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

by L. C. Mawson

  I nodded. “It’s okay, Charlotte and Lena explained. And I don’t want that, either. So, let’s just stick to our agreement to be friends. Okay?”

  She managed a weak smile. “Okay.”

  Before we had a chance to talk anymore about the topic, the bell rang, signalling that we needed to get to our next classes.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I smiled as I arrived at my next class to see Ms Maltere at the front of the room.

  She beamed as I entered. “Amelia! I’m so glad you could join us. Tell me, have you had a chance to read through the book I gave you?”

  I looked away as I made my way over to her. “I’m sorry, not yet. I knew so little about magic, I had to get caught up on the really basic stuff first.”

  “Well, not to worry. I’m sure you’re right that you needed something of a foundation to work from, but I think that you should be able to pick it up relatively quickly. You were here to learn even before you came into your magic after all, and that kind of determination and curiosity is swiftly rewarded.”

  I was sure my cheeks were bright red as I finally met her gaze, though the cause had jumped from embarrassment at the fact that I hadn’t read the book yet to embarrassment at her praise.

  Did she really think so highly of me after such a short meeting?

  “I wanted to ask you something about the book,” I said, emboldened by her praise. “Natalie has been helping me study, and when I showed it to her, she said that it was an unedited Maria Brown text, and that Witches aren’t often taught with her unedited texts.”

  Ms Maltere gave a wry smile before waving her hand to a seat at the front of the class. “Perhaps this is something the whole class should hear.”

  I nodded before taking my seat as she turned to address the class. “All right, everyone. Who can tell me anything about Maria Brown?”

  She looked around the room, and I was surprised that no one put their hand up.

  Eventually, perhaps realising that she wasn’t going to continue until someone responded, one girl raised her hand.

  “Yes, Kimberly?”

  “She’s known as the mother of modern spellcraft. But... Well, she was also a bit...”

  Ms Maltere raised an eyebrow as she placed her hands on her hips. “Let me guess, all of you were regaled with stories of how she went mad or lost her way?”

  Everyone in the room nodded sheepishly.

  Ms Maltere sighed. “Maria Brown was a product of her time. Remember, ‘Maria Brown’ is likely not even the name she was born with, but the latest alias taken to fit in with changing times. Like all magical beings on Earth, Witches were fragmented. Even the Amazons, now often thought of as the central authority for Witches, were considered a myth by many. Witches did not have a standard code of conduct, that was decided coven by coven. And much like with Humans, the idea of what practices a ‘civilised’ coven engaged in were decided by conquerors, allied with their Human equivalents.

  “Her methods of magic were unorthodox, and there is a substantial argument to be made that the furtherment of magical knowledge was not worth putting dangerous and destructive spells to paper. But there is also the fact that she was at war to consider. She disliked the Roman incursions into Celtic lands in Britannia, and worried that the Roman Witches would impose their own laws onto her and her kind. And she was not wrong.

  “No one even remembers the final spell she and her coven were trying to cast. All we have is the word of an Angel that it ‘disrupted the balance’ and that it was enough to imprison her forever. Lorekeepers can spend hundreds of years attempting to understand the natural concept of ‘balance’ and still come away with more questions than answers. And yet, we accept uncritically that this was a just punishment, and we censor teachings that we should trust our young Witches to be sensible enough not to abuse.”

  Kimberly raised her hand once more.

  “Yes?” Ms Maltere said.

  “What... What about Princess Helena?” Kimberly asked, clearly not comfortable questioning a teacher. “I mean, she and Maria Brown were friends, weren’t they? But Princess Helena was considered so brutal that her sister, the Queen of the Underworld, had her executed. If they were friends...”

  Ms Maltere’s jaw tightened for just a moment, but then she was smiling, though it had a bittersweet tinge to it. “I suppose that is one thing we’ll never know, as the Demons keep Princess Helena’s grimoire locked up tight, and none of her other writings have ever been recovered, presumably destroyed by her sister.

  “But this is a Basics of Spellcraft class, not a History of Magic class. I’m supposed to be teaching you the basic spells you need to get by as a Witch, starting with those you need for school.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that we were moving from the topic. I didn’t know who Maria Brown was in the past, or why people despised her then, but I knew that in the present, she had cursed my mother, and the only reason for me to learn anything else about her was to figure out a way to counteract her curse.

  Ms Maltere took her wand and waved it at the desk. A pink glow formed at the end of it before floating down to the table, spreading out until it formed a pile of books with blue covers, though no titles that I could see.

  She turned back to the class. “The library here is filled with many precious and rare books that the school, understandably, does not want to risk being damaged by students taking them out of the library, and its many protection spells. And even if you could take them, you certainly couldn’t make notes in them. So, today, I’m going to teach you a copying spell. If you take the book that you want to copy, and one of these blank books, you should be able to copy the contents from one to the other.”

  She moved over to the windows, under which was a long shelf filled with books.

  “These are all beginner texts,” she said as she picked up one of the books. “We’ll be using them in class, but if you want to take any away to study, you can use this spell to do so.”

