Chapter 17
Iused my magic to arrange the instructions for the next task by weaving the ribbons of enchanted light to form a message in the air, a simpler puzzle than the others, ideal for the distraction eclipsing my focus, elusive even with the unexpected and promising news that I’d advanced to the next challenge. My relief at the success wasn’t as acute as I’d expected in my tumult of emotions resulting from Maeve’s absence.
Exhaustion pressed against my senses from my restless night brought by the absence of my frog companion no longer in her usual place near my pillow. Come morning her absence had only grown more acute, causing my loneliness to escalate into grumpiness that she’d departed when I most needed her, regardless of the competition’s dictates that forbade her presence.
With my near disqualification with the potions challenge, I couldn’t afford my current distraction. Yet though I’d struggled before with Maeve’s presence, it was nothing to what I endured now.
I valiantly tried not to think of her…only for thoughts of her to invade at the most inconvenient times. Everything reminded me of the frog companion who was no longer present, causing me to see her in all the places where she’d been only yesterday.
I gritted my teeth and muttered an incantation of concentration, but the spell was halfhearted—the part of me that didn’t want to forget Maeve so easily interfering with its potency. The charm’s effects were at least strong enough to allow me to concentrate enough to arrange the message in its proper order, but deciphering it proved to be a different matter entirely.
Relics…curses…I failed to comprehend the overall meaning. Unbidden, my gaze drifted from the glowing instructions to the lily pad where Maeve had often rested, a nearby presence I didn’t realize just how much comfort had brought me until it was gone. I tried to look away, only for my attention to be repeatedly drawn away, as if by some magical force beyond my control.
I gave my head a rigid shake. Focus. I wrangled my distraction into submission and took in the puzzle. Relics, curses…yet once again my thoughts wandered into paths that had nothing to do with clues and competitions.
“Do you think she made it back alright?” Though I had no one to confide in except for my silent spellbook, the part of me that had grown used to Maeve’s companionship still expected her to answer.
But there was only silence, leaving me to wonder. Though my portal had allowed Maeve to return to her cottage in the woods, I wasn’t sure whether she planned on remaining there or eventually returning to our magical chambers. I scolded myself at having been too dazed by her sudden transformation to ask the essential questions.
“I should have gone with her.”
The spellbook nudged my next clue towards me, forcing my thoughts back to the matter at hand. I sighed.
“I know accompanying her would have been too much of a detour when time is pressing, but what if something happened to her? Her powers are still in their infancy, especially with the recent occurrences of late.”
A rather unpleasant emotion I couldn’t name tightened my chest at the thought, even as a vision of Maeve’s usual fire filled me with assurance. Such fierce resolution would allow her to meet any potential challenge she encountered with the determination that compelled her to fight for her brother, develop her powers, assist me, and repeatedly put me in my place.
My lips twitched at the reminder, even as a peculiar ache tugged on my heart…the same sensation that had kept me up for most of the night and filled each of our lingering memories, tempting me to disregard the competition and go after her.
A feeling of frustration bordering on panic seeped into my consciousness. If I was this distracted by Maeve—when she wasn’t even present—how could I have any hope of progressing in the competition? More disturbing on a personal level, why was she affecting me like this?
A gasp of mingled horror and understanding escaped as I finally put the pieces together. The potion. When I had tried to craft the healing potion, I instead created vat after vat of a love potion…whether by some mistake of execution or perhaps the strange force that seemed to be affecting my abilities.
How could I have been so careless as to allow myself to touch the substance and inhale its vapor? Clearly I had fallen under the spell, and now that spell was jeopardizing my future.
Rather than dwell on her memory, I needed to instead follow her example and focus on the task at hand. After much concentration, I finally managed to subdue my thoughts of the loveliness of her mischievous countenance and her soulful dark brown eyes enough for the clue to form some semblance of meaning: find one of the mystical relics, break the enchantment placed upon it, and cast another charm upon it in its stead.
