“Magnificent.” Idris marveled. “I’ve never seen fire magic practiced before. How can the fire burn on rock with no fuel?” he asked.

  “The spell makes it burn.” Ignatius smiled. “Robert’s invocation calls the magic to do his bidding. It’s not easy…it takes discipline and practice. Without it, he’s as much a danger to himself and his allies as he can be to an enemy. Robert is becoming more skilled than his sister. Siouxsie has been practicing steadily and I think we’re ready. If you all would, please stand behind her so she can cast.” The companions did as they were told. Siouxsie looked more anxious than anyone and shook her hands and arms to work free her nervousness. Ignatius plucked a gumfruit from his pack, mounted his broom, and flew over to a large boulder next to a group of old dead trees thirty paces feet away. Everyone watched as he balanced the fruit upon the top of the rock and flew back to join the others. He dismounted and stood behind the girl as she intently glared at the distant object. “Go ahead, Siouxsie.” Ignatius encouraged her by grabbing her shoulders from behind and giving them an encouraging wiggle. “Just like you’ve practiced before.”

  “I think it’s too far away.” she said.

  “Try anyway.” He assured her. Siouxsie raised her arms to the sky in a “V”. As she did so, the clouds in the sky twisted and turned upon themselves like dough being kneaded. Closer and closer the clouds drew, gathering overhead. Those present began to exchange concerned looks as the clouds then began to darken becoming angrier and more sinister. The temperature of the air began to drop and winds began to whip their clothes and cloaks. Standing next to her, Hoxley watched as the color of Siouxsie’s eyes began to change, the blue and yellow color of her eyes went as black and violent as the clouds gathering above them.

  “Cast when you’re ready.” said Ignatius

  “It’s still hard to see.” she replied

  “Nobody gets it right the first time. I didn’t.”

  “Don’t be a little scaredy witch.” said Robert. “Call it now.”

  “Let her do it her way.” Ignatius told him.

  “I’m not a scaredy witch.” Siouxsie curled her lips to show her teeth. The clouds turned darker and darker to the point that the companions began to worry less about lightning than what storm was threatening to fall on them. Siouxsie lowered her right hand and held it out before her to look at the target between her fingers. The other raised straight up to the sky.

  “I can’t feel it.” she said. “It’s small and there’s no metal on it.”

  “Metal?” asked the prince

  “Lightning can find metal items.” Idris told him. “Bronze, steel, gold, iron. Lightning strikes find these easier than tall trees. It can strike anything but when given the option it will choose targets with metals on them over ones that don’t. Have you not ever noticed that lightning sometimes strikes the parapets of the castle during storms?”

  “I have.” said the prince. “If she’s still learning then why not have her practice her magic on something metal?”

  “Anything we use will be destroyed.” said Ignatius. “Do you have spare items you don’t mind to have ruined?”

  “No, I don’t.” he said

  “Shhh.” said Idris. “Let us watch to see what the witch girl can do.” Siouxsie held her stance for a few more moments to let the clouds grow larger before holding both hands out with her index fingers and thumbs touching. Hoxley clamped her hands over her large ears just as she began saying the magic words:

  “Furious cumulus!”

  No one knows where and when a bolt of lightning is going to strike. They are as random as they are dangerous. But as fast as the words leapt from Siouxsie’s tongue, a vehement bolt of light fell from the heavens, striking one of the trees behind the boulder the fruit sat upon. Everyone but the witches flinched in fear as the awesome power splintered the tree into a thousand pieces. One second it was there, and in the blink of an eye it vanished in a shower of splinters spraying in every direction.

  “Ahh!” Morell shouted as he backed away, covering his ears.

  “Huzzah!” shouted Robert as he held his fists in the air. “She killed the tree in one shot!”

  “I was aiming for the fruit, remember?” Siouxsie said

  “Oh.” Robert lowered his hands.

  “Well, horse apples.” Hoxley huffed

  “She missed?” asked the shadow girl’s voice from within the prince’s pockets

  “Yes, it would appear so.” He answered.