  She moved back over to the desk before picking up one of the blank books and pressing it against the first one in her left hand.

  She then took her wand out with her right. “Now, everyone, pay attention. Biax.”

  Her wand glowed with white light and she looped it around the books, leaving a trail of the light around the books.

  After several loops, the rope of light grew so bright that it consumed the two books, and a moment later, the light disappeared.

  Ms Maltere then separated the books, and they both now looked identical. Though the pages of one were a little less worn, and I assumed that was the copy.

  “Simple enough, right?” Ms Maltere said with a smile. “Now, if you all pick up a blank book and a book from the shelf, you should be able to copy it over. Choose a book that you think you’ll actually want to read, though. No point in making a copy that’s going to sit untouched in your room.”

  At that, everyone stood up and made their way over to the shelf.

  I followed, not really sure what kind of book I wanted to read.

  I glanced over the titles, stopping dead as I noticed a certain word.

  Curses.

  I grabbed the book in question before anyone else could.

  Hexes and Curses: A Beginner’s Guide to Malicious Magic.

  Well, it wouldn’t have been my usual choice, but maybe it could help me understand what had happened to my mum.

  I grabbed one of the blank books before returning to my desk and taking out my wand.

  I bit my lip as I looked over the books.

  The spell had seemed simple enough, but then, I’d never cast a spell before.

  I’d never intentionally used my magic.

  What if it wasn’t really that simple?

  What if there was something else to it?

  What if I failed?

  I gripped my wand tighter, knowing that not casting the spell simply wasn’t an option.

  “Biax,” I said, doing my best to imitate Ms Maltere’s exact into
nation.

  I almost jumped when the end of my wand glowed with light, something surging within me, causing me to gasp.

  My magic.

  It was focused now. Directed.

  Though there was still a crackle around the edges. The subtle reminder that it was pure, untamed power flowing through me.

  And that it wanted to be free.

  I quickly grabbed the two books and then looped my wand around them, just as Ms Maltere had.

  I kept my movements deliberate but fluid, not letting my anxiety cause my hand to falter.

  The light from my wand wrapped around the books, and I kept going, wondering just how many loops were needed.

  Just as I was getting to the point of thinking that I might have done the spell wrong, the glow around the books grew brighter and then disappeared.

  I panted a little, feeling as if I’d just sprinted across the room.

  It wasn’t the same kind of exhaustion as last time, but it was a clear sign that using my magic had taken a toll.

  I lowered my wand as I examined the two books.

  They were now identical.

  “So, what’s your interest in curses?”

  I glanced up to see Ms Maltere approaching.

  I shrugged, not wanting to say anything about my mum. “I just picked a book at random.”

  She gave me a smile that seemed almost too understanding before nodding to the book. “Was that your first spell?”

  I grimaced. “That obvious, huh?”

  Ms Maltere shook her head. “No, not at all. I just know that you’ve been recovering from magical exhaustion ever since you broke through. Ms Griffin warned me not to push you too hard today. But it seems like you’re more than capable of holding your own.”

  I shrugged. “I mean, it was a basic spell, right?”

  “Technically. But for your first spell, succeeding right away is rare. It usually takes a few tries to get a spell right.”

  She waved to the rest of the class and I frowned as I looked over to see most of the others still attempting the spell.

  Ms Maltere shrugged. “Most in this class haven’t had a proper education. They may have had their magic for longer than you, but they’ve likely been suppressing it. You throw yourself in with full force.”

  I frowned. “I don’t know if I could suppress it if I tried...”

  “A sign of a powerful Witch. I expect you’ll do well here.”

  I just nodded, not sure how to react to her words. I was used to being good in class making me invisible. I wasn’t used to this kind of attention.

  “And don’t forget about that book I gave you,” Ms Maltere continued. “I don’t think you’ll have any trouble understanding it, and it should act as a better explainer for most magical concepts than anything else you’ll find in the library, including Maria Brown’s edited works.”

  My hand tightened around my wand at the reminder of the book. I wanted to ask more about Maria Brown – specifically about her curses – but I suspected that the book would answer those questions, and I didn’t want to bother Ms Maltere with something I could find for myself.

  “I’ll read it tonight,” I promised before turning my focus to the book that I had copied.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I tried not to hesitate on my way out the door when my class with Ms Maltere ended, and I was expected to move onto my next one.

  History of Magic with Mr Stiles.

  I shuddered at the thought but did my best to suppress the feeling.

  My auntie was looking into him, so I would know soon enough if there was reason for me to be suspicious.

  And if there wasn’t, I had knocked him out the last time I had seen him.

  I entered the class to see Mr Stiles behind his desk, making notes as everyone sat down.

  “Mr Stiles?” I said hesitantly as I approached, my skin crawling at the proximity as his glamour shifted under my gaze, giving me a headache.

  Proof that he was hiding something, though my auntie had said that it was nothing serious.

  “Ah, Amelia.” He smiled as he looked up from his notebook. “I take it you’re feeling better?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I had some magical exhaustion, but it passed. I just wanted to apologise for hurting you when I broke through.”

