When Magic Speaks - NaNoWriMo 2020✔️

9

"Everything in this world happens for a reason, Wiss. We all walk through life grasping for our destinies. And yours is to stay away from danger. That includes magic." Marma swung her sceptre above her head, a bright translucent light shooting up from the orb. Wiss watched with starstruck awe as the light cascaded around them, basking Wiss, her grandmother and their carriage in a bubble. Wiss watched as their shadows in the tall grass immediately disappeared. A simple but highly effective invisibility charm. 

"Amma--"

"I'll tell you more once we get there."

"But where are we going?"

The sky was basked in a dark grey blanket, the air cool and stiff. In the twenty three years that she'd grown up in Hural, she'd never wandered this far into the valley. Everyone knew Hural was surrounded by lush green forests but they had been relatively untouched, making it an unspoken restriction to wander inside. But now inside the illusive lush forest, Wiss looked around in awe as the trees flew by above her. It became nearly impossible to see the sky from down here, and the temperature seemed to rise. The trees were grand and luscious, each one covered in thick layers of green moss. It was...enchanting in here. There was...no snow here. Not even a snowflake. It was as if this forest possessed its own climate. The grass here seemed to twinkle, the creatures of the forest more inclined to sing their songs at a higher volume. Finally, as they rolled over snapping twigs and flying pebbles they reached a clearing, a quaint little (also abandoned) stone tower coming into view. It was ancient, crumbling and rusty in all sorts of places but it was very tucked away and secluded. The tower was encapsulated by a dead end, towering rock walls framed by large oak trees on their peaks surrounding it. 

"We're staying here until the tea stops boiling," Amma mumbled, pulling on the reins as the carriage rolled to a stop. Wiss watched as her grandmother hopped down from the carriage, pulling her sceptre from the cart and walking to the edge of the clearing. With one long swift stretch above her head, the sceptre casted a majestic glowing light around the entire tower. It pulled up to the peak of the rocky cliffs, over the carriage, stretching around the first few trees from which they came. Another invisibility charm. Wiss slowly got up from the carriage, staring up at the warping dome above them. The world around them rippled like a calm current of the ocean. In that moment, Wiss couldn't help but wonder if Kitt was able to do this too. If he was able to run through walls surely he was capable of this too. "Stay within ten feet of the tower."

Wiss understood why they were here. She also understood why Marma knew of this place. It all made sense. Marma had to hide her magic too, so much so that Wiss hadn't suspected a thing until now. She and her grandmother were magically inclined, in a town where magic was ruled unholy. They were unwelcome. 

"Amma--"

"You can take your bag up to the top. There's a bedroom up there."

"Amma--"

"Wiss, please."

"Amma!"

Marma slowly turned around, her hands full. She was moving in a slow but nonstop frenzy, as if the invisibility charm wasn't working. They had nothing to fear out here...except for the unknown. Finally Marma's eyes laid on her granddaughter, for the first time since they'd left the cottage. Her eyes were tainted by years of mysteries. She knew so much and yet she wouldn't share it. Wiss's fists trembled with frustration as she stared at Marma.

"Please! Why didn't you tell me about your magic?! Why didn't you tell me about mine?!"

Marma remained silent.

"Can't you see how frustrated I am? You've been keeping me in the dark. Why is it so wrong for me to know?"

The old woman sighed as she looked at Wiss - the pain in her eyes was relentless. There was so much Marma wanted to say, Wiss could practically see the phantom words escaping her lips. But she resisted.