Page 30 of Bearly Bewitched

Vail touched her injured shoulder, remembering the instant decision to protect Daisy at any cost. She didn’t regret it for a moment. Some things were worth bleeding for, worth fighting for—worth loving for.

TWENTY-NINE

Morning sunlight streamed through the enchanted windows of Vail’s office, as the ward stones hummed their usual protective song, though lately, she’d noticed subtle discordant notes in their magic.

She caught herself admiring how the light hit the wooden organizer on her desk – Kaine’s gift, its protection runes still buzzing with his distinctive magical signature. Every time she touched it, warmth bloomed through her fingers like his essence recognized hers. Even now, just thinking about him made her magic dance beneath her skin, creating tiny sparks that matched the morning light.

The lunar calendar on her wall drew her attention, its enchanted phases shifting in real-time, each moon phase glowing with embedded magic that tracked the approaching celestial events. Three days until the full moon.

Her fingers absently traced the protection runes on her rings, noting how they’d been pulsing more frequently lately, especially during moon phases. The ward stones seemed to resonate with each lunar shift, their song changing subtly as if responding to some unseen influence.

Another detail to investigate along with Ledger’s suspicious interest in curse magic and the way certain ward stones seemed to flicker whenever he passed. She really needed to talk to Kaine about?—

A burst of discordant magic shattered her thoughts as her office door flew open without warning. An enormous bouquet of enchanted roses floated in, their petals an unnatural shade of shimmering purple that clashed horribly with her carefully curated décor.

The roses immediately burst into song – an over-dramatic rendition of “My Heart Will Go On” in three-part harmony, complete with magical special effects that made her desk papers scatter into a miniature whirlwind. The enchantment carried a familiar signature that made her stomach clench – theatrical and showy, designed to impress rather than connect.

“Special delivery for the most breathtaking, brilliant, and woefully misguided headmistress in all of magical academia!”

Vail’s skin crawled as Ames strode in behind the floating flowers, wearing that practiced camera-ready smile she’d once found charming. Now she just saw the artifice in it, the careful calculation behind every seemingly spontaneous gesture. He hadn’t changed – still handsome in that polished, society-page way, every hair spelled perfectly in place, his robes bearing the silver insignia of the Magical Education Council.

The sight of him brought back memories of carefully modulated magic, of always holding back to fit someone else’s idea of proper conduct.

Through her window, she caught a glimpse of movement near the ward stones – a shadow that might have been Ledger, watching with calculated interest. The protection runes on her rings warmed in warning, responding to some threat her conscious mind hadn’t yet processed.

“Really, Ames?” She kept her voice level even as her magic bristled beneath her skin. “Unauthorized entry into my office? Disrupting my work with... whatever this is?” She gestured at the roses, which had launched into an especially pitchy chorus, their magic carrying undertones of manipulation that set her teeth on edge.

“The council sent me to evaluate your progress as headmistress.” His tone carried that familiar note of condescension masked as concern, the same voice he’d used when suggesting she modify her “excessive” magical displays. “Though I’d hoped we could discuss this... phase of yours more personally first.”

“Phase?” Ice coated her words as six years of compressed frustration threatened to break free. “You mean my career? My independence? Or just the fact that I finally stopped letting you dictate my choices?”

The roses faltered mid-verse, their petals drooping slightly as their enchantment wavered. But Ames’s smile barely dimmed as he perched on her desk – her desk – uninvited. “Come now, V. We both know the council only appointed you as a temporary measure. They’re concerned about your,” he paused delicately, “unconventional approach to magical education. Hybrid magic studies? Integration with the shifter community? It’s not exactly traditional academic protocol.”

Heat crept up her neck as her fire magic stirred with accumulated frustration. “The council approved my curriculum proposals. Or did Ledger not mention that when he was praising your ‘dedication to maintaining proper magical standards’?”

Something flickered in Ames’s eyes at Ledger’s name. Outside, the ward stones pulsed with an odd resonance like they were responding to some unseen stimulus. A shadow moved between them – definitely Ledger this time, his hand raised toward one of the anchor points. Something crystallineglinted between his fingers, catching the morning light with an unsettling purple sheen.

“Thaddeus has been very supportive of my position on the council,” Ames continued smoothly. “He understands the importance of proper magical hierarchy, unlike some people who seem determined to blur every traditional boundary?—“

“So that’s why you’re really here.” Understanding clicked into place. “Ledger convinced the council to send you, knowing you’d try to pressure me into leaving. What did he promise you, Ames? A seat on the Senior Council? Access to their restricted archives?”

“I’m here,” he stood, finally dropping the solicitous act, “to take you home before you completely ruin your reputation with this ridiculous rebellion. Running off to play schoolteacher in the middle of nowhere, consorting with shifters, of all things?—“

“Consorting with shifters?” Vail let her fire magic flare, the roses bursting into flames that carried the heat of her anger. “Is that what Ledger told the council? Or just what you chose to report?”

Through the window, she watched Ledger trace something on the nearest ward stone with that crystal. The stone’s protective magic wavered, its usual golden light taking on a sickly purple tinge.

“The council respects traditional boundaries, V. Magical education should remain within established parameters.” Ames stepped closer, lowering his voice to that intimate tone that used to make her doubt herself. “Think about your future. Your reputation. The Senior Council position I was going to recommend you for?—“

“The position you dangled over my head for years, you mean?” The remaining roses crumbled to ash, spelling out her fury in glowing embers. “Always promising I’d advance if I juststayed in my place. Made myself smaller. More appropriate. Like a proper council witch should be.”

“I was protecting you!” His mask slipped further, showing real anger now. “Do you think the council will ever take you seriously after this experiment in... hybrid education? Letting shifters teach advanced magic? Encouraging mixed magical signatures?” He gestured dismissively at her course materials, at the careful research she’d done on combining different types of power. “Ledger’s already expressed concerns about the stability of?—“

“Ledger?” Vail’s rings burned against her skin in warning. “Since when do you take his opinions on magical education policy?”

“He understands tradition. Protocol.” Ames straightened his council insignia, the silver catching the light like a weapon. “He’s been quite vocal about your methods at recent meetings. Though he did suggest that if you were to voluntarily step down now, return to a more suitable position...”

The pieces clicked into place. “He’s manipulating you. Using your council ambitions to?—“

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