Spells and Other Charms

by P. A. Wilson

Blowing the contents from an egg was the main way of creating the charm holder, but it made for a fragile charm. I wondered if there was a way to make charms less breakable. If we could solve that, then wizards could carry charms in their pockets and use them for all kinds of things. I rummaged through the supply cabinet. There wasn’t anything left.

  I was lousy at blowing eggs, and I didn’t want to waste the contents anyway. But I was starving, so I headed for the pantry to find a snack. There was a bowl of walnuts just ready to be cracked and a couple of apples. Perfect.

  Careful to put the charged charms to the side so I wouldn’t destroy them, I cracked three nuts, all perfectly in half; a spell I had no problems casting. Then I cut the apple. With that ready to snack on, I pulled the book closer and flipped through looking for anything that would help.

  On the very last page, there was a spell that would repair a broken holder. It couldn’t be too broken, but if it was in large enough segments, the spell would pull the pieces together so it could be used. Unfortunately, our broken holders were shattered. But there were the nutshells. I could practice on them. If I could get the repair spell working, it would be something.

  I placed two halves of a shell on the table in front of me, and walked through the spell without adding magic.

  Then I quieted the voice in my head that told me I couldn’t do it.

  Then I took a deep breath and performed the spell.

  It worked.

  The nutshell was back together.

  Half of the requirement was done. Now, I had to make sure it was breakable. Charms are tossed onto a hard surface. Breaking the container activates the spell. I didn’t want to activate any of the spells we were planning to cast — they were noisy. I tossed the nutshell as hard as I could on to the floor. It bounced back. The repair was too strong. It was unusual enough for me to have a strong spell that I took it as a success.

  Trying the spell on a second nut with less magic, turned out to be the trick. In a few minutes, I had eight nutshells ready to be charmed. It was great, but how many nuts could a wizard carry in his pocket. I kept looking at the apple seeds. They were containers, but there was no way to break them with a toss. They weren’t brittle enough. I had a spell that worked some of the time. It was a warming spell. If I used it right, I could dry out the seeds and then they would probably break. If I did it wrong a few burnt apple seeds wouldn’t be a problem.

  There were eight seeds. I put seven in a bowl on the counter behind me and concentrated on one. When I turned it to ashes, I took another seed. I burned that one too.

  I knew there was a way to use the seeds. I was too tired to finesse the warming spell enough. I tossed the seeds in a handful onto the table, and they scattered. There was something there, just out of range.

  “Quinn?”

  Cate was standing in the doorway. How long had she been watching me burn apple seeds?

  “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”

  “What are you doing?”

  I explained what I’d found and she smiled when I told her about trying to make the seeds brittle.

  “It won’t work. They aren’t made of the right material,” she picked up the scattered seeds. “What if you made them into a ball with that repair spell? Then the ball would break open. You could do it with as little as three seeds.”

  That’s what had been lurking behind my thoughts. “Yes, it’s perfect. You know, we make a good team.”

  She blushed. “Look I’m really sorry about before. I was tired and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

  I could feel my grin grow until it pulled my cheeks up. “You made up for it. You don’t realize how important this is.”

  “It means we can make the spells work,” she said as if the contest was the only thing in the world.

  I let her think that. We could work out the practical uses later. It was almost three a.m. and we had work to do.

  3

  We came in second.

  I was happy that we didn’t come in last, but Cate really wanted first prize. It went to an apprentice who was just about to graduate. He used all fifth level spells and impressed the hell out of the judges.

  “Our story was way more entertaining,” I whispered to Cate as we waited for the prize ceremony.

  “You made it happen with that new charm spell. Why don’t you take credit?”

  I wasn’t sure. It seemed like the wrong place to point out the way we used nuts and seeds to create charms. I wanted to talk to Master Vollont first. Maybe I wasn’t so unique in working it out. I would be mortified if someone pointed out that we were using a method that everyone but us knew about. “I didn’t want to take away from our presentation,” I said.

  “Are you coming to the party?”

