The next morning, Willow walked downstairs to breakfast, eager to learn new spells. Her mother taught her everything she knew about magic, and now she was keen to learn spells from another sorcerer.

"This morning, you will go pick out your wand from a Rainbowflower tree," Victor said.

"What is a Rainbowflower tree?" Willow asked as she sat down at the table.

"It's the species of tree that all the fairies in the fairy worlds pick their wands from. One grows on this island," Victor replied.

Willow had never heard of a wand. "Well, what is a wand?"

"A wand helps a sorcerer or sorceress channel their magic when doing spellcasting."

Andaria had never used a wand when casting spells, and neither had Willow. "This would be a perfect time to show you around the island too!" Victor added.

When they finished eating, they all walked out to the stables. Starfire ran around in her stall excitedly when she saw Willow.

"Hey there, girl. We're going for a ride!" Willow said to her. She let Starfire out of her stall and saddled her. Rosaria, Victor, and Lillithia saddled their horses and rode them out of the stable.

They walked under the dark forest canopy. Willow heard the sounds of forest animals crying in the distance, and brightly colored birds flew amongst the branches of the treetops. "Do you know what kind of birds those are?" Willow asked, pointing at some birds sitting on a branch. They had bright-blue wings and fluorescent purple tails.

"Don't know. Victor hasn't named them yet," Lillithia replied.

"Named them?" Willow asked.

Victor said, "Yes. Many species on this island were undiscovered until I moved here. I have yet to name those birds."

"Victor says that this Rainbowflower tree was the home to the Godmother fairies at one time," Lillithia said.

"Godmother fairies, what are those?" Willow asked.

"Godmother fairies were protectors of children."

Willow admired the beauty of the island and wondered how Victor came to find it. "How did you find this island?"

Victor replied, "I used to be a doctor in Ethermoor City. When I retired, I wanted to go somewhere far away. I found this island. When I want to go to the mainland, I recite a transporter spell, and it transports me there." The thought of just beaming from one place to another thrilled Willow.

They came to the edge of a small valley. Willow looked out and saw a tree in the center of it that was so beautiful, it took Willow's breath away. Its flowers were every color of the rainbow. They were iridescent and shimmered different colors depending on how the sun shone on them. A sweet, pungent aroma filled the air as the breeze blew through its branches.

"It's bloomed!" Rosaria gasped.

"Yes, it has begun to bloom again now that my brother invited the fairies back to Ethermoor!" Victor said.

There was something that had been bothering Willow ever since she found out that the spell had broken only two months prior. "Wait, but my sorceress great-great-grandmother and my great-great-grandfather crossed back into this realm 150 years ago," Willow said.

Victor turned to her and said, "When the fairies were banned, they arrived in different worlds and centuries within those worlds. When the spell lifted, it caused a fraying of the magical barrier across the realms and the centuries. Gradually, sorcerers and sorceresses and fairies have been returning since shortly after the spell broke, and they will continue doing so until magic has returned completely."

"But what about those who arrived many years ago?"

"As I said, lifting the barrier caused a fraying in the barrier. Fairies and sorcerers have been gradually returning over the centuries."

They climbed down the edge of a cliff and walked under the tree. It was many feet high, and Willow could see a network of roots that twisted together and made holes large enough for a human to fit through. Willow looked up and stood in awe of the beauty of the Rainbowflower tree's blossoms from the ground as the light shone through them.

One particular branch caught her eye. The shape of it reminded her of a lightning bolt. As she looked at it, a breeze blew through the tree. The tree lowered that branch to eye level with Willow! It was as if it could sense that she wanted it for her wand.

"Does it . . . know that I like that branch?" she asked Victor.

"It must! Rosaria and Lillithia didn't get so lucky. They had to cut theirs off the

tree. Perhaps that was because they arrived a month ago, and this tree didn't have enough magic back to bloom yet," Victor said.

Willow turned and looked at her companions. Lillithia pursed her lips. Rosaria stood with her mouth hanging open, and her eyes were as wide as saucers. Willow turned back toward the limb and put her right hand on the lightning-shaped stick. It popped off the limb, and the rest of the branch rose back up to the top of the tree. She turned the stick over in her hand, and she saw the wood shimmer silver and gold under the white bark. "This is amazing!" Willow laughed.