I groaned. I had little experience with not only relics but curses themselves, not only in breaking them but placing them. Unbidden, my mind drifted to the curse Maeve had been under. While hers had been simple to cast through a potion, a cursed relic was comprised of some of the most complicated magic, something I doubted I could perform even when my thoughts weren’t otherwise occupied.
A headache pulsed against my temples, made sharper as I attempted to formulate a plan. While I was inexperienced in relics, my best friend Prince Xander had dedicated several years to their study in order to earn his right to his title as the crown prince, as was tradition in his kingdom, Meridia.
I conjured a map and carefully studied the distance from here to Analasia, where Xander now lived with his wife, Crown Princess Taryn. Though my most recent task had brought me near the border, the distance was too vast to travel without the aid of a portal…if my finicky powers would cooperate. I gnawed my lip, deliberating. Would seeking Xander’s advice be cheating, or just the providence I needed?
Maeve’s advice from one of our conversations filled my mind: no one can rely solely on their own merits. A king has advisors, a prince has guards, and those in a village all rely on one another to survive. Seeking guidance from others will only enhance your efforts in doing your best and allow you to reach your full potential.
I considered the rules of the competition. The task didn’t specify how to obtain a relic, so acquiring one whose location I already knew about didn’t seem dishonest, and leave me more time to focus on the curse. Xander didn’t possess magic of his own, so he wouldn’t be able to assist me beyond giving me direction on where to begin my search. With time pressing, his knowledge would prove invaluable. With the fierceness brought by the highly skilled remaining competition, I couldn’t afford to lose due to the delay that would come in attempting to tackle an element of magic I had little experience with on my own.
I knew that the other competitors were doubtless using every resource at their disposal; my yearning to win solely based on my own magical prowess was simply not realistic…or expected. If the rules had specified that I wasn’t to receive magical assistance, it stood to reason that nonmagical assistance was well within the bounds.
I silently cursed myself for not having the foresight to study more about relics and the curses surrounding them, but there had always been far more important matters to focus on. My natural inclination was to regret my negligence, even as I recognized that my past choices had been the best for me at the time and had helped me grow in other realms of magic that had brought me this far.
With a steadying breath I gathered my resolve. If I was mistaken and Xander’s advice turned out to be prohibited, I wouldn’t be any worse off since I’d also lose the competition should I rely on my own limited knowledge. In any case, it was worth the gamble. And without Maeve’s presence, I could no longer bear the thought of being entirely alone.
In my lingering wariness I fumbled with my portal, so that it opened nearly a mile off course and forced me to waste a precious hour trekking to the Analasian palace. A simple spell changed my wizard’s robes to a more princely attire, a nod to my title I’d hoped to avoid but which couldn’t be helped considering the circumstances.
Thankfully, both Xander and his wife, Taryn, were available, as if luck were finally on my side. Princess Taryn possessed just as much experience in relics as my friend did, an abundance of knowledge that would only prove valuable to my quest. I wondered if any of my competitors would likewise seek their aid…not Demetria, of course, but the royal couple’s expertise was well known. Hopefully I could at least be the first to benefit.
They met me in a secluded parlor that would grant us the privacy necessary for our discussion. At my entrance they rose in greeting, Xander with a wide smile, Taryn with a young infant propped on her hip. Even midst my discouragement I couldn’t resist a smile.
“Ever since you’d informed me of your daughter’s birth I’d been hoping for a chance to meet her. She’s darling.” The young princess was a perfect combination of both her parents. She blinked curiously up at me with her father’s large green eyes as I ruffled her dark hair.
Taryn’s gaze was adoring as she smiled tenderly at her daughter. “This is Hope.”
I conjured a magical rattle that played music for her to play with. “The perfect name for the child borne after much trial.”
Due to the tense relations between their kingdoms and the complications that had risen due to their being in line to inherit their separate thrones, it had taken them four long years before they could be together; even after their marriage, they’d been forced to keep their relationship a secret—even in the months following their conceiving their daughter—before they’d overcome the final obstacles and finally came together.