  He shook his head. “It’s fine, Amelia. You didn’t have control of your Energy, and I’m more than used to that kind of hit. There was this one time-” He cut himself off, his features growing frosty all of a sudden.

  Yeah, he was definitely hiding something.

  But he shook his head, forcing another smile. “Well, you don’t want to hear an old Demon ramble on at you. I suggest you find a seat before all of the good ones are taken.”

  I nodded, glad for an excuse to leave.

  I spotted Natalie near the front of the class, and hesitated.

  Yesterday, I would have sat next to her without question.

  But now?

  We’d agreed to be friends, and we were still roommates, which meant that we had to work this out.

  I made my way over to her, and thankfully, she turned to me and smiled, alleviating the tension that’d had me moving stiffly and clenching my jaw.

  I sat next to her, as the girl in front was leaning back in her chair to talk to her.

  “I’m just saying it’s not fair,” the girl said as I took my tablet and keyboard from my bag. “I’ve done this ritual dozens of times at home, so why can’t I help with it here?”

  Natalie ignored her question, instead turning to me. “Amelia, this is Lana.” She turned back to Lana. “Amelia’s my new roommate.”

  Lana grinned. “Huh, I guess it makes sense that the new girl would be put in your room. Better than a kid.”

  “What’s this about a ritual?” I asked.

  Lana’s grin widened as she turned to me. “The veil between here and the world beyond is thinnest on Samhain – or Halloween, as you might know it – so it gives you the chance to cast spells that are otherwise impossible. Most covens cast a powerful protection ritual at midnight, and we do the same here. But at home, I usually help with the preparations. My mother is the Coven Head, so it’s part of my responsibilities. I’ve asked Ms Griffin if I can help here, but she won’t let me. She says it’s not fair to the other students, but it’s not as if she’s giving anyone else the chance to help either.”

  I just shrugged. While I could understand why Lana was upset, I thought Gail was right not to give her an opportunity just because her mother was a Coven Head.

  Thankfully, before I was expected to say anything, Mr Stiles stood in front of the class.

  “All right, everyone, settle down,” he said. “So, we’re starting out this year with brushing up our critical thinking skills. Starting with sources. It’s always important to remember with history where the information you’re reading comes from. A Slayer’s account of one of the Demon Wars is going to look different from a Demon’s. Now, can anyone think of another possible example? Name one, and we’ll go over the different viewpoints.”

  I raised my hand before I had time to think if it was a good idea or not, and Mr Stiles turned to me with a smile. “Yes, Amelia?”

  “What about Maria Brown? I mean, Ms Maltere said that no one remembered why the Angel entombed her, but wasn’t she friends with Demons? Don’t they remember?”

  Mr Stiles’ smile faded as he folded his arms with a sigh. “Maria Brown is a strange case. The Demons were as quick to distance themselves from Princess Helena – her Demon friend – as the Witches were to distance themselves from Maria. And while no one is sure what exactly she was doing to lead the Angel to entomb her, I’m sure that the knowledge was forgotten for a reason. And it’s not relevant now.”

  Lana spoke up before I could. “Except it is relevant, isn’t it? Everyone’s talking about how Maria’s tomb was recently found empty. About how she escaped from the Angel’s hold and is now wandering freely, looking to finish whatever it was she started.”<
br />
  Mr Stiles’ jaw tightened, and he seemed far from amused by Lana’s comments. “Perhaps, Ms Jones, you need to learn the difference between ‘everyone’ talking about something, and your Coven Head mother discussing something that should be kept private.”

  Lana looked away before turning to mutter to us, “I really hadn’t realised it was supposed to be a secret.”

  Mr Stiles sighed, his posture relaxing a little. “I apologise, Ms Jones. I did not mean my words to be so harsh, but it has been agreed by the staff not to discuss this issue with students.” He turned to the class with a reassuring smile. “The issue is being dealt with, and you are all safe here at the school. Now, let’s discuss something else.”

  I tried to pay attention to the rest of the class, but my mind kept drifting back to why Mr Stiles’ assurance had been so vague, and if anyone was even close to catching Maria Brown.

  And lifting the curse from my mother.

  I QUICKLY MADE MY WAY through my dinner, barely paying attention to my friends as they talked.

  “Are you okay?” Charlotte asked as I got up to head back to my room.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”

  She didn’t look like she believed me, but she thankfully didn’t press the issue, allowing me to leave without protest.

  I headed straight back to my room, climbing onto my bed and sitting with my knees hugged to my chest as I pulled out my phone and called my dad.

  He picked up immediately.

  “Hey, Amy. Everything okay at school?”

  “Yeah, I’m good. I just wanted to call and see how you were. And see if... If anyone has any leads on how to cure Mum.”

  She could have sworn she heard him sigh. “I’m fine, Amy. And as for your mum... Caroline and her Guardians are working on it, okay?”

  “But no one has any leads?”

  “They have a lot of different leads.”

  “They’re just not sure that any of them will pan out.”