Furever Enchanted, page 16
“What does it feel like when you use magic?”
The wheels in Zuri’s head stopped turning for a moment. She wasn’t expecting that kind of question.
“It feels like,” she paused and thought about it, “like just wanting something and asking for it to happen. Like, the magic is alive and self-aware and wants to help me. It’s kind of hard to explain. Maybe it’s a little like Genie from Aladdin, but a lot less talkative.”
“Will you miss it? If they take it away?” Claudia unbuckled her seat belt.
Would she? It wasn’t like she even knew what to do with it, not really. A less anxious version of herself would probably be excited about it, but if she was honest, she still feared it. She remembered her fury when she had thought Astrid had killed Gigi and about how easy it had been to use magic on Claudia. The magic took over, guided by her raw emotions. Corrupted by them to do terrible things on her behalf. If she kept it, she might seriously hurt someone. While the excited childlike part of herself still wondered what she could do with magic or how it might make life easier, the fear she felt outweighed any potential benefits.
Most people probably wouldn’t understand, but her brain was wired differently. Fear almost always won. She wasn’t proud of it, but it was just how things were. Maybe one day it would be different. She could be different. Rescuing Gigi had proved that she could be brave when she needed to be. But she had lived thirty-one years without magic and she could easily keep living without it now.
If she kept the magic, everything would get turned upside down. Her entire life would change, and not all for the better. It would definitely drive a wedge between her and her friends. It already had. She just wanted a cozy home with her sweet, now unenchanted, dog. She also wanted her friendship with Julianna to continue, despite her secrets and their fight. And Claudia. She wanted Claudia too. More than she should, especially after using magic on her.
With Gigi disenchanted, they didn’t really have a reason to keep seeing each other. Not unless Claudia wanted to.
“I won’t miss the magic.” She took Claudia’s hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. “But I will miss you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Claudia leaned over, her face inches from Zuri, but she waited for Zuri to close the gap between them.
Zuri, the introvert that she was, hadn’t kissed anyone in an embarrassingly long time, but her body still remembered. For once, she didn’t hesitate. The wheels spinning in her head stopped as her mouth melted with Claudia’s. For once, her mind was quiet. No thinking necessary. She tried to get closer, but realized the seatbelt was holding her back. Claudia unbuckled it for her and pulled Zuri toward her until she was practically sitting in her lap.
Kissing Claudia was definitely better than having all the magic in the world.
Chapter 28
Wednesday
Zuri stood in the center of a dark room that reminded her of a courtroom. The walls were a dark oak and swirls of crown molding connected them to a glass ceiling that let in the light from the night sky. The moon and stars shined brighter here, their rays of light reaching down to bless the earth.
Instead of a single judge, she faced twelve, all hiding their eyes and bodies in dark, heavy cloaks and hoods. Floating candles illuminated their phantomlike figures from behind. They surrounded her, as if they thought she might run away, never mind that she had walked into the room of her own free will.
She wasn’t facing them alone. Michael, Lucy, and Violet stood just outside the circle of witches and warlocks who were about to decide her fate. They waited by the door quietly. Violet’s mouth sat in a hard line and Zuri saw her wipe a tear from her cheek. For someone like Violet who had known magic her whole life, the chance of it being taken away was worse than death. She had even tried to persuade Michael and Lucy to postpone the meeting with the council, but their hands were tied.
“The law is clear. The families of career criminals like Blackhammer are to have their magic sealed,” a hooded man to Zuri’s right declared.
“But she didn’t have her magic until recently and has no real relationship with her uncle or father,” a tall, hooded woman to Zuri’s left argued.
“Besides, Malik Blackhammer was only a teenager when David began his violent campaign to seize power. There’s no need to punish his offspring. The other members of the Blackhammer family have been punished enough,” a third hooded person in front of Zuri said.
“If her magic was triggered and the seal on the family broken, isn’t that a sign that we should leave her be?” a fourth spoke up.
“What do you think will happen when he finds out about her magic?” the first man asked.
“He targets powerful witches and wizards, corrupts them. Is she equipped to go against such power?” a fifth council member questioned.
“If we leave her be, she may wind up dead, her blood on our hands,” a sixth council member spoke.
Zuri listened to them argue about what to do with her. They spoke about her like she wasn't there. It was her life they were discussing, but no one bothered to ask her opinion. They all assumed the magic was important to her, that she wanted it. They were wrong.
At thirty-one years old, she had lived her entire life without magic. Over the last couple of weeks, her encounters with it had mostly led to trouble. Gigi was cured of her curse. The last thing she needed was more witches or warlocks coming into her life. It might have been fine before when she was alone, but she wasn’t alone now. She had people who were close to her, real friends. If keeping her magic might put them in danger again, or if it increased the chance that her uncle would come for her, Zuri didn’t need it.
Her magic vibrated beneath her skin and through her veins, the feeling pleasant and soothing, almost intoxicating. It wanted to stay free, to stay part of her.
