6

I arrive at Odds and Ends via mirror, stepping through the enchanted glass with ease. Sensing my presence, the shop comes alive like it does every day, the light flickering on, the crystals emitting soft glows, and the plants’ little voices fill the quiet room with whispers.

“Yes, I know you’re thirsty,” I mumble, approaching one of the many hanging gardens. Waving my hand, a cloud appears above it and begins to rain. I do the same for every garden and plant in the greenhouse, speaking to them as I work, “Listen, I’m going away for a little while. Gran is going to look after you and the shop, so, please, be on your best behaviour.”

Siri peeks her head out from a pot of daffodils, adorning an upside-down, yellow flower like a hat. She tilts her head and flicks her tongue in puzzlement.

“You too, Siri. Don’t bother the plants while I’m gone, okay?” I gently pick her up and remove her flower hat, replacing it with a pink beanie I’ve knitted throughout the evening. “I promise I’ll be back soon. Hopefully, before the next full moon.”

Placing the corn snake on her branch near her hammock, I go about the shop and fill my bag with everything I believe I’ll need at Alcove. Granted, they have everything I have and more, but the chances of them allowing me to just take what I need, are slim.

Some raw quartz for stress and anxiety, peperomia for luck, rosemary smudge and incense for clarity, black candles for protection against negative energy, purple candles for wisdom and knowledge, and, of course, some gemstone beads for charms in case I didn’t pack enough. You never know when you need more charms to protect you against the dangers of the Academy.

From the few times Eisley spoke about Alcove, I already know the Acolytes aren’t allowed to wear jewellery except for one pair of studs in their ears, and for those who like, a watch. I spent at least ten minutes in front of my mirror this morning, trying to imagine what I would look like without a ring on each finger, without at least five bracelets on my wrists, without my layered necklaces, without the piercings along the outer curve of my ears, and without my colourful braids and hair beads.

Plain and boring, that’s what.

But it’s not my appearance that dulls my spirits, but rather the absence of the charms my jewellery carried. Each piece I usually wear is charged with magic, some simple charms, others more complicated. But for years, they kept me safe, and what’s more, they’re convenient.

At least I still have my ink magic, although I’ll need to conceal them with an illusion charm.

With everything packed in my drawstring bag – enchanted with more space than possible – it is time to figure out how to summon that Academy Official. I have no guarantee that he’ll be of any help, but I’ve overcharged my lucky ring with luck this morning. I guess it’s time to see how far I can push my luck. Literally.

Recalling it was a rupture that brough that guy here, I suppose it’s the best way to bait him into visiting again. Causing ruptures by accident is easy. The hard part is causing ruptures by accident on purpose. For that, I need to purposely generate enough magic for the Academy to notice, which is something I’ve taken special care of over the years not to do.

“I guess it’s time to bring out the big guns,” I mutter to no one in particular. Siri flicks her tongue curiously. I make a sound to confirm her suspicion. “Yup. It’s time to break that fluorite cat.”

After a quick trip to the storage room, I return with the mineral. It’s carved in the shape of a sitting cat, representing the Egyptian goddess Bastet. A Magian traded it with me when I started Odds and Ends for a simple spell to turn her husband into a goldfish, oblivious to the immense power the crystal contained.

I’ve kept it hidden for the sole purpose that it’s too dangerous to sell, considering the magic inside it is ancient and unknown. Well, I suppose today we’re finding out what it is.

I grunt, hauling the fluorite cat onto my worktop. It weighs almost forty pounds, and that’s with the weightless charm I’ve casted on in. Siri leaves her branch to slither up to it curiously, winding herself around the cat’s kaleidoscopic body.

“Better stand back for this, Siri,” I say and scoop her up to place her around my neck. “This might get messy.”

Casting a protection charm on the shop and its oddities, I take cover behind the sarcophagus at the far end of the room. The mummy inside groans, and I hush it back to sleep. Now to unleash the chaos.

I snap my fingers and peer around the sarcophagus. A small crack originates at the centre of the cat and spiderwebs outwards. The magic inside swirls furiously, licking at the cracks for a means to escape. The pressure builds and builds until…

Diving back, I dodge the shards of fluorite by a mere breath and behold them imbed themselves into the wall. The burst of magic that follows is nothing short of an earthquake, ripping through Odds and Ends and shuddering the building. And while it projects magic outwards, it also created a blackhole that sucks everything not secured by my protection spell, in.

