Page 74 of Enchant the Dawn

* * *

The next two days were busy ones for Maddy. She called her parents and let them know she was taking a vacation with a friend. She cleaned the house from top to bottom, paused the utilities, paid the gardener a month in advance. Her parents had put a hold on the mail when they left, so she didn’t have to worry about that.

She spent an hour or two deciding what clothes to pack. Grabbed a couple of books. And she was ready to go.

* * *

Ava’s place in Portland looked like a dollhouse, quaint and lovely and surrounded by flowers and a swath of emerald lawn. The inside was just as amazing. Maddy shook her head as she glanced around, thinking she had never been in a house that seemed almost alive; there was a strong undercurrent of magic that made her skin tingle.

The downstairs held a living room, a small kitchen and dining room, and a tiny bathroom. There were three bedrooms upstairs—one large and two smaller ones. The larger one was Ava’s, of course. It looked like something out of an old English castle, with expensive rugs on the floor and tapestries on the wall.

Ava assigned Maddy to a room done in shades of pink and mauve. A single window overlooked the backyard, which reminded Maddy of a forest in fairyland, filled with ferns and flowers and a small pond.

Dominic’s room was across the hall. Maddy wondered if Ava had decorated it for him, as it was all done up in brown and beige. The window was covered with a heavy drape to block the sun’s light.

“What’s on the third floor?” Maddy asked as they returned to the living room.

“It’s where I practice my magic.” Ava fixed her and Dominic with a stern look. “Neither of you are to venture inside unless I’m with you.”

“Better listen to her,” Dominic said. “No telling what skeletons she has behind that door.”

Maddy stared at him, wide-eyed. Was he joking?

Ava glared at him. “I’m hungry. Let’s have lunch.”

“You two go ahead,” Dominic said. “I’m going upstairs to rest awhile.” He winked at Maddy. “Call me if you need me.”

Maddy stared after him, wondering if he was warning her, or simply assuring her that he would heed her call.

Looking annoyed, Ava rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to Dom. You’re in no danger from me or anyone else while you’re here. What would you like for lunch?”

“Anything is fine,” Maddy said. She followed Ava into the dining room, took the chair the witch indicated. A few words from Ava set the table. A wave of her hand produced a platter of sandwiches, one bowl of macaroni salad and another of potato chips. Two bottles of water and two cans of soda came next.

Maddy blinked in astonishment. “I guess you never have to cook.”

Ava grinned at her. “Oh, I prepare a meal now and then, but this is so much faster. And easier.”

With some trepidation, Maddy reached for a sandwich. It was one thing to summon an apple to her hand, quite another to produce a meal out of thin air. “Do you think I really have magic? That it wasn’t just a fluke of some kind?”

“Oh, you have it, my dear. I can feel it inside you, trying to get out. But, as I said, it remains to be seen how strong it is. There are those who believe everyone is blessed with some degree of magic. Some look for it. A few find it. Some never do. For all you know, you may have a distant ancestor who had the gift.”

“It’s possible, I suppose.” She’d never been interested in genealogy. For all she knew, she could have kings and queens and witches somewhere in her ancestry.

“One thing I’ve learned,” Ava said, filling her glass with soda, “is that anything is possible.

“There are many types of magic,” Ava went on. “Ceremonial magic is used to summon spirits. White magic summons angels. Dark magic can be used to summon demons to do a witch’s bidding. However, I don’t advise it. There’s fire magic and air magic and water magic.”

“And food magic,” Maddy said, gesturing at the table.

Ava laughed. “Indeed. Later tonight, if you like, I’ll lend you my Book of Shadows.”

“What’s that?”

“Many witches keep them to record information or spells from other witches, or to jot down their own favorite spells, what works and what doesn’t, symbols, invocations, and runes, that sort of thing. I’ve recorded a number of enchantments and rituals in mine. You might think about starting a book of your own.”

* * *

Dominic woke with the setting sun. He listened to the sounds of the house, sensed that it had rained earlier, caught the scent of damp earth, listened to the whisper of the wind in the trees.

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