A Touch of Magic

Chapter 16: Edgar

He nodded again. "Not exactly."

I closed my eyes and breathed; mind swimming. Every now and then, the seriousness of what I'd got myself into surfaced amidst the sunshine and spells. "You can sit down if you forget this 'need to know', rubbish. I don't want to keep having to guess, just tell me."

He grinned and his eyes scrunched up twinkling appreciatively. "Your Great Aunt said you wouldn't be one to mess with. It's a deal. Where shall I start?" He relaxed back and leant against the headboard, legs crossed at the ankles. A spiral bracelet, exactly the same as mine, caught my eye as he thrust his hands behind his neck.

I tried to stay focused. "I don't know, the beginning. What are you?"

"I'm an Overseer."

My mouth opened but I'd no idea what to say. 

"We exist purely to ensure ancient magic doesn't compromise the modern world. It's thought that perhaps it shouldn't be a part of the natural world anymore, however Cumendre and other supernatural immortals disagree, so we keep an eye on supernatural activity."

"Every time you answer a question it leaves me with ten more." Shuddering, I pulled the old knitted blanket from the end of my bed and slung it over my shoulders. Edgar was wearing a thin black cotton shirt with no collar. "Aren't you cold?"

"No." He smiled again.

How old he was? Anything between eighteen and twenty-five.

"Not even close," he said. His eyes widened. "Sorry."

How embarrassing. I looked away; more questions burning away inside. My face burned too. "So, what happens if I over step the mark, magically, I mean?"

Edgar looked grave. "I won't let that happen. I'll watch you. I'm good at my job. I assure you there's few better."

Big head. Yet, there was no boast in his voice. "Why do I need to have the best, if that's what you are? Am I worse than your usual client?"

He shook his head and the smile returned accompanied by the sparkle in his eye, which was not unlike someone else's. "When, your Great Aunt Araminta Fager selected you, we were forewarned. We've watched you since birth and, so it seems, others have watched you too. We hoped you'd choose to let the magical line dwindle. But you didn't. When you discovered your inner-magic, you awoke the interest of the nearby Supernatural, most of whom haven't battered an eyelid. However, humans with an interest in the dark arts caught a magical whiff of you too."

My eyebrows rose and my mouth opened. "The Wiccans?"

"And any mortal who's learnt the art of magic. Very few are genuine supernatural witches, and even a genuine village witch can be..."

"Good or evil, I get it." Things fell into place. "It was really you who dissolved that guy and threw me across the lawn."

His head bobbed side-to-side. "No and yes. When I heard you scream, I called Gladys. She removed the mortal Warlock. But, I picked you up, put you aside and cleaned up the mess."

"You threw me aside," I grimaced. "And my foot?"

He frowned again. "I've not known Gladys to be so angry. She burnt the guy to a crisp whilst he dragged you around the garden. An unsophisticated mistake."

I let that one go. Gladys had been trying to protect me and there had been magic preventing her from doing her job easily. "How did you heal me?"

"I am allowed to heal the wounds of my charges that are a direct result of magic, and your injury resulted from Gladys' mistake. And no, I don't always have to lick to cure."