A Magical Bond | 13

It hadn't been an easy thing for Cassie to explain to her mother - without inciting Malia's most deeply-held (and, in Cassie's opinion, irrational) fears about her daughter's well being - that she had chosen to drop out of college after only a year in order to hole up - alone and unemployed - in a ramshackle, secluded cottage in the middle of nowhere, which she would quickly burn through her entire saving's account to rent. Of course, leaving out everything that Malia would believe confirmed all her worst fears left Cassie with only a vague, obviously evasive spiel about how the culture shock of a totally new environment would lead her to the epiphany of finally discovering her true self, free from the influence of others. This might have left Malia under the impression that she had run off to live in a nature commune with some New-Age self-help cult, but at least she didn't seem to suspect that Cassie was really involved in the most forbidden practice of all: magic.

All by herself in the quiet, cluttered coziness of the cottage (which turned out to be crammed full of dusty old furniture and books, soon supplemented by her own thrift store finds), Cassie felt the return of the peace she had felt in Katy's aunt's place over the summer. Only this time, it wasn't constrained by the knowledge that there was a deadline attached. Now, she had no one to answer to but herself and nowhere to be but right where she was. Suddenly, all the time in the world was at her fingertips. She could put paintbrush to canvas at the very moment inspiration struck her.

She could spend hours baking and cooking lavishly - no recipe was too complex or time-consuming - without the shadow of another tedious seminar hovering constantly over her shoulder. The taste of burnt coffee and powdery pastries from the campus kiosk was soon a buried memory from the distant past that hardly ever crossed her mind.

Before long, she had wrested the planter boxes in the front yard free of the unruly tangle of weeds that had overtaken them and filled them up instead with fragrant clusters of parsley, sage, and basil and some of her favorite wildflowers, along with mandrake and valerian root plants that might prove useful should she choose in the future to take her magic down a more alchemy-minded path.

As much as she was enjoying the solitary cottage life, Cassie was also eager to get back to the Magic Realm and resume her magical training as soon as possible. Having finally been presented with the opportunity to pursue the perpetually out of reach pipe dream she'd spent her entire life chasing, however, made her an impatient learner - she wanted to know everything, and she wanted to know it now. "Is there any way we can speed this whole process along?" she asked L. Faba, only half-jokingly, after another afternoon spent taking incomprehensible notes on the crumbling old tomes in the dark and musty-smelling library of the Magical Headquarters. "Don't you have an accelerated program for, like, preternaturally-gifted spellcasters or something?"

Cassie wanted nothing more than to jump headfirst into one of the magical duels taking place on the lawn between the more advanced spellcaster students. She observed these fantastical battles with awe and deep longing. But Faba insisted she would only embarrass herself if she moved too quickly. It was one thing to possess the capacity for magic and another thing entirely to exercise the knowledge and restraint necessary to fully control it. It seemed she would have no choice but to muddle through the grunt work if she ever wanted to unlock the really cool stuff.

So she summoned every last ounce of self-restraint she possessed, walked grudgingly away from the dazzling duels, and took on the role of lowly assistant with a smile plastered across her face, promising herself she would do as she was told and never act above her station until she was deemed truly worthy. It was a difficult balancing act for her to maintain, especially since she'd thought she'd left Britechester behind in the first place to avoid this exact bind.

She had learned early on that there were three primary magical specialties, and it was up to the individual spellcaster to decide whether they would remain a generalist, pulling indiscriminately from all three, or eventually zero in on one particular specialty to fully hone. L. Faba's domain was Mischief, of course, and Cassie had also been introduced to the Sage of Practical Magic, Simeon Silversweater, who she often agreed to help assist in the greenhouse in exchange for him teaching her a new practical spell or two. He was more casual in his approach to teaching than L. Faba, who only offered the most oblique answers to Cassie's questions, stubborn in her belief that knowledge took hard work and should never be handed out like candy.

Sometimes, Faba even assigned homework, sending Cassie back into Glimmerbook with piles of heavy tomes weighing down her arms, expecting they would be fully read by her next visit. This really was just like college all over again! Cassie tried to take comfort in the fact that at least this was an education she had sought on her own terms. Besides, as much as she might want to strike out on her own, she knew she would never get anywhere without guidance. She just had to keep grinding.

