Free The Box Omnibus #1 (The Box, The Journal, The Sword) by Christina G. Gaudet

anything.
    “He can’t be right. Gran wasn’t... and I’m certainly not...” Silence. “Cindy, why won’t you look at me?
    “Gran was a sorceress,” Cindy says in a matter-of-fact sort of way. “She was born with magic and could use it to do pretty much anything she wanted.”
    “Like you?”
    After what I’d seen in the barn, I wouldn’t doub t her if she said she could fly.
    “No, don’t be an idiot. Do you think I’d spend so much money fixing this damn car if I could do the same with magic?” She brushes my words away with a wave of her hand.
    “But, the dust...”
    “A manipulation of pre -existing magic.” She sounds disappointed in her own abilities, though her tone turns wistful as she talks about Gran. “Gran, and others like her, can create magic on their own.”
    I’m terrified of the answer, but I have to ask. “Others, like me?”
    “Just, don’t open the bag, hear me?” Cindy says by way of an answer.
    After a minute I finally have the nerve to speak again. “Are you a wizard?”
    “Who me?” Cindy laughs. “No way. Wizards steal magic from people and twist it into something sick. I’m all about using what’s available naturally. Anything I want to do with magic requires time and planning.”
    “She’s a witch,” Al says when it’s obvious Cindy would rather tell me everything except a straight answer.
    “A witch!” I laugh. “Of course. Actually explains a lot. Wait, can you really fly? On a broomstick?”
    She rubs her forehead and refuses to answer the question.
    “Al,” she says. “You still haven’t explained how you know so much about all of this.”
    As interested as I am in his answer, I’m more curious about Cindy right now. “I want to know more about you being a witch. What does that mean exactly? Where’s your hat and green skin and...”
    Cindy interrupts. “Shut up, Lou.”
    “I’m serious.” I move my hand in a ‘calm down’ gesture. “What is a witch and what else can you do?”
    She considers her answer for a minute. Her hesitation makes me think she’s going to refuse to answer.
    “We work with spells, generally. It takes us a lot longer to prepare even a little bit of magic compared to sorceresses, and everything has to be organized in advance. I can’t instantly cast magic if I haven’t readied the spell in advance.”
    I’m about to ask more questions when she continues.
    “It’s all a matter of balancing different aspects of the elements. It’s easier to show you than tell, but right now I’m more interested in Al.”
    I would interrupt again, but something about the look Cindy’s giving Al keeps me silent. It seems to have the same effect on him.
    “Tell me how you know so much about magic or I’ll remind you how much bigger than you we are.”
    I doubt he actually feels threatened, but he makes the decision to start talking.
    “My sister,” he says. “She’s a sorceress.”
    “Your sister...” I never thought I’d see Cindy be too shocked to finish a sentence.
    “Is a sorceress,” Al finishes for her. “Was. I guess.”
    Always the one to be blunt, Cindy asks, “She’s dead?”
    “I’m so sorry,” I say quickly to cover up her insensitivity.
    “She isn’t... not entirely.” His voice is cold, as though he’s separating himself from the event and ultimately the emotions he doesn’t want to express. “A wizard found her. He took her magic and left her...empty.”
    I expect Cindy to say something rude, or disrespectful, or stupid, or something along the lines of ‘shit. That sucks, dude.’ But she doesn’t say anything at all for a long time. Or at least a long time for her. When she does speak, it’s a quiet, “Sorry.”
    “Yeah.” He clears his throat. “Well, one thing I’m sure of is wizards never give up when they find something they want.”
    “You mean, you think they’re following us?” I look at each of the mirrors and turn my head to look out the back window, but there’s nothing there