When Magic Speaks - NaNoWriMo 2020✔️

23

Wiss sat at Kitt's bedside as she spent the entire evening and early morning examining the strange book. While this book was mysterious and odd, Wiss found herself feeling a strange pull to it, an unwavering fascination. But the most striking discovery of all was that Amma and Piri's sigil was painted on the cover of it. She knew this was Piri's book and more than likely...Marma knew about this book too.

As Wiss eagerly peeled it open, she discovered that (much to her dismay) this book was inscribed entirely in...what looked like a made-up language. Frowning, Wiss noticed that this language was made up of upside down letters, new letters entirely, and strange star-like symbols. Well great, this wouldn't be of much help. That was until Wiss studied the pages further.

At first she had assumed this book was split up into chapters, a new lavender title inked every two pages into the paper. But the illustrations that went along with it told a different story. As Wiss flipped through the pages, she spotted hand-drawn illustrations on nearly every page. Cauldrons, wildflowers, clusters of sparkles, vials, jars, mushrooms, with a book on the corner of the last page. Wiss's eyes flashed open - this was a spellbook!

Wiss leaned forward in her chair as she focused on every page. There had to be a cluster of illustrations about Kitt in here. Maybe she could find a spell that could help him. He had to be mentioned somewhere in here. Wiss didn't take into account how loudly her page-flipping was but luckily for her, Kitt was too exhausted to wake from his slumber. The young Quilm should have been growing tired, fatigued from the madness of Kitt's illness, but she remained wide awake as she search continued. 

As Wiss grew closer and closer to the middle of the book, flipping more and more and more pages, she found it. There on one specific page, Piri had drawn the outline of a figure encapsulated by stars, along with the same figure now coloured with skin and facial features. This was it! Kitt's spell! If he didn't take his medicine, he would revert back to this otherworldly terrestrial form. He must've been moments away from shifting when Wiss had found him. It seemed a bit morbid for Piri to have conjured up a potion to fix the illness she had given him but then again...maybe she didn't know this would happen. Maybe she'd experienced the same panic Wiss had. Along with these illustrations, Piri had included a drawing of a purple mushroom, a messily sketched dagger and...highlighted text in the unknown language. Piss. Why create a secret language if no one understands it? Wiss was tempted to start asking around the castle if anyone could translate it but then...there must have been a reason as to why she'd done this. Maybe only a select few could read the text, those who were closest to her. 

And Kitt had to be one of those people.

As much as she wanted to follow Bolus's wishes and allow Kitt to continue resting, she needed him for this. She watched him for a moment as he slept, his eyelids heavy and shut tight. His mouth was open just a crack to allow a minuscule brush of air to leak out. He was probably dreaming, which made Wiss's guilt grow. Oh well.

Wiss reached across the bed as her hand pressed against his cheek. "Kitt?" she whispered softly. "Kitt." 

She watched as his ear twitched at the sound of her voice, his chest slowly rising. Without warning, his eyelids slowly lifted, exposing his tired eyes. Despite the fact that he looked better, he probably didn't feel any better. Wiss couldn't imagine how much pain this transformation put him in. The morphing of molecules that...didn't even exist. Despite his exhaustion, Kitt kept his eyes on Wiss as he stared at her, as if he was trying to tell her something with his eyes. If he was, Wiss couldn't decode this either.

"Kitt," she spoke softly, moving her hand down to his. She squeezed lightly as she looked at him. She could tell he wanted to move, that he wanted to speak, but he couldn't. It broke her heart. "I want to help you, and I think I know how. But in order to do so, I need help from you first."