My own aspirations had distracted me from corresponding with my friend these past several months, leaving me little idea how Xander had been adjusting to his new position as consort after abdicating his previous title as heir in order to be with his wife and daughter. With the strain harrowing his expression, the transition had been difficult, with the added difficulty of Xander’s younger brother, who’d inherited his title of crown prince following his abdication and now appeared to share the tyrannical Meridian King’s invasive ambitions.
By the haunted look filling his eyes, Xander had needed a friend these past several months…and I’d failed him, yet another reminder of what I’d sacrificed in the pursuit of my own ambitions. I resolved to be a better friend from this moment forward.
I hesitated to ask the question that was coming far later than it should from a friend. “How are things faring since your union?”
They both sighed as we settled in our seats and Xander took his daughter so his wife could pour our tea. “Most of the court remain wary of Xander considering his background, including the advisors. He’s been able to do frustratingly little in his new role.”
I cast him an uncertain glance. I’d always admired Xander’s hardworking nature and the focus he’d rendered his royal duties, something I’d always lacked when it came to my own. As someone who fiercely clung to the magic that forged my identity, I couldn’t imagine what it’d been like for my friend to have his own purpose suddenly stripped away.
I’d never understood how he’d been willing to give up all for the sake of love, sacrificing his dreams and ambitions just to be with his heart. Yet watching them in this moment, rather than experiencing loss he seemed to have instead discovered a new dream for himself.
His smile was reassuring, though it did little to dim the discouragement lining his expression. “While I have yet to earn either the trust of the courtiers or official duties to which to dedicate my time, thankfully Taryn’s family has at last come to accept me, which allows me time to not only assist her with her own responsibilities but be a husband and father.”
He gave his daughter nestled in his lap an adoring snuggle, his expression softening upon noticing his wife’s worry. He stroked her cheek.
“Please be assured that I’m very happy in the life I’ve chosen with you and don’t regret it for a moment. I promise.” He pressed a reassuring kiss to her brow.
Though her worry lingered, she hastily tucked the emotion away and returned to her duties as hostess. She stirred in cream and sugar and handed me a cup of tea. “While we welcome your visit, it’s admittedly unexpected midst the magical competition currently taking place that I know you were planning on entering.”
Xander’s eyes bulged. “Don’t tell me you’ve failed.”
I shook my head. “I’ve successfully completed all the tasks required of me, but find myself inexperienced in the next realm of magic I’m being tested on, so am here in pursuit of your expertise.”
Taryn frowned. “But we’re unfamiliar with magic of any sort except…but of course, we do have experience in one area.”
“Relics.” Xander leaned forward in his seat. “Is the next challenge a relic hunt?”
“Of a sort. I’m required to not only find a relic, but break the curse placed upon it and create an entirely new one, all within the span of a week.”
His eyes widened. “You’re being asked to do something that took Taryn and I years in such a short span of time? The competition is more intense than I could have ever imagined.” He shook his head in wonder.
“Time isn’t the only pressing issue—even if I finish within the dictates of the challenge only to come in last, or if the quality of my magic doesn’t measure up to the others, I’ll be disqualified.”
My anxiety rose. I’d already lost a day deciphering the challenge and in travel, which left me only a handful of days to see it through…this time without the companion I’d come to rely on. I took a hasty sip of tea, but its warmth did little to soothe my rising panic. The only one who could…
Once more my mind drifted to Maeve, thoughts made more difficult to suppress midst my current tumult of emotions. When I managed to once more tuck thoughts of her away, it wasn’t soon enough to hide them from Taryn’s keen observation.
“Are you thinking of a maiden?”
At these words Xander choked on his tea, startling his daughter in his lap. She was easily soothed when he propped her on his shoulder and rubbed her back. The moment her cries settled, his shocked attention riveted to me.
“Is Taryn correct?”
“Of course not.” But my cheeks warmed for seemingly no particular reason, and suddenly with the fire popping cheerfully in the hearth the room felt much too warm as I busied myself with arranging some papers I’d brought with notes on relics.
His eyes narrowed, taking in my nervous fidgeting and innocent expression with prying scrutiny. “I recognize that look—it’s the same distraction I felt whenever I missed Taryn.” His arm wound around her shoulders to nestle her against his side, as if the memory of their separation made him yearn to be close to her.