They rode their horses out of the valley and back to Victor's castle. Willow carried the scent of the tree in the flowers that grew on the stick that was to be her wand. She also felt a strange urge to carve it. "Can these wands also tell you to carve them?" Willow asked.

"Yes. According to the legends about Rainbowflower trees, the wand will guide your subconscious as you are creating it to help you make it your own. You must carve your own design into it. That way, your wand will never be able to be mistaken for anyone else's wand," Victor replied.

There was something that Willow wanted to ask him, something that she had been thinking about ever since he'd told her they were going to overthrow the government.

"Uh, Victor?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Who is going to govern the country when we have overthrown King Banderon?"

"Why, the four of us, of course!" He grinned as if he believed that governing a country was an easy task.

Willow wasn't as convinced that governing a country would be as easy as Victor clearly thought it would be. "The four of us . . . governing a whole country?"

"Unless you have someone else in mind," Victor replied.

Willow thought for a second and couldn't think of anyone she believed was qualified to rule a country. She had served on the Fernhollow town council, but she was quite sure that governing a town of one thousand people was quite different from managing a country of millions.

"I was on the Fernhollow Town Council," Willow said.

"That should count for something," Victor said. "Besides, how hard can it be? All you have to do is bark orders at people."

"That's not how we governed in the village."

"Well, can you think of another way?"

"We used to talk about issues and vote on things that effected Fernhollow."

"Well, perhaps we could do that."

"Do you know any other sorcerers and sorceresses who are going to join us in the coup?" Willow asked.

"Not right now. If the spell draws others to us in the same manner that it drew you to me, then there will be more. They will also have to pass the test I'm going to give you all before we attack."

Once they arrived back at the castle, they all went into the library. Victor walked out of the room and returned with a knife for Willow. "Remember what I told you. The wand will guide your subconscious as you are carving it to help you make it your own," Victor said. He handed it to Willow, who began whittling away at the wood, letting her intuition guide her in carving her wand. Rosaria and Lillithia went upstairs and got their wands while they waited for Willow to finish.

She shaved all the white tree bark off and carved a little handle at one end of it. She chiseled a tiny bird onto the end of the handle.

When she finished her wand, she handed it to Victor, who looked at it carefully. It shimmered silver and gold in the sunlight as he turned it over in his hands.

"A phoenix, a symbol of something being reborn, was carved into this. That means you have gone through a rough patch in life and have become someone different as a result," Victor said. The painful memory of her parents' death hit her especially hard at that moment. She just hoped she wouldn't be too different from her old self.

"That's beautiful!" Lillithia commented.

"Thank you!" Willow replied.

Rosaria's wand was lovely also. Intricate carvings of flowers covered hers, and lines covered Lillithia's like a quill pen feather.

Willow was excited to begin her lessons for the day. They ate lunch and went back into the library to start lessons.

"I will show you which table you are to sit at for lessons. Rosaria and Lillithia have already claimed their desks. You each will use the same desk every day. That way, you can keep all your books and papers in one place and hopefully not lose them," Victor said.

Willow followed him to the only empty desk in the room. There was nothing on it except for a stack of three very thick leather-bound books. She looked at their spines and read the names of the books to herself. One was called The Theory and Practice of Spellcraft, the one under it was History of the Old Craft in Ethermoor, and the third one was called Potions and Other Magical Remedies.

Victor said, "We're going to begin by studying a few spells that you are going to need to know to get into Banderon's castle." He grinned. "Oh, I almost forgot." Victor waved his right hand in the air, and all of a sudden, an inkwell, a quill pen, and a notebook appeared on Willow's desk.

"How did you do that?" Willow gasped.

Victor grinned. "Magic! You will learn how to do that spell if you study with me long enough."

Willow decided to ask about the spell that he'd used to guide her to the island. "Um, Victor. Will you teach us that spell that you used to bring us all to the island?"

Victor opened his mouth in apparent surprise at the question, but quickly regained his composure. "That is one of the most advanced magical spells there is. It can take even the most advanced sorcerers many months to master. You will start by casting simple spells like lighting a candle and unlocking and locking locks. Open The Theory and Practice of Spellcraftto page one of the first chapter."

