Page 70 of Rewitched

Rune swallowed, then nodded slowly in defeat. “Fine.”

“I’m sorry that all I seem to do is ask you to leave me alone, but once again, please, can you leave me alone? I’ll summon you if I need you.”

“But we agreed…You’re not safe.”

Belle turned to leave. “Oversee my lessons with Artorius, if you must. But that’s it, no more involvement in my life.” She had a final cross thought. “And don’t use magic to transfer away, there are too many people around.”

Rune shoved his hands deep into his pockets and gave her a quick, sullen nod. “You got it.” He walked away with his head bowed.

23

Earth Sorcery

SLEEP HAD MADE things feel a little brighter, but the constant coat of worry that Belle wore across her shoulders still felt too big, uncomfortable to carry. Falling out with Ariadne made everything feel entirely wrong. It hadn’t happened for years. The wine and snacks had tentatively repaired things, but an uncharacteristic awkwardness lingered between them and refused to be batted away. The feeling that yes, they’d both said they were sorry, but neither side entirely took back what they’d said. Something had changed—and stuck.

At work, Christopher wound his neck in a little more than usual but played the sickly sweet victim who insisted on buying sandwich platters to thank everyone for their kindness after his unprovoked attack. Meanwhile, she managed to cobble together excuses with Monica and Jim, explaining that the man she was sprinting after across the shop was a supplier who’d brought the wrong cover design for an upcoming launch party. Monica asked whether she had a number for him because she might ask him to after-work drinks next week.

It was her mentorship that pulled focus above all else, however, as the nineteenth moon dawned mild and milky, nestling itself snugly into a pocket of the sky for a long night of guarding everything below. Belle, tiredness now a fundamental feature of her personality, rested both hands on top of her head and took a deep, drained breath of frustration. The attic floorboards creaked beneath her feet as she rocked back onto her heels.

“It’s literally impossible, there’s no point. I can’t do it,” she whined.

“Stop that at once. You absolutely can,” said Artorius, brushing off her defeatist attitude, as he did every time she expressed doubt in herself. They’d grown so used to each other’s company by now that any need for politeness was long faded.

Tonight they had begun fresh work on Alchemy. It had been about as productive as a chocolate cauldron and considerably less delicious.

“We’ve tried. Over and over. And look.” Belle gestured with indignant desperation at the individual-sized cauldron. “It’s still a bowl of what is effectively soup with added crap chucked in. If this is magic, then my gutters are, too.”

Belle peered back into the cauldron with a smidge of hope that it might have started doing something promising. “Minestrone.” She grimaced. “Maybe we could try a different potion. How about a reviving brew, something for the tiredness?”

Artorius shook his head. “Perhaps not one for your current skill set. Revival potions are some of the most demanding brews and require immense concentration, real care and effort for prolonged periods. One has to be most dedicated to the potion to produce something successful.”

Belle had no idea Rune had gone to so much effort for her. She was still furious with him but couldn’t hold back a small secret smile at this revelation.

“Look at what you have managed to achieve already,” Artorius reassured her, patting her arm cheerily. The warlock pointed eagerly to a piece of lined paper that he had pinned to the wall. He had carefully written out the six branches of magic and had triumphantly crossed out, in glowing ink, their first completed challenge.

With some help from Jinx, the pair had crossed off Animal Affinity from their lesson list in a matter of seconds, which almost made up for the lack of progress everywhere else. The grimoire had revealed the challenge the night before.

Soul always borne to find its pair,

Connections tied in knots of care.

Through years of life, some pillars stand,

Unyielding trust and love in hand.

Familiar of thine greatest heart,

N’er to unravel nor fall apart.

Mammal, amphibian, reptile, bird,

This magic beyond spoken word.

It was plain to see that she and Jinx were a natural witch-familiar pairing. The fact that the cat was never far away during Belle’s practical magic was a sure sign. Jinx, who had been summoned to Quill Lane for the occasion, entirely refused to leave them alone to their work, and Belle had been close to several heart attacks just watching Jinx weave her way in and out of Artorius’s elderly ankles—particularly alarming when he was stood near the attic stairs. Belle had managed some impressively speedy incantation work to change the wooden stairs into a bouncy castle, saving him from tumbling to his doom at the paws of her needy familiar.

While they tucked into boiled eggs with golden yolks and crisp buttery soldiers, she had shared stories of the cat headbutting her affectionately while she cried over heartbreak, how sinking her fingers into Jinx’s fur always grounded her. She’d explained, aware that she sounded completely mad, that they understood one another. Not that Jinx could talk or anything—that would be ridiculous. But her familiar was part of her. If soulmates existed, they were that. She knew they’d meet again next time around, every time around. They’d always find each other. There was no doubt about it, this witch and her familiar were kindred spirits.

“The reason that endarkenment occurs on one’s thirtieth birthday is tradition, of course. But it’s also more than that,” Artorius explained to Belle. “After three whole decades of time, one begins to discover the pillar relationships that life has delivered for the long haul. Those precious folk who remain through all weathers, through all tempers. Those to be cherished, who make us feel more ourselves with them than when we are alone. Your mother is one. Ariadne, too, from what I have heard. And Jinx here is undoubtedly such a spirit.”