Chapter 17 Incantation

17

Incantation

"brILLIANT, brILLIANT! ONTO our next task. Unless…crikey, liver and onions—'tis almost morning! Belle, I have kept you so many hours. You must get some sleep. The effects of new magic practice can be exhausting."

Belle did feel wiped. The fifth moon had been a brutal one. She'd arrived tired but heartened by a confident start with incantations. After two nights of successful incantation in many of its forms, Belle had seemingly exhausted most options in Artorius's house, animating, manifesting and transferring so much chaos that it now resembled a museum run by a madman. Artorius was unbothered by the mess and thrilled by the progress, while Belle was caffeinating so much that she could feel her eyelashes vibrating. A personal triumphant highlight had been the notoriously tricky Vividus Animo incantation, bestowing real life to the inanimate. To her own surprise, she had successfully enchanted the small flamenco dancer from Artorius's mantelpiece, much to his delight, and animated an overcoat, which he'd thoroughly enjoyed as a waltzing partner during their snack break. Minor chaos ensued when the statue then began instructing Artorius and the overcoat in their own flamenco routine.

Tonight had seen the pair jump to another huge task: magical transference, effectively teleporting from one space to another. It was magic that she'd been determined to perfect as a teenager but had given up on after a while, neither patience nor the motion sickness really her forte, along with a characteristic frustration when she didn't prove to be instantly successful at something. The craft of transference was often painful and bruising, leaving joints relentlessly bashed and limbs overstretched like overworked dough.

Aided transference with a grip on Artorius's skinny forearm had proved fine. She'd managed that successfully in and out of Hecate House, too. But that only served to make smooth solo transference (or the lack of it) even more infuriating. After hours of failed attempts, Belle had almost managed a solo transference from kitchen to attic and back again. Nearly, but for some reason, she couldn't seem to manage it while retaining both shoes. Now, her temples were throbbing with a constant eye-splitting pulse, and her new-found confidence was suffering.

"Our first real hiccup in proceedings!" Artorius exclaimed with confusing glee, as though the failure itself was a milestone to mark. "No matter, Belle. We shall but return to it with added vim and vigour in a few moons time. Now, as I said, you should head home and get some sleep."

Belle, so exhausted from the constant presence of magic flooding her system, simply looked at him despairingly.

"Let's try one last thing, we should end on a good note," she suggested, pushing down her shoulders to try and ease the solidifying tension.

"Perhaps something a little softer. No less challenging, I'll wager, but gentler, more encouraging magic."

"Yes, that," Belle said gratefully.

"Very well. While planning our lesson today, I thought perhaps the art of protection circles would be interesting to visit. It's good practice to avoid interference and simple enough. That feeling when in tune with your magic, I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The balmy glow that feels like a blanket or honey or warm milk. Impossible to describe, but the feeling of magic itself…"

Belle nodded with familiarity.

"There now, draw the circle around you, expand that feeling of warmth and magic. Let it flood your mind entirely…"

Belle concentrated intensely, feeling the glow melt from the tips of her toes all the way upwards.

"Envision that feeling physically, see it fill every inch of this attic. Imagine it passing around you, circling you and through you and…Ah, wonderful! Really, truly wonderful! Perfect, in fact!" Artorius's exclamation surprised Belle.

She opened her eyes and saw instantly what he was so delighted by. A radiant circle had formed brightly around her like a lasso at her feet. It was encompassing her, levitating inches above the floor. Just the sight of it made her feel instantly powerful. She felt safe in her own body. A strength that Belle had never allowed herself to feel was suddenly brimming within her.

"I already feel better."

"Confidence will do that for you, but a circle of protection will also help. This will safeguard you from negative entities which may otherwise like to wreak havoc and run amok."

Belle was still marvelling at the gorgeousness that beamed around her when her attention was stolen once again by the sooth stone, hot to the touch in her pocket. She pulled it out. The stone, like the circle, was glowing impossibly brightly, as though it were a tiny piece of the sun itself. She glanced at Artorius, wondering if he would be able to offer up an explanation. His eyes were wide, and he looked as baffled as she did.

"Newts and thimbles…" he marvelled quietly. "May I?"

