Sara sat on the edge of her bed, her gaze fixed on the ground as if she tried to bore through the floor with her eyes and will alone.
Evie yawned and stretched in her chair. She glanced at her friends. “You both look exhausted. It makes me tired just looking at you.”
“This week is destroying me.” Raine leaned against the wall and sighed. “Even hanging out in the library doesn’t help as much as it can, and Librarian Decker has pointed out some great books for me. Every class is so much harder this semester, especially potions.”
Evie gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, Raine. At least I can help you out with that.”
“It’s okay. I knew this would happen, and like Uncle Jerry would say, nothing’s worth doing if it’s easy. Right, Sara?”
The kitsune continued to stare at the floor without so much as a glance at her friend.
“Sara?” Raine pushed away from the wall. “Are you okay?”
Sara raised her head slowly. “What? Sorry. I wasn’t listening.”
“Are you okay?” Raine repeated. “Don’t let potions get you down. I know it’s tough, but we’ll get there together.”
“It’s not potions.” The other girl dropped back on her bed and her red hair fanned out. “Yeah, potion class is obnoxious, but it’s not the end of the world. If that were the only thing wrong, I’d be a lot happier.”
“Then what?” Evie coaxed.
“It’s everything,” Sara murmured. “I’m halfway through sophomore year, and I still don’t have my magic.”
“That’s not true. You have magic. Remember the cupcakes?”
Sara groaned. “I’ll never forget. I can’t even look at cupcakes without getting butterflies in my stomach. No magic, not fully awakened…there’s no difference.”
Raine headed to Sara’s bed and sat beside her. She patted her friend’s leg. “Evie’s right. The point is that it proved how powerful your magic can be. It’ll come. I know it. You shouldn’t let it get you down. You can do plenty of magic. Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“But what if it never fully awakens? I can make potions still and do a decent number of spells, but I’m not a genius at it like Evie. And, with my luck, all the ingredients will come alive and demand their freedom.” Sara put her arm over her eyes. “This is so annoying.”
“Did something happen? You weren’t this down last semester.”
Evie frowned as she’d wondered the same thing.
“Christmas Break,” Sara muttered, her arm still over her eyes. “My family told me that they’re ashamed of me. They told me I’m a failure.” She sniffled, and a tear trickled down her face. “They said I’d be better if I were at least a nine-tailed fox.”
Raine winced. She’d read a little about nine-tailed foxes, confused as to how they differed from kitsunes and especially since, in places like Japan, the same term was sometimes used for both. From what she’d read, nine-tailed foxes were closer to shifters with limited magic, including a fox form and supernatural charm, and the kitsunes, once their trickster magic awakened, had a far greater range of power. Both kitsunes and nine-tailed foxes had mixed in the past, so it wasn’t impossible that Sara had both kitsune and nine-tailed fox blood.
“It’s not fair.” Raine took a few deep breaths. It hurt her to see her strong friend so sad, and especially because her family blamed Sara for something she couldn’t control. If Raine could call them and yell at them right then and there, she would.
“That’s stupid.” Evie folded her arms and paced in anger. “You should stay with someone else during the summer if that’s the way they treat you. Jerks.”
Sara sat up and wiped her tears. “What? Stay with someone else? Seriously?”
“You heard me. Your family isn’t here for the rest of the semester, only your friends, and if they are mean to you when you’re home, maybe you should stay with someone else. Vacation’s supposed to be about relaxing, not getting yelled at.” A thoughtful look passed over Evie’s face. “Stay with me. I’m sure I can convince my family to let you stay with us, as long as your family agrees.”
“I don’t think they want to see me any more than I want to see them right now.” Despite the sad subject, Sara's face had already brightened, and the clouds of sadness departed. “And you’re completely serious?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Evie felt a little insulted but tried to hide it.
“I could ask Uncle Jerry about staying with me if you want, too,” Raine said with a soft smile, “but I live in a neighborhood that has no magicals, so it’d probably be more comfortable at Evie’s.”
Sara took a few deep, cleansing breaths and managed a smile. “Thanks. I’ve been down about this since coming back, but I didn’t want to unload all my baggage onto you. I know we all have our problems.”
“You don’t understand. You’ve got this all wrong.” Raine patted her friend’s hand.
“Wrong?”
“Yeah. We’re your friends. If you feel down, then you need to let us know so we can help you feel better. You don’t have to hide anything from us. If we all have our problems, the best thing we can do is get help from all our friends to solve them.”
Evie nodded and finally halted her pacing. “Exactly. We’ve done a lot by having each other’s backs, including fighting the crazy Raven Clan and Gunnar.” She smiled sweetly at her friend. “I promise to always help you out. You never have to hold back with me, Sara.”
“Me too,” Raine added.
Evie hurried over to the bed, and the girls shared a group hug.
Sara sighed and pulled out of the hug after a long, warm and comforting moment. “Now I feel stupid for not talking to you guys earlier. I already feel way better. I’m not going to lie and say I’m not still worried about my magic, though.”
