Mission of Magic by Julie Dean Smith

Author:Julie Dean Smith [Smith, Julie Dean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-625670-18-2
Publisher: Jabberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.
Published: 2013-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

“Keep your hands farther apart—like this,” Athaya said, moving her pupil’s hands into the proper position. “The sphere forms better when it’s a bit larger.”

Cordry let out a subtle sigh of displeasure and obeyed, but when he spoke the words of invocation and called the mist from his fingers, it shaped itself into a lopsided ball more akin to an oddly shaped pumpkin than a globe. Master Tonia, who had been studying his progress from across the earthen floor of the sheepfold, merely raised one brow and tried not to grin.

“You’re not trying,” Megan scolded severely, before either Athaya or Tonia had a chance to express an opinion. Megan came to the sheepfold every day to watch Cordry’s spellwork and offer words of encouragement when he needed them, which was pretty much all of the time.

“You need to concentrate, Cordry,” Athaya said. “Calling a vision sphere isn’t a difficult spell, so it’s easy to take it for granted and make mistakes.”

Megan nodded approvingly. “Listen to her, love. This is important.”

“I guess so,” Cordry said grudgingly, dispersing the badly shaped sphere, “but so is making sure that next shipment of ray is going to be ready by the end of the month. I don’t trust Gilbert to get the figures right, and Father says—”

“Would you stop worrying about the mill for just one day?” Megan folded her arms defiantly across her chest, blue eyes glittering like gems. “We’re talking about your life, for heaven’s sake, and all you can think of is whether some silly old cloth gets loaded onto a boat!”

Cordry gaped at her, no more appalled than he would be if she’d just broken off their engagement. “Silly? I’ll have you know, Megan, that if we miss this shipment there won’t be enough money to pay for our honeymoon, not to mention—”

As Cordry continued to inform his betrothed of the unmitigated disaster that would befall them should the mill not meet its commitments, Athaya rolled her eyes and silently relinquished him to Tonia, feeling an urgent need to step out of the sheepfold for a breath of fresh air. Megan and Cordry had the same quarrel every time she came to the sheepfold, and every time it ended with Megan convincing him to keep working at his spells, showering him with kisses and leaving his spirits much improved.

But Athaya was in no mood to listen to Cordry’s grievances today, nor to witness Megan’s affectionate persuasions. Their closeness vexed her, a constant reminder that she had no one to turn to when her spirits needed lifting, and worse, that she had no one to blame for that but herself. But the real pain came when Megan told Cordry she loved him and encouraged him to live up to his potential, for then Athaya heard Tyler whispering in her ear again, telling her to be what she was born to be, and Jaren, saying he knew she could change the world. She didn’t begrudge Megan and Cordry their happiness, but sometimes she wished they would keep it out of sight, away where it could not harm her.

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