen by Jeanie or Nicole for the rest of the night, especially as I had to vomit three more times and my bathroom was down the hall. Twice, Nicole knocked on the door to ask if I was all right, and I told her I'd eaten some bad fish at school.

  When I awoke the next morning, my skin was only faintly purple, and only when I looked really closely in the mirror. But even worse, the potion seemed to have worn off, and I was back to the exhaustion levels that had become the norm for me since I'd started sparring.

  I crossed the room and cracked open my door, staring at the closed one across the hall. I had a long, silent argument with myself about whether or not I should attempt to talk to Marie, and if Gavon was right about her.

  I groaned and banged my head against the frame. Then I crossed the hall and rapped on Marie's door. I heard a grunt then three loud footsteps before the door cracked.

  Marie opened her mouth to scream at me, but confusion and surprise crossed her face. "What the hell happened to you? Why are you…purple?"

  "Ssh!" I said, pushing her inside her room and closing the door. "Is it that noticeable?"

  Marie cackled loudly. "You look ridiculous! What did you do?"

  "I took a bad potion," I said, waving her off. "Because somebody wouldn't heal me."

  "So you, who's never made a potion in her life, decided to brew a healing potion." Her eyes widened and she giggled again. "You didn't use one of Nicole's, did you?"

  I glared at her, and she howled in laughter. "Keep quiet!"

  "Oh, my God, this is classic, Lexie. Classic!"

  "Look, can you just…please heal me?" I asked.

  I was ninety percent sure she was about to kick me out of her room, but to my surprise, she shrugged. "Fine, since you obviously can't do anything right. I don't want people at school thinking I have a purple cow for a sister."

  Without waiting for me to respond, she pressed one hand against my chest, and another to my back.

  "What are you—"

  "Shut up. I haven't done this in forever."

  The feeling was subtle at first, indistinguishable from the pressure of her hands against my t-shirt. But it grew into a tingling warmth that spread from my core all the way down to my toes. Closing my eyes, I reveled in the sensation, which filled me with the kind of joy that comes with spending all day in the sun.

  Just as abruptly, she released me, but the warm feeling remained, energizing me. I glanced down at my hands; the purple was almost gone.

  "I… Marie?"

  She'd gone pale, bracing herself against her vanity and looking like she was going to hurl. "Scram. We're done here. And don't you dare breathe a word of this to Jeanie or Nicole."

  I nodded, but didn't move. "Are you sure you're okay?"

  "I said
, get lost!"

  "Lexie, quit bothering your sister!" Jeanie called from up the stairs.

  I scrambled out of the room, concerned that Jeanie would ask why Marie and I were suddenly talking to each other and blow whatever secret I was trying to keep from her. I came down the stairs to the kitchen, where Nicole was already waiting.

  "Feeling better?" she asked.

  "Much," I replied, sitting down. Every few minutes, I glanced at the stairway visible from the living room, hoping I'd see Marie walking down the stairs. When she finally came down, the bags were still visible under her eyes, but her signature scowl was on point.

  "Marie, I got another call from school yesterday," Jeanie said.

  A huge roll of the eyes. "And?"

  "You failed another English test."

  She flipped a lock of hair over her shoulder. "So? I'm not going to college."

  "Oh?" Jeanie asked hotly. "And what, pray tell, are you going to do with your life? Move to Hollywood?"

  Marie's eyes narrowed. "For your information, I don't need to worry about that anymore. When I move out—"

  "Yeah, when you move out, you're in for a rude awakening. I'll be sure to visit at the burger place where you're dipping chicken nuggets."

  Marie glared at Jeanie, then stood up. "Let's go."

  I ducked my head and followed her out of the kitchen, not wanting to get in the middle of their fight. It took Marie almost the whole ride to school to finally say something.

  "I won't be flipping burgers, I know that much. Gonna be moving out a whole lot sooner now."

  I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just kept quiet.

  Thanks to Marie's magic, I felt more awake than I had in weeks. Even more surprising, my magic felt, well, balanced. I was a little hesitant to ruin this nice feeling by using all my magic sparring with Gavon. But that new voice, the one I attributed to my magic, was ecstatic at the thought of increasing our lessons to more than half an hour every week.

  Though I was a little concerned about Marie. When I got home (my very first transport spell from school), her car was already in the driveway and she was passed out on her bed. I asked if she needed anything and she called me a long list of hurtful names, so I left her alone.

  I finished my homework just as Jeanie and Nicole got home, and made an excuse for Marie ("she said she was going out with her friends") so that Jeanie wouldn't bother her.

  "That girl, I swear," Jeanie said. "She's in for a real surprise when she moves out."

  "Yeah, so…I'm going for another walk," I said.

  "You've been walking a lot lately," Jeanie said. "Training for a marathon?"

  "Helps me clear my head, control my magic," I replied, hoping it was a good enough excuse.

  "Fine, whatever. Take your phone."

  I showed her the phone from my back pocket then walked out the door. It was growing darker earlier, but I still didn't want to chance my neighbors seeing me disappear from the front step. So I crept around to the back of Marie's car and released my magic.

  Having practiced a few times, I was finally able to land softly on my feet, instead of head-first into the sand. The sun was nearly set, but I kind of hoped that Gavon would—

  He appeared before I could finish my thought, a proud smile on his face. "Look who's back to full strength."

  "Why are you always here when I get here?" I asked, putting my hand on my hip.

  "I have a charm on this area," Gavon said. "Lets me know when someone magical is arriving."

  I quirked my brow. "Why?"

  "Which of your sisters healed you?" It didn't escape my notice that he didn't answer my question, but I had several others that were more important.