My heart leapt in a sharp longing that nearly stole my breath, but I did my best to conceal the emotion. “You pined for a woman you loved. I have no such feelings for anyone; you know I’m too busy to be bothered with a relationship.” Yet for some reason the sentiment I’d confessed to him many times throughout our friendship now felt almost…insincere.
“I initially believed the same thing,” he admitted. “I expected a loveless arranged marriage created as a duty to appease my father…until the day when love collided with me. Literally.”
His lips quirked up as he gave Taryn a searing sidelong glance. Her cheeks pinked but she seemed pleased with herself. “How else was I to get your attention?”
“Are you really taking credit for the workings of fate?” he asked. “If we hadn’t met before realizing we were supposed to be enemies, our story might have turned out quite differently.”
“I disagree. We were meant to be together and would have found another way, I’m certain of it.”
The two exchanged a tender glance filled with a deep love that they could have only forged through much tribulation.
I awkwardly cleared my throat. “About the relics…”
Taryn’s attention immediately returned to me. “As important as your competition is, I refuse to be so easily distracted from my curiosity. I too recognize the look of when a man is thinking of a woman.”
Her tone was filled with too much certainty for me to even hope of wriggling out of her nosy inquiries so easily. “It’s not what you’re undoubtedly imagining. I was only thinking of my apprentice and wondering how she’s faring in my absence.” Though the words weren’t a lie, they felt like one all the same.
Xander’s eyebrows rose. “Your apprentice? When did you get one of those?”
“A few weeks before the competition. There were some complications with her being cursed and turning into a frog that has me worried…”
“You’ve fallen in love with a frog?”
Despite knowing the emotion had been fabricated by magic, my pulse quickened at the word love. “She happened to be a frog when I was affected by the love potion, yes. Otherwise our relationship is a typical one between a master and apprentice.”
Yet I couldn’t deny that it now felt like so much more. If I didn’t know any better, my interest in her was deeper than even in magic. How could our relationship change so suddenly after a mere few weeks of her being a frog? Could a love spell even create such depth of feeling that seemed much more than simple infatuation?
Xander stared at me a long moment before nodding to himself. “Falling for your apprentice sounds much less complicated that the ordeal we endured.”
“I haven’t—” I sputtered, shifting in my chair as I couldn’t seem to find a comfortable position. “I don’t love her. We’re friends, which is very different than love.”
Though friendship could easily serve as a stepping stone to something much deeper, a possibility I’d never considered until my frog companion had transformed into someone eligible to court. My heart gave a rather peculiar lurch, a longing similar to my desire for a position on the council. I shook my head to dismiss the errant thought, inwardly cursing that wretched brew.
“It’s inappropriate for a master to fall in love with his pupil.”
Xander shrugged. “Perhaps, but far less complicated than two enemies in line for their own crowns losing their hearts to one another.” His hand laced through Taryn’s and she returned his squeeze.
“I don’t love her.” My voice hitched defensively, betraying me. “Perhaps I miss her,” I amended. “But I’m not interested in marriage. The only thing I care about is magic and winning this competition.”
Reaffirming the words I’d spoken confidently many times before did very little to quell my escalating confusion, especially when I noticed that the aversion I used to feel towards marriage had disappeared…as if Maeve herself had cast a spell across the distance separating us.
My heart gave another peculiar twitch, tempting me to craft a potion to dispel the perplexing fog muddling my thoughts if I had the time. My dream had always been—and always would be—magic. While it had been something easy to lose myself to in the past, now I found myself repeatedly distracted from it.
Xander and Taryn regarded me with matching narrow-eyed looks, clearly disbelieving my declarations.
“Fine,” I sighed. “There was a…complication.”
Taryn’s eyes sparkled. “Do tell.”
I frowned at her misguided enthusiasm. “One of the tasks for the competition was to create a potion. I chose a healing potion and my apprentice and I worked on it together; somehow we made a mistake and instead crafted a love potion. I unwisely handled the potion when trying to find where I went wrong and apparently fell under its spell, which is rather inconvenient considering the circumstances.”
