Spells on Shelves

Chapter 3 || Preparation Is Key

I faced the room again, giving my two spectators a small smile. "See? Attempting dark magic would be pointless. All pets are safe from me."

Livvy scrutinized the manual in her hand. The chart displayed magical tiers from one to twelve, corresponding to the colors of visible light. Tiers one and two were marked red; eleven and twelve, violet. It was a ranking system that followed the intricacies of a magic circle. Each ring increases the scale of the magic, with the most powerful spells enclosing twelve rings. This placed me somewhere around the fifth tier.

"You could be hiding your power with dark magic," Cameron remarked calmly.

"Using dark magic below tier nine is suicidal," I pointed out. "Without the sufficient amount of mana, you'd risk your health by dabbling with death magic. Even if you somehow survive, there will be unmistakable signs on your body."

He straightened up, a hint of a smile on his face. "Then I trust you'll have no issue undergoing a physical? Just to be certain."

Damn, these people were overly cautious.

"Good idea," Livvy chimed in. "You can meet Edward."

"By all means," I said, my voice equally calm.

Cameron nodded. "It's settled then," he said and exited the room.

"Who's Edward?" I asked into the silence following his departure.

"Our town's physician," Livvy said, still scanning the manual. "We can go together tomorrow."

"It's okay. I think I'll manage on my own."

I had a gut feeling that if I kept showing up with a babysitter, the townsfolk might mistake me for being weak. Right now their fear of witches kept them at a distance but as soon as they discovered that I wasn't some dark, powerful sorcerer, that barrier would disappear in an instant.

She hesitated. "Alright then. I just wanted to say, it's great that you're here. To be honest, I expected someone much more arrogant and harder to deal with."

I grinned at her. "Even if I'm only fifth tier?"

She chucked the manual into the already full corner with a frown. "Like I said, this is just a formality. Limiting yourself with how people define your strength is pointless. You want to surround yourself with the right people, that's what matters."

I wondered how she would react if she knew about my real identity, about what I could do. Would she sell me out? Or try and use me like so many others had.

"Right," I said. "If that's all, I'm gonna head out."

I made a hasty exit from Livvy's cluttered office and headed home. The house, a two-stories high log cabin was partly obscured from the street by several large cedar trees and an ancient oak. Its gnarly branches hung over the old blue Toyota Corolla sitting in the cobblestone driveway that was overgrown with weeds.

On the way to the front door, I brushed my fingertips over the moss-covered bark with my fingertips. A faint spark of energy pulsed beneath my touch. I gave it one tiny droplet of my power. Nothing noticeable changed, yet I could almost feel it inhale and straighten.

Exposed wood columns framed the entrance. Inside, I was immediately enveloped by the warm scents of rosewood and freshly baked goods. To the left of the entranceway was a cloakroom, situated beside the door leading to the stone-built cellar.

The door shut behind me. A translucent blue sheen flashed across the walls and door. I couldn't use any visitors tonight.

Lifting my sleeve, I checked on my bracelet—or what was left of it. Pieces of ash floated to the floor. A small red line circled my wrist. The spell had held—barely. Still, fifth tier was a better result than I'd expected.