Willow flipped the book open to the first chapter. The words "Unlocking and Locking Locks Using Magic" were written in beautiful calligraphy at the top of the page.

"Now, Willow, read the first paragraph," Victor said.

Willow read the first paragraph aloud. "Magic is about intention. Concentrate and channel all your energy into your spellwork. A mind clear of distractions while performing spellwork is a must."

"Thank you, Willow," Victor said. He then walked over to a cabinet, took out three padlocks, and placed one on each woman's desk. Willow started to wonder if this was all remedial work for Rosaria and Lillithia.

"Now, Rosaria, read the next paragraph," Victor said.

Rosaria read aloud. "Now, point your wand at a door lock. Imagine what it is you want to get from behind that locked door, and say, 'Resarare Ianum.' If you are practicing unlocking a lock that is not on a door, imagine a situation where you wish you had known a spell to unlock a door, and say, 'Resarare Ianum.'"

Willow had a sudden flash in her mind of the day she and her mother were in the jail cell. Her heart ached as she thought of her mother and how she wished she could have her back.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"Now, point your wands at your locks and recite the words," Victor's voice said, jolting Willow back to the present. Willow pointed her wand at the lock. She imagined that she was in the jail cell with her mother. "Resarare Ianum!" A flash of light shot out of the tip of her wand.

It hit the lock, and Willow heard the lock pop open. Victor walked up to her and said, "Well, it looks like you got it open on the first try!"

"Thanks!" Willow said with a huge smile on her face. Inside, she fought back the tears as she thought about her mother. She heard the sound of two more locks coming open. Willow looked over and saw that Lillithia and Rosaria had also succeeded in unlocking their locks.

"Good! All three of you got it right on the first try." Victor said happily. He turned to Rosaria and Lillithia. "Well, you two already knew how to do it." Willow wondered what other spells they had already learned. "Now, we are going on to the next spell, which is a spell to light a fire. It is on the next page." Willow turned in her book to the next page.

This spell was in the form of a poem. It said, "I picture a fire burning brightly. Flickering as a beacon of light in the dark night." Willow looked at the words, and she felt a little jolt on the end of her wand. A deafening shriek pierced through the room, startling Willow so badly that she jumped.

She was aware that the room suddenly grew very hot. She looked up and saw that the large globe that sat on the floor next to her table was burning!

"You lit it on fire!" Rosaria shrieked.

Willow was stunned. How did she light it on fire if she hadn't even recited the spell?

She quickly conjured a small rainstorm. She felt the wand vibrate, and she saw a dark cloud form in the air. It hovered right over the fire. Willow desperately hoped that it would not soak the other books. She tried to control the cloud and was relieved to see rain pouring out of it onto the fire. Victor walked over and snatched Willow's wand out of her hand. Willow felt for sure she was in terrible trouble, and her knees went weak with nervousness.

"Willow, I apologize. I forgot that lightning sparks fires. If you think any of these spells and they match up directly with your innate abilities, you have to be extra careful to control your magic. Just thinking of the words is enough to cast the spell, especially with your fairy wands," Victor said. "On second thought, perhaps we should go outside to practice this spell." The rain put the fire out, but the smoke asphyxiated them. Lillithia began coughing violently. "Pick your candles up off your desk and follow me outside."

Willow slid her wand into her skirt pocket before picking up her candle. She was terrified that she would set something on fire again, and was careful to keep her wand in her skirt pocket until she arrived outside.

They walked out to a large patch of dirt where there wasn't any grass. Each of them placed their candles in the dirt. "Now, I will demonstrate the spell for you." Victor said. He pointed his wand at his candle and said, "I picture a fire burning brightly. Flickering as a beacon of light in the dark night." A tiny fireball shot out of the tip of his wand and hit the wick of the candle with such grace and accuracy that it made Willow jealous.

He turned to the others and said, "Now, point your wand at your candle, and when I count to three, recite the spell," Victor said. Willow's hands trembled as she reached for her wand in her pocket.

Please don't start a fire again! Please don't start a fire again! she thought as she cautiously wrapped her hand around the wand's handle and pulled it out of her pocket. Willow pointed it at her candle and tried to put the spell out of her mind until Victor commanded them to use it.