Xander and Taryn exchanged a glance. “I’m not well versed on potions,” Xander finally said, his words slow and careful. “But while I know from experience that a curse is often effective from the merest touch, it was my understanding that spells such as love have to be performed with great precision in order to work properly; you yourself once told me that true love cannot be fabricated through magic.”
“Clearly not,” I snapped, my annoyance at the situation sharpening my words.
Instead of appearing offended, Taryn merely smiled. “You and your apprentice collaborated on this potion, and somehow as you worked together the properties changed from healing to love?”
I bridled at her insinuation. “It was a mere error in application of magical theory, one I do not currently have time to discuss…though I plan to make a thorough examination of the problem later.”
I forced myself to once more focus on the task at hand. Xander and Taryn were gracious enough to drop the subject and instead asked me other questions about the competition as we took our tea. I hastily gulped my drink and ate the accompanying delicacies, anxious to continue my quest. Sensing my urgency, the royal couple courteously abandoned their own tea to lead me deeper into the castle.
I followed them down a wide, richly ornamented hall garnished with large portraits and huge bouquets of flowers. From here we turned into a less ornate hallway, and then again into one that was devoid of decoration and slightly dusty in the corners, lit only by the torch Xander carried.
We finally came to a locked door, which Xander opened to reveal a large chamber filled with generations of acquired relics, arranged on tidy rows of pedestals. An aura emanated from each relic, brighter than the flickering sconces lining the walls and the natural light tumbling through the floor-length windows. Despite my distraction with Maeve and my concerns about the competition, I couldn’t contain my feeling of awe in the presence of so much magic, pieces that had changed the courses of nations.
My spirits lifted a bit as I gazed on the scores of relics, each one a testimony of magical triumph over a curse. I couldn’t help envisioning Maeve’s astonished delight were she with me, sharing this experience. Her eagerness to learn anything magical would savor every moment of this visit…and I would savor every moment with her beside me.
Shaking my head to dispel the errant thought, I squared my shoulders and walked towards the nearest shelf. I’d accomplished the first step of this quest, and now only needed to choose my relic, discern and break its curse, and cast a new spell. It would doubtless be a challenge, but it was time to see just what my powers could do.
* * *
Next Chronicle
I walked up and down the rows, listening to Xander and Taryn’s explanations about each piece’s history as well as the magic surrounding each of them as best as I could midst my continual distraction. There were dozens, a testament to Analasia’s long-standing tradition that, similar to Meridia, the kingdom had upheld for the future ruler to prove themselves through acquiring one of the ancient relics.
Xander held his daughter in his arm farthest from them to keep her out of reach while he walked hand-in-hand with his wife. “At one time or another, each relic had a curse placed upon it that needed to be broken before they could be acquired,” he explained.
I frowned. “The competition requires me to be the one to break the curse…which means I won’t be able to use any of these.”
“The curses return after the one who broke it died,” Taryn explained. “So you should be able to use any of the relics save for those either I or my father acquired.”
Of course. I’d at least studied relics enough to know such basics. Once again I’d allowed my perpetual distraction and hastiness to get the better of me.
“Do you have any information regarding the specifics of any of the curses?” It would save me the trouble of figuring each out for myself to determine which would be the easiest to overcome.
By their exchanged look of bemusement, they’d likely already shared this information during the tour I’d paid little attention to. Their knowing the extent of my distraction would only encourage their ridiculous assumptions about my feelings towards my bewitching apprentice.
They at least had the grace not to tease me as they led me to a large tome on display at the back of the stone chamber. Taryn rested a reverent hand on it. “This contains a history of the relics Analasia has obtained over the years. Most are stored within this chamber, but others have been relocated throughout time…”
“I don’t have time to track down lost relics,” I snapped impatiently.
Xander’s brows lifted in surprise. “The Alden I know would have found the challenge brought by such a quest part of the adventure.”
