A Non-Witch's Grimoire of Love and Fireflies

Part 2

Tierney squinted at the pages of her book, scratching her hand with her quill. The words were getting hard to make out in the fading light.

Ametrine yawned and stretched lazily in the chair opposite, making her jump. She looked up at the sky, where the clouds were streaked pink and orange in the sunset and back down at her quill. The hand she had been scratching with it was covered in ink. She’d put a refilling spell on the quill ages ago so that she didn’t need to carry an inkwell, but it did lead to getting ink in her hair or clothes or anywhere she absentmindedly brushed it.

“Ready to go?” Ametrine asked, handing Tierney her handkerchief with a knowing smile. The sunset lit up her already orange hair, setting it on fire. She’d tousled it so that the tips of her elven ears poked out and it fell around her thin face in a carelessly handsome manner.

“You’ve gotten lost again,” she teased, waving the handkerchief. Tierney promptly unfroze, embarrassed to be caught staring and took it from her.

“You don’t mind the ink stains?” she questioned, adjusting her glasses.

“Nah,” Ametrine said, picking up Tierney’s cup and draining the last of the cold tea from it. Tierney didn’t try to stop her, scrubbing futilely at the ink on her hand with Ametrine’s handkerchief. Half of it had dried already, or soaked into her skin, so she eventually gave up and went to hand it back.

“Keep it.” Ametrine waved it off with a grin and stood up to stretch her back and legs before collecting their dishes. “The cafe’s closing. I’d better take these back to Celestine.”

Tierney nodded, and began packing her things away as Ametrine left. She stood to find her friend waiting by the door, and they fell into step beside each other as they set off to Tierney’s house.

“Sorry I was distracted for so long,” Tierney said.

“I didn’t mind.” Ametrine bounced on her toes as she walked. “It was fun, actually.”

Tierney looked at her skeptically. “You hate sitting still for a long time.”

“I drew pictures,” Ametrine said, and it was only now that Tierney noticed the slight black of charcoal dust on her pale fingers.

“On what?”

Ametrine grinned impishly, and Tierney’s stomach sank. She reached into her bag and pulled out the first paper she could get her hands on, and there in the corner of the page, was a tiny, smudged drawing of what she could only assume was the two of them together.

Tierney shot a half-hearted glare at Ametrine, who did not look at all sorry.

“You didn’t touch my grimoire, did you?”

Ametrine held her hands up, and Tierney could see they were free of the tell-tale burn marks powerful magical items left on non-witches.

“Definitely not,” she said. “I know what that thing’ll do to me. I’m not completely stupid.”

Tierney huffed. “Bring your own paper next time,” she said.

Ametrine shrugged. “If you really want me to.”

“I do!” Tierney shoved the paper back into her bag.

“Well, I’ll try to remember it then.” Ametrine winked, and Tierney focused on marching to the forest path ahead with determination.

It was dark when they entered the forest, the tall trees blocking out what little light of the day remained. Tierney conjured a light spell and held it out in front of them. Ametrine slung her arm around her shoulders, the corners of her mouth twitching up.