PENELOPE KALLIS:

It was late at night when Eliot knocked on my door, just a few hours after I spotted Alex heading to Ellie’s room to check up on her.

“Did you spot him?” he asked quietly, looking around before entering the dim candle-lit room.

“No – but he’ll be here.” I closed the door, taking a deep breath as nerves started kicking in.

“I think I see him,” Rose said, peeking out the window. “Oh, wait– no, that ain’t him.”

“Rose. . .” I sighed, pulling my hair back in a ponytail.

“You okay?” Eliot furrowed his brows. “Don’t forget you guys came up with this idea.”

“I know–” I sat on the edge of the bed. “But what if we get caught?”

“Should’ve thought of that before you coaxed me into this.” He sighed, taking a seat next to me before his eyes dropped to the narrow rectangular black box he carried with him. “Anyway. . . I wanted to give you this after the entrance exam, but all things considered, I figured you should have it now.”

“What is it?” I asked with piqued curiosity, completely forgetting about the lurking anxiety. Even Rose found the gesture intriguing, though having our lookout distracted probably wasn’t the best idea.

“See it yourself,” he said, handing me the black box.

Despite having no markings, an idea immediately came to mind about what could be hiding within. It was too long to be jewelry, and Eliot wouldn’t be the type to get me a dagger, leaving me with only one guess.

“Wait. . . You didn’t, right?” I couldn’t stop smiling and was quick to open it. My jaw dropped the moment I saw it–

“An Ashwood wand, enchanted using a Frost Salamander’s mana crystal– or core, whichever term you prefer,” Eliot explained with his arms crossed and a well-deserved smug grin, knowing he nailed the gift. “It’s painted black, with the blue crystal embedded in the handle, your favorite colors.”

“But when did you–”

“At the Academy, where else?” He sighed again, looking back at the wand. “You know as good as I do that they don’t sell these just anywhere. Had to go through a great deal of trouble to get my hands on this bad boy.”

“It’s amazing– thank you!” Although he wasn’t big on hugging, I couldn’t resist.

“Glad you like it.” He hugged me back, but I was quick to let go. “So, plan on giving it a try, or...?”

He didn’t need to ask twice; I took the wand right out and could immediately tell it was a perfect match, fitted perfectly in my hand.

“Looks fun, but what’s so special about wands?” Rose asked, glancing out the window every few seconds or so.

“You don’t know?” I was a bit surprised, considering she was a sixth-circle mage. Then again, having a powerful core didn’t translate to knowledge. “Wands are one of the four types of focuses that mages use to cast spells. They remove the need for simple components that typically aren’t consumed by the spell and help with accuracy and control.”

“They also help with voiceless casting, and come with a set of spells enchanted into the wand directly, so you don’t have to learn the spell to cast it– that is, as long as you have mana,” Eliot explained, getting up. “This particular wand has some basic offensive cantrips and as many as eleven spells, one of which is a third circle spell.”

“Must’ve cost you a fortune. . .” My eyes traced back to the wand that I was too afraid to grip hard, thinking it would snap.

“Hold it properly.” He chuckled. “Even I’d struggle to break it intentionally.”

“Really?” I was astonished, having not held one before.

“Yeah, but before you worry your pretty little head over it, you should know it hardly cost me anything. I– just had to do a bit of an errand for the wand maker. One I’d like not to repeat.”

“You didn’t do anything. . . questionable, right?” I raised a brow, a bit out of curiosity and slightly out of worry.

“Do I even want to know what you’re thinking?” Eliot blankly stared at me, shaking his head in disbelief. “Anyway, it wasn’t anything major. He just wanted help spreading the word about his shop. Students get their first wands dirt cheap, but since it was my second and I wanted something a bit more special, he wouldn’t just let it go.”

“Did you tell him it was for your sister?” I asked, knowing vendors tended to look favorably toward me when I suggested it.

“I did, but it didn’t matter.” He scratched his head, looking displeased from merely remembering. “God, it was so embarrassing– standing there, having to convince people to go.”

“Nothing wrong with some honest work.” I chuckled.

“Tell that to the other students,” he scoffed. “So? Will you–”

“He’s here,” Rose interrupted, gesturing for us to come.

“Perfect timing,” I said, holding my wand firmly now. “Did he get past the guards?”

“No. It seems he’s having trouble finding the right moment.” Rose moved out of the way, holding the curtain for us as we got closer.

