Saturday morning breakfast, while not a quiet affair, was unexceptional. Which I liked. Exceptional moments had a terrible habit of getting me hurt.

Fried eggs, pita bread, and humus was a filling breakfast before that day's training session. I was going to head to Dragon Tower first and getting my jacket. If last week taught me anything it was that anything can happen with these things.

"Did you go to events at your last school?" Angelina's question pulled me out of my thoughts.

"No. It's never been something that appealed to me," I explained.

Celica was giving me a look. It wasn't one I trusted. She wasn't outright smirking, but it made me think about our little wager tomorrow.

I wondered if bets and agreements were a Kraken thing. Honor in keeping one's word and all that.

Voicing that thought out loud probably wouldn't do me any good.

"Perhaps this can be your first," Celica said with just a hint of smugness.

"That remains to be seen," I countered.

Angelina and Fethris exchanged a worried look with each other.

I sighed, "Celica and I have an agreement."

Celica was grinning now. "Just a little race. If she loses I get to drag her to the Fall Harvest Celebration all dolled up."

"If I win she doesn't get to bug me about it anymore."

"I'm staying out of this. I don't trust that look in Celica's eyes," Jarec announced.

Angelina frowned. "But what about…?" She drifted off but it wasn't hard to guess what the rest of the question was.

"No magic allowed," Celica reassured her.

"That's what makes it fun." I gave my best pleasant smile. I couldn't wait to see the look on Celica's face when she lost.

It was almost enough to make me not dread the meeting tomorrow.

It felt like some kind of retribution for sticking me with this job.

(*********)

My good mood lasted even until my training with Vivian Hearth.

"You know, Lucinda used to get this glint in her eyes when she was up to mischief."

"She still does," I told her. "I'm not up to anything." I wasn't that much like my mother.

There was a moment of doubt-filled silence.

"I'm not up to anything that will someone suspended or put anyone in danger," I elaborated.

Vivian nodded like she approved. "My daughters and their friends never quite managed to find better uses for their impulses."

"I like to think I learned a little from all my mother's stories."

"Lucinda told you stories?"

"She's probably left a few things out," I admitted. "If recent events are anything to go by. She did mention you, just not by name. She said you used to get mad at her."

"Only when her antics put herself and her sister in danger."

"She said that too. I don't remember her complaining about you. I think she's missed you more than she's admitted to."

"Jarec told me about your conversation concerning the winter holidays."

"I don't know exactly what happened between you and Mom. But I do know that if you want to do something with her and me, offering to let Dad come too is your best chance."

Vivian was looking at me strangely.

"What?" I asked.

"I thought you would be more upset. If not at the coven then at least at me."

"I might have been, a couple of months ago." I told her. "I always thought that your dislike of their marriage came from something closer to hate. That I would be rejected just for being me. I don't know how I feel now."

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"And Lucinda's hidden pragmatism strikes again," Vivian sighed. "I was wondering what she might have been planning by putting off telling you."

I shrugged, "Mom doesn't like to show her hand, but she does know what she's doing.

"You have more faith in her than I thought you would."

"She's yet to let me down."

"Though I wonder why she sent you now. Even without the ability to cast there should have been schools for your younger years."

I knew why. Why we waited until now to try magical school. I had always had the option to change right there. But we didn't. I didn't. "Human school didn't work out like we had hoped," I told her. I still wasn't ready to talk about what happened. "You could almost call it a sign from the gods that I wasn't where I belonged. It was for the best I think, I'm happier here."

She looked worried. "How bad was Human School if the past few weeks is an improvement?"

I laughed so hard my body shook.

The increased concern on her face was almost touching.

"I have some stories."

"Perhaps another time." She looked pale. It reminded me of the look on her face that first day when she realized that there were five Dragons.

"That might be for the best," I conceded. "But enough of my sordid past. What's on the agenda for today?"

"For now we are trying to increase your mana reserves. If we're ever going to rid you of that curse casting one weak spell at a time is not going to work."

"Was my Deflect that bad?" I was suddenly very tempted to ask about Fae Fire.

"Yours was unremarkable, based on the eyewitness reports. Falling unconscious immediately afterwards makes it far worse."

"Hmm. That's fair. My second only successful casting of a spell in my life."

"I was worried you would be more upset about that."

