“Coach Flannery mentioned a rather creative temporary repair to one of his toilets. He found it hilarious.” She raised an eyebrow. “Chewing gum, Mr. Vale? Really?”
“I didn’t have anything else on hand,” I admitted, mortified. “The book didn’t have any repair spells, and I accidentally... well, I got distracted and my shadows sort of ate through the porcelain.”
To my surprise, Professor Blackwood laughed—a rare sound that momentarily transformed her severe features. “That’s precisely why I wanted to work with you this year. Your magic has tremendous potential, but it needs proper direction.”
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk. “Tell me, what were you thinking about when the shadows broke through your control?”
I swallowed hard, remembering exactly what—or rather who—had distracted me. Silver’s perfect purple body, his confident smile, those penetrating silver eyes...
“Uh…”
“Be honest, Mr. Vale,” she sighed. “This is academic.”
I let out a long, defeated sigh. “Boys.”
Professor Blackwood’s eyebrows shot up, her lips twitching with barely contained amusement. “Boys? Plural?”
“No,” I corrected quickly, face burning hotter. “Just... one boy. Man. Person.” I was making this so much worse.
“I see.” She leaned back in her chair, studying me with those piercing eyes. “And this distraction was significant enough to cause you to lose control of your magic?”
I stared down at my hands. “It wasn’t just that. I’ve never really used my magic for cleaning before. I was trying to follow the spells in that book, but they’re not designed for shadow magic. And it’s…boring.”
“Martha Stewart’s Practical Housekeeping Grimoireisn’t exactly tailored to your unique abilities,” Professor Blackwood agreed, her voice softening slightly. “Though it’s an excellent starting point for most practitioners.”
“There are people thatwantto study this?”
“There are many that have no choice,” she replied. “Widdershins Academy is full of exceptional students. But they are not the norm. I assumed you, of all people, would know that considering your family’s lack of power.”
Ouch. She was right though. My mother could barely conjure up enough magic to make dinner. And my father… well, he didn’t try.
Professor Blackwood stood and walked to one of her many bookshelves, running her finger along the spines until she found what she was looking for. “Perhaps this will be more suitable.” She pulled out a slim, black volume that seemed to absorb the light around it.
“Shadow Manipulation: Practical Applications for Uncommon Magic,” I read as she handed it to me. The book felt strangely cold in my hands, like it had been kept in a freezer.
“It’s rare, like your gift,” she explained. “Written by Arianna le Fay about three centuries ago. She was one of the last well-known shadow practitioners before your emergence.”
I carefully opened the book, watching as the shadows in the room seemed to lean toward it, drawn to its pages like moths to flame. “This is... incredible.”
“It’s on loan, Mr. Vale. Treat it accordingly.” Professor Blackwood returned to her seat. “Now, about your cleaning duties. I didn’t arrange that position merely to help you financially.”
“You didn’t?” I looked up from the book, confused.
“No. I selected it specifically because it offers an excellent opportunity for practical application of your abilities.” She steepled her fingers. “Shadow magic isn’t just about manipulating darkness or fate or walking other worlds, Ash. It’s about understanding the spaces between things, the negative space that defines our reality.”
I blinked at her use of my first name. She rarely did that.
“Cleaning is about transformation. Taking chaos and creating order. Removing what doesn’t belong on both the material plane and the spiritual.” Her eyes glittered with intensity. “Your magic is particularly suited to this task, if you approach it correctly.”
“But I put a hole in a toilet,” I pointed out.
“Because you weren’t focused,” she countered. “Your magic responds to your emotions and thoughts more directly than most forms. When you were distracted by... your man issue, your shadows responded to that internal chaos.”
Myman issue. That was one way to phrase it.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “So, what should I do differently?”
“Learn to channel that energy properly, just like you would with any element.” She stood again, moving to the center of her office. “I’ll show you with fire magic. Watch.”