“Where– Oh! There he is,” I said, spotting Ron hiding in the bushes inside the courtyard, the two guards hard-pressed on looking in his direction. Luckily, he wasn’t spotted yet.

“What’s the plan?” Rose asked.

“Could you use your telepathy and tell him to get closer?” I asked, looking at her. “Levitating him up here would be hard without them spotting him, even with the wand now.”

“Sure.” Her gaze toward him, and a second later, Ron jumped, surprised by the sudden telepathic link Rose formed. Considering it caught me off guard back at the auction, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing I could have asked of her. Although we got lucky again as Ron was quick to cast an invisibility spell, avoiding detection. “What now?” Rose asked, looking at me for directions.

“He used Mirage to cloak himself, but it doesn’t let him move without breaking,” Eliot explained, pinching his chin while clasping his elbow with his other hand. “Hmm. . . He needs an opening. How about– Ah! Penelope.”

“Yeah?” He looked at me eagerly.

“The wand I gave you. How about trying to cast Propel on something?” He suggested, glancing out the window. “Maybe that rock to their right? We should be within range.”

“Won’t they notice?” I questioned, giving into worry of being caught again.

“Try casting it without incantations, and since it’s enchanted into the wand and has little to no visual signs other than a small puff of mana at the tip, you shouldn’t have to worry about being seen at this range.”

“You want me to try voiceless? But what if I fuck up?” I could feel cold sweat creeping up on me.

“You’re a third-circle mage. The worst that could happen is the spell fails, and nothing happens. Sure, you’d lose a bit of mana, but that shouldn’t matter for someone like you.”

“Still. . .” My gaze dropped as my lack of confidence became apparent. “I don’t know the spell. Maybe I should just do it normally.”

“No, your brother is right. Why not give voiceless casting a try?” Rose grabbed my armed hand, gently guiding it toward the window. “The guards aren’t mages, so I doubt they’ll figure it out.”

“But–” I looked back at her.

“You better hurry. Mirage doesn’t last forever, and they’re looking for him as we speak,” Eliot interrupted. “Remember. Pick something light and imagine launching it in whichever direction you want, almost like Levitate.”

“Alright,” I said, taking a deep breath.

My eyes locked onto the small rock by the gate, and the hand quickly followed, swirling the wand as I imagined casting the spell. A small gust of purple smoke expelled from the tip, making a ‘puff’ sound before the rock flew to the left, colliding with the wall.

It worked like a charm, the noise just loud enough to avert their attention, long enough for Ron to break his invisibility and run toward my window.

“Levitate,” I chanted, swirling the wand again before Ron got gently lifted off the ground, heading straight for us.

The poor guy was so keen on getting out of there that he tried swimming through the air just to get to us faster, but in reality, it didn’t really do anything. Eliot popped the window open, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him in before he collapsed to the floor as he was out of control. Thankfully the carpet cushioned his fall.

“You good?” Eliot asked Ron as I dismissed the spell.

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“I’m good. I’m– good,” Ron reassured, taking a sigh of relief with his eyes closed. We all just stared at him until he finally lifted his head off the floor, looking back at us. “What happened? Were we caught?”

“No?” Eliot offered him a hand.

“Then why the deafening silence?” He asked, taking him up on his offer. “Thanks.”

“More importantly, did you bring what we need?” Rose asked, closing the window and pulling the curtain.

“Hi to you too.” Ron chuckled, searching his robe’s inner pockets. “Didn’t know you could use telepathy.”

“Give it time.” Rose smiled.

“God, I’m glad you made it,” I said as he handed me two sealed vials filled with bubbly green liquid. “I was a bit worried I might drop you there.”

“That was an option?” Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve been trying my best to get good at casting Levitate, but it kept breaking on me a few seconds after casting. The wand I got helped tremendously.” I was quick to show it off.

“Damn, a wand? How’d you get your hands on it?” Ron asked, squinting at it from a distance.

“Have a look.” I handed it over. “Eliot bought it for me at the Academy.”

Ron inspected every inch before glancing at Eliot.

“Got one for me too?” He chuckled.

“Once we get to–” Eliot suddenly stopped, grabbing his head in confusion. “Ah, fuck. . .”

“Everything alright?” I asked.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”

“You sure?” I furrowed my brows, trying to catch his gaze.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.” He sighed.