At least her wand technique was coming along nicely, even if so far she'd only succeeded in prying a few measly spells from the Sages' elusive hands (sure, being able to clean up a puddle or unclog a toilet with the flick of a wrist was handy, but the world was hardly shifting on its axis in staggering amazement of her immense power... yet).

Begging L. Faba for a bigger challenge became a practically daily ritual. "Come oooooon!" Cassie insisted, aware that she sounded like a bratty toddler whining for more sweets but too desperate to care. "I'm so booored! We both know I'm way too good to be wasting any more time on these kiddie assignments you keep giving me. I'm tired of earning brownie points! I want to really prove myself. Throw me into the trenches already, damn it!"

"The trenches, you say." Faba looked up from her reading to raise a single, slightly nefarious eyebrow. "Are you absolutely certain that's what you want?"

"How many times do I have to say it? YES!!!"

"Well, then I suppose it's time to introduce you to your final teacher."

Cassie could barely contain her excitement as L. Faba called over the elusive Sage of Untamed Magic, Morgyn Ember. Every student in the Realm knew that Morgyn was the keeper of the coolest (and most potentially havoc-wreaking) spells of them all - the sort of wild, chaotic spells having to do with fire and ice and everything in between. As a result, Morgyn cast an intimidating but seductive shadow every time they paced the Magical Headquarters' halls, golden locks tousled, crimson coattails flapping moodily, gaze clouded and far away. But now, suddenly, here they were, gracing Cassie with an unexpectedly warm smile.

"I'd like you to meet Cassiopeia," Faba told them. "She's one of our newest students, but she shows great promise. She's also very eager to advance her magical prowess. I know it's unusual to request your tutelage so soon, but I believe your unique touch will prove to be just what she needs."

"Certainly. It's always an honor to play an important role in enriching a young spellcaster's education." Morgyn reached out a hand for Cassie to shake. "Meet me outside tomorrow, and we'll begin immediately." Cassie was too starstruck by Morgyn's very presence to notice the amused glance they exchanged with L. Faba over her shoulder.

When Morgyn found her on the Magical Headquarters' lawn the next day, they uttered only a few syllables, "Prepare for battle," before raising their wand and immediately knocking Cassie to the ground with a forceful blast of magical charge. She barely had time to process what was happening and recover before another ominous cloud was barreling toward her. Quickly, she whipped out her own wand and willed whatever dormant energy lay within her to the surface, but the paltry size of her charge didn't stand a chance against the immense orb of power Morgyn had so easily managed to conjure.

She put up a fight for as long as she could but only ended up back on the ground over and over again until she was begging for Morgyn's mercy. Her entire body felt like one massive and throbbing bruise. She understood now what Faba had put Morgyn up to: she'd wanted Morgan to teach Cassie a lesson, to remind her to have patience or else find herself dangerously out of her element. Despite effortlessly defeating her, though, Morgyn helped Cassie to her feet and admitted that she'd held her own much better than expected. She deserved a small reward, they told her, before leaning in to whisper a darkly intoned spell in her ear. "You'd best report back to L. Faba now," they said with a mildly devious smile.

When Cassie managed to track L. Faba down, she had her back turned, lost deep in conversation with another spellcaster. In other words, her guard was down, which presented the perfect opportunity for Cassie to spring the new spell she had learned from Morgyn on her mentor without warning. She wasn't sure exactly what it would do, but it involved the word "inferniate," so it was certain to be explosive - though she assumed, or at least hoped, its impact would be something more akin to a practical joke than anything truly dangerous. She cast as stealthily as she could manage, aiming directly at her target, only to be instantly consumed by panic as flames burst forth from Faba's body.

Luckily, the fire extinguished itself as quickly as it had flared up, a brief but dramatic party trick, leaving Faba soot-covered and stinking of smoke but otherwise unharmed. She flashed Cassie as much of a withering look as she could manage through the layer of residue smeared across her face, her lips a thin, humorless line. Cassie couldn't help cracking up at the sight of her. It was the first time she'd seen Faba appear anything less than immaculate. "I suppose that's what I get for sending you to Morgyn," the Sage muttered grumpily. Clearly, this wasn't the first time they'd pranked her by proxy.

