Basics of Spellcraft (Ember Academy for Young Witches Book 1)

by L. C. Mawson

  But if she hadn’t...

  I’m not sure that I could cope with being sent away from this school just because my brain was wired differently.

  Of course, that would probably be illegal, but I would have to be able to definitively prove that that was why I had been sent away, and then any case would likely be crushed in court by the army of lawyers this school could undoubtedly afford.

  Legality meant nothing if the laws weren’t actually enforced.

  And that was assuming that Human laws applied to Witches...

  Which meant that Gail could turn me away over something I had no control over.

  Despite all of my hard work, I would never be free, would I? Not even in this world of magic. The constant scrambling to stay ahead so that my account balanced and people saw me as a person, and not just a problem that needed to be solved, would never be over.

  Auntie Jess gave me a reassuring smile before turning to Gail with a firm look. “You can’t ask a neurodivergent kid a question like that and expect them to come to the conclusion you’re looking for, Gail.”

  Gail sighed before turning to me once more. “I’m sorry, Jessica is right. I was attempting to figure out exactly what is going on with your magic, but I got carried away once I realised what you’d seen. It’s clear from your dreams that you’ve not been listening to your instincts. You knew about magic deep down before your aunt told you, but you refused to see what was right in front of you until it needed to be explained. It’s likely something you picked up as a survival mechanism, but it will be of no help to you here.”

  My stomach twisted, and I wondered, if I had figured it out... Could I have done something different? Could I have pushed to go to Ember Academy before my mum had been hurt?

  “Gail,” Auntie Jess said, placing a hand on my shoulder, “now isn’t the time. Not after how she left.”

  Gail’s face fell, and she turned to me with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Your aunt told me about the attack on you and your parents. Sometimes rogue Demons hunt strong Humans, and with your magic blocked, that’s probably what they thought you were.”

  I nodded, figuring that that’s what Auntie Jess had said to explain the attack.

  Though that didn’t really do anything to answer the question of what might have happened if I had figured it out earlier.

  “I didn’t mean to imply that you should have figured it out, or that figuring things out would have changed anything,” Gail continued, seemingly realising where my thoughts were. Or perhaps figuring it out through other means... I would have to ask Auntie Jess exactly how invasive her ‘examination’ had truly been. “Especially when you have yet to come into your own magic. But don’t worry, you’re not the only Witch from a mostly Human family attending this school. There will be plenty of others who didn’t grow up with magic either. This school prides itself on being an inclusive place for everyone to learn their craft.”

  “Everyone? So, other magical beings, too? Or just Witches?” I wasn’t sure how my auntie could think I would be safe if the school let in Demons.

  “Just Witches for now,” Gail said. “This school is an experiment of sorts, so we decided to start with teaching Witches. Though our plan is to eventually include all magical beings and help foster better relationships between different factions. And while we only accept Witches for now, we don’t discriminate against Witches with mixed blood, so there are plenty of students here from all kinds of magical backgrounds.”

  She moved to her desk and picked up one of the notebooks, rifling through it. “Now, down to practicalities. We keep separate dormitories for those who have already broken through – that’s how we refer to coming into your magic – and those who are still waiting. However, you’re a little older than most in the ‘still waiting’ building, so I thought it would be best to give you a room of your own.”

  “Wait,” Auntie Jess said, stepping forward to halt her friend’s rapid speech. “You still haven’t said what you found when you examined her.”

  Gail frowned for a moment before nodding with a smile, putting her notebook back down. “Of course. I’m sorry. I got carried away, and I didn’t think. As far as I can tell, whatever was done to Amelia to block her from her magic is breaking down, and in a magic-heavy environment, I expect it will break down for good in next to no time.”

  I frowned. “So, what exactly do you think was done to me?”

  Gail turned her attention back to me, mirroring my frown. “I am still a little perplexed by that. There have been many discussions over the years about the possibility of blocking the powers of those who break through too young. The problem is that it requires so much power, it’s not worth it. But someone apparently deemed it worth it for you.” She sighed, her gaze flickering back to Auntie Jess for a moment. “I have tried to ask Jessica several times who might have such an interest in you, but she has never given me a straight answer. Perhaps you will have better luck.” Then she shrugged. “Regardless, you’re not in any danger, as far as I can tell, and I suppose it really is none of my business past that point. As long as it’s not hurting you, all this block means is that you’re a little older than usual to be coming into your magic. But it shouldn’t be long now, and I have no issue admitting you into the Academy this year. You can focus more on your A-Levels until you finally break through.”

  “And you really think that it won’t be long?”

  It took everything I had not to bounce up and down with restless anticipation.

  I had magic.

  I was going to learn how to use magic.

  A missing piece of myself that I had always known was there but had spent so long ignoring was finally going to be revealed to me.

  For a moment, I almost forgot the horrors that had led me there.

  But then I remembered, and a pang of guilt kept me from fully enjoying the moment.

