A Witch's Undoing

Chapter 7: Lilian

Alright, I messed up. Nothing too drastic.

Except, of course, next time I make a similar or even slightly larger mistake while arranging the mirror room spell in my mind, the consequences will not be limited to dizziness and nausea.

The timing of Theodor allowing me to use the greenhouse to practice magic could not have been better. I fixed the mirror room spell the best I could. It did irk me that the Grandmaster was the one who had suggested it. But that annoyance was nothing compared to the humiliation and fury I felt at Grandmaster Hall, latching at any tangible object for support.

I was already sick of it. The constant tension at the back of my head, trying to catch myself before any mistake, treading lightly around everyone. If I were the Grandmaster, it wouldn't be a guessing game, I wouldn't have to be seamless. I would be obvious and generous, most of all I would be safe from everyone's intention, no matter how ill or good-natured.

How sweetly must Neil sleep. How carelessly must he waltz around this world, knowing exactly who would do what for him and to him.

I was trimming the dead leaves from Prayer plants and Philodendrons in the greenhouse, exerting my bad temper on them, imagining cutting away Neil's stupid golden locks in their stead.

I sighed.

Like that was going to  change anything.

Being here was easier than being at the Manor. Although Theodor had been nothing but supportive and helpful since day one, the walls of the house kept narrowing in on me. Running into Leonard or Cornelia was not exactly pleasant either.

Most of all, I could feel the magic within me come alive each time I stepped within the vicinity of the greenhouse. It was like a heavy weight being lifted off my chest, letting me breathe a little easier.

Even if I was not the most competent at magic, it was still an essential part of who I was. I could not imagine my life without it.

"You're welcome" Neil's voice nearly made me jump.

I turned around to see him standing in the entrance of the greenhouse, his hands clasped behind his back. He might have been holding something.

I ignored him and went back to tending to the plants. I do not know what Cornelia thought she was doing, but the plants were lucky I got to them when I did.

I heard him walk up to me. He looked over my shoulder to see what I was doing.

"Can I help you?" I faced him, making sure he understood it was a rhetorical question and actually meant to relay "can you leave?".

"No. I've come here to help you actually".

He took out a small basket from behind his back and laid it on the table near him. He pulled back the tablecloth laid over it to reveal various sorts of pastries. Then out of his pocket he took out a small glass bottle and what looked like a silver hair pin.

He looked at me then, anticipating my reaction.

"You've heard of Dark Artifacts, haven't you, Lilian?"

I was a witch. Of course I had. He was wearing one of the most powerful Dark Artifacts in the realm as we spoke.

"Yes, these are quite special" he looked down at his wrists, where two thick golden lines traced Eliah's Manacles that had seeped into his skin.

They were not just special. They were one of a kind. The troublesome thing with Dark Artifacts was that they could always be removed or separated from the wielder, ridding them of the abilities they provided during possession. But the manacles became a part of one's body. No one could take them off, not even the Grandmaster himself.