  “She’s not done.” Ignatius reminded them. “Until she claps her hands to dispel the magic she can still cast. Try again, Siouxsie. Concentrate.” The girl nodded and took another stance with her hands out.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Furious cumulus!”

  Another lightning bolt shot from the clouds, obliterating another tree into nothingness and sending wood chips flying in every direction. The fruit however remained untouched.

  “That’s owl shit!” Siouxsie cursed. “I had it aligned!”

  “Don’t get frustrated.” Ignatius told her as he stooped a little to whisper in her ear. “This is magic. It’s not an arrow to be fired, it’s a command to be fulfilled. Try once more.” Everyone covered their ears as Siouxsie held her hands up to sight the fruit. For the longest time she held her hands there saying nothing until she dropped her left hand and held closed all of her fingers save for the index and pinky finger that she extended skyward like the tines of a pitchfork.

  “There you are.” She finally said. “FURIOUS…Cumulus!”

  A final hot bolt, more powerful than the rest, rained down to not only strike the fruit, but annihilate it with such power that the rock it rested upon was split down the middle. The shock wave from the blast alone was enough to stir the cloaks and clothes of those who beheld it. Siouxsie, satisfied with her casting, clapped her hands twice and looked to the sky. The dark clouds immediately stopped swirling and separated to drift along the wind.

  “I did it!” Siouxsie squealed as she leapt in place before embracing her older brother.

  “Far better than my first attempts.” Ignatius told her.

  “Magnificent!” Hoxley clapped gleefully, prompting the others to join her. “Well done, Siouxsie!”

  “Yes!” Prince Damron and Idris agreed.

  “Amazing.” Morell said, awestruck by both the performance and the girl.

  “There.” Ignatius said, stooping to collect Siouxsie in his arms and lift her off the ground. “You’re one step closer to being in full control of your ability.” He spun her about once before setting her down on her winklepickers. “We should keep moving.” He said “If anyone is nearby, three lightning strikes in quick succession may cause someone to come searching.

  “Quite right.” Said Hoxley pointing to a place higher on the mountain. “We’ll move along until we reach that next plateau. That may be the last spot we can make a camp below the snowline before nightfall. It would be dangerous to attempt traversing the thin pass in low light. Everyone be sure to get your blankets out so the sun’s rays can warm them. It may be a cold night ahead.”

  “Well said.” Ignatius remarked before looking to the twins. “Twosome, you’re scouting. Stick together.”

  “Can do!” the twins saluted in unison before rocketing away. Idris and the prince started walking first, followed by Morell. Ignatius lingered to wait until Hoxley had resituated her saddlebags so that the two could walk side by side. She shouldered her spear and the pair walked at equal speed as his long legs helped to match her steady gait. From beneath his cloak, he produced a simple handmade crown of colorful interwoven wildflowers and offered it to her.

  “You’ve grown taller and more beautiful since I saw you last.” He confessed.

  “It’s beautiful enough to eat.” Hoxley blushed before lowered her head for him to place it over her horns. Once seated atop her head her fingers traced the edges of the velvety purple petals.

  “That why I brought you these.” He added, reaching into his cloak a second time to grab a small bunch of branches adorned with white flowers and tiny red berries. “Is sarsaparilla root still your favorite?” Hoxley’s eyes widened at the delicacy.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed, eagerly taking the plants to smell them. “How did you know I love sarsaparilla?”

  “I asked the twins since they’d spent time with you last. Siouxsie told me you were mad for them.”

  “Yes, always.” She said, smelling the clusters of berries before plucking one and putting it in her mouth. “Mmmm. These are my favorite. Would you like some?” She offered.

  “No thank you.” He declined. “I had my fill when I collected them. Those are for you.” Hoxley picked at the cluster of berries as she walked, enjoying the richness of the juice. She devoured them in quick order. When the berries were gone she started nibbling the leaves and stems as well. To anyone not familiar with criocentaurs and their half goat natures, the sight of a girl chewing on a branch might have seemed odd. But for Ignatius, Hoxley’s gestures seemed no more out of place than a pointed hat atop his head.