Page 37 of Uncharmed

Chapter Sixteen

brIGHTER THAN THIS

S oon, the unexpected arrangement at Arden Place saw mid-October arrive and the trio fell further into a strangely comfortable, pleasant routine.

One corner of the triangle was sugary sweet, the second all eye-rolls and curtains of dark hair, the third a perpetually dishevelled grumbler.

But each of them had to admit that their triple combination of Annie’s optimism and positivity, Maeve’s straight-talking determination and Hal’s calming presence seemed to balance their counterparts surprisingly well.

Like all marvellous potions, each ingredient was understated alone, but made something unexpectedly magical when combined.

After an arduous day of tackling deeper levels of Incantation theory (arduous only because Maeve kept asking extremely complex questions that Annie didn’t know the answers to), Maeve’s confidence burned brightly.

After she successfully managed to conjure fire on demand for the very first time, using a gentle brume of Ignis Candela to light every candle around the cottage, rather than allowing it to be explosively dictated by her temper, Annie declared that her progress called for a celebration.

All day, she had been dreaming up an enormous roast dinner, with a showstopping dessert to follow, and she let her magic flow freely around the kitchen as it did best. Annie hummed at the stove with the radio on, sparks flying to keep spoons stirring in saucepans and trays shuffling inside the oven while a pot of spiced apple cider simmered at her side.

A wonderful smell of stewed pumpkin combined with maple-glazed vegetables flooded the cottage, along with the faint wood smoke from the fireplace.

The three of them sat down at the table together (Hal only joining once he had scrubbed from head to toe, following Annie’s insistence that he would not touch her white tablecloth otherwise) and tucked into towering plates.

They were loaded with herbed carrots glazed to a sweet shine, roast potatoes so golden and crispy that they crunched under their forks, and a rich, dark gravy at the perfect consistency.

The latter was Hal’s contribution, who insisted that he didn’t trust anyone else to make it right – even Annie.

Maeve had been given the all-important task of using her newly harnessed sorcery fire to char a handful of marshmallows for the pudding.

‘I’ll never eat again,’ Hal said, leaning back in his chair and cradling his stomach after dinner.

‘Pudding?’ Annie asked brightly.

‘Go on then.’

Unable to contain a bursting smile, knowing that she’d done herself proud, Annie brought out the masterpiece that had taken hours and satiated her magic pleasantly – a towering chocolate cake so tall that it genuinely swayed as she levitated it towards the table.

The midnight-coloured cocoa was iced so delicately and so intricately that Maeve declared it should officially be considered Annie’s magnum opus.

Swirls of deep purple buttercream cascaded across each tier and enchanted edible flowers bloomed one by one around the edges.

Miniature chocolate stars were scattered across the top, in tribute to Maeve’s successful starlight spell, and surrounded an enchanted chocolate cauldron that poured out warm, white chocolate in a velvety river.

Solely for extra cuteness, tiny chocolate pumpkins adorned the bottom tier, while Maeve’s expertly charred marshmallows made for perfect little ghosts.

‘Too much?’ Annie asked, suddenly self-conscious. Maeve was already diving in with the cake slice, her brow furrowed with the pressure of making the first cut.

‘Never,’ Hal said, looking momentarily baffled by the whole situation, but very impressed nonetheless. She gave him a shy smile of appreciation for that.

Later, each of them sipped at black coffees and picked up chocolatey crumbs on their fingers.

‘I can see why that bakery of yours is such a success story. And why everyone at Hecate House is tripping over themselves to get to the leftovers,’ Hal said, pulling the napkin out of his collar and balling it onto the table in final defeat.

‘Your friends must be stopping by all the time to sample everything you make.’

Annie laughed quietly. ‘My non-wicche friends are right there with me. The others...They’re not quite so convinced.’

‘Well then,’ he said gruffly, interpreting the awkward silence when she didn’t elaborate. ‘They don’t know how lucky they are, do they?’ He scratched at his beard, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

Maeve was the first to leave the table. ‘Annie’s the best,’ she said simply, as she flexed her magic to stack up their cake plates.

Annie blushed furiously, but gave her a delighted round of applause for the effortless levitation spell.

Even Hal gave her a ‘Not bad, kid,’ before she excused herself for time with her pencils, sketchbooks, Karma and, incredibly, a snack plate.