“Okay. . .” We all had our odd moments, and he was entitled to his. “Anyway, are these it?” I looked back at the vials. “The color looks a bit different.”

“It’s hard to brew when low on time and lack the right materials, but don’t worry, I came up with a fun alternative.” He took one of the vials right out of my hand, standing proud with a smile glued to his face. “It was going to be a bit weaker than what you asked for, but I made sure to add a bit of a targeted muscle relaxant, so they should be fighting for the shitter– I mean toilet.”

“We sure it’s safe?” Eliot asked, having no intention of poisoning anyone.

“Give me a minute, and I’ll find out. . .” I took the vial back, taking it over to the desk for a closer inspection. “Identify.”

“Honestly, Penelope. . . How’d you come up with such a silly idea?” Eliot asked, leaning against the wall.

“Technically, it wasn’t me who brought it up. It was Rose, so I can’t take credit.”

“Rose?” Eliot turned his sights on her.

“Don’t look at me. Ron mentioned paying back the Weltons for messing with Alex.”

“Maybe I brought it up, but Penelope was the one who came up with the plan, including the potion.”

“The idea surprised me too, but I was merely blabbing about how I wished my alchemy kit was with me. I could have done this myself, but had I asked, they would have figured out it was me.”

“Glad I could be of help. Luckily, it was an easy one to brew.”

“You say that, but I can tell this ain’t your first time making this potion. . .” I said, turning back to the group as the potion checked out. “It’s safe.”

“Unbelievable.” Eliot sighed with his hands constantly crossed, reminding me of Father.

“You say that, but I haven’t heard any objections since we first brought it up,” I said, handing over one of the vials to Rose.

“That’s because you don’t fuck with a Kallis and expect to get away with it.” His voice became stern, and gaze narrowed. “We were told not to tell our parents, but he said nothing about payback.”

I nodded in agreement.

“But why not tell your parents?” Ron asked for the first time.

“We need to wait for when the time is right,” I tried explaining, but truthfully couldn’t fully answer that question myself. Still, the three of us had an understanding that telling our parents would lead to utter chaos and that with a potential war at our doorstep, it wasn’t worth doing straight away. “It’s complicated.”

“Right. Shouldn’t have asked about family matters anyway.” Ron tapped his pockets twice, then nodded while staring at the bed. “Okay! Where were we?”

“Penelope?” Eliot looked to me.

“Right.” I cleared my throat. “Ron, you’ve done your part. Good job.”

“Glad I could be of service.” He bowed, elegantly swinging his arms back and crossing his left foot over the other. “If you need anything else, just say the word.”

“Thanks, but for now, you can relax. Eliot!” I turned toward my brother. “You know what to do, right?”

“Yes, yes. . .” he muttered, pushing away from the wall with his foot, making his way toward the door. “Distract Grandfather. Get him to leave the bedroom– preferably downstairs, a good bit away from sight. Not the easiest task, but give me enough time, and I shall see it done.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“And I– pardon,” Rose drew our attention. “I shall mask myself to be just like your uncle’s maid and slip the potion in his late-night tea.”

“Hm. Sounds like a great idea,” Ron said, pulling up a chair to sit with the backrest facing the front. “However. . . what about the maid?”

“Suggestion spell had already been cast on her. She should be enjoying a good night's sleep right about now,” Rose explained.

“But won’t he be able to recognize you?”

Rose giggled, snapping her fingers before her body began to morph. She grew taller, but more importantly, her face and hair turned identical to that of the maid’s. Although she shapechanged before, it was always a sight to see.

“Disguise.” Even her voice was no longer her own, and after chanting the incantation, the simple dress she wore turned into a maid’s uniform. “What do you think?”

“Woah.” Ron was awed. “How’d you do that?”

“I told you, give it time,” Rose teased.

“We might not want to drag this out, or Uncle might get suspicious before I even get a chance to talk to Grandfather,” Eliot warned, ready at the door. “Penelope. I take it you know your role?”

“Help Ron sneak into the house using Levitate. Done.” I counted on my fingers. “Make sure the potions he brought weren’t dangerous, also done. The last thing we need is an unwanted accident–”

“Maybe that’s just what we need,” Eliot scoffed, furious with the Weltons since the night Alex told us. “For all I care, they’re no family of mine.”

“Eliot,” I said, waiting, hoping he’d calm.

He sighed, murmuring something with his gaze turned before Ron’s clearing of the throat broke the tension.