Victor said, "All right, here we go! One, Two, Three!"

Willow relaxed and said, "I picture a fire burning brightly. Flickering as a beacon of light in the dark night." A ball of light shot out of the tip of her wand and hit the candlewick, lighting it on fire. She breathed a sigh of relief and put her wand back in her pocket.

Rosaria and Lillithia were not so lucky. Each of them recited the spell, and nothing happened. "Nothing's happening!" Rosaria complained. She shook her wand and examined it as if that would help it work.

"Think of a time when you were furious at someone. Let that anger flow through you!" Victor said.

Rosaria calmed down and tried to refocus. She pointed the wand at the candle. Her face contorted in wild rage, as if she suddenly remembered a horrific event from her past. Fire shot out of the tip of her wand and lit the candlewick on fire.

After they finished practicing spellwork, it was time for their history lesson. Willow wondered if the account of Ethermoorian magical history that Victor was going to teach them would be the same as the one her ancestor had written down. Willow flipped through the history book and noticed that the events in it ended fifty years before the exile. She flipped back to the first page and saw the words "A History of the Old Craft in Ethermoor by Tina Twinklefeathers. Publication year 4890" written on it.

This book was written fifty years before the banishment, Willow thought. She was excited to read an account of magic in Ethermoor from someone besides her ancestor. "Now, open your books to the first chapter," Victor said. Willow and the others opened their books.

"Now, who would like to read the first page?" he asked. Lillithia raised her hand. "Yes, Lillithia. Please read the first page."

"In the beginning, after the very first rainfall, a circle of mushrooms appeared, establishing the link between the fairy worlds and Ethermoor."

As she read, Willow compared the events of the chapter with the creation story written in her ancestor's book. The events matched up perfectly. She decided to get her ancestor's book and show it to the others.

Willow raised her hand. "Yes, Willow?" Victor asked.

"Um, I have a journal that was kept by my ancestor who left Ethermoor during the banishment. She also has a creation account written in it. Can I go get it?" Willow asked.

"Sure, go right ahead!" Willow ran upstairs and got her ancestor's journal from her bag. As she walked back into the library, Victor asked, "May I look at your ancestor's journal?"

"Sure," Willow said. She brought it up to the front of the library and handed it to Victor. He opened the book and began carefully turning the old brittle pages.

"This is very interesting! I'm rather surprised that your family has had this journal for so many centuries," he said. He handed the book back to Willow. "Why don't you show it to the others when we finish the lesson?"

"I most certainly will," Willow piped. She sat down at her desk. She compared the two stories as Rosaria read the second page of the chapter aloud. After the lesson for the day ended, Victor said, "Now, study everything I taught you tonight because we start every morning with a quiz on what you learned the day before. Get suited up in armor and meet me downstairs in twenty minutes. Willow, your armor is in your wardrobe." They all walked to their rooms.

Willow started taking her armor out of the wardrobe, when she heard someone knock at her door. Since she had not undressed yet, she decided to open it. Rosaria and Lillithia were standing there. "You said you would show us your journal," Rosaria said.

"Oh, that's right!" Willow gasped. She had forgotten to show the other sorceresses the journal. "Here it is." She carefully showed it to them and turned the fragile pages.

"That's so cool! What's in that bag?" Rosaria asked, pointing to Willow's bag on the bed.

"Oh, another journal. I'll have to show it to you later," Willow responded. She didn't know why, but she felt a nagging sensation that she should not tell them about the shell.

"Well, we have to be down there in twenty minutes, so we have to go!" Rosaria said. The two women walked out the door, and Willow shut it. She picked the pieces of armor up off the bed and put them on. She fastened her sword belt around her waist and thought about her father.

She cried as she thought about him coaching her in fencing and all the matches she had competed in back home in Aralin. She pulled the sword out of the holster and examined it. It was a blunt sword used for practice and competition, not warfare. As soon as she put the sword belt around her waist, she ran downstairs, eager to join the others.

"Are you all right?" Lillithia asked, noticing Willow's puffy eyes.

"Oh, I was just thinking about my father. He and I used to compete in local fencing matches," she mumbled.

"You will be avenging his death soon!" Victor said triumphantly.