Belle handed Artorius the stone for him to examine more closely. "It happens sometimes. No particular rhyme or reason to it, as far as I can figure out," she explained. The warlock faltered as he took it between his fingers, a puzzled look flashing across his brow for only a moment. It was evident that his busy brain was working at a million miles an hour.

"Sooth stones themselves are funny things. Something of a family heirloom among witch families. Some are more precious than others, recorded so far back in history that they were said to be cast in fires at the birth of magic itself."

"And they all do this? The light-up glow-in-the-dark thing?"

"Can't say I've seen that before. But I have read about it…Tell me, was your sooth stone a gift handed down from your mother?"

"My nan," Belle said quietly.

"Praesentia Pretego…" he whispered.

Belle looked at him blankly. "Excuse me?"

Artorius shuffled with as much enthusiastic speed as he could muster over to one of the loaded bookshelves, squinted over the top of his glasses for a moment and pulled out a thick title with a cracked black spine.

"Here, see." He pointed to a definition and pushed the page excitedly under Belle's nose. " Praesentia Pretego is advanced, wondrous magic. It is a pure presence, carried in a physical object, to act as a shield whenever it senses a need to guide you or to aid. Witches, those who are up to such complex magic, that is, will sometimes elect to leave a little of themselves behind before they pass to protect another who they love."

"My grandmother's…in this brooch?" Belle looked sceptical.

"More of an essence, so to speak. A whisper, a soul that once was. While the majority of her magic is returned to her coven on passing, the witch requests that a small trace be permitted to linger. To provide guidance, reminders of love. The feeling that one is not alone."

Belle thought back to the moments that the stone had shown itself in small ways to be a conscious thing. To guide her to Hecate House. To encourage her decision to meet Artorius. Now to assist in keeping her protected. It did seem to come alive in the moments that she needed a little extra reassurance. Her head swam, overwhelmed.

"Of course, while sooth stones themselves are common enough—most witches and warlocks have their own—it is remarkably rare that permission is granted by the magic system for Praesentia Pretego to occur. There has to be real purpose for it."

"So when it glows, when it seems to come alive…That's her?"

"Her soul presence, at least. I would say so, yes." Artorius smiled, thrilled at their discovery. "Utterly astonishing. Very special magic indeed."

He handed the stone back to Belle with an encouraging expression. Feeling the warmth of the glass against her palm in her pocket, she blew out a deep breath. Greater than magic, it was a deeper kind of witchcraft that couldn't be judged or taken away from her by the coven. It felt like a hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her forward in the right direction.

She swallowed hard and quickly wiped her eyes. Artorius handed her a slightly crumpled white hankie from the sleeve of his jacket, which she accepted gratefully.

"Sorry. I don't know why I'm crying. It's just kind of wonderful." Her voice was more of an embarrassing squeak than actual words.

"All kinds of wonderful. And now that we have a protection circle in place, perhaps we…" Artorius stopped, caught off guard. Without warning, the beaming gold around Belle had suddenly faltered. Its goodness faded, a pale yellow turned silver, then to grey. Then it dissolved altogether in smoke.

"We lost concentration. Knit another spell and we'll try that again."

Belle closed her eyes and summoned the feeling once more, pre-empting the arrival of the gold around her. It came, but just a second later, the same thing happened. As quickly as it had appeared, the protection circle disappeared to smoke.

"Clear your mind again. You're not thinking properly."

"I am thinking properly."

"Try and keep hold of the feeling. Focus on retaining the presence of protection."

"I am focusing," she snapped back.

The same thing happened again. And again. The circle snuffed out, leaving Belle with an unpleasant cold plunging sensation every time.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Although it is an unusual sort of nothing," Artorius admitted. "Any witch should be able to conjure a protection incantation for herself and have it hold steadfast until she chooses to unravel her own spell. It's almost as though…Well, I don't wish to make a fiasco out of a fish pie, but…as though something is blocking your protection."

"Why would something…I mean, why would I not be able to protect myself?" She was too tired to consider the idea properly but couldn't help but feel a niggling sense of worry.

"Perhaps things are just a little off-kilter. It is no huge matter anyhow as, by a stroke of luck, your sooth stone seems to be acting in a protective capacity of its own accord, thanks to your grandmother. We shan't trouble ourselves too much while that's the case."