She closes her eyes, extends her arms, and begins. Her face no longer creases in concentration, her shoulders no longer stiffen. She’s poised and relaxed, easing into her magic as she was always meant to.
The portal responds at once, the cement transitioning to a dark and swirling vortex that flashes with its familiar sparks of lightning.
Very good,I think, but don’t speak aloud, lest I distract her.Very controlled.
After just a few moments, I see it—the entity she’s summoning forth. Her eyes remain closed, but I can tell she senses it; she widens her stance, as if reeling in a fish. The entity slowly emerges, light and formless.
“You’re nearly there,” I say, as non-intrusively as I can. “Bind the energy to yours.”
She nods, her concentration unwavering, and the entity floats above the portal, then stops, suspended in her magic.
Miss Bonnivarde opens her eyes. Lowers her hands. And laughs. “Oh my god, I did it! That’s… it’s beautiful! In a totally creepy kind of way, but… damn! Am I right?”
I echo her laughter. “You are, in fact, right. Tell me?—”
“How it feels, yes, I know.” She glances down at her hands, fingers splayed. “It feels like I’m holding something inside me. Like, some kind of tether. It’s connected to mine, but it has its own pull too. It seems eager.”
“The imp responded to your call. Now, it’s seeking a purpose.”
“To be useful,” she said.
“Precisely.”
Eyeing it up again, she says, “It looks like a jellyfish without the tentacles.”
“Without a specific assignment, imps will remain nearly formless. Low-level demonic entities do not have wills of their own—not in the way you or I do. Imp energy can be mischievous if set loose without a purpose, but it’s rarely dangerous. That said, for a talented witch with clear intentions, imp energy can absolutely be channeled into more dangerous spells.”
“It all comes down to power and intent, right?”
“Exactly. Are you ready to cast your first spell?”
She offers an enthusiastic nod.
“Start small,” I say. “A simple visual spell should do the trick. What would you like to see? Imagine it, hold it in your mind’s eye, and send it out through your energetic connection. If the magic is clear and strong, you should see your vision come to life.”
“Got it. Okay, check this out. This one’s for you, Professor.” Still grinning, she raises her hands again and takes a deep, steadying breath. Seconds later, the imp shifts into a bouquet of wildflowers made of pure, multicolored light.
“Wonderful! Brilliant!” I pump a fist. An outward show of enthusiasm so rare and unexpected, even Miss Bonnivarde looks shocked.
“Professor. Did you just… fist pump?”
“Tell no one,” I tease. “But it was well deserved, nevertheless. And thank you for the flowers. Very thoughtful.”
“Your ears are turning red.”
“It’s… unseasonably warm down here.” I clear my throat. Loosen my cravat. “In any case, that was excellent work. Next time, we’ll try a more advanced spell, but I think we can place this one firmly in the victory column.”
“The Six of Wands called it.”
“Indeed.”
She gazes up at her flowers of light, still glowing between us. “So these imps… can they be, like, sicced on someone?”
“How do you mean?”
“Like, let’s say a certain someone is a horrible shithead. Could I direct the imp to do a little… psychological damage? Or physical. I’m not picky.” She laughs. “I mean—the theoretical witch we’re theoretically talking about would not, in theory, be picky.”
“I see. Well, if said witch truly wanted to inflict harm, she could?—”