"I spent ten years convinced I would never cast because there was something wrong with me," I told her. "I'm not here to be the most powerful witch. I'm here to learn and find a better path than the one I was on."

"You must get that from your father."

"What?"

"Lucinda was always ambitious. Craving for something more. It's how I knew she was a Sylphid even when her magic still glowed deep ocean blue."

I was confused by that statement for a few seconds. Then I remembered something my mother had told me. That was when I was hit by a realization.

"My magic's going to turn red someday," I marveled.

Vivian looked bemused. "The rarest color in adults. A bit more common in your peers. Out of our nearly two hundred staff only one has red magic. You might take his class next semester."

"I've been so busy with everything I haven't even thought about it."

"It's alright."

"So when my magic turns red I should be able to break the curse, right? That's the long-term goal?"

"Based off of everything we know so far. But let's get you able to cast reliably first."

"I thought the curse blocked all my mana?" How was I supposed to get anywhere like this?

"Not quite. It's absorbing your mana before it can leave your hands when you try to cast. Over-casting should be able to compensate. Though normally we have to train students to stop doing that to cast more efficiently. But in your case, it might just be the key to get you on track with your peers."

Why did I get the feeling that this was going to be far easier said than done?

Good thing I wasn't here for easy.

I let out a breath. "Let's get started then."

She nodded. "I've had to make some adjustments since normally we do this kind of thing with Oculi and Focuses. And since those aren't viable options…" She had a sheepish expression that looked just like Mom's.

I flinched at the reminder.

Yeah, definitely not an option.

Vivian held her hands out and a bubble of purple energy formed around them and started to float away towards me.

"What are we doing?" I asked.

"That shield should contain any backlash," Vivian explained.

I appreciated that she was being cautious about this. As much as I wanted this thing gone I wasn't dumb or naïve enough to believe it would be risk free.

We were poking something that had no problems poking back.

"Stick your left arm inside the shield."

With some hesitation and with the rest of my body leaning away from the curse mark I followed her instructions.

It didn't do anything. Not even a flare up of pain.

Small victories.

I looked over to Vivian. Her face was impassive and gave me the impression that this was the expected result. Our eyes met and she nodded at me.

I clenched and unclenched my hand a few times. Nothing had gone wrong yet.

"Now what?"

"What has Lucinda taught you about energy channeling?"

I sighed, "Mom didn't teach me much about magic. If she did try it would have been before we were told I would never cast."

"Try and feel the world without your physical senses. Close your eyes and just let yourself feel."

I closed my eyes despite my doubts.

I hadn't felt anything when I couldn't see before. I failed to see how this would be any different.

"I don't feel anything," I announced after counting down from fifteen in my head. I opened my eyes and looked at Vivian just in time to see her cross her arms and lean back casually against a tree.

"Hmm. How are you adjusting to being Tower Representative? Getting along with the rest of the council?"

Was she joking? "I'm terrible at it. Most of them tolerate me but we both know Anubis and Horus both hate me. And Thoth can get eaten by ghouls."

"Usually Pegasus picks very qualified Representatives. What's wrong with this year's?"

I scoffed. "He's a terrible person and I hate him."

"It's a little too early for hatred, isn't it?" She asked. "You've known him for barely a few weeks."

Right on cue the curse came to life with a burst of warm pain. I took a deep breath and tried to gather my thoughts to explain why she was being ridiculous.

"Perhaps going to the Fall Harvest Celebration with him might change your mind?"

"Absolutely not!" The crack of a bolt of electricity nearly drowned out my yell. A flash of dark green was contained by purple.

That's when I noticed the grin on her face. It was an expression Mom must have inherited because I had definitely seen that look before.

"Were you just trying to upset me to see how the curse would react?" I asked.

"Of course. Representative Thoth is too old for you and I personally think he's a bit too irresponsible with both of his positions."

I let out a long breath and the pain in my wrist faded.

"By the way your eyes glowed for a moment there. Which is not something I was expecting to see. We may have to keep an eye on those mana veins."

That's not ominous or anything. "I thought we were keeping an eye on all of them?"

"I was focusing on the ones near your hands. The curse seems to be concentrated there. But I may have underestimated the ways your body may have chosen to cope with excess mana flowing through you."

"Should I be worried about that?" I asked.

"Not at this time. Your other senses don't seem to be affected in any noticeable way. Nor has Healer Sealie reported anything of concern to me."

I wished that was more reassuring.

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