Shadow's Edge (Shadows Saga bk1)

Chapter 4- Basics

Mara gathered her composure outside on the front steps, taking deep breaths to ward off the tears that stung her eyes and calming her thoughts before walking through the front door. She wasted no time, going straight up to her aunt’s room and knocking on the door with more force than she had intended. “Can I come in?”

“Door’s unlocked,” Natalie’s voice came, muffled by the wooden barrier.

Mara walked in, pacing the length of her aunt’s room, her nerves not allowing her to sit still. “This shadow whatever place, it’s in this Magical Realm?” Mara asked, wasting no time. “How far away is it, and how are we supposed to get there? Are we going to fly on a broom or something like in the shows?”

“No, we will be using the portal to get there,” she said. “As for how far away it is, distance is really subjective. The Magical Realm is not on this plane. As its name suggests, it’s a separate Realm. The portal will link you from here to there, but without a portal you’re stuck.”

“Okay, a portal. Sounds legit,” Mara replied nodding her head. “Do I have to have a wand, wear a pointy hat and a robe?”

Natalie cringed at Mara’s words. She had never been fond of the humans' idea of witches. They didn’t fly on brooms, they didn’t stand over cauldrons mixing potions, and they didn’t wear pointy hats of any kind.

“Most certainly not. Well, there is a wand for new witches; it’s sort of like training wheels. In fact, I insist you begin using it today. You must never let it out of your sight. It will help you focus your powers and prevent any major accidents.  I even have the wand here in my closet that I used when I first learned of my powers,” Natalie said as she crossed the room.

Natalie started to rummage around through boxes in her closet as Mara paced about. When she emerged from the closet, she was holding a long, slender black box out in front of her. Mara paused in front of her aunt and hesitantly took the box.

“Although this should stop the accidents from occurring, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to work on controlling your emotions and abilities. Control is the only thing that will help you.”

Mara ran her fingers over the smooth, cold surface of the box as she listened to her aunt’s words. She slowly flipped the top open and looked at what was held within.

Sitting on a bed of bright red silk was the most delicate looking stick she had ever seen. But stick didn’t quite do the object justice. The object inside was as black as the box that held it, as dark as a starless night. It started out slight at the tip, gradually getting thicker as it worked its way down toward the handle. Mara ran her hands over the gentle swell of the wood and across the ridges, her fingers softly tracing where her eyes had immediately been drawn. An intricate carving rested at the very bottom of the wand. Mara was unsure how someone could take such care to perfectly create such a thing. Her one fingertip brushed the ears, working down the snout, and resting on the open mouth with teeth bared.

She lifted the wand out of the box and held it up, looking the wolf directly in the face. Its silver eyes staring straight into her, as if looking into her soul. Mara could see just behind the wolf’s head, the letters U and C etched into the surface.

“Okay, so a wand but no hat or robe. Got it,” Mara said as she gently sat the wand back down on its silken bed and closed the lid. The more she learned, the more nervous Mara became. The more real it became.

“There are traditional robes,” Natalie said. “However, they are nothing like you have seen and are mainly used within Coven rituals.”

Mara’s curiosity had been piqued. She wondered what a Coven was like.