"I sure hope so," Willow grumbled.

"Rosaria and Lillithia used to fence as well. I will have to see what you know first to determine how it will be best to train you. Willow, you will fight Lillithia first."

They all walked out to the large green meadow. "Now, there are two rules. One is that you can't use any magic. You must learn how to fight without it. The second one is this: if your opponent strikes you in the chest, you are out. Your opponent has won the match," Victor said. Willow and Lillithia each pulled their swords out of their holsters and looked each other square in the eyes. "Are you ready?" Victor asked.

"Yes!" Willow and Lillithia said.

"When I say go, you start."

Willow's heart began pumping harder. She had no idea how good of a sword fighter Lillithia was. Victor shouted, "Ready, set, go!" Willow screamed and swung her sword at Lillithia. The two women smacked their swords together with all their might.

Willow heard an odd whispering sound, and suddenly she saw herself standing in a castle. King Banderon stood in front of her with his sword against hers. Upon seeing him, Willow felt a surge of adrenaline and fury unlike any she had known before. She disarmed him and kicked him in the stomach, sending him hurtling backward. He smacked the ground, and his head hit the floor so hard that he was knocked out. Willow felt excitement well up in her. Suddenly, she saw that she was standing in a meadow.

A young woman lay on the ground in front of her, unconscious. Willow blinked her eyes and was hit with the realization that she had hallucinated her fight with King Banderon.

"Lillithia!" Willow shouted when she recognized the young woman lying on the ground. Horror filled her as she realized that she might very well have killed her. She bent down and put her fingers on Lillithia's neck. She was comforted to feel a heartbeat. "Lillithia?" She shook her. No response.

"Good, good, Willow!" Victor chirped.

Good? Did he want me to kill her?

"Good? She could die!" Willow snapped.

"Well, go make her a healing potion! That is the second part of your lesson tonight: making a healing potion very quickly and from ingredients you find lying around. I'll take you to the room where I make my potions and where you ladies will make yours." Victor ran toward the castle, and Willow followed.

"I remember seeing some ingredients that can make a healing potion when I was looking around the library yesterday," Willow said.

She was livid that he'd made her hallucinate like that and put Lillithia in that kind of danger. She had never seen King Banderon before, and had no idea what he looked like, but she just knew that the man she saw herself fighting was him.

"Do you have any milk?" she asked. "I need milk for my potion."

"Yes. It's in the kitchen. Finding it yourself is part of your test," Victor replied.

When they ran into the library, she looked for jars of white sage, dried hibiscus, green tea, and milk. Willow remembered where she had seen each of the ingredients the day before. He led her to a room next to the library, which had a large chemistry apparatus and hundreds of bottles of potions. Willow would have loved to take time to look at all the potions. However, at the moment, time was of the essence.

She ran inside the library and began rummaging through the bottles on the shelves. She found each of the ingredients in the library except for the milk, which she got from the kitchen. Willow quickly laid out all the ingredients on the table.

She imagined Lillithia being conscious and able to walk again. Willow placed her hand on each of the ingredients and infused them with her magical essence. When she did, a faint light appeared, signifying that the healing properties of each ingredient were now activated.

She put them all in a beaker, placed it in the apparatus, and lit the burner under it on fire. She watched it impatiently as the liquid boiled and took on the pink color of the hibiscus, indicating that the mixture was ready. Willow took the beaker off the burner and ran outside to where Lillithia lay.

She had awake but was mumbling nonsense, her face contorted in pain. "She can't get up!" Rosaria shrieked.

Willow put the beaker to Lillithia's lips and said, "Drink!" Lillithia couldn't open her mouth. Rosaria got on the ground and pried Lillithia's mouth open. Willow poured the mixture into Lillithia's mouth, and she drank it down.

Lillithia took several deep breaths, and her face began to relax. Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, I don't hurt anymore! How did you make that potion?" she asked Willow.

"White sage, dried hibiscus, green tea, and milk. I can show you how to make it sometime," Willow replied.

Lillithia's mouth hung open in shock when she heard the ingredients. "That's it? Nothing unusual?"

"No, nothing strange or unusual."

"You gave me that tonic, and I felt my bones mending back together," Lillithia said.

"I think Lillithia's had enough practice for today. Rosaria, it's your turn," Victor said.

