Glamour

Spells

When I got home, Paprika was still asleep, curled up in my blankets. She must be exhausted. I whispered to her so she wouldn't be startled awake. It did not work.

Paprika's eyes popped open. She looked around the room frantically, trying to make sense of where she was. She tried to roll out of the blankets, but her wings got tangled and she fell out of the bed.

"Paprika!" I said anxiously. "You're safe! It's okay!"

She looked up at me and after a moment recognized my face. She planted her head back on the floor with a loud groan. She mumbled something.

"What's that?" I asked her, kneeling down.

"I'm hungry..."

"I can make you... Grilled cheese? I have soup too, if you're into that..." I said awkwardly. I am not a great cook. I can only make simple things, but that doesn't stop me from trying something new. It usually ends up burnt.

Paprika perked up at my suggestion and followed me to the kitchen. I did my best to make her a proper meal. I burned the bread a bit and the only soup I had was chicken noodle. She didn't complain. She scarfed it all down.

"I didn't think you'd like human food," I said.

"When you travel to different realms, you have to learn what's edible," said Paprika between bites.

"Glad to know my cooking is at least edible," I teased. Paprika shrugged her shoulders. I waited for her to finish eating before speaking again.

"Paprika... I'm going to see Blaire tomorrow. Beth and I are going to try and get that spell book back."

"Can I come with you?"

"No. Beth was suspicious of some kind of residue you left on me. She thought I was a magic user," I chuckled.

"Oh," said Paprika, looking a little pale.

"She didn't see you! She only saw traces of where you touched me!"

"Then it's not safe for me to be near you," Paprika said with worried eyes, starting to shift away from me. I was surprised by the sudden ache in my heart at her words. The thought of her disappearing caused anxiety to build inside me.

"We just shouldn't touch each other, right? As long as you don't put your hands on me there shouldn't be any evidence," I said, trying to restrain the panic in my voice. What's wrong with me? Am I really that desperate?

Paprika sat for a moment in thought. She turned back to me and said, "Your friend, the one who could see the residue, is she a witch?"

I froze. I promised Beth I wouldn't reveal her to anyone. I already fucked up. How could I navigate this conversation without making it worse?

Paprika noticed my uncomfortable silence and nodded, "I see. At least I know for sure you can keep a secret without a spell." She hopped off her chair and walked over to my designated office area. It was just a desk and a lamp with books and papers messily strewn about. She grabbed a pencil and started scribbling on blank pages.

"What's this?" I asked, watching her draw circles and symbols on another page.

"The spell I need looks something like this," she said, holding up her drawing. An arch with small symbols around it. "You might find a lot of incantations that look very similar to this, and there are quite a few, but make sure the keystone rune looks like this." She pointed to what looked like an infinity sign with a star on top and an upside down triangle on the bottom. "If the keystone rune doesn't look like this, don't bother."

"Why is that symbol important?" I asked, taking her drawing.

"It's the marker for traveling through realms. If the symbol looked like this," she drew an upside down star with spines protruding from the empty spaces between the points, "it would be considered a calling, a summons to war. Don't make that mistake."

I gulped. Okay, easy. Just make sure the keystone rune matches her drawing exactly--or I'll start a war with demons.