  The contest always ended with a party hosted by the winner’s master. In this instance the winner had travelled to the contest, so Master Vollont had offered to host the party. I wasn’t crazy about socializing, and I was still exhausted. Maybe if I had enough beer, I’d be able to hint to Cate how I felt about her. If she didn’t feel the same, I could always claim it was the alcohol talking.

  “Sure. It will be fun. Save me a dance?”

  Cate laughed and then we stepped forward to claim the trophy that would be placed on Master Vollont’s mantel.

  * * *

  The party was in full roar, but I was in my usual place. Standing by the doorway glass of beer in hand, watching everyone have fun.

  “You did well, Quinn.” Master Vollont joined me. “I am a little surprised that you and Cate were able to do so much in so little time. The winner has been working on his entry for six months.”

  That figured. “I guess that’s why he’s the winner.”

  “Yes. His win is fleeting. I saw what you did with the charms, Quinn. Was that your idea or Cate’s?”

  “We worked together as you asked us to.” I wasn’t going to cut Cate out of any of the praise for our idea. It was a very different feeling for me to knowing that praise was coming instead of a gentle rebuke.

  “She told me you worked out the way to create charm holders. Don’t be modest. Cate doesn’t need credit for your work, Quinn. She is a very capable witch and I see that she will do great things.”

  She was currently dancing with a local apprentice who’d always bragged about his conquests. I hoped Cate was smart enough to handle his advances.

  All of the doubt was back. Even knowing I would be praised for the charm spells, I was still waiting to be told I’d need to pack my suitcase to move onto a different master. “And me? Are you still willing to train me now that you have a star student?” It sounded pathetic in my ears and I wished I’d created a spell to take back the words.

  “You have always been my star pupil, Quinn. I think you are close to developing your own spell and graduating. I worry that you will still not know how to light a candle with your magic, but it will not be long before you are leaving me because I have nothing more to teach you.”

  That was not what I expected. I ran his words through my memory thinking I’d imagined what he’d said. No, the words were all in the same order. I took my eyes off Cate for the first time that night. “I guess we’d better spend some time on my fundamentals then.”

  Master Vollont roared with laughter. “If I’d only thought of that, Quinn Larson.” He slapped me on the back. “Tomorrow we’ll start putting you through your paces and we’ll start talking about what spell you might create for your graduation. Tonight, for goodness sake, please stop mooning over Cate and have some fun.”

  I nodded at him, but it was no good. I couldn’t find the courage to tell Cate how I felt, maybe later, maybe fifty years from now, but not tonight. Master Vollont drifted away and so did I. A night’s sleep would surely make me feel better about being in love.

  Preview

  If you enjoyed Spell and Other Charms, you’ll love the Quinn Larson Quests.

  A preview of the first book, IMPERATIVE, is on the next pages.
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br />   Chapter 1

  I couldn’t wait to try the spell until I got to Banks’. It was my first level five, and I needed to read it more than I needed a pint of ale. The street lights were the only illumination and half of them were smashed, so I felt a sufficient level of privacy. I stepped into the shadow of a doorway and unfolded the half sheet of paper.

  On a dark moon night, before Venus descends…

  I stopped reading because I felt a twinge of guilt. Cate was waiting at Banks’ and I promised I’d read it with her. I folded the paper and jammed it back in my pocket. I headed toward Blood Alley, Banks’ current location, thinking about how we should use the spell.

  My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a fairy talking to a human. My attention twisted away to follow the sound and dragged my body with it. I made an effort to be casual about it, but there was no one on the street to notice, so I didn’t try too hard.

  I slipped into a doorway next to Trounce Alley and leaned to peek into the darkness. A flower fairy, Lily Clan I think, was leading a human woman into the shadows of an alley. The fairy had cast a glamour, and I could see the shimmer, but I couldn’t see what he was projecting because of the shadows. The woman was gazing up at what she must have seen as his face, about three feet higher than where the top of his head really was.

  When they were a few feet in, and just past a dumpster, the fairy offered a glass vial. The woman knocked the contents back like a shot of tequila. I stepped into the alley, keeping to the wall, curious about what was going on. I noticed a tall shape lingering in the shadows at the other end.

