fifth lying unbroken atop a leather-bound book and plain brass cup, and pulled it out. A shiver ran up her spine as her hand wrapped around it.
A wand , she thought. How weird is this ?
The wand resembled a dried twist of root more than anything crafted. It was very thin and twisted, with a tiny clear crystal tip. Penny thought it looked a lot like one of the big tree’s roots. The wood was smooth, slightly gray with age, the tip around the crystal point scorched.
She held it up to the light, turning it in her hand until it fit comfortably.
Still feeling a little let down, she dropped the broken wand pieces back into the chest and set it aside.
“So this was the big mystery,” she said, and jumped as a small yip sounded from the other side of the creek.
Ronan stood inside the mouth of the cave, all but his pointed face lost to the darkness within.
“Is this it?” She waited for Ronan to respond, but he said nothing, only watched her.
“What now?” She looked from Ronan to the wand, feeling suddenly very stupid. “Do you turn into a prince now, or something?”
Penny gave the wand a little wave and pointed it at Ronan, expecting nothing to happen.
She felt a spark between her hand and the wood of the wand, saw the crystal tip flash briefly, and a rush of wind blew from the wand tip, stirring dust from the ground, rippling the lazy water at the creek’s edge, and blowing Ronan’s fur back from its head.
Shocked speechless, Penny only stared at Ronan as he stepped forward, blinking in the wind.
“Very good, young lady. I knew you’d figure it out,” Ronan said. “But I’ll thank you not to point that at me.”
Penny jerked her arm down, pointing the wand at the ground, and the wind died.
For several long seconds, Penny tried to speak, but the words seemed to trip over her tongue. Her jaw worked, her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
“You look like a fish when you do that,” Ronan said with a dry little chuckle. It stepped from the cave and lay down on the stone ledge by the water.
“What did I just do?” Penny managed at last.
Ronan’s eyes opened a little wider and it bared its teeth in a parody of a smile. “I thought that much was perfectly obvious,” it said. “Magic.”
Penny’s knees buckled and she fell heavily onto one of the boulders by the fire pit, dropping the wand into the chest as if it had tried to bite her.
“Probably comes as a bit of a shock, doesn’t it?” Ronan yawned. “Well, while you’re trying to wrap your mind around it, I’m going to go finish my nap.”
Ronan rose, stretched, and stepped back into the mouth of the cave. “Don’t normally get out during the day, but I couldn’t miss that. Good day, young lady.”
Then Ronan was gone and Penny was alone again, staring numb with shock at the wand inside the chest.
“Magic,” she whispered.
Her right hand tingled, moved toward the wand, and she forced it to her lap.
“There’s no such thing as magic,” she whispered, and then, as if to prove it, snatched the wand up again. There was no shock that time, but the tingling in her hand grew stronger. She could not think what to do with it though, so she set it in her lap and reached inside the chest for the book.
The Secrets of The Phoenix Girls decorated the hard leather cover, burned onto it in fancy, looping letters. Below that, a large brass coin with the image of a phoenix inlaid in the leather, and below the coin, burned into the leather like the words above, were two crossed wands.
Penny traced the edge of the embedded phoenix coin with a finger, it felt warm to the touch, and then tried to open the cover. It would not budge.
What now , she thought, frustrated.
She recalled the night before, pointing at the box and saying open sesame, and an idea occurred to her.
She decided, after only a moment’s pause, to try it.
What could it hurt?
Penny held the book up in her left hand, grasped the wand in her right, and gave the
A wand , she thought. How weird is this ?
The wand resembled a dried twist of root more than anything crafted. It was very thin and twisted, with a tiny clear crystal tip. Penny thought it looked a lot like one of the big tree’s roots. The wood was smooth, slightly gray with age, the tip around the crystal point scorched.
She held it up to the light, turning it in her hand until it fit comfortably.
Still feeling a little let down, she dropped the broken wand pieces back into the chest and set it aside.
“So this was the big mystery,” she said, and jumped as a small yip sounded from the other side of the creek.
Ronan stood inside the mouth of the cave, all but his pointed face lost to the darkness within.
“Is this it?” She waited for Ronan to respond, but he said nothing, only watched her.
“What now?” She looked from Ronan to the wand, feeling suddenly very stupid. “Do you turn into a prince now, or something?”
Penny gave the wand a little wave and pointed it at Ronan, expecting nothing to happen.
She felt a spark between her hand and the wood of the wand, saw the crystal tip flash briefly, and a rush of wind blew from the wand tip, stirring dust from the ground, rippling the lazy water at the creek’s edge, and blowing Ronan’s fur back from its head.
Shocked speechless, Penny only stared at Ronan as he stepped forward, blinking in the wind.
“Very good, young lady. I knew you’d figure it out,” Ronan said. “But I’ll thank you not to point that at me.”
Penny jerked her arm down, pointing the wand at the ground, and the wind died.
For several long seconds, Penny tried to speak, but the words seemed to trip over her tongue. Her jaw worked, her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
“You look like a fish when you do that,” Ronan said with a dry little chuckle. It stepped from the cave and lay down on the stone ledge by the water.
“What did I just do?” Penny managed at last.
Ronan’s eyes opened a little wider and it bared its teeth in a parody of a smile. “I thought that much was perfectly obvious,” it said. “Magic.”
Penny’s knees buckled and she fell heavily onto one of the boulders by the fire pit, dropping the wand into the chest as if it had tried to bite her.
“Probably comes as a bit of a shock, doesn’t it?” Ronan yawned. “Well, while you’re trying to wrap your mind around it, I’m going to go finish my nap.”
Ronan rose, stretched, and stepped back into the mouth of the cave. “Don’t normally get out during the day, but I couldn’t miss that. Good day, young lady.”
Then Ronan was gone and Penny was alone again, staring numb with shock at the wand inside the chest.
“Magic,” she whispered.
Her right hand tingled, moved toward the wand, and she forced it to her lap.
“There’s no such thing as magic,” she whispered, and then, as if to prove it, snatched the wand up again. There was no shock that time, but the tingling in her hand grew stronger. She could not think what to do with it though, so she set it in her lap and reached inside the chest for the book.
The Secrets of The Phoenix Girls decorated the hard leather cover, burned onto it in fancy, looping letters. Below that, a large brass coin with the image of a phoenix inlaid in the leather, and below the coin, burned into the leather like the words above, were two crossed wands.
Penny traced the edge of the embedded phoenix coin with a finger, it felt warm to the touch, and then tried to open the cover. It would not budge.
What now , she thought, frustrated.
She recalled the night before, pointing at the box and saying open sesame, and an idea occurred to her.
She decided, after only a moment’s pause, to try it.
What could it hurt?
Penny held the book up in her left hand, grasped the wand in her right, and gave the
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