After a few months, Cassie had to admit that her cottage was growing a little lonely. She'd never had a pet before, but maybe a cuddly animal friend would prove exactly what she needed. Besides, now that she was a bonafide spellcaster, it was high time she found herself a familiar. One day, while riding through the village, she saw a tiny little black-and-white blob poking its head out of a box labeled "Free Kittens" and mewing sadly at her. It was love at first sight. She snuggled the kitten inside her jacket to bring home with her.

Cassie decided to name the kitten Inkblot, and it wasn't long before they were the best of friends. In fact, Inkblot hardly ever wanted to leave Cassie's side, already as devoted and protective as any good familiar-in-training should be.

Soon enough, Inkblot was running around the cottage like she owned the place, her eyes wide and adventure-seeking as she curiously sniffed out every nook and cranny and piece of vintage furniture in sight.

For so long, Cassie was so consumed by her magical studies that she barely paid attention to the rest of the Realm, but there was an entire world beyond the Magical Headquarters just waiting to be discovered. Centuries ago, the Realm had unknowingly been built in the midst of a swirling vortex, which over the years had been slowly pulling it apart at the seams. There was a long-held agreement amongst the three schools of magic to coexist peacefully, as only collectively was their power strong enough to keep the Realm intact. Still, there were clear signs of its disintegration everywhere, from the crumbling bridges that once connected its various parts (now only traversable by portal)...

... to the demolished buildings trembling unstably in Casters Alley, which had formerly been a residential district, but once its occupants scattered to structurally sounder locales, the few intact portions of each building had been transformed into commercial space, where spectral vendors (who held no fear of death by imminent collapse) peddled their various magical wares.

When Cassie casually revealed during a phone conversation with Katy that she hadn't yet ventured beyond Headquarters, Katy had gasped theatrically and insisted they meet up in the Alley ASAP. "Those dusty old Sages are so out of touch," she had said with an audible eyeroll. "It's time you see what being a spellcaster is really about."

Upon first stepping foot in Casters Alley, Cassie's eyes went wide in wonderment and disbelief. The winding cobblestone walkway lined with baroque storefronts with more spellcaster accoutrements on display than Cassie had known until now that she should ever need or want bore a striking resemblance to the marketplace perused by Henry Puffer before he boarded the train to Harnocks to begin his magical education. "Wow," she couldn't help marveling aloud, "this looks exactly how I always imagined it in Henry Puffer!"

"Don't ever let anyone catch you uttering that book's title again," Katy demanded immediately, her voice dead serious.

"What are you talking about?" Cassie asked, assuming she was only doing another one of her melodramatic bits. "It's a classic! I told you I used to love the hell out of that series. I never would have gotten interested in magic without it."

Katy snorted in amusement. "Sure, it's a gateway drug for a lot of neophytes these days. Unfortunately. Well, it turns out the author had a weak magical bloodline herself. She even studied in the Realm for a bit, but she was a mediocre spellcaster at best and was soon unceremoniously dismissed. So what did she do then, you ask? She decided to reveal all the Realm's secrets, just thinly-veiled enough to avoid legal action, of course, through her shitty books and made millions off the back of her treachery. Everyone here despises her!"

"God, I had no idea. Although maybe if all of you spellcasters didn't have such a stick up your ass about-"

Katy shushed her rudely. "Just shut up and pick out a wand already, would you? Before I decide I'm no longer buying."

Cassie had barely jogged across the cobblestones to show off her selection, a slim, intricately-carved beauty crafted from a piece of gnarled but satisfyingly weighty pine, when Katy whipped out her own wand (which, naturally, looked like it belonged to a fairy princess) and jabbed it in Cassie's direction. "Argh, what are you doing?" she shouted, raising her forearm as an ineffectual guard against Katy's charge.

"Your observation days are over, newbie," Katy taunted, her wand elegantly tracing glittering arcs in the air before her. "The best way to learn is by doing. Time to test your mettle. Come on, girl! Show me what you've got!"