Annie and Hal began to clear the rest of the table, neither saying a lot, and found themselves standing together awkwardly at the sink.

‘You wash, I’ll dry,’ Hal muttered. Annie wasn’t entirely sure why they’d both opted to be side by side, washing up together, when cleaning dishes was statistically proven to be magic’s most common use.

All she did know was that she felt calm.

Safe. Was she...relaxed? The shocking thought immediately undid that possibility as a bewildered tension at the idea laced her back together.

‘The kid seems happy,’ Hal said. ‘Never met anyone quite like her. Either of you, actually.’

‘I could say the same to you,’ Annie laughed. ‘She’s finding her feet. It’s funny to be around someone who sees straight through it all.’

‘Sees through what?’ Hal asked. For a fraction of a moment, Annie almost dared herself to say it all. To confess, to split open the dark secret that Splendidus Infernum took priority over anything and everything.

‘Nothing. You’re similar in that way, how you both seem content out here,’ she said, willing a change in conversation. ‘I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you end up all the way out here? In the literal middle of nowhere, only the animals for company.’

He laughed at that. ‘They’re my kind of conversationalists.

’ Seeing that she was waiting for a real answer, he sighed.

‘My dad died a few years ago. He was my whole world. I kept a close eye on him and his broken heart when we lost my mum. Then, when he was gone, too, I just needed to start again. Figure out what was right for me, for the first time in a while.’

He slowed down the tea towel against the plate that he was drying, then cleared his throat, pulling himself back together.

‘I like the peace here, having room to think and live slow. And the animals are always glad to have me around when humans sometimes aren’t. This place called to me right from the start; the meadow sits on crossing ley lines so there’s potent magic in the air, meaning...’

‘Your own personal magical menagerie,’ Annie chimed in.

‘Exactly. I just feel more at home somewhere where the sky is wide open and the ground feels solid. I can get on with my research, immersed in all these incredible creatures. It’s safer here if I bring back any unpredictable beasts from my travels.

And I can leave for a long time and know that no one will come knocking – at least, until you arrived. ’

He gave her a side-glance and Annie gave him a sheepish smile that made him lose his train of thought.

‘Y’know, it’s a damn shame that your friends back home don’t seem to appreciate you the way they should.’

Annie’s hands stopped of their own accord, still in the soapy water. She tried her best to explain. ‘They do, I know they do. Different parts of my life just exist in different boxes and it’s best to keep it that way.’

‘Boxes, hey? And which box do you like the best?’

‘Maybe time at Hecate House. Although honestly, I’ve put too much pressure on myself there because I’m always trying to impress the coven.

..Or the bakery...well, actually I put too much pressure on that, too.

Probably girls’ nights, then, I guess, but they can be a little.

..’ She caught herself rambling. ‘I can tell you that it’s not my dating life, that’s for sure. ’

‘So nothing’s bringing you all that much happiness these days, then,’ Hal said, re-rolling the damp end of his sleeve before chancing another glance at her.

‘The past couple of weeks have been the first time in a long time I’ve had anything that’s felt like real happiness, I think? I feel kind of...free.’

The confession spilled out of Annie so quickly that she swore she could feel the spell reel back, a little shocked that it hadn’t been able to filter things first, as though she’d snatched permission away from it.

Conversations at Arden Place kept bringing down her guard in ways she didn’t think were possible.

‘It’s so different to be around people who I don’t ever have to second-guess.

It feels like you’re both taking care of me sometimes, even though I’m supposed to be the one that’s doing the caretaking.

I don’t have to tread quite so lightly around here.

’ Annie tried to laugh it off even as she said it.

She kept her eyes determinedly focused on the sink full of bubbles.

Hal, too, seemed to be inordinately fascinated by his already-dry plate. ‘I’d say that’s the least you deserve.’

A small silence passed. ‘And you’re welcome to tread wherever and however hard you like in this house,’ he carried on.

‘Although my housemate is pretty strict about taking your boots off first.’ She flicked a bunch of soapy bubbles up at him and he quickly returned the attack. ‘Rules are rules. I’m just the lodger.’

Annie laughed. ‘My friend Vivienne said once that if I found myself in a situation without rules, I’d make some up anyway, just to make myself feel better.’