“Worrying’s fine.” Evie winked. “But let us worry with you. Heavy loads feel lighter when shared.” She yawned. “Sorry. I’m tired. I wonder if we should get some rest before the kemana trip tomorrow, but if you want to keep talking that’s totally fine, too.”
“No.” Sara shook her head. “Like I said, I already feel better. We’ll have a great time tomorrow. I just know it.”
Chapter Ten
The next afternoon, Raine, Evie, Sara, Adrien, Cameron, and William all stepped into the busy streets of the kemana, the ever-present ruby hue overhead. Philip had something come up with the Entrepreneurs Club at the last minute, so he had to beg off the trip with his friends.
Raine laughed at a sudden realization. She’d only been at the school for a little over a year and a half, but her old life felt like it was years before. Decades, even. She wondered at what point the magical world would seem more normal than the normal world.
Cameron eyed her cautiously. No man liked it when their girlfriend laughed mysteriously. “What’s so funny, Raine?”
“Maybe it’s because we waited so long after the break to come here.” She watched a passing Kilomea saunter into a narrow path between two hat shops, judging by the signs. “We spent all that time learning stealth spells to get in here last year. It’s weird to think we can come down here whenever we want.”
Three Willen in red coats strutted around the corner. Raine wondered about the significance of the coats and if there was such a thing as a Willen street gang. Colorful names like the Blood Paws and Long Whiskers came to mind.
“I like that we don’t have to sneak around.” Cameron shrugged. “One less thing to worry about.”
“It’s funny, is all.” Raine smiled at her friends. “Since we all have different things to check out, maybe we should meet back here in an hour?”
Cameron moved to her side, his eyes narrowed on the Willen until they scuttled away. The shifter was as protective as always.
“I wanted to see the fruit stalls.” Evie tittered with anticipation at the idea of better ingredients.
William gave her a thoughtful look. “Are you looking for more octofruit?”
“Oc
tofruit?” Adrien asked and frowned confusion. “What’s that?”
“It’s tasty. That’s what it is.” William nodded solemnly.
Evie rushed off.
“Wait!” The half-Ifrit hurried after her.
Adrien waved. “I think I want to find out what an octofruit is.” He jogged after the retreating pair, now more curious than confused.
“I have something I want to check on.” Sara waved. “I’ll catch up with you.”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?” Raine asked.
“No, I’m good.” Sara offered her friend a vulpine grin. “I’m not planning to mess with the Ifrit or the druids.” She hurried away.
Cameron offered his arm to Raine. “Let’s go find some books for you.”
She blushed and took his arm.
Sara maneuvered through the packed streets of the kemana. The ever-shifting array of stalls, street vendors, and shops were almost overwhelming. Magic items, food, perfumes, and everything anyone could possibly want was on sale, but she wasn’t even sure what she was looking for. She’d not run into any other kitsunes on any of their kemana trips in the past.
There was no shortage of people and other beings who claimed they could make dreams come true in the kemana. Even magic had its limit, though, and it was a challenge to separate the frauds from the honest people.
“You look like a young woman in search of her destiny,” a fast, raspy voice said behind her.
Sara stopped and turned. A ferret creature about the size of a small dog stood and grinned at her. He wore a scarlet silk vest and matching silk top hat. He rested his paws in his pockets.
“Did you…say that?” She blinked, half-convinced that she’d imagined it.
The ferret pulled his hat off and made a deep bow. “Indeed I did, young lady. I’m Horatius A. Pierce. My friends call me Hap. I’m sure we’ll be great friends, so you can call me Hap, too.”
“Okay…Hap. Can I help you with something?”
He stood, set his top hat back on his head, and fussed with it for a few seconds. “No, young lady, not at all, but I can help you. I like to consider myself a ferret who gets things done. Whenever I see someone looking for something, I say to myself, ‘Hap, you’re a ferret who gets things done. Why don’t you go and get something done for that person who obviously needs something done?’”
Sara shook her head several times. Even as a kitsune who’d grown up around magic, she’d never run into a ferret in a top hat before. The closest she’d gotten was a Willen in a baseball cap.
She cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to offend you, Hap, but what exactly are you?”
“Why no offense taken. None at all. But before I explain about that, might I ask you your name, young lady?”
“Sara.”
Hap bowed again, this time with a more theatrical flourish. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sara. As for the aforementioned issue, I can see your point of confusion. There are more than a few Willen around, but there’s only one Hap.” He adjusted his vest. “I am, Sara, the greatest of all creations, a unique being created through a serendipitous collision of magic and opportunity.”
Sara took a deep breath and her stomach tightened as she thought of one possibility she knew all too well. “Kitsune trickster magic?”
The ferret’s whiskers twitched. “Trickster magic? I don’t know about that. All I know is that I used to be a normal ferret, the pet of a nice young witch about your age. But one fine day, when I was playing, I happened upon a shiny ring. I don’t know who made it and assume it was someone she knew, but it made me the ferret I am today.” He cleared his throat and ran one paw over the other. “Now me and that witch had to part ways. We had a minor disagreement about life goals, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m a go-getter now, and I want to find other people to go get with me.” He pointed a clawed finger at her. “And my guess is that you’re someone with potential, Sara. A future go-getter.”