Cassie cast her eyes around their surroundings desperately, looking for an easy target she thought she would be most capable of overpowering. She landed on a nerdy, unassuming guy in glasses and flannel. Taking a deep breath and trying not to let Katy's steely, unwavering gaze psych her out, she cast in his direction, reciting a newly-learned spell she didn't think would be too damaging to the poor boy, as long as she performed it correctly. A small group of rubbernecks quickly assembled to witness the outcome.

Just as planned, the spell made the guy suddenly unaccountably depressed. He burst into tears on the spot, clearly confused at the abrupt outburst but unable to control it, before shuffling away sulkily to a solitary corner where he could let the spell run its course away from prying eyes. Within half an hour, he would be back to his usual self, slightly humiliated he'd been bested but in charge of his own emotions once more.

Cassie was quite pleased with herself for pulling the spell off without a hitch. Sure, it was a simple one, but it was the first small bit of magic she'd performed outside the confines of the Magical Headquarters or the privacy of her own home, and it felt amazing.

Katy, on the other hand, seemed less than impressed. It appeared she'd decided to fully commit to her new magical tutor/drill sergeant persona. "That was cute, newbie," she sneered, laying the derision on thick like the well-trained thespian she was. "But are you capable of doing any real magic?" She sighed heavily. "I'm afraid you've left me with no other choice than to whip you into shape myself. Your training begins tomorrow. The Dueling Grounds, 6:00 PM. By broomstick only." Cassie gulped nervously.

She'd only just recently started her flying lessons and could count on one hand the number of times she'd succeeded in staying airborne for more than 30 seconds. But she tried to hold her composure, refusing to let Katy see just how much of a novice she really was. Although she hardly got off to a promising start, having to grip the broomstick's handle for dear life to keep it from blasting off into the inky black night without her, she surprisingly managed to clamber onto it, wrangle it in the right direction, and hold it aloft long enough to make it to her destination...

... where she landed on the cold, hard ground with a walloping thump that knocked the wind out of her lungs and would almost certainly leave her hunched and hobbling for days afterward. So much for faking it until she made it. She was lucky to have even landed in one piece.

Of course, Katy made her own entrance far more gracefully, swooping in with ease on her characteristically pink-dyed broomstick. "Don't sweat it," she said, not even trying to hide her amused smirk as she watched Cassie wincingly dust herself off. "Some of us can't help it if we're more naturally gifted at flying than others."

She didn't waste a moment on rote pleasantries before getting down to business. "Let's go, girly," she crooned tauntingly. "Time to duel." In unison, they pulled out their wands and took up their most threatening fighting stances.

The last thing Cassie was about to do this time around was let herself flop as badly as she had against Morgyn. She never wanted to feel the embarrassment of such resounding defeat again. Besides, she didn't think her body was capable of taking yet another beating. So she closed her eyes and summoned all of the frustration and impatience and anger and exhaustion she had experienced in the past several months, merging all of these emotions in her mind and mentally growing them into an atomic bomb of magical charge that quaked with anticipation, ready to detonate at a moment's notice. As she reopened her eyes, her fingers flexed around her wand. It pulsed like a battery as it absorbed every last atom of energy pulsing within her.

Her entire magical charge released at once, a solid beam of blinding light that struck Katy square in the chest before she even had a chance to activate her defenses. As it made contact, the charge splintered into a series of small lightning bolts that blocked Katy's own power from all sides.

In one fluid motion, Cassie lifted Katy's body off the ground, sent it flying in a perfect arc across the sky, and slammed it down into the ground. Even she couldn't believe how well she was pulling this off.

She allowed herself a single indulgent victory whoop as Katy, splayed out flat and helpless, moaned and groaned at her feet. "Didn't I tell you to throw away those shoes?" she muttered pathetically. "They're even more nauseatingly hideous from down here."

Katy was still recovering when Cassie hopped back on her broomstick, taking full advantage of the newfound swell of confidence coursing through her veins (and not wanting to give Katy an opportunity to challenge her to another round). She was still so high on her first duel win that she didn't even stop to overthink her takeoff technique and immediately blasted away without a hitch. "Last one to HQ is a rotten pig!" she shouted into the starry abyss before leaving Katy to eat her dust. Finally, she thought, exhilarated, as she boldly skirted the swirling edges of the vortex. This is how it actually feels to be a spellcaster. It was a feeling she wanted to hold onto forever.