  Gail, annoyingly, shrugged. “I’m not sure when exactly the block will break down, but I’m not worried. I’m sure that it will be soon enough and like I said, you can use the extra time to focus on your Human studies and get acclimatised to the school and magic in general.” She turned to Auntie Jess. “Unfortunately, with term starting tomorrow, I’m swamped. Do you remember where the dormitories are? She’s in Room 308, in the pre-breakthrough building.”

  Auntie Jess nodded. “Yeah, I remember. Don’t worry, I can take Amy there, and I can show her around as well. It’ll be good for me to get reacquainted with the place before my first lesson tomorrow.”

  Gail smiled before reaching down to her desk and picking up a silver pin with a strange design on it, like several ropes twisted into a circle. She passed the pin to Auntie Jess. “Then here. You’re officially a teacher here now. The students should recognise you as such.”

  “I’m not wearing a uniform if you don’t.”

  Gail frowned before glancing down at herself and sighing. “I swear, one of these days, I’ll start remembering to wear it.”

  Auntie Jess smiled as she attached the pin to the front of her jacket. “Well then, I guess I should probably set a good example for you.”

  Chapter Five

  “Okay, I think the dormitories for those yet to come into their magic are this way.” Auntie Jess nodded across the courtyard as we left the administration building that housed Gail’s office. The building she nodded to was long and thin, mirroring the identical building across the courtyard from it.

  The thin courtyard between the two buildings stretched down until opening into a large garden, with dozens of trees and flowers growing in the grass and what appeared to be a hedge maze in the middle. Several cobblestone paths wound through the garden, all dotted with benches and leading to more surrounding buildings.

  “Aren’t there any signs?”

  Auntie Jess sighed before reaching down to her boot to bring out the stick she’d used when the Demons had attacked us.

  “What’s that?” I asked, pretty sure that I knew the answer, but
not wanting to say it aloud.

  Magic might be real, and I might be a Witch, but saying the word ‘wand’ still seemed like crossing a boundary.

  Or maybe falling down the rabbit hole.

  Auntie Jess frowned for a moment before shaking her head. “Sorry, Amy. I forget how new you still are to this. This is my wand. You’ll get one of your own when you break through. And as for the lack of signs, as the point of this school is to teach you how to use your magic, nothing is done the Human way when there is a magical alternative. Not that I think teaching you to over-rely on your magic and then throwing you back into the Human world where you have to hide it is a good idea, but I’m not in charge here.”

  She placed her wand flat in her palm and took a deep breath before muttering something I didn’t catch.

  After she spoke, the wand spun to face the building she’d nodded to.

  “Yeah, I was right, we’re going the right way.”

  “What about those of us who haven’t come into our magic yet?” I asked as we walked through to the dormitories. “How am I supposed to find my way around?”

  “You’ll be given a map, along with your timetable.”

  “And then I’ll be taught that spell once I come into my magic?”

  Auntie Jess nodded. “I think it’s in the Basics of Spellcraft class, if I remember rightly from my conversation with Mary.”

  “Mary?”

  “Well, Ms Maltere to you. She’s nice, you’ll like her. I think Gail chose her because she’s got a more scientific approach to magic than most, so it’ll ease in the students who are used to that style of teaching from the Human world. She’ll be your Basics of Spellcraft teacher. And she also teaches several more specific spellcasting classes. She’s been trying to convince Gail to let her run a course on spell composition as well, but I think if she does get it, it’ll be a night course for older students or something. Creating your own spells is more advanced than most Witches ever get to.”

  My ears couldn’t help but prick up at that.

  Creating my own spells certainly sounded advanced, and if I could do that...

  Maybe I could make a spell that could break the curse on my mum.

  Maybe if I buckled down and got ahead in my regular classes, I could start learning it early.

  You know, assuming I could also fit it around my A-Level studies.

  Though as much as I knew that I would still be expected to study my A-Levels, they seemed so distant now.

  It was strange to think how much I had cared about them just a few days ago.

  We headed into the dormitory building without needing a key.

  I raised an eyebrow. “I take it the door isn’t normally unlocked?”

  “The doors on campus know who is supposed to be where. I have access because I’m a teacher, and you have access because your room is inside. Once that stops being the case, you’ll need a friend to let you in.”

  I nodded as we headed upstairs, and I sighed with relief as I realised that the doors had the room numbers on them in small wooden plaques. Even with a map, I would have probably been reduced to trying every door and seeing which one opened for me if I didn’t have the numbers as a guide.

  My sense of direction was not one of my strong points.

  “You’ll have to open the door to your room,” Auntie Jess said. “Being a teacher only gets me into the building.”

  I nodded, opening the door to a room with two single beds.

  I frowned at them as I moved far enough into the room for Auntie Jess to follow. “Gail said I had the room to myself for now, right?”

  “Yes. Most here do have roommates, but odd rooms do happen. Especially in this building, as people move when they come into their magic. Since Gail thinks you’ll be moving soon, you’ve got the room to yourself.”

  I nodded, not sure how to feel about potentially sharing a room with someone else. I’d never had siblings or anything, so I’d always been alone.

  My thoughts were cut off by a sharp stabbing pain in my skull.

  “Are you all right?” Auntie Jess asked, and I realised that I was frowning.