“You were saying?” Ron asked, scratching his head awkwardly.

“Right. . .” I mumbled. “Next, I’m to wait for Eliot to do his part before sneaking in and finding his medicine. The mix of the two shouldn’t affect either, but if it does, it’s just something to soothe the pain in his leg. Or maybe I’ll just replace it altogether–”

But it wasn’t there, his medicine. At least five minutes had passed already, yet I couldn’t find a single trace of the ebony flask he always carried with him. Poor Eliot did his job perfectly, and here I was, messing it all up.

“Please don’t tell me he took it with him. Darn it!” I sighed, leaning against the bedside drawer, and as if things weren’t bad enough, one of the legs supporting it snapped, hitting the floor quite hard. “No, no, no. . .” I jumped off, holding my head in panic. “Please let it be that no one heard.”

The damage wasn’t excessive– only the leg really. Thankfully nothing fragile broke, or it would have taken a long time to repair, even if I were to use a wand.

“Mend,” I chanted, flicking my wand, watching as the leg flew back in place, fixing itself gently. It was as if the accident had never happened. “Think, Penelope, think. . . If he took it, what could I do?”

There wasn’t much time left, and if someone had heard, I had even less. Obviously I wasn’t going to find the flask, so I had to improvise.

“Option one, leave the vial next to the bed and hope he drinks it. What?” I baffled myself, though talking out loud helped me think. “Option two, attempt to spike his drink in the morning– No. That won’t work.” I sighed before noticing a cup on the farside table. “That’s it!”

Running over, I looked inside and came to find it empty.

“Okay. . .” I mumbled, reaching for the vial before popping it open and spilling it in. There wasn’t a lot, as the potion itself was exactly thirty milliliters, but luckily I had just the set of spells that could help me. “Conjure Ice,” a small icicle appeared within the cup. “Shape Water.” It turned liquid, mixing with the bubbly green potion and filling half the cup. “Disguise.” The green color turned clear, and even the bubbles were gone. “That should do it.”

Picking it up, I put it beside his bed before slowly attempting to sneak out of the room. For a moment I believed to be in the clear, but as I was closing the door behind me, someone cleared their throat, making me jump.

“And might I ask what the young lady was doing in the master bedroom?” asked calmly, a familiar gruff voice belonging to Bernand, the head butler of the Welton Estate.

I slowly turned to look at the man who was of similar stature, except with broader shoulders. His raven shoulder-long hair pushed back as always, and his dark-eyed gaze locked on me.

“I– I. . . Am.” I stuttered, knowing nothing I could say would save me.

“Tell me the truth, and I might put in a good word for you when you come before Lord Welton.”

“Wait!” yelled a girly voice from behind.

It was the maid Rose disguised as, but I wasn’t sure if it was her as she was all too convincing.

“What is it, Zayna?” Bernand asked. “Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something?”

“My apologies, but I couldn’t allow blame be put on Lady Penelope when it was I who's at fault.”

“Go on. . .” He furrowed his brows, suspicious at the very least.

“Lord Welton asked me to bring him some tea, seeing as I did the same for his son. Lady Penelope was nearby when it happened and had offered to help. You can check with Lord Welton, but–” Her eyes gleamed for a split second before she continued in a whisper, “you don’t want to do that. In fact, you haven’t seen us all night, and if anyone does get suspicious, you’ll tell them it was me, the maid, who went into Lord Welton’s bedroom.”

“I– I haven’t seen you. . .” He said, looking dazed and even a bit unsteady.

“That’s right. Not only that, but you’ll keep going and pay no mind to what we just spoke of, alright? I’m sure you have other business to attend to.”

“I–” He paused, then sighed. “I do, don’t I?”

Shaking his head, he simply walked past, pretending as if he never saw us.

“That was amazing,” I expressed, looking back at her. “You’re a lifesaver, Rose.”

“Who’s Rose?” She looked at me in confusion.

“Wait– huh?” We kept staring at each other before she suddenly started snickering.

“Just kidding, but you should’ve seen the look on your face,” she said, grabbing my hand. “Let’s go before someone else finds us.”

And just like that, we returned to my room. Sadly, I had to admit my failure, but I still held hope he’d drink the half-full cup sometime throughout the night. It wasn’t perfect, but I was still proud of our little theatric, up until we had to sneak Ron out which was pure comedy in the end.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.