  "Marie," I said. "Shockingly."

  "I don't find that surprising at all, Alexis."

  "You don't know Marie. She's…well, she's really selfish. And up until this morning, she's basically been acting like I don't exist so…" I eyed him. "You didn't hocus-pocus her, did you?"

  "As I've explained, the only way to sway a human mind is to use an Enchantment Spell, and only Enchanters can do that."

  "Yeah, you say that but…" I stared at him.

  After a moment, he sighed. "I swear I didn't…'hocus-pocus' your sister. I simply had a feeling that she would feel compelled to help you when she saw how drained you were. She is a healer, after all. They're hardwired to care about others."

  I couldn't help but bark laughter at that. "They must've left out a wire in Marie's brain."

  "Be nice."

  "Still though, she was kind of sick after she did it," I said thoughtfully. "Why?"

  "The same reason you become ill after you spar," Gavon said. "Just like you, the more your sister heals, the quicker she'll be able to replenish her own supply." A large glass container filled with a dark liquid appeared in his hands. "Until then, we'll use this. I brewed it this morning."

  I grinned. "What happened to being patient?"

  "It seems that you don't listen to me, so we might as well," he said with a tight expression. I had the good grace to blush, but was thankful he was finally letting up a bit. "Are you ready to begin?"

  I nodded excitedly.

  "Remember," he said, forming an attack spell in his hand. It glowed purple, beautiful with power. "This is all instinct. You'll want to overthink it, but resist that urge." And with that, he released the spell toward me.

  I released one of my own, visualizing two pool balls knocking into each other. The spells spiraled out across the water, cutting a line in the waves.

  "Excellent work, Alexis," Gavon said, and he actually sounded impressed. "How are you feeling?"

  I nodded. "Good."

  "Then let's continue."

  He let loose two more spells, a little faster than before. I used my magic to deflect the first, but I scrambled out of the way of the second, as it left a smoking mark on the sand behind me.

  "Can your spells… Can they kill me?" I asked, looking at the black splotch might've been me.

  He smiled. "These will sting a little, but no more."

  "What if I hit you?" I asked, flexing my hand. "I'm using a lot of magic, what if—"

  "Alexis, you can't hurt me. Not yet, anyway," Gavon said. "Remember what I said about overthinking?"

  "Right. Don't," I said, lowering my hand.

  "Why don't you try an attack spell on me?" he said. "See if you can find an opening."

  Three attack spells came at me in quick succession. I moved faster than I'd thought possible, twisting around them, but I couldn't find the right moment to fight back. Gavon repeated the same three spells, and again, I couldn't figure out how to fight back.

  The third time, I saw it—the split second between the first and second spells, and I released a spell before I could stop myself. It hit Gavon and sent him back a few steps, but he remained upright.

  "Excellent work!" he said, after coughing a bit.

  "Did I hurt you?" I asked, rushing forward.

  "Not at all, my dear," Gavon said, waving me off. "Because you don't want to."

  "I—What?"

  He rubbed the spot on his chest then motioned for me to follow him over to the healing potion. He ladled some in a cup for himself and handed me a glass. It didn't taste much better than the brew I'd made, but I instantly felt better.

  "You won't hurt me because you don't want to," Gavon said. "When you attacked your sister, you wanted to hurt her, and so you did."

  I blushed and drank more of the potion. I didn't want to think about what kind of a person that made me.

  "That's why it's very important for you to control your emotions," Gavon said. "You've got the makings of a very powerful spell maker, but only if you can maintain control over your emotions. That is what separates a true Warrior from—"

  "So I do have Warrior magic then?" I said, looking at him.

  Gavon was silent, and a flash of annoyance crossed his face. Then he said, "You wouldn't be able to use attack spells if you didn't."

/>   "But didn't specialties die out with the Separation?" I asked quietly. If Warriors used attack spells, that meant Gavon was a Warrior too. My heart beat a little faster for reasons I wasn't quite ready to think about yet.

  "Anomalies happen." He placed his now-empty potion cup on the ground. "Ready to continue?"

  Gavon's healing potion allowed me to fight for a grand total of fifteen minutes more before I gave up.

  "Here," he said, handing me some more potion.

  I drank it dutifully, but it didn't seem to pack as much punch as it had before. "I still feel weak."

  "You're still strengthening your magic," Gavon said, helping me to stand. "Potions will help, but they aren't a cure-all. It'll still take some time to grow into it."

  "How long until I don't need a potion at all?"

  "Patience, Alexis."

  I blew air out between my lips.

  "Patience."

  I didn't even remember transporting back to my room, but when I awoke, the familiar aches and pains wracked my body. Sure, I had patience, and at least I was somewhat awake, but I also had a cure-all across the hall from me.

  I rolled out of bed and padded across the carpet, knocking softly on Marie's closed door.

  A muffled cry and three stomps later, she opened the door, ready to bark at me for waking her up too early. Her eyes narrowed then widened, and she slumped against the door. "Crap Lexie, again?"

  "Please?"

  "Yesterday really kicked my ass." She opened her door wider and let me walk inside. "I don't have enough juice to give you a full recharge."

  "I'm not an iPhone," I said, taking a seat on her bed while she placed her hands over my heart and back. She only gave me a small fraction of her power, but it was enough to clear the fog out of my mind.

  "That's all. And I'm not doing this tomorrow, so you have to figure something else out." She sank to her bed and crawled under the covers.

  "Thanks," I said, standing but not leaving. A question had been nagging at me since my conversation with Gavon. And if there was one thing I knew, it was that Marie would give it to me straight.

  "So what really happened with Dad?" I asked.