sanity, Brystal had to find out.
The following night after she finished cleaning the library, Brystal returned to the Justices’ private library on the second floor. She put her reading glasses on, retrieved The Truth About Magic by Celeste Weatherberry from the shelf, and turned to the page with the ancient text. After a deep breath and a silent prayer, she read the incantation aloud to prove whether she was a fairy, once and for all.
“‘Elsune elknoon ahkelle-enama, delmune dalmoon ahktelle-awknamon.’”
Brystal was afraid to look and covered her eyes. At first, she didn’t feel or hear anything, so she peeked at the room through her fingers. Nothing appeared to have changed in the slightest, and Brystal’s spirits began to soar. She watched the walls with bated breath, waiting for the flowers to materialize again, but they never came. Tears filled her eyes and she let out a sigh of relief that turned into a long, thankful laugh.
“Barrie was right,” she said. “We should never let one day change who we—”
Suddenly, the pages of The Truth About Magic started to glow. Bright orbs of white light slowly rose from the book and filled the dark room. As the orbs spread out, they became smaller and smaller, creating the illusion of depth in every direction, and soon the private library resembled a limitless galaxy.
Brystal got to her feet and looked around the room in amazement. Not only had she confirmed the magic in her veins, but she never imagined she was capable of creating such a beautiful sight. The magic was transcendent, and Brystal forgot where she was. It didn’t feel like she was standing in the private library anymore, but floating through her very own starry universe.
“MISS BAILEY! WHAT IN THE NAME OF CHAMPION ARE YOU DOING?!”
The voice startled Brystal, and all the orbs throughout the room instantly vanished. When her eyes adjusted, Brystal saw the metal door had swung open without her noticing. Mr. Woolsore was standing in the doorway with two armed guards, and all three men were staring at her like she was the foulest creature they had ever seen.
“That’s the girl I’ve been warning you about!” Mr. Woolsore shouted, and he pointed a shaky finger at her. “I’ve been telling you for months that she was up to something! But none of you believed me! You said I was mad for believing a young girl was capable of such things! Now look— we’ve caught a witch in the act !”
“Mr. Woolsore!” Brystal said. “Wait, I can explain! This isn’t what it looks like!”
“Save your lies for the Justice, witch! You’ve been caught red-handed!” the librarian yelled, and then turned to the guards. “Don’t just stand there, seize her before she casts another spell!”
Brystal had imagined many scenarios where she was caught in the Justices’ private library, but she never imagined it would happen while she was conjuring magic . Before she had the chance to defend herself further, the guards charged toward her and forcefully grabbed her by the arms.
“No! You don’t understand!” she pleaded. “I’m not a witch! Please, I’m begging you! Let me prove it!”
As the guards dragged Brystal out of the room, Mr. Woolsore snatched the reading glasses off her face and snapped them in two.
“You won’t be needing these where you’re going,” he said. “Take her away!”
CHAPTER FIVE
TRIAL BY FAMILY
F or the first time Brystal understood what it was like to be scared senseless. There were heavy shackles around her wrists, but she didn’t feel them. The smell of decaying rats and mildew filled the air, but it didn’t bother her. Bloodcurdling screams of prisoners getting whipped echoed through the halls, but she hardly noticed them. Her eyes were fixated on the steel bars surrounding her, but she didn’t understand what she was looking at.
She was sitting straight up on the edge of the stone bench in her prison cell and hadn’t moved a muscle since she was placed
The following night after she finished cleaning the library, Brystal returned to the Justices’ private library on the second floor. She put her reading glasses on, retrieved The Truth About Magic by Celeste Weatherberry from the shelf, and turned to the page with the ancient text. After a deep breath and a silent prayer, she read the incantation aloud to prove whether she was a fairy, once and for all.
“‘Elsune elknoon ahkelle-enama, delmune dalmoon ahktelle-awknamon.’”
Brystal was afraid to look and covered her eyes. At first, she didn’t feel or hear anything, so she peeked at the room through her fingers. Nothing appeared to have changed in the slightest, and Brystal’s spirits began to soar. She watched the walls with bated breath, waiting for the flowers to materialize again, but they never came. Tears filled her eyes and she let out a sigh of relief that turned into a long, thankful laugh.
“Barrie was right,” she said. “We should never let one day change who we—”
Suddenly, the pages of The Truth About Magic started to glow. Bright orbs of white light slowly rose from the book and filled the dark room. As the orbs spread out, they became smaller and smaller, creating the illusion of depth in every direction, and soon the private library resembled a limitless galaxy.
Brystal got to her feet and looked around the room in amazement. Not only had she confirmed the magic in her veins, but she never imagined she was capable of creating such a beautiful sight. The magic was transcendent, and Brystal forgot where she was. It didn’t feel like she was standing in the private library anymore, but floating through her very own starry universe.
“MISS BAILEY! WHAT IN THE NAME OF CHAMPION ARE YOU DOING?!”
The voice startled Brystal, and all the orbs throughout the room instantly vanished. When her eyes adjusted, Brystal saw the metal door had swung open without her noticing. Mr. Woolsore was standing in the doorway with two armed guards, and all three men were staring at her like she was the foulest creature they had ever seen.
“That’s the girl I’ve been warning you about!” Mr. Woolsore shouted, and he pointed a shaky finger at her. “I’ve been telling you for months that she was up to something! But none of you believed me! You said I was mad for believing a young girl was capable of such things! Now look— we’ve caught a witch in the act !”
“Mr. Woolsore!” Brystal said. “Wait, I can explain! This isn’t what it looks like!”
“Save your lies for the Justice, witch! You’ve been caught red-handed!” the librarian yelled, and then turned to the guards. “Don’t just stand there, seize her before she casts another spell!”
Brystal had imagined many scenarios where she was caught in the Justices’ private library, but she never imagined it would happen while she was conjuring magic . Before she had the chance to defend herself further, the guards charged toward her and forcefully grabbed her by the arms.
“No! You don’t understand!” she pleaded. “I’m not a witch! Please, I’m begging you! Let me prove it!”
As the guards dragged Brystal out of the room, Mr. Woolsore snatched the reading glasses off her face and snapped them in two.
“You won’t be needing these where you’re going,” he said. “Take her away!”
CHAPTER FIVE
TRIAL BY FAMILY
F or the first time Brystal understood what it was like to be scared senseless. There were heavy shackles around her wrists, but she didn’t feel them. The smell of decaying rats and mildew filled the air, but it didn’t bother her. Bloodcurdling screams of prisoners getting whipped echoed through the halls, but she hardly noticed them. Her eyes were fixated on the steel bars surrounding her, but she didn’t understand what she was looking at.
She was sitting straight up on the edge of the stone bench in her prison cell and hadn’t moved a muscle since she was placed
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