Sprinkle of Magic

Maerin was woken up the next morning by a light knocking on her door. She gave a groan as she sat up in the uncomfortable bed. "Come in." Her voice was a bit hoarse, so she cleared her throat and repeated the words. The door opened slowly, and Celine peeked her head through.

"Hey, sorry to wake you up, but Niall's asking for you." Maerin was out of the bed in an instant. Celine busted into laughter, though, when her feet got tangled in the sheets and she fell flat on her face. The girl recovered quickly, though, brushing past the girl in the doorway. She moved across the hall, tapping on the door softly. She heard Niall's response and pushed the door open, peeking through as Celine had with her. "I'm going to make tea." Maerin turned her head, nodding at the other girl as she walked down the stairs.

"Well, come in." Maerin snapped her head back to her room, where Niall was sitting in her bed, propped up with pillows behind his back. She gave a small smile and slipped in, shutting the door behind her. She hesitantly walked to the chair next to the bed, taking a seat. Niall looked better than he had the previous night. He had his color back, but now it was a bit too much. His cheeks were cherry red, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Without saying a word, she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, frowning when their skin touched. Still silent, she went to her bathroom and got him a cold cloth.

"Lie back and put this on your head." She said softly when she came back in. He did so without question. "How are you feeling?" She was a bit hesitant to ask the question. If she was completely honest with herself, she was afraid of his reaction.

"Better." He said simply before he looked over at her, his gaze suddenly serious. "You know the thing that attacked me, don't you?" Maerin sucked in a breath, her eyes going to her lap. "I thought so..." There was sadness in his voice, and it broke Maerin's heart.

"Niall..I-It's not my fault. I don't know why it went after you, it's me It wants. I-We made sure...It can't hurt you again, okay?" He gave her a simple nod, before he turned his head away.

"You never told me you were like Celine." His words came out a bit harsh, and a plethora of emotions filled her.

"And you're angry because of that? What was I supposed to tell you? Was I supposed to just come out and say that I'm some sort of freak that can make things happen when she gets scared or upset? That apparently the whole damned World is on my shoulders? The I have to be the one to save Magick?" Her own voice was harsh, and she stood at the last part. "Now you know why I shut you out." Her fists were clenched as she looked at the ground. She tried to remember Ardan's teachings. She let the happy thoughts flow through her head before she moved towards the door. "I'll tell Celine you're ready to leave." His clipped answer of 'fine' reached her ears, and she slammed the door behind her before she made her way downstairs. Celine was the only one at the table, a cup of tea in her hands, and confusion on her face.

"What happened?" The sincerity in her voice broke Maerin's walls down just a little. When she felt the tears sting her eyes, she drew her fist back and connected it with the wall before she slumped to her knees, finally letting herself cry. Celine looked shocked, but instantly set her tea cup down to kneel by the other girl. "Hey. It's alright. You can tell me. Come on, Maerin, talk to me." The broken girl gave a nod, her hand wrapping around the medallion around her neck for comfort as she told Celine everything that happened upstairs. The sympathy turned into anger. "That little shit. Don't worry. I'll make sure he gets a piece of my mind. For now, go get a cup of tea. I'll take Niall home." Maerin nodded and let Celine lead her into the kitchen, pouring a cup for her. "Ardan told me about your lessons. I'm surprised he willingly spoke to me, actually." She had a sad smile on her face as she ruffled the girls hair. "You can stop by the shop anytime you want. Maybe sometimes after school gets out? Ardan's not the only one who can teach you things." Maerin couldn't help but smile up at the girl, giving a nod. "And don't worry. The shop's been warded for years, you're safe there." Maerin nodded again before Celine shocked her by giving her a tight hug. "Be safe, Maerin Curruthers."

Maerin concentrated on her tea as she heard Celine come down with Niall a few minutes later. Neither of them said goodbye, and Maerin was fine with that. She was surprised, though, when her phone went off from her pocket.

I put my number in your phone and texted myself. Hope that's ok. Text or call if you need me -C

The thought of having another friend that knew what Maerin was going through was appealing. She sent back a quick text saying it was alright before she sighed, moving into the den with her tea. There was a note on the table. Her grandfather and Ailbe were both at the bakery, and Ardan had some stuff to handle. Maerin was on her own today. She shrugged at the thought before she went over to the bookshelf. She wanted to try something. The only time she'd ever done any sort of magick on purpose, she was with someone who also had magick. she held out her palm and closed her eyes, repeating words in her head. "Show me the book I need. Show me the right book." Once she heard the sound of leather sliding on wood, then a loud thump, Maerin opened her eyes, looking down. A large book with blue binding sat by her feet. She bent down, picking it up, before she hesitantly picked it up to read the front. She pursed her lips, though, when she saw the title was in some form of Latin. She shrugged, though, and took the book to the couch.

She sat there for hours, flipping through the pages, before she remembered what Celine had taught her the previous night. She held her hands over the pages, focusing her energy into the book, repeating the mantra in her head. The pages slowly started to turn themselves, until they stopped on a page that had a large picture of her family crest in the center. She brought a hand up to her necklace as she read the words. The page was all about her family, and their struggles.