  “Yeah,” I managed. “Just another headache.”

  Auntie Jess nodded, though her worried look didn’t lift as she looked me over. “Come on, you can settle in later. Let’s get you some food.”

  I looked around the room, suddenly aware of my lack of things. “Where are my clothes?”

  “They’re already in your wardrobe, I sent them ahead. Now, come on, we should head back to mine. I’ll order us some pizza.”

  I raised an eyebrow as we headed back out of the room. “We can order pizza to campus? I thought the gates wouldn’t let just anyone in.”

  “Well, I’m not ordering pizza directly here. I’ll order it back home and then portal over to get it.”

  “Just as long as you order vegetarian pizza for me.”

  “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten. Though I suspect you’ll be singing a different tune once your magic kicks in. You’re going to need as much fuel for your magic as possible.”

  “Tofu has plenty of protein in it.”

  “All right. But you also know that I’m going to make you work with meat in class, right?”

  “Really? What do you teach?”

  “Potions. Don’t worry, I ethically source everything, but there’s not exactly a meat-free substitute for eye balls.”

  I grimaced at the thought, despite my attempts to not let my disgust show.

  Much better that people thought being vegetarian was a moral stance, and not just me being squeamish.

  Not that it couldn’t be both, but yeah, meat was gross.

  And I didn’t really like to think too much about the animals that needed to be killed to get the food on my plate.

  But that was a thought I kept to myself. No one wants to see a sixteen-year-old bawling her eyes out over farm animals.

  And I would like to maintain at least a passably cool facade.

  “So,” I said as we got back to the courtyard, “why do they separate the dormitories for those who have magic and those who don’t? I mean, I would have thought people moving all the time would be disruptive.”

  “It is, but it’s a safety issue,” Auntie Jess said as orbs of light started to form around us, presumably in response to the darkening sky. Auntie Jess ignored them, as if there was nothing spectacular about a dancing display of floating orbs, from tiny specs to those the size of tennis balls, all moving across the air just above head height, the edges softly changing colour as they went, eventually making their way across the rainbow.

  “A Witch new to her magic can cause havoc without meaning to, and a Witch without magic might struggle to deal with that,” Auntie Jess continued, oblivious to my distraction.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Cause havoc?”

  Auntie Jess shrugged once more. “It’s nothing to worry about – the school is designed to handle any damage young Witches may cause – and other Witches with magic are more than capable of handling the outbursts of their fellow students.”

  “Damage?” I frowned as pieces fell into place. “Auntie Jess, what would have happened if I had stayed at home? If I had come into my magic there, with my parents? I mean, before the attack, Mum didn’t know anything about this, and Dad didn’t know much.”

  Auntie Jess gave me a sympathetic look. “No, they didn’t.” She grimaced. “I, um, I probably would have had to resort to a little bit of magical persuasion to get them to let you go to this school, if things had gone on much longer. And as much as I hate to admit it, if I had just done it sooner...”

  I tried not to think about that, not sure anyone would have been happy with more mind-tampering. But if it could have saved my mum, maybe it would have been worth it.

  “But me staying home would have been catastrophic enough to warrant it?” I asked, deciding not to dwell on what might have saved her. She was cursed now, and nothing was going to change that. “Is that why this school exis
ts? So that people don’t hurt their Human parents?”

  “In part,” Auntie Jess admitted, her voice soft. “There were other systems in place before, however, and not every young Witch comes here. If the school wouldn’t take you, you could have come to live with me.”

  “But you still would have had to use magic to convince my parents?”

  Auntie Jess nodded. “Most likely, yes.”

  “Couldn’t you just tell them about magic? I know Sarah said something about secrecy laws, but even she let Dad know.”

  “Humans can’t know. Trust me, there have been mistakes in the past, and the cost of fixing them was high. The penalty for telling a Human about magic is execution, for both the magical being who told them and the Human. The Demons have started to make exceptions for family members, but we’re not Demons, so their laws don’t apply. Sarah did us a favour by letting your dad remember, and I don’t think she would have for anyone else.”

  I winced at the thought of facing execution – both for me and my parents – if I slipped up and let them know about magic outside of Dad’s strange exemption. “It really needs to be so harsh?”

  “Well, I think the Demons have the right idea, in truth, though even they have been careful in relaxing things. But I think anything more detailed on the topic will be for your History of Magic teacher.”

  “Is my History of Magic teacher nice?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Gail had to make an emergency hire, I think, and I haven’t heard much. There was a rumour that they’re not a Witch, though.”

  We moved past the other dormitory building and through a gate into a little side passage, eventually coming out in another courtyard. This one was smaller and surrounded by townhouses.

  “Is this where the teachers live?” I asked as we made our way to one of the houses.

  Auntie Jess nodded. “Yes, it is, though not everyone lives here. Some will just portal in every morning and then portal back home at night. Most students can’t get through the gate, but you’re allowed through, and I’ll also allow your roommate through when you finally have one. And if you’re with someone else, the gate should open for you both. Just in case there’s ever an emergency.”