Oh Hex No

Erik wished he could just stay home and practice magic all day, but unfortunately he still had work that needed to be done for the school if they weren’t going to suspect anything. He got dressed in the early morning to go into town, but as expected, Bea was waiting for him in the hall.

“Where are you going?” she asked. “To see Serena?”

“No, I just have some errands to run,” Erik told her. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.”

“Can I come?”

“I don’t think so,” Erik said. “Stay home, don’t go wandering.”

“Please?” she begged. “I’m tired of being home.”

He sighed and shrugged.

“Fine,” he said. “Get your coat.”

She happily skipped off to put her coat on, then climbed up to ride on Erik’s back as he headed downstairs. On his way out he nearly ran over someone coming in, and was surprised to find it was Serena.

“Serena’s here!” Bea yelped.

“She is,” Erik said. “I’m sorry, did we have a lesson planned today? I must have forgotten.”

“Oh no,” she said. “I was just dropping off a book you might find helpful. Sorry, I didn’t know you were on your way out.”

“I’m just going into town to place some orders for the school,” he said.

“I was actually going to stop into town and get some potion supplies for us,” she said. “Maybe we can go together-“

“Yes, you should come!” Bea blurted excitedly. “Can I ride on your back too?”

“Bea, leave her alone,” Erik scolded.

“Maybe on the way back,” Serena said with a light laugh. “Shall we?”

It was a nice walk into town, and Erik was surprised to find he didn’t mind being around Serena as a friend rather than just as a teacher. She followed him to the few places he needed to place orders at, then took out a list to show him everything they needed for their own potions.

“There’s some things I can sneak away from the labs,” she said. “Some are harder to get because they’re put away in locked cabinets. I can probably sneak some of those too, but I thought it would feel less shady if we could just find and buy them.”

“Isn’t that going to be sort of expensive?” Erik asked.

“Oh, it’s no problem,” she said with a dismissive wave. “Between this and a new hat, I think I’d rather spend my money here. The problem is finding a store that has some of the less popular things.”

“Stealing sounds more fun,” Bea announced.

“Bea, no,” Erik said.

She pouted and kicked at the dirt. The little girl was going to make a great felon and con artist someday.

They walked and stopped by some other stores, and Erik paused by the post to mail another letter for the week to his mother. As he dropped the envelope in the box, Serena’s brows shot up in surprise.

“What?” Erik frowned. “My mom doesn’t use magic, I can’t use one of those fancy crystal balls.”

“No,” Serena said. “The address. You’re from Oakwood?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

Erik doubted they were from the same part of Oakwood, but it was still interesting. It was a small town. She probably lived in the neighborhood up in the hills, that the lower class referred to as “the fairy land” due to how colorful and beautiful it was.

“Yeah, I’ve always lived there,” Erik told her. “Near the lake.”

“Small world,” Serena said wistfully. “I wish I had known. It would have been nice to have some company on that long train ride home. Maybe this time. You’re going home for the solstice holiday, aren’t you?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Erik said awkwardly.

“What do you mean?” Serena frowned. “You don’t want to be with your mother over the holidays?”

“I do,” he said. “It’s just getting a little harder. She… doesn’t actually know about my situation. I’ve kept her convinced I’m a real student at Mondhaven so I don’t worry her, but it gets more difficult to keep up the lies.”

“You didn’t tell her,” Serena said flatly. “Erik, you’re a smart guy but that was very bone-headed of you.”

“Oh.”

“I still think you should go home,” she insisted. “Not just because I want someone to sit with on the train, either.”

Erik cracked a smile, but it dropped off his face when he looked past Serena and spotted a familiar face walking behind her. Erik hadn’t considered that they might be seen together, but Jorgenson was walking around town. He hadn’t seen him, but it would be a bad situation if he did. Serena turned and saw him too, quickly pulling her hat down a bit in an attempt to hide her face.

“Who are we hiding from?” Bea asked loudly. “The old guy?”

“Bea, shush.”

They waited until Jorgenson was turned around before ducking into the closest shop and dragging Bea in with them. She started to protest, but Erik just clapped a hand over her mouth. They watched from the window until Jorgenson walked away, then let out a relieved sigh.

“That was close,” Erik said. “He would have flayed me if he thought I was harassing you.”

“Huh, I haven’t been in here before,” Serena noted, looking around the store.

It was an odd looking store that was packed with so many shelves and random products that it was hard to move around. It looked like they had everything from strange plants to secondhand cauldrons and shady looking potions. There was no one else in the store and the shelves blocked out the daylight so the store was oddly dark, but as Serena leaned in to pick up and examine some vials, she lit up.

“Weird place,” she mumbled, “But it might be just what we were looking for.”

“I don’t like it here,” Bea whimpered. “I think there are ghosts.”

“Don’t be silly, Bea,” Erik said. “And don’t break anything.”

“GHOST!”

Erik and Serena both jumped when Bea suddenly shrieked and pointed to someone who had appeared around the corner. At first glance, Erik would have thought it was a ghost, too. The man was just a couple years older than Serena and him, but he was so pale with hollow cheeks and dark circles under his eyes that he looked like a ghoul. He didn’t seem pleased to see them, either. His apron suggested he was the shopkeep, but his expression suggested they had ruined his day by coming into his shop.

“Bea, stop it,” Erik scolded. “I’m so sorry, she didn’t mean it. She’s just playing around.

