quite strong.
Harcourt frowned and shifted back to human. “Apologies. Are you finally mature?”
She blinked. “Yeah. I have been for nearly twenty years.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Not that. I mean are you finally of breeding inclination.”
Sophia blushed but answered him frankly. “I have been thinking about it lately.”
He sighed. “You grew up so quickly. It seems that just yesterday you were with Benny and playing chess in the corner.”
She smiled. “I was older than Benny, and we weren’t playing chess; she was showing me defensive potions and describing how they were made and where to purchase them.”
“I know, but I told your father you were playing chess.”
She laughed. “Right. Do you think they are finished?”
He glanced over at Lenora. “You mean my wife and your phone? They look like they are winding up, though she has a stack of books that would choke a horse.”
Sophy smiled. “Right. Well, I am going to go break it up. I need her expertise.”
“She will be happy to help, but take some cookies, because I am going to eat the rest.” He winked.
She grabbed three more cookies and her glass of milk before she headed over to Lenora’s desk. “Excuse me, may I cut in?”
Magnus chuckled. “Yes, though it seems odd to be on the other side of that query.”
“Welcome to the modern age. Speaking of, I need to charge the phone or your little jaunt will come to an end.”
She grabbed the power bank from her purse and aligned the plug, setting the connection in place.
Magnus rumbled. “That feels oddly intimate.”
Sophy blushed. “Don’t be like that or I won’t charge you in public anymore.”
She triggered the power bank, and the lights told her that it was working.
She looked at Lenora, who had watched the whole conversation with a smile. “I need to ask you about working with demon magic.”
“You don’t work with it; you avoid it.”
Sophy sighed. “I know, but I need to peel off the layers of magic and destroy the enchantment on that box. I will do it away from here, but I need to know how to crack that first layer.”
“I can help with that. Do you know what kind of demon cast the spell?”
“I do.”
“Excellent.” She raised her hand, and a book four inches thick thudded into her palm. “The answer is in here. Either you can study the tome here, or you can take it home. The choice is yours.”
Sophy drummed her fingers on the journal, getting a feel for the book. “If it is safe for me to remove from the library, I will take it.”
“It is fine. Only a mage can read it, and only one with elf blood can make sense of it. You will be fine.”
“That is strangely specific.”
“It was written by your ancestress, Sapphire deMonstre. You are definitely the audience that she had in mind.”
Sophy looked at the book under her hands and opened the first page. The family crest and ancient spelling was central and glowing in illuminated script. She smiled at the slight change in the family name that meant so much to the modern world. It messed up online searches for one thing. She smirked and kept stroking the page.
“How did you get this?”
“Your father brought it here for safekeeping when you were two. If he died in the line of duty, he wanted someone to protect that bit of family history and give it to you when you came looking for some of the information that the modern age may have lost. Whatever you need to know, the book can tell you.”
Sophia ran her hands over the pages as she turned them, reading the words written in a feminine hand. She teared up a little as she read the forward of the first woman to be born a Cursed One.
The pages in this volume contain the knowledge that I have gleaned through years of study. As I approach my two hundredth year, I hope to have time to contain all that I have learned and practiced for generations to come.
I am my mother’s daughter, but the skills with magic that have been gifted to me
Harcourt frowned and shifted back to human. “Apologies. Are you finally mature?”
She blinked. “Yeah. I have been for nearly twenty years.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Not that. I mean are you finally of breeding inclination.”
Sophia blushed but answered him frankly. “I have been thinking about it lately.”
He sighed. “You grew up so quickly. It seems that just yesterday you were with Benny and playing chess in the corner.”
She smiled. “I was older than Benny, and we weren’t playing chess; she was showing me defensive potions and describing how they were made and where to purchase them.”
“I know, but I told your father you were playing chess.”
She laughed. “Right. Do you think they are finished?”
He glanced over at Lenora. “You mean my wife and your phone? They look like they are winding up, though she has a stack of books that would choke a horse.”
Sophy smiled. “Right. Well, I am going to go break it up. I need her expertise.”
“She will be happy to help, but take some cookies, because I am going to eat the rest.” He winked.
She grabbed three more cookies and her glass of milk before she headed over to Lenora’s desk. “Excuse me, may I cut in?”
Magnus chuckled. “Yes, though it seems odd to be on the other side of that query.”
“Welcome to the modern age. Speaking of, I need to charge the phone or your little jaunt will come to an end.”
She grabbed the power bank from her purse and aligned the plug, setting the connection in place.
Magnus rumbled. “That feels oddly intimate.”
Sophy blushed. “Don’t be like that or I won’t charge you in public anymore.”
She triggered the power bank, and the lights told her that it was working.
She looked at Lenora, who had watched the whole conversation with a smile. “I need to ask you about working with demon magic.”
“You don’t work with it; you avoid it.”
Sophy sighed. “I know, but I need to peel off the layers of magic and destroy the enchantment on that box. I will do it away from here, but I need to know how to crack that first layer.”
“I can help with that. Do you know what kind of demon cast the spell?”
“I do.”
“Excellent.” She raised her hand, and a book four inches thick thudded into her palm. “The answer is in here. Either you can study the tome here, or you can take it home. The choice is yours.”
Sophy drummed her fingers on the journal, getting a feel for the book. “If it is safe for me to remove from the library, I will take it.”
“It is fine. Only a mage can read it, and only one with elf blood can make sense of it. You will be fine.”
“That is strangely specific.”
“It was written by your ancestress, Sapphire deMonstre. You are definitely the audience that she had in mind.”
Sophy looked at the book under her hands and opened the first page. The family crest and ancient spelling was central and glowing in illuminated script. She smiled at the slight change in the family name that meant so much to the modern world. It messed up online searches for one thing. She smirked and kept stroking the page.
“How did you get this?”
“Your father brought it here for safekeeping when you were two. If he died in the line of duty, he wanted someone to protect that bit of family history and give it to you when you came looking for some of the information that the modern age may have lost. Whatever you need to know, the book can tell you.”
Sophia ran her hands over the pages as she turned them, reading the words written in a feminine hand. She teared up a little as she read the forward of the first woman to be born a Cursed One.
The pages in this volume contain the knowledge that I have gleaned through years of study. As I approach my two hundredth year, I hope to have time to contain all that I have learned and practiced for generations to come.
I am my mother’s daughter, but the skills with magic that have been gifted to me
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