The Apprentice's Apprentice

Part 37

"What spell?" Cora repeated more loudly but Marissa only kept laughing, tears once again sliding down her face, but these ones appeared real.

Selena and Warren moved so they could face her, each studying her with unblinking eyes. Cora opened her mouth but the intensity of the gazes of two such opposites kept her quiet. It was Selena who broke away first, shaking her head. "That is a masterful spell for all the roughness of it."

"It's creepy," Warren said. "And it's been on Cora so long it's practically woven itself into her magic which explains why neither of us noticed it."

Zoe and Cora exchanged looks of confusion. "What is it?" Cora asked again, beginning to get a bit irritated. If she had a spell on her then damn it, she wanted to know what it was doing!

"It keeps those who would find you attractive away from you," Marissa said, her grin wicked and edged with mischief. "Or more specifically, it makes you appear like something they'd have no interest in. Basically, it looks like it was designed to keep you single forever. Quite an interesting piece of mind magic. And as an expert in manipulating normies, I know what I'm talking about."

Cora blinked for a few seconds. "What?"

"Oh god, that explains so much," Zoe murmured beside her.

She turned to look at her friend who was staring back. Slowly the reality of it sunk in. This was the reason no one had ever asked her out before. This was why even when she had put herself out there asked someone out she'd been rejected. This was why no guy had ever given her a second glance. She choked and jerked her head to stare at Warren. He winced and nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. So Marissa wasn't lying.

"But who would do this to me?" she asked.

Selena and Warren exchanged a look before the older mage nodded at her apprentice. Warren cleared his throat, still rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, given what we know of the mages in town and the rough age of the spell and everything, there's really only one possibility that fits."

Cora frowned then saw what he was getting at. She shook her head, cheeks going pale. "No. No! He wouldn't do that to me. Not Philippe."

"Even if he thought he was protecting you?" Zoe asked. "He was obsessed with keeping you safe when we were kids. Even you have to have noticed that. God knows I did. He never really liked anyone else getting too close to you, even me sometimes."

"That's...we were kids! And I thought you couldn't do magic until you hit puberty!"

"Are you retarded?" Marissa asked with a snort.

"Mostly yes, but everyone hits it at different ages. And while training and spells allow you to do magic that would be too difficult or not compatible with your magic, with enough desire, focus, and strength in that branch of magic, even an untrained kid can pull off insane magic. It normally only happens when extreme emotions are involved, but that's generally only because that produces the flashy magic we hear about," Warren said.

Selena sighed. "The boy is troubled. While I have spoken to his parents and both seemed to think everything was fine with him, his sudden appearance here isn't normal. Most mages aren't of a type to just wander into another mage's territory without contacting them first. Neither of his parents seemed particularly bothered when I spoke of our rogue either, and that would be concerning on its own."

Cora shook her head again. This...this couldn't be right. She knew Philippe. They'd been friends, he'd been her hero, he'd helped her out so many times before, so how could he have done this? Even if he thought he was protecting her, the spell was insane. He couldn't have done it. But she couldn't deny the evidence either. She bit her lip. Maybe he'd had a good reason. If it was right around the time he'd left, maybe there was something going on he hadn't been able to tell her about and he'd put the spell on her as a precaution. That sounded more like something he would do. Maybe there'd been a rogue or something way back then. She'd just have to talk to him about it. Cora was sure Philippe had a good reason for it.

She looked up to find all four sets of eyes on her. She forced a smile. "I won't know why it happened until I ask him about it, and there's nothing I can do about what happened in the past. I'm sure Philippe has an explanation for all this."

"Yeah, he hates you," Marissa called.

They all ignored her. "I suggest you let us speak to him about it," Selena said. "Talking to an outsider might relax him more. If he feels you're upset about it, he might become defensive or deny doing it."

"I agree," Zoe said while Warren nodded.

Cora shrugged. "Alright then."

"Good. Now there's no need for you children to remain here. I've already called in reinforcements to collect our rogue and until then, I'll be guarding her. You may as well head home," Selena said as she sat down onto the wooden chair that was beside the cell's door.

"We'll walk Zoe home then you and me should practice a communication spell I know," Warren told Cora. "That way next time you don't have to rely on your phone in an emergency."

Cora nodded. Beside her Zoe looked relieved at the prospect of leaving. "That sounds good."