  My attention came back to the woman. She collapsed on the ground, her back arching, a keening escaping her throat. I started to step forward, hoping I could help. Then, knowing it was too late, I retreated to the shadows.

  The fairy stood watching, and then reached into his bag and retrieved a jug. He looked at the shadowy figure who nodded and gestured toward the woman. I saw the human’s spirit rise, the lavender mist unmistakable. The fairy captured the spirit in the jug careful to gather every wisp.

  What the hell was going on?

  I leaned against the brick wall. Now more than ever I needed to keep out of sight of the other two. The keening faded. The woman gave a gurgle as the last trace of her spirit escaped her body. I watched as the fairy placed a cloth over the top of the jug and stepped toward the hooded creature. A pale hand reached out from under the cloak and took the jug.

  “Where is my payment?” The fairy hissed.

  A ripple of laughter came from under the hood. “You fairies are so impatient. It will be the death of you at some point.” The pale hand extended again, passing a vial of glowing amber liquid back. “Here, be careful. Do you know what to do with it?”

  The fairy sighed. I could imagine his eyes rolling. “Yes, I remember.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I rub it on her.”

  “All of it,” the voice under the hood snapped.

  I wondered what the liquid would do for the dead woman.

  Then the fairy put the vial in his bag and I wondered who he meant by ‘her’. He started walking toward me, so I ducked behind the dumpster.

  “Goodnight, then.” The figure turned to leave by the other end of the alley. I got a glance of a pale face and a curl of red hair in the lamplight.

  Now what were the Sidhe trading with fairies? And why did that woman have to die?

  I was alone again. I slipped over to the body. A quick glance showed me she was young. I threw a charm at the dumpster and the lid lifted. I placed the body inside, hoping no one would notice.

  Killing humans is not a good thing. If they find out we exist, we become a threat, and they’ll hunt us. Last time that happened the vampires were destroyed, not just here in Vancouver, everywhere.

  * * *

  If you want to get a copy of IMPERATIVE for your own, click on this link and choose your favorite e-bookstore.

  Also by P. A. Wilson

  For more books by P. A. Wilson

  click below

  * * *

  MYSTERIES

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  SCIENCE FICTION

  * * *

  URBAN FANTASY

  * * *

  FANTASY

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  ROMANCE

  * * *

  NON-FICTION

  About the Author

  Perry Wilson is a Canadian author based in Vancouver, BC who has big ideas and an itch to tell stories. Having spent some time on university, a career, and life in general, she returned to writing in 2008 and hasn't looked back since (well, maybe a little, but only while parallel parking).

  She is a member of the Vancouver Writers Social Group, The Royal City Literary Arts Society, and The Surrey Writing Workshop. Perry has self-published several novels. She writes the Madeline Journeys, a fantasy series about a high-powered lawyer who finds herself trapped in a magical world, the Quinn Larson Quests, which follows the adventures of a wizard named Quinn who must contend with volatile fae in the heart of Vancouver, and the Charity Deacon Investigations, a mystery thriller series about a private eye who tends to fall into serious trouble with her cases, and The Riverton Romances, a series based in a small town in Oregon, one of her favorite states. Her stand-alone novels are Breaking the Bonds, Closing the Circle, and The Dragon at The Edge of The Map.

  For more information

  www.pawilson.ca

  pawilson@pawilson.ca

  Acknowledgments

  People think that the process of writing is solitary. That’s not the case for me. I have help from so many people it would be hard to acknowledge everyone, but I’ll give it a try.

  The support and inspiration I get from my writer’s groups is incalculable. The Vancouver Writers Social Group opens my mind to other ways of telling a story. The Royal City Literary Arts Society gives me the opportunity to meet and share with other writers who have more knowledge than I do. The Other 11 Months group is where I learn about getting the words on the page. And my critique group who helps me find the best parts of the story I want to tell. Thanks to all of the members of these great groups.

  Last of all, but definitely a huge part of the process, my beta readers. These are the people who love stories and are willing, and more than able, to tell me if my finished story is ready for you, my readers.