"Here, take this and keep drinking if you need it," Willow said as she handed Lillithia the beaker.

Lillithia stood up and hobbled over to where Victor stood. "You really must be on your guard better than that! You've been with me for weeks!" he hissed at her.

"I'm sorry!" Lillithia moaned.

Rosaria wore a look of complete terror on her face as she walked out to the middle of the field. Willow hoped that she would be more prepared for the hallucination this time around, whatever it might be.

"Ready?" Victor asked.

"Yes," Willow said.

"Well, I guess I have to be." Rosaria sighed.

"Ready, set, go!" Victor shouted.

Suddenly, Willow had a vision that she was fighting the man who killed her father. She swung her sword, and he blocked it. Suddenly, he thrust Willow's sword out of her hand, and his sword hit her in her right hip. Willow was suddenly thrust back into the present, where she was facing Rosaria on the island of Enchantica. She saw her sword lying on the ground beside her. Her memory of electrocuting the man who killed her father came back to her too.

"All right, Rosaria won that round," Victor shouted. By that time, the sun had set, and it was time for supper. "Now, it's six and time for dinner."

As they were walking back, Rosaria asked, "We can use our magical powers during the coup, right?"

Victor said, "Of course!"

All three of them were so exhausted from the day that they decided to go right to bed after they ate. After Willow had changed into her nightclothes, she decided to check on Lillithia. She knocked on Lillithia's closed door.

"Come in!" Lillithia called from behind it.

Willow opened the door and walked into her room. Lillithia was lying in her bed. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened out there," Willow said.

Lillithia smiled and said, "It's okay. Victor is a tough teacher for a reason."

At that moment, Willow felt a twinge of doubt. He seemed self-absorbed for a teacher, but Willow did not say anything. Perhaps she just had to get used to his teaching style.

She reminded herself that Victor was busy preparing all of them for battle with military-trained guards, not for developing cures for strange ailments. Her mother had been an excellent sorcery teacher. "I wish the two of you could have met my mother. She was an awesome teacher," Willow said.

Lillithia smiled and replied, "I'm sure she was. After all, you were able to make a bone-mending medicine that helped me to be able to stand up and walk again when I probably otherwise wouldn't have been able to." The glass of potion sat on her nightstand.

"Are you still hurting?" Willow asked.

"No, but I have the potion here in case I do start hurting again," Lillithia said.

"Is he always this tough of a teacher?"

"Yes, he is. However, he is good, and you will learn a lot from him."

"How did you learn magic before coming here?"

"My father owned the local newspaper called the Zaradar Inquisitor. I am from the city of Zaradar in Kalnoreth. Knowledge Sorcerers don't do a lot of potions work. Our talents lie mostly in the discernment of truth. Before I came here, I owned a bookshop. My mother owned a hair salon and was a relationship counselor."

"She worked two jobs?" Willow asked.

Lillithia laughed. "No! People asked her for advice on if someone was telling the truth about something or not. You'd be surprised what people ask a beautician!"

"And . . . she made money doing this?" Willow asked.

"Oh, no! Cutting hair was her livelihood. She never asked for money from anyone for the counseling part. Her customers would ask her for advice about their kids, lovers, etc. People would spill the beans the second they sat in her stylist's chair."

Willow burst out laughing. So did Lillithia. "I never thought of a hair appointment that way!"

Lillithia leaned in and said, "And then, weeks later, they would come back and tell her that her advice worked and thanked her for it."

Willow was quiet for a moment. "So, how did the police find you?"

Lillithia's face grew serious. "They found the magic in my mother's hair, scalp, and nail treatments. As for me, I mean, I did make a few potions, but I'm not as knowledgeable as other sorcerers and sorceresses. Knowledge Sorcerers don't make potions as much as some of the others do."

"Did anyone tell you why they suspected her?" Willow asked.

"No." Lillithia closed her eyes, and Willow took that as a cue that she should leave.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Willow said.

"Thank you for coming to check on me."

"Goodnight, Lillithia." Willow opened the door to Lillithia's room.

"Goodnight, Willow."

Willow walked back to her room and studied what they had learned that day in preparation for the next day's quiz. Then, she fell right to sleep.