I frowned. He wasn’t wrong to assume I likely would have tried to prove myself in that way…if not for the puzzle occupying my subconscious ever since Maeve’s departure, calculating the extra time I’d need to track her down and convince her to come back. This additional task tempted me to take the easier way of acquiring a relic I hadn’t located myself to save me time and trouble I could instead dedicate to the rest of the task.
Guilt prickled. It wasn’t like me to choose such a path, a lack of effort the council would be able to easily discern. Yet without Maeve I felt as if I’d misplaced the confidence that had guided me up until this point, as if I’d lost my way and was now fumbling in the dark.
I cast a desperate gaze around the room, pausing when I recognized the Relic of Clarity, as if my desperation had been drawn to the powers it promised to all who used it. My fingers had barely grazed it when Taryn lurched forward.
“Wait! You can’t touch it until after you’ve broken the curse—” Her words faltered when I picked it up without any difficulty. “How?”
I shrugged. “A curse repellant spell.”
She and Xander watched in disbelief as I carefully wrapped the object up in a magic resistant cloth I kept on hand before exchanging disbelieving glances. Xander groaned. “Do you have any idea how much heartache knowing about such a spell would have saved both of us?”
“Such a spell is only temporary; I’ll need to break the curse soon if I want to avoid its effects.” And that was only the first step—then I’d have to create another one, a thought made more daunting by my lack of knowledge in this area, challenge that used to excite me but which now left me mentally exhausted.
Xander and Taryn quietly slipped out with Hope as I made my way to the ancient book, turning the pages to find the details for the Relic of Clarity. I scribbled notes as I read, hypothesizing methods I could use to break the curse. Self-doubts began to swirl the farther I perused. How could I effectively familiarize myself with such a skill within a manner of days when my mind was in such turmoil I could barely focus on the magical basics I’d studied my entire life, simple spells that I couldn’t even perform without mistakes…as my earlier portal spell had attested to.
Sighing, I turned the relic over in my hands, studying it. The faint gleam of magic belied its innocent appearance. I suddenly startled at a faint movement within the relic. I leaned forward in astonishment before realizing that the movement was a mere reflection; something behind me in the room had shifted.
The hair on the back of my neck prickled as I whirled, clutching the relic to my chest. I slowly let out a breath as I scanned the room. Everything seemed to be in order, causing me to wonder if I’d merely imagined the unsettling sensation. Perhaps it was an effect of the curse.
Before I could return to my study, a glimmer caught my eye, as though the air were bending in one place near a shelf. As I watched, the relic closest to this location lifted off the shelf and seemed to hover midair for a moment before vanishing. A tang of magic wafted towards me, a scent—if such a thing could be called such—that I recognized.
“Demetria!”
At my exclamation the air shimmered violently and seemed to drop away, leaving my sister standing across the room, gazing at me defiantly.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“Same as you, it appears,” she answered with a toss of her blonde hair. “Gaining a relic for the competition.”
“Without permission, I presume?” I challenged.
She shrugged. “Naturally; I’m not exactly welcome after the…complicated events between me and the prince and princess. Which relic did you choose?”
I quickly tried to conceal my prize but her eyes were too quick.
“The Relic of Clarity,” she observed with raised eyebrows. “Will you use it after you break the curse?”
“Of course,” I answered. “I have to cast a new spell over it.”
She shook her head. “No, I meant: will you utilize its purpose for yourself before you complete the challenge? You’ve seemed rather conflicted of late, as though you could benefit from some clarity.”
I ground my teeth. “I have not forgotten my purpose.” By her dubious expression I feared she would press the matter further and hastily changed the subject. “Which relic did you choose?”
She laughed as she turned towards the wall with a lifted hand. “Why would I share such a thing with you? I have no reason to take you into my confidence.”
With a low murmur and a wave, a glowing circle appeared on the wall. While it looked similar to my portals, I noticed a faint streak of darkness ringing it. Demetria pulled her cloak more tightly around her shoulders and stepped inside, vanishing from sight.
With a groan I returned to the book, puzzling over possible ways to approach the curse. Anxiety began to whirl my thoughts, but before panic could take hold, an image of Maeve suddenly graced my mind. How many times had she encouraged me not to overcomplicate things? An idea sparked. After ensuring I’d copied all the relevant information, I carefully closed the tome.
