Page 252 of Sigils & Spells

Her gaze went from the pen to me and she raised her eyebrows. “How long can you keep it in the air?”

“I'm not sure.”

“These skills are like your muscles. The more you practice, the more control you will gain. Lift the pen and hold it in the air until I tell you to put it down.”

Giving the writing implement my entire focus, I extended my hand, palm up, and raised it off of her desk. Within seconds, it began sinking back down. She shook her head.

“Raise it back up. Keep it at the same level.”

My hand began shaking with the effort almost immediately. The pen continued to drift downward despite directing every ounce of my concentration to preventing it. It didn't take long before no amount of willpower could keep it elevated and it dropped right back to the desktop.

“Hmm. Thirty-nine seconds. Not exactly impressive.”

“I'm sorry. Like I said, the High Priestess instructed me not to use my powers at all. I've not been able to practice.”

“I expect you to practice this particular skill constantly. I've warded your room in the same way I've protected my office. Start with a small item and work at extending the amount of time you can control it. Just keep repeating the same exercise, although you can practice different techniques to see what works best.”

“Okay. What else?”

She looked at me like I'd sprouted a second head. “That's it. Until you can manage even the most minuscule task, we won't be able to proceed with anything else. This is the bottom of the basics on the magical scale.”

The surprise must have been obvious on my face, because she looked at me and snorted.

“What, you were expecting to do more?”

“To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect, but I guess that holding a pen wasn't it.”

“Well, the most logical place to begin with a task is at the beginning. Let's start there and we can see where we end up. Return to your room and begin practicing. Remember, you are only to practice in your private room with the door closed, and only what I have instructed you to work with. Nothing more.”

“Yes, ma'am. I'll remember.”

Just like that, my first lesson in magic ended, and I found myself dismissed.

CHAPTER11

Weeks passedas I manipulated my newfound magical abilities under the tutelage of Priestess Francesca. We'd finally reached the point where she could do nothing more than instruct me to continue growing my control in the abilities we worked with.

“We have reached the point where I believe it is time for you to continue your training with the High Priestess. You have exceeded my expectations in just a few short months. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to work with me and teach me what you know.”

“You're very welcome. You proved to be an apt pupil. Please feel free to come and find me if you have any questions or there is anything I can help with.”

She gave a little wave, and I headed out of her office. Once I shut the door behind me, I stopped in the hallway and leaned against the wall. Tilting my head back, I closed my eyes and said a little prayer of thanks to the goddess.

Though she hadn't contacted me directly again, I felt her presence and I dreamed of other things. Things I believed to be harbingers of things to come in the future. They didn't always make sense to me, but I did my best to file them away for later. I wanted to be able to recall them when something came up that appeared to be related.

With a deep breath, I headed for the cafeteria to meet Daisy for lunch. We'd been eating together a few times a week and our friendship was growing, although slowly. The connection between the two of us wasn't as instantaneous as Evie and I, but I knew those kinds of friendships were very rare.

The remainder of the inhabitants of our isolated little village mostly continued to ignore me, with a few exceptions. As for the majority of them, while they didn't seek me out, they at least conceded my existence. Sienna and Carrie continued to behave as if they couldn't see or hear me, which I considered a win.

It had been decided to remove me from the group of acolytes, as my position here morphed into something far different. So, while I wasn't a priestess of the temple, I also wasn't one of the underlings either. My individual trajectory just propelled me forward on an unclear path. The “real” me was just along for the ride, it seemed.

Daisy and I reached the doorway at the same time.

“Hey, how did your lesson go this morning?”

While I'd been advised to not make a big production of my magical abilities, I was allowed to talk some about the training I was doing. Thank goodness. Some days required the opportunity to vent about my failures or have someone else cheer on my successes.

---