give you some exercises, but
first I want to know something. Is there anything in particular you
would like to learn or study?”
“Actually, there is,” Anna said, rotating
her empty glass absently on the table. “I’m not sure if my mom told
you that she brought my friend back to life by using black
magic?”
“Yes, she mentioned that when we spoke.”
Magdalena’s face was empty of emotion.
“Well, my friend, Keegan, is an elf. I was
kinda hoping you could teach me how to get back the bond she had
with her chosen. The black magic seems to have broken it.”
“I see.” Magdalena nodded and made a note in
her notebook before looking up at Anna. “I am going to tell you
right now. I will not help you get your friend’s bond back. I will
teach you the way of the witch, if you are willing to follow my
instructions and really want to learn.”
Anna tried to compose herself though the
anger filled her. “Why won’t you teach me about the bond?”
“Because, that is not the right reason to
learn the way of the witch, especially the way of the light witch.”
Magdalena put her palms flat on the table. “I don’t teach or
practice dark magic, and any kind of spell dealing with dark magic
is far out of your grasp right now, anyway. You will start from the
beginning. The first thing you need to understand about magic is
there are certain rules you must follow. One of those is that you
mustn’t interfere with the free will of others. Sometimes you just
need to let life take its course.”
“Fine.” Anna answered shortly, peeved at the
change in plans but determined to see her training through. She
couldn’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal about
it. Was it so horrible that she wanted to help her friend? “So I
guess you won’t tell me how I can win over Xavier, my best friend
I’ve been crushing on forever?”
“Anna, you need to take this serious.”
“I was just kidding,” Anna sighed. “What do
you want me to do first?”
“The most important part of your training,”
Magdalena told her, gesturing for Anna to follow her to the living
room. “We’ll be keeping a Book of Shadows.”
“I get my own Book of Shadows? Like on
Charmed? Cool!”
“This isn’t a game, Anna, or a television
show. A Book of Shadows is like a witch’s diary.” She gestured at a
small bookcase near her computer desk. It was full of small
journals, some of them with cracked and broken bindings while some
looked shiny and new. “In it, you record your thoughts, feelings,
poetry, successes and failures in spellwork, and anything else for
which you need it. Consider it a journal of your magic.”
“Are these all yours?”
Magdalena nodded. “All of them except this
corner of the top shelf. These are blank. I want you to pick one
that speaks to you.”
“To keep?” Anna looked up at her,
puzzled.
She laughed. “Yes, to keep. You must start
using it right away.”
Anna stepped forward, kneeling to run her
fingers across the spines of the empty notebooks. She slid a few
out to see their covers. “They’re so plain.”
“The inside is what matters, Anna. You’ll
find that to hold true across all aspects of life.” Magdalena gave
her a beautiful smile, the kind that reached and crinkled her eyes.
“A simple Book of Shadows isn’t ostentatious. A witch should never
draw attention to herself.”
There was one book, a thick black
leather-bound to which she kept returning. It seemed to hum beneath
her fingertips. She pulled it from between the other books, held it
in both her hands and smiled.
“This one. Though, I really expected it to
look different.”
Magdalena shook her head, amused. “Oh, Anna.
You have so far to go. Let’s talk about what you need to do first,
okay? Bring your journal.”
They headed back to the kitchen table, where
Magdalena handed her a pen. “I have two things for you to do over
the next week, and you have to promise to remember to do them.”
Anna nodded,
first I want to know something. Is there anything in particular you
would like to learn or study?”
“Actually, there is,” Anna said, rotating
her empty glass absently on the table. “I’m not sure if my mom told
you that she brought my friend back to life by using black
magic?”
“Yes, she mentioned that when we spoke.”
Magdalena’s face was empty of emotion.
“Well, my friend, Keegan, is an elf. I was
kinda hoping you could teach me how to get back the bond she had
with her chosen. The black magic seems to have broken it.”
“I see.” Magdalena nodded and made a note in
her notebook before looking up at Anna. “I am going to tell you
right now. I will not help you get your friend’s bond back. I will
teach you the way of the witch, if you are willing to follow my
instructions and really want to learn.”
Anna tried to compose herself though the
anger filled her. “Why won’t you teach me about the bond?”
“Because, that is not the right reason to
learn the way of the witch, especially the way of the light witch.”
Magdalena put her palms flat on the table. “I don’t teach or
practice dark magic, and any kind of spell dealing with dark magic
is far out of your grasp right now, anyway. You will start from the
beginning. The first thing you need to understand about magic is
there are certain rules you must follow. One of those is that you
mustn’t interfere with the free will of others. Sometimes you just
need to let life take its course.”
“Fine.” Anna answered shortly, peeved at the
change in plans but determined to see her training through. She
couldn’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal about
it. Was it so horrible that she wanted to help her friend? “So I
guess you won’t tell me how I can win over Xavier, my best friend
I’ve been crushing on forever?”
“Anna, you need to take this serious.”
“I was just kidding,” Anna sighed. “What do
you want me to do first?”
“The most important part of your training,”
Magdalena told her, gesturing for Anna to follow her to the living
room. “We’ll be keeping a Book of Shadows.”
“I get my own Book of Shadows? Like on
Charmed? Cool!”
“This isn’t a game, Anna, or a television
show. A Book of Shadows is like a witch’s diary.” She gestured at a
small bookcase near her computer desk. It was full of small
journals, some of them with cracked and broken bindings while some
looked shiny and new. “In it, you record your thoughts, feelings,
poetry, successes and failures in spellwork, and anything else for
which you need it. Consider it a journal of your magic.”
“Are these all yours?”
Magdalena nodded. “All of them except this
corner of the top shelf. These are blank. I want you to pick one
that speaks to you.”
“To keep?” Anna looked up at her,
puzzled.
She laughed. “Yes, to keep. You must start
using it right away.”
Anna stepped forward, kneeling to run her
fingers across the spines of the empty notebooks. She slid a few
out to see their covers. “They’re so plain.”
“The inside is what matters, Anna. You’ll
find that to hold true across all aspects of life.” Magdalena gave
her a beautiful smile, the kind that reached and crinkled her eyes.
“A simple Book of Shadows isn’t ostentatious. A witch should never
draw attention to herself.”
There was one book, a thick black
leather-bound to which she kept returning. It seemed to hum beneath
her fingertips. She pulled it from between the other books, held it
in both her hands and smiled.
“This one. Though, I really expected it to
look different.”
Magdalena shook her head, amused. “Oh, Anna.
You have so far to go. Let’s talk about what you need to do first,
okay? Bring your journal.”
They headed back to the kitchen table, where
Magdalena handed her a pen. “I have two things for you to do over
the next week, and you have to promise to remember to do them.”
Anna nodded,
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