Page 65 of Rewitched

“Sub…don’t make me say it again. Whatever it is, it happened to my mum.”

A look of deep concern etched itself across his forehead, eyes pinching into fine lines at the edges. “You’re not serious?”

“Yes, I love making jokes about things I can neither say nor understand.”

“Belle, will you just talk seriously for once in your life? Your mother experienced Subfuror Incantare? When?”

Belle fiddled with the tassel of a cushion on the sofa, buckling under the intensity of his furious stare. “I guess technically I experienced it, too. It was my magic, my spell that was under control of something or someone. I managed to summon my mum to Artorius’s attic, finally managed successful transference of another person, and it all went catastrophically wrong.”

“Are you okay? Is she okay?”

“We’re both fine. She’s tucked up in bed.” Belle gestured upstairs. “Recovering well now.”

“When did this happen?”

Belle grimaced. “Two nights ago.” She tried to ignore how silly she now felt for delaying as he turned exasperatedly and paced away.

“Two nights! How many times, Belle?” He looped back towards her. “I’m supposed to be protecting you. Looking out for dark magic, helping you stay safe. Why are you so adamantly against asking for help with anything?”

She could see his chest heaving, the rhythm of his shoulders as he ranted.

“Will you keep your voice down? Mum and Arty are both napping. And I’m sorry, I’ve been a little preoccupied nursing my mother back from the brink to worry about what my own resident heavy might think of the matter.”

“You are absolutely infuriating.” His nostrils flared as he stared down at her, their eyes defensively locked on each other’s. A fraction of a moment too long passed by in silence. His gaze darted to her lips almost imperceptibly.

She took a step back and turned away, breaking the spell. “Anyway, we’re both fine, thank you for your concern. We need to work on your bedside manner, by the way. I’m just, you know…” She hesitated. “Slightly concerned as to what it means that someone might be trying to stop my endarkenment. So it felt like something I should probably tell you.”

He took a calming breath. “You should tell me everything.”

“Fine.”

“Good.”

A silence hung between them, and Belle dared herself to ask the next question. “So what does it mean?” She glanced back over her shoulder.

“It means exactly what you said. The protection circle I could dismiss as some kind of coincidence, a glitch or an accident. But Subfuror Incantare is no accident. The two combined is bad news. Someone is trying to take your magic before it’s yours to keep.”

“Why would anyone want to do that?”

“I don’t know, Belle. I haven’t quite had time to process this just yet. Off the top of my head, I’d wager they’re feeling threatened. By what you could mean for Selcouth? I…I don’t know.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the one with the answers to all of my problems?”

“Normally, yes. But this is slightly beyond the remit I expected. Subfuror Incantare is really dark magic, Belle.”

“So I’ve heard.” She laughed bitterly.

“Of course, we need to consider the possibility that Artorius is—”

“How many times? It’s not him.” She raised her voice definitively, prodding the top of the couch emphatically. “I know it for a fact.”

“Actually, you don’t.” Rune’s temper flared again to match.

“You didn’t see him when my mum was…breaking, literally breaking in front of us. It was…It was the single most terrifying moment of my life. He didn’t know what was happening, either. I was…” She swallowed hard. “I was so scared.”

She couldn’t stop it. She burst into tears. Big little-kid crying. Heavy sobs that shook her whole chest. She buried her face in her hands to hide. And before she knew what was happening, two arms wrapped around her. Warm and entirely enveloping, a shoulder to press her face into that smelled like an autumnal dream, woody and spicy, clean and smoky. A chin resting on the top of her head. She let herself be swallowed up, a little sorry creature swept up in a blanket from the cold rain. She let her guard down just for a moment. It had been a long time since anyone had held her like this, like someone was around every part of her, a wall of safety between her and the world.

He breathed a rough, quieting shush into her hair. The soft sound was soothing, mollifying in its deepness.