It spoke of the accusations of Witchcraft, the trials, hangings, burnings, every horrible death possible before the family finally went into hiding. They moved to Belfast, where they ruled the High Council for many years, until they were deemed unfit. The Lord and Lady at that time had claimed to see a Shadow, and were deemed insane, and instantly relieved of their positions. The thought of people in her family seeing the Shadow hundreds of years ago made her a bit uncomfortable, but she kept reading. It told of her family getting High Honors among the Council after the Savior came forth to dispel the evil Shadow.

She had to put the book down. The prophecy had already come true, once. Why was it happening again? Was that even supposed to happen? She furrowed her brow as she grabbed the book on the Tree, flipping to the prophecy. Something wasn't sitting right with her. She flipped to the front cover, and pursed her lips at the publishing date. 1964. She then checked the date of the previous battle with the Shadow. 1892. So this was a completely different battle. The confusion ran through Maerin's head, to the point where she actually tried to rip out her hair. Why was she the Savior? Why was she so special? She couldn't even control her own emotions. Something else ran through her head, and she picked up the book about her family, scanning to find anything about the previous Savior. When she found the section she was looking for she read, and re-read. She'd been right. The previous Savior had destroyed the Shadow the same way Maerin had scared it away. "She just destroyed the Shadow." Her words came out in a whisper, before she dropped the book and jumped up. "She just destroyed the Shadow!" She gasped out the words and furiously typed Ardan's number in her phone. Lucky for her, he picked up on the third ring. "She just destroyed the Shadow!"

"Maerin? What are you talking about?" His voice was confused, but the girl shook her head, forgetting he couldn't see her.

"You need to get here, now!" She practically yelled out the words before she hung up the phone. She ran the books into her grandfather's office. She copied the pages she needed before she replaced the books. She had just finished spreading the pages over the coffee table when Ardan walked through the back door.

"What's so bloody important?" He seemed a bit annoyed, but he was there anyways, so that had to count for something.

"I was doing some reading, and I read about the last Savior. She just destroyed the Shadow." He raised his eyebrows in a look that said 'go on'. "She didn't do anything about the person controlling the Shadow." His eyes widened in realization as he ran over to the pages, looking through them himself.

"Dear Goddess, you're right! All of the signs are right here. The Shadow isn't a thing in itself, someone has to be controlling it, telling it who to go after and what to poison." Pride laced every word as he picked Maerin up, spinning her around. "You're a genius!" Maerin just grinned, proud at herself for her good job before the two of them sat down.

"But...How do we find the controller?" Ardan's lips pursed at the thought.

"Well...There's a tracking spell. It connect similar energies. If you can say the spell close enough to the Shadow to pick up on its energy, it could lead us straight to the puppet master." A smirk crossed Maerin's face before she paled, warning bells going off in her head. "Maerin? What's wrong-" He cut himself off, the same look on his own face. "The Tree." They spoke at the same time, and neither of them hesitated to run out the back door, running as fast as their legs could carry them. They didn't stop until the Tree was in sight, but both of them stuck close together as they approached a cloak figure, who was running their fingers over one of the branches. "Reveal yourself!" Ardan's voice boomed with power, and Maerin actually found herself a bit afraid.

The voice that replied was dark and unfamiliar, it almost sounded like someone was using a voice manipulator. "There won't be much you can do, little Ward. Enjoy your last weeks, Guardian, the tree is almost dead." Maerin felt Ardan tensed, and she linked her arm through his. Without another word, the cloaked figure vanished before their eyes. Maerin squeezed Ardan's arm.

"We'll fix this, Ardan." He gave a tight nod before he walked Maerin home, leaving as soon as she was through the front door. Maerin called her grandfather and informed him of what had happened at the Tree, and he came home a few minutes later. While she had his attention, she told him of what she'd learned about the Shadow, and he agreed with the tracking spell.

"It won't be an easy task, Maerin. You have to be close enough to feel its energy, and it has to stay long enough for you to get the potion near it and say the incantation." She frowned at the new information. Ardan hadn't said it would be that difficult. "But...There may be a way we can trap it. There's a potion that freezes whatever it touches in time for a short period. It should give you enough time to do what you need, but it takes a long time to prepare. The herbs have to be picked on certain days, then mixed at the exact right time." Maerin gave a sigh, running her battered hands through her hair. "You've had enough excitement for today, love. I'll order us some Chinese, and then you can get to bed." Maerin nodded in agreement, but she wasn't all that tired.

While they waited for the food, she spread out on the couch, searching through her family history for something that could help her. She could only stop the Shadow, not the controller. What happened when they found out who it was? How was she supposed to stop the person in time? She could feel how sick the Tree was, and the cloaked figures words got to her. If the Tree died, did Ardan as well? He was its Ward after all. A loud sigh escaped before she jumped at the sound of the doorbell. She'd forgotten they had one. Her grandfather got up to meet the delivery boy and promptly paid him. He joined his granddaughter in the den, starting a fire to help her relax. They ended up playing a game of cards, and the more she laughed, the more she calmed down.

She knew, though, that it wouldn't be long before laughter was uncommon in the house. She could feel the darkness looming in the future, waiting for its chance to pounce.