Zuri shook off the feeling, and her magic retreated, giving her room to think clearly again. It was too dangerous. She wasn’t a risk-taker. It had to go.
“You can seal my magic, or whatever,” Zuri interrupted them.
They stared at her, not expecting her to contribute to the conversation at all, and definitely not like that. From the way Michael, Lucy, and Violet had acted after the Council summons, she knew having one’s magic sealed away was something most witches and warlocks would try to avoid at all costs. But she wasn’t a witch. Not really. And she had never been someone who craved power either. All she really wanted was to be at home with Gigi, relaxing on her sofa with a book, a good blanket, and a hot mug of tea. No more adventures. No more basement sanctuaries. No more cauldrons.
“If we seal your magic, it’s nearly irreversible. You won’t be able to change your mind,” the first man said.
“I don’t need magic. I just wanted to disenchant my dog. If what you’re saying about my uncle coming to find me is true, I’d rather you just take my magic now.” Zuri looked to her right at the first council member, the one who seemed to be in charge. The hood of his cloak hid his eyes, but his mouth sat in a line of displeasure.
“Your opinion on your fate has been noted.” He addressed the other eleven members of the Council. “Enough discussion, let us vote. All in favor of sealing her magic away?”
Eight of the witches and warlocks around her proclaimed, “Aye,” including the man leading the others through the proceedings. The other four stood silent, waves of disappointment rolling off them.
“It has been decided. Your magic will be sealed.” He nodded. “But we will have to keep watch over you. It is unclear what Blackhammer already knows.”
“This isn’t going to hurt, is it?” Zuri took a step back, suddenly very nervous. Why hadn’t she thought about that sooner?
“You shouldn’t feel a thing.” The man smiled before raising his hands toward the sky, the other council members joining him. They began chanting in unison and blinding white light radiated from their hands. Zuri covered her eyes, but she shouldn’t have bothered. The council members brought their hands down in front of them, aiming the light at her. Liar, she thought before the intense pain that flowed from the crown of her head to each of her toes caused her to lose consciousness.
Chapter 29
Saturday
“I will never forgive them for this!” Julianna yelled before falling back onto the sofa, bowl of popcorn in both hands.
“It was my decision to have my magic sealed, Julianna.” Zuri sighed. Over the past few days, she had thought about it, and so far she couldn’t say that she regretted her decision.
“Then I’ll never forgive you.” Julianna threw a handful of popcorn at her face.
“I don’t know why you invited her.” Claudia set three steaming mugs of spicy herbal chai tea down on the coffee table before taking the middle seat between them.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here either. No lovey-dovey PDA, okay? As happy as I am that you two FINALLY got together, I don’t need to see that.” Julianna threw popcorn in Claudia’s face.
“What do you mean, finally? We’ve only known each other a couple of weeks.” Claudia glared at Julianna and grabbed the bowl, passing it to Zuri.
“Could have been a thing from day one.” Julianna tried to reach for the bowl again, but Claudia slapped her hand away.
“Can you please finally tell me what your secret job is and why the shelter hasn’t put in a restraining order against you for giving away animals?” Zuri pleaded.
“She sells feet pictures.” Claudia smirked.
“You PROMISED you wouldn’t tell anyone!” Julianna screamed, leaping off the couch and pointing a finger at Claudia accusingly.
“She made so much money selling feet pictures that she makes these huge donations to the shelter. They can’t afford to make her angry.” Claudia shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth, satisfied.
“I used to sell feet pictures. That’s how I got my seed money. Now my money comes from my investments into the pet industry. Did you know that even when there’s a recession, people still keep spending on their pets?” She flopped back down.
“Tell her about the matching pajamas for people and their cats,” Claudia snorted.
“Don’t say that like you didn’t buy a pair.”
“I don’t get it. So why are you always walking or using rideshare apps if you’re loaded?” she asked.
“I got into a small car accident last year and since then I just don’t like driving.” Julianna shrugged and hit play on their movie.
Zuri looked at Gigi, curled up on her luxury dog bed next to the couch. Gigi looked back, the corners of her mouth turned slightly up, almost like she was smiling. Without her, she would never be sitting there on her couch with a good friend and even a girlfriend. She remembered talking to Paul, her neighbor down the street, when she’d first gotten Gigi and all their trips to the park. This was only the beginning. Gigi might not be enchanted to poop gold anymore, but she was definitely enriching Zuri’s life in more ways than she would have thought possible. She was the real magic.
About the Author
B. E. Bang is a Denver-based science fiction and magical realism author.
She likes most dogs but loves Chow Chows, especially black ones.
When she isn’t working or writing, Bang loves to spend time outdoors walking, running, biking and hiking. Bang also enjoys learning new languages and is currently brushing up on her Mandarin and beginning to learn Spanish.
Bang holds Master of Social Work and Master of Public Administration degrees from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from the University of Denver.
Visit B. E. Bang online at www.bebangwrites.com.
B. E. Bang, Furever Enchanted