I hold Siri against me with one hand and latch on to the sarcophagus with the other for dear life while currents of magic entrap us.

“Siri, no!” I scold when she pokes her head around the mummy’s resting place to look at the chaos. The ancient magic whips her head back and for a moment, she glows a combination of purple, blue, and green that gradually fade after I yanked her back.

I’m briefly worry what effects it will have on her when, out of the blue, the chaos ends abruptly. The magic around us retracts, the blackhole extracting what’s left of it before it disperses, popping like a bubble. The silence that follows is deafening, combined with the ringing in my ears and the rapid beating of my heart.

For a minute, I don’t move, counting the seconds until I’m sure that was the last of it. Finally, I deem it safe and cautiously step out of cover.

The air in the shop is heavily charged with magic, evident by the upright hairs on my arms and my static hair. Every crystal on display glows blindingly, every plant bristling as though a breeze plays through their leaves, and wisps of fluorite-coloured magic weaves through the artifacts on the shelves. It is absolutely breath-taking.

“If that doesn’t work, I don’t know what will,” I mutter to myself, stealing a glance at the mirrors to see if one is glowing. While nothing happens, I slide Siri off my neck and hold her face in front of mine. “And what was that, huh? What were you thinking? The saying goes ‘Curiosity killed the cat’. You’re not a cat, Siri! What if –”

I don’t get to finish my scolding.

Halfway through my sentence, one of the larger mirrors starts to glow furiously. Feeling my entire body go rigid, I hurriedly hide the snake under my worktop and assume a military stance. Only then does it cross my mind that…what if it’s not the same guy as yesterday? I never even asked for his name.

But it’s too late to worry about that now, for the next moment, a foot appears, followed by a leg until, finally, an entire person emerged from the glass. And just like yesterday, he staggers and curses at the mirror.

Never in my life have I been relieved to see an Academy Official, so this is a first. I hold my breath and briskly drag my eyes over him, trying my best not to outright stare.

He wears a different suit today – still expensive, mind you – with the Alcove crest on his blazer. The emerald colour compliments his skin and hair, and the tantalizing smell of spiced honey envelop him like a blanket and spreads through the shop.

And like yesterday, his eyes are hidden behind a pair of shades once again. I’m not sure whether it’s to compliment his attire, or if his eyes are sensitive to light.

“You,” he hisses upon seeing me. Tugging his blazer straight, he takes three powerful strides and now stands before me. “I knew you’d be a thorn in my side in the near future. How near just wasn’t apparent until now.”

“What can I say, I enjoyed your little interrogation.” I hold his burning gaze, unblinking, taking great pleasure in how he reacts to me referring to his interrogation as ‘little’. As though it was a hobby rather than his job.

He leans towards me intimidatingly. “You would speak so lightly of Academy business? Are you even aware why I am here?”

“For the moonstone specials?” I clench my jaw to withhold the cheeky grin that threatens to curve my lips. If looks could kill, I’d be six feet underground by now. He is close to go off on me when I beat him to it. “Calm down, alright. I know why you’re really here. Sensed another rupture, did you?”

Exhaling sharply through his nose, he slowly straightens up, towering above me with his height. “So, that was you.”

“Correction, it was fluorite containing ancient magic that I used to create a rupture to lure you into coming here.” I gesture at the crystal shards scattered about the shop to prove I’m telling the truth. “As I said before, I can only craft potions and charms. I can’t cause a rupture on my own even if I tried.”

He scoffs and shake his head. “Unbelievable. You faked a rupture so you can waste more of my time? That in itself can earn you three nights in the Vault.”

I suppress a shiver at the mention of the Vault, a magicless prison where Magians and other supernatural beings are sentenced to if they are caught breaking the laws. They say even spending one night can change you completely, and not for the best.

However, I’m more annoyed by his accusation than his threat. If he thinks I’m wasting his time for my own delight, he’s sorely mistaken. In fact, it is he who is wasting my time – time I should invest in finding a cure for Zari.

“Well then, if that’s how you feel, then I’m sorry for wasting your time,” I say sarcastically and gesture wildly at the hall of mirrors. “Please, feel free to leave then. It’s not like you have a catastrophically dangerous blight on the loose that you need to worry about.”

Turning my back on him, I pretend to look busy. But as I gather some random jars of ingredients to start a fake potion, I notice him frozen in place, watching me like a hawk. Good, that seems to have gotten his attention.

I’m halfway through uncorking a jar when he snatches it from my hand. “What do you know of the blight?”