Did her mother teach her how to dance? Fuck no. She strained her memory, only to find that she had never even seen her mum dance. Serena shook her head, when her mother had sent her here, she didn’t say anything about dancing, or balls, or magic at all for that matter. Her uncle sighed and turned towards Aram. “I’m going to have a word with her mother.”

Thankfully at that point, the second course arrived and Serena let herself be distracted by the quality of the food, trying not to listen to the conversation the two men were having. “How did the council wrap up the whole Campbell affair, word hasn’t gotten to my people yet.” Aram nodded.

“The council is playing that one close to the vest, they don’t want it known that a dark mage broke into its vaults and got away with several relics.” Her uncle snorted.

“Which is why every dark mage of note is aware of it.” Aram’s lips curled into a smile.

“Well, Campbell is dead. We caught him trying to leave the country. He resisted; Webb got involved.”

Her uncle whistled. “Yes, indeed, they had to scrape up what was left of him off the pavement.” Aram said seriously.

“It is good for my people to be reminded some times that not all the heavy hitters are on our side.” It was Aram’s turn to snort.

“Side? Your people don’t have a side. You’re a collection of questionable alliances at the best of times. May I remind you that the council kills less of you than you do yourselves.”

Serena, who was both trying to hear and not to hear the conversation at the same time, almost choked in her salmon. Both men looked up, suddenly reminded that she was there. Aram, noticing his mistake, coughed politely as he turned towards her. “Don’t worry, your uncle is one of the strongest mages in the United Kingdom, you will be perfectly safe.” He gave her an encouraging smile, which did the opposite for Serena, and turned back to her uncle.

Safe? She was living in a house with a murderer, a psychopath, how was she supposed to be safe? It was eery how the two men could discuss murders and executions in the same tone that other people talked about sports. She was starting to understand why her mother left all this world of madness behind. What she didn’t understand was why her mother had never warned Serena about this place, or her uncle, or anything for that matter.

Things had happened rather quickly. She admitted. Maybe there had been no time? No, wait, that was bullshit, her mum had had the time to tell her everything. Okay, maybe not when Serena had been little, but surely her eighteenth birthday would have been perfect? Or maybe not, they had been growing apart for a while. As she had gotten older, she talked less and less with her mum, and then she had gone to college. After that they had barely spoken once a week. Not until Serena had discovered her new talent.

Almost unconsciously she started to bend the light in the dining hall to shine through her glass of red wine. It was her second glass of the evening, and honestly, not that bad. College had made her accustomed to cheap beer and hard liquor, but the wine tasted softer, more refined. Knowing her uncle, it was probably expensive. As she bent more and more light to be reflected through the glass she thought about her mother and her powers.

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The first time she had cast a spell she had been at a party. She had been sitting on a couch, next to someone who had passed out. She hadn’t been sober either, so at first when she guided the light through a black Bacardi bottle, she had just assumed she was drunker than she thought. But, since that night, she started seeing light in a different way. She could bend and twist it around herself, or guide it through objects, and a number of other tricks. She kept her newfound talent to herself. Why? She hadn’t really known herself.

Then, in her second year, she had come home for Christmas and she had brought the subject up with her mum. She couldn’t forget the way her mum’s eyes had almost popped out of their sockets. It was the first time she had seen her mother afraid. At the time Serena had wondered why her mum had been in such a state. Now, now she was starting to understand. This world she was now moving in to seemed to be a lot more dangerous than she expected.

She was abruptly ripped from her thoughts as the two men who were dining with her started clapping. “What? What is going on?” She asked, confused and perhaps a little bit fearful. Her uncle was smiling, in a sort of hungry way that she didn’t like at all. He pointed at the glass of wine, which radiated a warm red light.

“Such fine control, clearly you’ve practiced, maybe I shouldn’t be as cross with your mother as I thought.” He said approvingly.

He picked up his fork and hit the side of her glass. Carefully he listened to the sound that the glass made. Aram, watched quietly, but with interest. “A minor enchantment.” Her uncle said, breaking the silence. “Did you mean for it to anchor it in the liquid?” He interpreted her silence for what it was, but that didn’t seem to diminish his pride. “Three generations of powerful Cairn mages after one another, how long has it been since you’ve seen that?” He asked Aram with glittering eyes.

The other mage seemed to be a lot less happy, why that was she wasn’t sure. “Steven, she isn’t the only one. The Griffiths have enrolled their oldest in the apprentice programme, the same counts for the Fisher and Lawson families. On your side too there seems to have been an increase in apprentices. We’re reaching record breaking numbers. The last time there were this many of us, Merlin was leading the druid circles against the Romans.”

At the sound of the familiar name Serena looked up, her eyes drawing away from the glass, where she had been trying to discern her own enchantment. “Merlin? I thought he came from the medieval period?” She mimicked holding a sword. “That is the whole Excalibur thing, right?” The other two mages looked at her with astonishment. She returned their gazes with a glower. “Hey, that is how the movies go.” She muttered.

“I will be adding magical history to her curriculum.” Her uncle said, which was, in Serena’s opinion unfair. She was about to say something, but the men had already continued their conversation.

“I think it is an excellent development.” Her uncle said. “We’re due for another increase, there hasn’t been one since the seventeenth century. The world population has been growing rapidly, but our numbers have remained the same. Besides, it will make Serena’s apprenticeship more fun. I had to do with only three rivals, it stunted my growth. It wasn’t until the council got serious about cleaning us up that I was really challenged. Nearly broke me it did. A deathly rivalry will be excellent practice for when you lot come knocking.” The last part of the sentence was directed at Aram. Her uncle barked out harsh laughter, but he was alone in his mirth.

When he turned towards her, his eyes and voice were cold. “You will see, niece, nothing hones ability like the threat of death.”