“There’s no kids allowed in here,” the man said gruffly, pointing a thin finger at her. “She breaks anything, you buy it.”

“Sorry, understood,” Erik said. “We’ll just go.”

“Wait,” Serena said. “Do you carry dragon teeth?”

“Who’s asking?”

“Uh… me?”

He eyed her up and down, then sniffed.

“Yeah,” he said. “Won’t be cheap. And don’t go blabbing about it to anyone, either.”

They followed him to the counter and he took a jar with the teeth from a hidden lockbox. He handed it to Serena and she examined it before nodding.

“We’ll take it,” she said. “There’s a few other things, too. Think you could supply them?”

“You got the money?”

“When I see them.”

She offered him her list and he snatched it out of her hand. Serena watched him as he began filling a basket with all the things on her list, and Erik warily watched them both. Bea seemed absolutely terrified of the shopkeep, which was new. Erik had never seen her so shaken the way she was now, hugging his leg so tightly that he felt sorry for her and picked her up.

“Have we met before?” Serena asked the shopkeep.

“Yes,” he answered gruffly. “That’ll be two hundred.”

Serena slowly counted the money and handed it over.

“Markus, right?” she asked. “I think we had a class or two together. Years ago.”

“Serena Bellwood looked up from her book long enough to notice another person,” he said. “Fascinating.”

“I beg pardon?”

“Forget it.”

“You don’t have to be so rude to her,” Erik said. “She’s being polite.”

Serena seemed a little surprised that Markus was being so rude to her, and Erik didn’t blame her. He couldn’t imagine she ever would have done something to offend him.

“Not all of us like ass kissing,” Markus said to Erik.

“You must have graduated already,” Serena said, changing the subject. “Congratulat-“

“I didn’t graduate,” he snapped. “I went through twelve years of schooling, only for the licensing test to tell me I wasn’t good enough. They took my wand.”

“Oh,” Serena said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Whatever,” he said. “Anything else?”

“No, that’s all,” she said. “We may come back later for-“

“Have a nice day.”

They awkwardly walked out of there, and Erik could feel Markus burning holes into his back with his glare. Serena looked down at her basket and seemed pleased.

“Well, he’s not exactly a charmer but he had everything we’ll need to get through these potions books,” she said.

“Not a charmer?” Erik frowned. “I thought he was great. Just your type. Seemed to like you, too.”

“Shut up,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“It’s okay,” Erik teased. “We’ll go visit your boyfriend again really soon.”

“Stop,” she said, though she was laughing. “You’re so annoying.”

“I want to go home,” Bea said, still shaken up.

“Okay, we’ll go home.”

Erik wasn’t sure what to make of how startled Bea was, but she seemed to forget by the time they got back to the apartments. Especially when they found her mother making a rare appearance.

Laurie Devons was a kind woman, though she was always exhausted from working. She grinned when Bea went running to her and leaped into her arms.

“Mrs. Devons,” Erik greeted. “We didn’t expect to see you back so early today.”

“Oh, Erik, has Bea been in your way?” she frowned. “I’m so sorry, I’ve told her not to bother you so much.”

“That’s okay, I don’t mind,” he said. “Though she’s probably happier to spend the afternoon with you than us.”

“Hello,” Serena piped up. “I’m a friend, Serena. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Devons.”

“Nice to meet you too, dear,” Mrs. Devons smiled. “Could I invite you two in for some tea? I was just about to put on a pot.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Erik said. “We were just about to get going. Is everything alright? We don’t usually see you until later in the evening.”

“Yes, some of us at the City Hall were sent home for the day,” she said. “There was a break-in at the archives.”

“The archives?” Serena asked. “How is that possible? Isn’t it sealed by advanced magic.”

“Yes,” she said. “No one knows how. Everyone working in that wing had their memories searched, then were sent home if we were found clean. No one knows who did it or how it happened. Rumor has it there was a shadow that just melted through the wall.”

“Was anything taken?”

Mrs. Devons checked over her shoulder, then lowered her voice to a whisper.

“The Black Sapphire,” she said. “Dark stuff. I hope they find it soon.”

A chill went up Erik’s spine at the mention of the sapphire. The gemstone was made entirely of dark magic. It had fallen into the wrong hands a few times in the near thousand years of its existence, and each time ended in a lot of death and suffering.

“I’m sure law enforcement has it all under control by now,” Mrs. Devons reassured them. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. At least I have an afternoon off.”

They smiled, though Erik couldn’t help but think of the dark creature they had seen before. He knew Serena was probably thinking the same thing.

Though it was daytime, Erik still insisted on walking her home. It was the polite thing to do, anyways. A cool breeze blew past them, and he noticed Serena shiver slightly.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she said. “I could always charm my cloak to feel warmer.”

“You don’t need to use magic for everything,” Erik chuckled.

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged out of his own jacket, and Serena’s expression went a bit blank and surprised when he put it around her shoulders.

“Oh,” she said softly.

“It’s wool,” he shrugged. “I’m alright without it.”

“It smells nice. Like cologne.”

“Oh,” he said. “Sorry if it’s kind of cheap smelling.”

“No, it’s nice.”

They paused outside her dorm for a moment, and suddenly she turned a bit pink.

“Um, thank you,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He watched her scurry off with his jacket tightly held around her shoulders. She peeked once more at him over her shoulder and smiled before disappearing into the building.