Jani reached back to grab her sister’s hand, “Be careful where you step, Reke. Magic has seeped into much of this land.”

Magic. What an awful thing. It was debatable which of the two women hated the word more. Reke had her husband snatched from her, a hidden spell that killed him in an instant, years ago. But Jani...Jani had her daughter taken from her.

Both women sighed in relief when the black silhouette of the tower came into view. It was nearing dusk, and these two magic-less women had no desire to be caught in the misty land after dark. Seeing one of the drifting land masses near them, Jani briefly considered trying to ride on it to hasten their journey. But as she opened her mouth to speak a dull thud resounded in the land and looking up, she saw two larger, floating land masses collide just beyond the tower. Dirt and leaves and grass flew out from the impact before hurtling toward the ground. The two land masses separated, each smaller than before, and drifted on with the fickle wind.

Better just keep walking, then.

Reke squeezed her hand, sensing her unease. Reke may not want to be on this journey, but she could never have let her sister go alone. Not when Jani was here to fight magic. Not when Jani was here to find Aster. To find her daughter.

For magic had not taken her daughter through death. No. Her daughter possessed magic. Since birth, she had been but one of two in her generation to claim its unholy powers. Jani had fought it - she had fought it so hard. She had showed her daughter how to suppress it. How to carry a basket of bread instead of levitate it. How to knit a sweater stitch by stitch, not transform one out of yarn.

But it did not take. Years went by before Jani realized that Aster had been practicing her magic in secret. And when her daughter ran away a week after that fight, Jani knew she had to follow her here. To this place of magic and trickery that her daughter had been creating all these years.

“Jani...Jani we are here. Now what must we do?” She was shaken out of her memory by the call of her sister’s voice. And she saw that they had arrived at the doors of the tower. It may have been made of wood, but the wood had been painted...or more likely magicked... tar black.

Not knowing any more than her sister, she hesitated. But no - this was her journey. This was her fight. So she reached up to the black knocker that looked suspiciously like a larger, black version of the silver door knocker from their home. And she let it fall against the door.

Not a moment passed before the doors swung wide, and a breeze seemed to rush past the two women and into the open expanse of the tower.

“Mother!” Jani heard before a figure crashed into her, holding her like nothing had changed. And for a moment, Jani was happy. Happy that her daughter was relieved to see her, which must mean she was ready to come home and shed this distasteful magic.

“Oh, you brought Aunt Reke. Well no matter. I suppose I’ll just have to teach the two of you.” And Aster danced away, a toothy smile on her face, and the women unconsciously drifted toward the girl. And just as they didn’t notice the subtle pulling drawing them deeper into the tower, neither did they notice the doors whisper shut behind them.

“Teach us?” Was all the baffled Reke could get out, surprised as she was by the excitable reception.

“Yes. Teach you magic. I couldn’t be like you, but I can teach you to be like me.” The 16-year-old twirled on the spot, hands raised to the air, too happy to let her body stay still.

“Be like you...sweetie no!” Her mother scolded her. Scolded her like a mother chides a child, but Aster had stopped being a child long ago. “That’s just not possible.”

The smile fell from Aster’s face as she looked at her mother. “I stopped asking what was possible long ago, Mother. And besides - you spent years trying to teach me to be like you. But now... now it’s my turn.” And a wicked gleam Jani had never seen in her daughter’s eyes before gleamed at her.