I cast my own portal, calculating carefully so I would emerge in the clearing where I’d last seen Maeve. I felt her absence more sharply than I wanted to admit, yet even without her physical presence, I benefited from the memory of our previous time together.
I carefully set the Relic of Clarity on a stone in front of me, noting that the protective charm was already wearing off. I could feel a malicious pull, a tantalizing urge to take it into my hands and use it for my own selfish purposes.
The book had indicated that the curse preyed on desire for knowledge, entrapping the user and bending their will to that of the power that created the curse. The cursed person would be doomed to a life of service to its cruel purposes, unable to resist its commands and becoming more tightly bound each time they used the relic to see what they weren’t meant to.
If sight led to enslavement, I knew of only one way to safely approach the curse. I withdrew a scarf from my trunk and murmured an enchantment. It lifted out of my hands and bound itself tightly around my head, ensuring that not the slightest trace of light could reach my eyes, with an additional spell that would prevent its removal for the next hour, no matter what enchantment I tried.
With trembling hands I reached for the relic, feeling a jolt as I touched it. The magic’s seductive siren’s call sang in my ears, cajoling me to look…look…look. Almost against my will I raised a hand to my scarf, but despite my tugging, the enchantment held. With considerable effort I wrenched my hand down, firmly gripping the relic. Tears sprang to my eyes at the sharpness of the desire. I breathed heavily as I ran my fingers over the surface, searching for weakness.
My touch was met with nothing more than the glassy smoothness of the mirror-like surface. I frantically turned it over in my hands, fearing that my powers were no match for the curse. Whispers curled through my mind, urging me to gaze into the relic, to see what I most wished clarity on.
With one look, I could see what was actually going on in my heart…or in Maeve’s. The questions filling my heart grew, yearning to be answered. Was more than a mere love potion at work? And if my feelings had not been manipulated by magic, what did it mean for our future? Again my hand crept to the scarf, but my enchantment held true.
With an effort, I turned my thoughts away from my dilemma and simply focused on Maeve and what winning this competition would mean for her. I could detangle my emotions another day, but for now, Maeve was depending on me to exert my knowledge of magic to break this curse.
I drew in a wavering breath and chanted a spell of compulsion, directing it towards the object I held. I felt the relic tremble, resisting my pull, but to my surprise I could feel my spell take effect. The curse’s strength apparently lay in its ability to ensnare victims, and it had little power to resist a counterspell. With one final tug, the curse separated from the relic, accompanied by a rush of wind and smell of acrid smoke.
I sat still, holding the now silent relic. Was the curse truly broken? I mentally reviewed my notes. The curse had been tied to the relic, so separating the two should have shattered it. I ran my fingers over the smooth surface as I waited for my scarf’s enchantment to run its course. After the hour passed, I felt it loosen and reached up to pull the cloth away.
The relic lay harmlessly in my lap, the curse broken…although its power remained. I looked at it hesitantly, wondering if I dared use it. After a moment I set it down firmly. Perhaps later I could experiment; for now I had a mission to complete. No, two missions—to enchant this object with a new charm…and to find my apprentice.
As if thinking of her once again acted as the inspiration I needed, I smiled and took up the relic. The hours passed as I labored, but at last the relic held a temporary new enchantment: the simple but useful ability to reflect anything one needed to find. It wasn’t powerful enough—especially with my currently depleted magic—to cast a spell with long-distance effects, but if a person misplaced something close at hand, the relic would reflect an image of it lying wherever it had been left.
If only I could demonstrate it for Maeve now. I hoped time would stop every errant thought of my apprentice and how much I missed her conversations…yet whatever charm she’d cast to hold me captive refused to relinquish its unyielding grip. If I wanted any peace, I needed to see her.
Could I afford the time it’d take to find her and appeal to her stubbornness enough to check on her and her brother and possibly convince her to return? Magic would need to be my ally if I hoped to accomplish such a feat…and right now my inexplicable distraction had only proven time and time again that magic and I weren’t currently on the best of terms.