ELSPETH, ONE YEAR LATER
“Give her space, give her space!” Mama yelled, shooing everyone back as we gathered around the little hearth in our cottage, our family grimoire propped up on a stand next to it.
Even though I’d moved into Draven’s manor with him, Georgie, and Edgar, I still made it here weekly for family dinners—and moon ball.
I took a deep breath as Draven grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “You can do this. You’ve been training and working hard.”
I stared at the spell book in front of me, the one that Mama had kept all these years, waiting until one of us finally got our magic and could use some of the spells in it. Spells passed down from generations of Moonflowers. Now that Draven and I were married, my magic returned, it was time.
I wanted to make sure I was ready, and maybe I was also just a little scared. Yes, I practiced magic for eighteen years before the curse, but after twelve years without it, I was rusty. I didn’t want to accidentally turn my family into toads or something, though Draven assured me that wouldn’t happen.
“This is so anticlimactic.” Auggie stared at her nails. “Can we hurry this along?”
Ever since the incident with Helena, Auggie had been a little more, well, Auggie than usual. Angry, sarcastic, snippy. Helena had stripped my younger sister of all her confidence, all her vigor for life, and I was still trying to find ways to bring it back.
“And I have my shift at the bookshop,” Prue said. She was doing well, at least, working her dream job at the bookshop. She’d shown no interest in relationships or magic, not when she had everything she wanted already.
“You can do this, Elspeth,” Adelaide said, Elm noticeably absent from her side.
I still hadn’t forgiven him for how he broke her heart, and I suspected I never would, even if he was Draven’s best friend.
Adelaide smiled, but I could see the pain behind it. I just wanted her to be as happy as I was, and hopefully she would be able to move on soon, but I didn’t see that happening, not even when she put on such a brave face for everyone else. Adelaide might be able to fool Mama and my sisters into thinking she was fine, but I knew my sister, and she was suffering, no matter how much she claimed she wasn’t.
Another problem for another day.
I looked at the spell book.
“Well?” Mama asked. “Which spell are you going to perform?”
I picked up my wand, tingles shooting through my arm as my magic came to life. A feeling I’d missed. “I think I found the one.” I pointed my wand to it.
Mama leaned over my shoulder, staring at it. “That one?” she asked.
I nodded. “It’s perfect.”
Auggie planted her hands on her hips. “Well, don’t keep us in suspense.”
I spoke the ancient language of Ethorial, magic glowing brightly from the end of my wand, a thin golden line emerging. The line twisted around, spinning and spinning over us.
“What is it?” Prue asked.
The line formed a rectangle, wood planks forming inside of it. Then the magic scribbled across the board, spelling out our name: Moonflower.
The board dropped to the floor with a thud, the magic glow gone, the spell done.
Auggie wrinkled her nose. “Moonflower? You spelled our name?”
Prue shrugged. “Well, at least we know she can spell.”
Mama threw her arms around me. “Oh, your first spell since the curse. I’m so proud of you!”
Adelaide gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m happy for you, Elspeth.”
Prue beamed. “Congratulations, big sister.”
Mama shot Auggie a look.
“Fine.” Auggie threw up her hands. “Group hug?”
