Chapter 18: Whispers and Wards
Joy had just returned to her dorm room, carefully concealing Barbara Moon’s journal inside her jacket. She slipped inside quietly, making sure Priya and Rea were occupied. The twins were sprawled on their beds, discussing the latest drama from their Potions class, their red curls bouncing as they whispered and giggled. Joy flashed them a quick smile before slipping to her side of the room and closing her curtains around the bed.
She finally exhaled and took the journal from her jacket. This mysterious book had become something like a secret companion, its pages filled with cryptic spells and notes she could barely decipher. It was clear Barbara hadn’t intended anyone to read her journal easily.
As she opened the journal, Joy felt an odd shiver, like someone was watching her. She glanced around, but there was no one in sight – Priya and Rea were still deeply engrossed in their conversation. The journal’s pages fluttered open, landing on an entry titled, “The Whisper Ward.”
Curious, Joy began reading.
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“The Whisper Ward is a spell of protection, a shield against prying eyes and eager ears. No voice shall travel beyond its bounds, and those who enter shall find themselves lost within its silence.”
Joy bit her lip, considering. Wardell had been eavesdropping on her and her friends more than once now. She had a feeling he was listening even now. If this spell worked, she could finally keep him out of her private conversations.
The instructions were straightforward, though the components needed were tricky – a dash of moonlight powder, a lock of hair, and the faintest whisper of her voice.
She glanced at her roommates. Sneaking out would be risky, but it wasn’t the first time. Just as she made up her mind, Rea popped her head around Joy’s curtain. “Everything okay, Joy?” she asked, her dark black eyes narrowing a little in curiosity.
“Oh, just reading up for a spell,” Joy replied with a nonchalant smile. “Needed some quiet.”
Rea didn’t press but gave her a knowing look. “Good luck with that. You know how much we respect quiet around here,” she said with a mischievous grin. Priya threw a pillow at her, and they resumed their playful banter.
Joy waited a few more minutes before slipping the journal back under her pillow. Quietly, she exited her dorm room, her heart pounding as she crept down the hallway toward the storeroom where the Council kept restricted ingredients. The halls were empty, lit by dim torches that cast dancing shadows along the stone walls.
Outside the storeroom, Joy murmured a quick spell to unlock the door, and it clicked open. She scanned the shelves, finally locating a small vial labeled “Moonlight Powder.” She slipped it into her pocket and hurried out, locking the door behind her.
Back in her dorm, she gathered the last few materials, nervously eyeing the journal’s instructions. With her roommates finally asleep, she whispered the chant. The air around her shimmered, and for a brief moment, she could feel the weight of silence wrapping around her like a veil.
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The next morning, Joy tested the ward’s strength with Ash and Zephyr, who met her in an unused classroom. “Think it worked?” Zephyr asked, glancing at the doorway.
Joy grinned. “There’s only one way to find out.”
As they whispered about the Council, Barbara, and the journal’s contents, no one interrupted, not even a flicker of Wardell’s shadow. They could finally talk openly.
“Well,” Zephyr said, looking at the journal in Joy’s hands, “what exactly have you found in there?”
Joy hesitated. She hadn’t shown the journal to anyone since she found it – something about it felt deeply personal. She flipped it open, revealing pages of tightly packed, angular writing. The words themselves were laced with romantic, almost poetic descriptions that spoke not of grand Council schemes but of Barbara’s dreams and hopes for her future.