“Potential?” The words struck deeply in Sara. That was the problem. She was nothing but potential and needed the potential to become reality.
“That’s right.” Hap stepped forward and craned his neck to look at the kitsune who towered over him. “I’m currently involved in the import and export business, particularly of potions with a variety of uses, including bringing out hidden potential.”
“You mean like magic-strengthening potions?” Sara tried to keep the desperation off her face but failed.
“All kinds. A ferret who specializes too much is a ferret who is soon out of business. Now, here’s what I’ll do. Because I like you and I think you’re a go-getter I’ll extend you a special offer.”
“Sara!” a familiar voice shouted behind her.
The kitsune turned. Christie stood outside a cute little blue dress shop, a broad smile on her face. The blonde girl hurried over and grabbed her friend’s arm to pull her along without saying anything.
“Woah,” Sara sputtered. “Christie, wait a second.”
“I have to show you something that is too crazy to describe,” Christie blurted out. “It’s funny when you think about it. All these fun things down here, and every time we come here there’s something new. Can you think about that? How many people must come and go?” The words sped by.
The English girl continued to talk and didn’t allow Sara a word in edgewise.
Hap tilted his head and watched as they strolled away.
They’d walked about six shops away from the ferret when Christie stopped abruptly and took a deep breath, grateful that she’d saved her friend from the most malicious of threats—a fashionable ferret. “Whew. That was close.”
Sara looked around. Several stores surrounded them, mostly herbalists. None looked all that interesting to her, but Evie might enjoy them.
“Where’s the cool thing?”
Christie chuckled nervously. “Sorry. That was a little fib, but I needed to get you away from Hap.”
“Why?”
“He’s a naughty little ferret.” The girl nodded down the street in his general direction, but he was long out of sight. “He used to visit the school on occasion, but he’s been banned from the grounds by the headmistress’s order. He deals a lot with Willen thieves, stolen goods, that sort of thing.”
Sara’s hope vanished. “He’s a crook?”
Christie exhaled a long sigh. “He can be. It’s not that he’s always a crook, but he often is, if that makes sense.” She offered an apologetic smile. “Don’t believe half of what he says, and you’ll be fine.”
“Which half?”
“Well, figuring that out is the hard part.”
“Do you really think he’s a ferret who was transformed by a magic ring?”
“I don’t know,” Christie said with a knowing smile. “But I’ll admit I’ve never seen or heard of anyone like him.” She tugged on her friend’s arm. “There is a new bakery stand I want to show you. They make delicious raspberry tortes. Don’t tell Evie, but they might even compete with hers.”
Sara let the blonde girl lead her along, although she glanced constantly down the street. If Hap could get his hands on a potion to help her, it wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t stolen. The thought spun relentlessly in her head as Christie chattered on about her trip to the dress shop.
Chapter Eleven
Sara harnessed her focus and unleashed her brush on the canvas before her in a few bold strokes. She’d tried to put Hap out of her mind but instead, ended up starting on an oil painting of the ferret go-getter. Her theory was that putting the image to canvas would allow her to control it better in her mind.
“He did have a nice hat and vest,” she mumbled to herself. “Striking colors. I can work with that and detailing the fur and whiskers will be fun. Hmmm.”
A few more brushstrokes formed the bottom outline of the hat’s brim. She wasn’t sure how many hours she’d devote to painting Hap, but practicing the non-humanoid form was helpful for her artisti
c skills. Every new painting would lead to better mastery of her craft, and each one filled her with sparks of joy.
The door to the art room squeaked as Hideki stepped in. Sara had run into him a few times but rarely talked to him. The wizard junior was quiet and serious. From what she’d heard, he was from New York and descended from ten generations of Japanese practitioners of the arcane art of onmyodo.
“Hey, Sara.” He looked everywhere but at her as he spoke.
She set her palette and brush on a nearby table. “Hey, Hideki. Did you need something? Decide to join Art Club? We could always use members. It doesn’t matter what kind of art.”
Hideki looked down and a chuckled with nervous embarrassment. “No. I’m not very good at any kind of art, really, but art’s why I’m here. Um. Yeah.”
“Okay,” Sara replied and waited with a mixture of equal parts curiosity and confusion. “This is the right room for art, but I’m still confused about what you need.”
“I need you.”
“Huh?” she squeaked.
He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for it come out that way. I need you to paint for me. Because you’re so good.”
“Oh.” Sara couldn’t help the slight disappointment she felt. “You want to commission a painting?”
The boy nodded quickly, and more certainty appeared in his eyes. “In my family, we place stock in dreams. Sometimes, we dream things. Not real things but important things. Uh…” He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before he opened them again. “I’m not making any sense. We see things that end up having meaning and so we like to meditate on that image. It’s supposed to be good for our magic and help us to understand our inner selves.” He sighed. “This probably sounds really dumb to you, doesn’t it?”
Oath Of The Witch: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (School of Necessary Magic Raine Campbell Book 4) Page 5