I deflated the moment I realized the courtyard was empty. I'd hoped that Topher would be here and that we could do some more practice. Never mind. I could do things on my own. The better I got, the more likely it would be that Jake would take notice. We needed to have more in common, It was no wonder that I hadn't managed to make it work with him so far, we had nothing in common at all.
I shuffled my feet into position, lifting my arm so that my wand was held out in line with the target, just like Topher had shown me. I shot off a couple of spells, each of them hitting the target, but not quite the center.
I scowled at it, trying to figure out what I was doing wrong and how I could fix it without instruction.
"Kelis, you're early," Topher said.
I jumped and turned around to face him. He was leaning against one of the columns watching me.
"How long have you been there?" I asked.
"About a minute," he answered honestly. "I was held up talking with Jake." Distaste dripped from his words even as my heart jumped at the sound of Jake's name.
"Sorry, I should have waited."
"Why? This is your home, you're a princess, we're your guests. You're entitled to do whatever you want."
I scrunched up my nose. "I don't like that word. I'm not entitled to anything. That's not how being royal works. If anything, we have a duty sacrifice for the good of our country not an entitlement to get our way."
His eyes bored into me, as if trying to work out how much of what I was saying was the truth.
"You really believe that?" he asked.
"Yes, of course. It's something I've been working towards my whole life. My parents have done everything they can in order to prepare me for the life of a queen and its not anything to do with fancy dresses or looking good. We do far more than any of our people ever know. And more importantly, they don't need to know."
"You're going to make an excellent queen," he said. ,
"Thank you. But I think that's still up for debate. And if I want to do the title justice, then I need to learn more about magic." I glanced at the ground, feeling a little guilty that I'd been thinking about Jake as much as my role as queen when I was considering learning more about magic.
But I should put that first. The Jake thing was just a helpful by-product, and I would do well to remember that.
"Is there more you can teach me?" I asked him.
He chuckled, taking my change of subject in stride. He'd make good royalty too.
No. Wait, that wasn't the kind of thought I should be having.
"There are plenty of things I can teach you. That wasn't looking too bad, though." He gestured towards the target.
"Thank you. But I don't feel like I'm good enough."
"How long have you been practicing for?"
"Today and yesterday," I muttered. "I had some lessons when I was younger, obviously, but they were a long time ago, and I don't remember all that much of them."
"So, a few hours, and you're already this good?" He whistled appreciatively and pushed away from the pillar he was leaning on.
"Erm, I suppose." I wasn't sure how to take any of this.
"You have real talent, Kelis. With a few weeks of practice, you can probably take the title at the competition the day after the Fright Festival."
"You think so?" I asked, my eyes widening and excitement blooming in my chest. This wasn't what I expected when I started practicing magic, but for some reason, that was what caught my attention now.
"Definitely. If it's something you want."
"I do." The words were out before I even thought them through.
"Good. Then we need to get to practicing. Your stance still needs a little work. Do you have any chalk?"
I shook my head. "But, I can get some for next time we practice?" I hoped he'd agree, that would mean we got to do this again. And if I was honest with myself, it was only partly to do with the magic that I wanted to meet. I also found myself enjoying Topher’s company. He was easy to get along with.
"Yes, that's a good idea. But for now..." He pulled out his wand and gave it a wave. Two markers appeared on the floor, presumably, for where he wanted me to put my feet.
"Why do you need chalk if you can just do that?" I asked.
"Relying on magic to do everything is as an easy way of becoming complacent. Magic is a useful tool, but it isn't something we should use for everything."
"I thought you were supposed to be the president of the magic society at the university," I quipped.
"I am. But I got there from understanding things like that. From what I've seen, you're the kind of person who'll see the same things."
I nodded. There was no denying that what he was saying was true. It was one of the reasons I'd never used a lot of magic myself. Other things needed my time, and that made them more important. My parents were the same. In fact, while I'd seen them use magic on a lot of occasions, it had never been to solve a major issue.
"Right, get into position. Right foot on the front line, left foot on the back one. We'll work on your wand holding angle," Topher said.
"What was I doing wrong?" I frowned but got into the position he'd instructed anyway. He knew what he was talking about, and I was going to make the most of it.
"Nothing, there's just a better way for you to do it."
"Alright." I lifted my arm. "Up? Down? To the side?" I needed to be careful, or I was going to start babbling.
"Up slightly, and to the
