Foxheart

Chapter Twenty-One

Esme stared at it. It was bright, almost as bright as a light-bulb. It brought a pure light to the room, chasing away the growing darkness of dusk. But Esme wasn't too happy with it. It was a big as she could remember and she felt remnants of the Sprite in the spell itself. She hadn't pulled it out entirely again, despite it being so feeble.

Esme shook the glowing ball away and tried again and again and still she could not manage it. The light Sprite just would not leave the ward fully. She could only pull out half at most.

'Why am I so bad?' She said as she frowned at the sad little ball of light.

'Because you have little willpower.' A voice came from the doorway.

Esme froze and didn't even look to see who it was. She knew. It was Cuckoo. She flushed in fear. She'd done something bad. Really bad. Fox was going to get very angry at her. He didn't want Cuckoo to know she was a Wizard and what he was helping her with.

She shut off the spell nervously as she turned around. Cuckoo stood at the door, smiling. There was no point hiding her Grimoire or lying. Esme knew it.

'My aunt told me that. Magic is made from the excess of the Ego.'

Cuckoo nodded. 'Most have only enough to create their soul; their morality, personality and identity. Some have an excess amount and that can be used to imprint their will onto Spirits and control them. But that is only for Wizardin' magic. Witches use the excess of Entity; the life force and immunity. They create bonds with Spirits, to combine their lives together. The Spirit then sees the Witch as an extension of themselves and will protect them but often means the Witch will also hurt alongside with Spirit and grow weaker and age when it dies. The Witch also does not have full control like the Wizards. The Spirit will do what it pleases and what it feels best, even if it is against the Witch's wishes.' Cuckoo grinned as Esme remained politely quiet. She knew all of this, that Wizards were about control while Witches were about freedom, even at the cost of lives. 'Magic is very fascinatin'. How long did you learn?'

'Since I moved to Lakeside when I was five. The Ivory Tower tried to teach me but clearly I do not have much Ego to spare. I only have four weak spells.'

'The Tower? You must have friends in high places to get accepted as a Wizard. You look to be a farmer's son at most so I thought you were an Occult.'

Esme blushed again. She was awful at this undercover thing. She had completely forgotten of the Tower's elitism. No one of lesser backgrounds were accepted into its ranks.

'My aunt was a Wizard. She took me in.' Esme stammered, trying to come up with something to cover the blunder. 'I was an urchin.'

'She didn't lavish you with much wealth?'

'She did but I just prefer these clothes.' Esme blurted out. She felt out of her depths. She needed fox here.

Cuckoo hummed and readjusted his glasses, making them glimmer in the dusklight. He wasn't swallowing a word she said. 'Well, if you say.'

'Where's Fox?' Esme asked quickly, trying to take the subject away from her constant screw up. So far she hadn't followed any of the rules Fox had put down.

'He's out scoutin'. Tryin' to find a good path to go down so you two don't get found.' He smiled at Esme's nervous expression. 'I'm not daft, little Wizard, nor am I blind. Fox is hidin' you and he wouldn't be so nervous if it was just from the police.' Esme shuffled and clutched her book to her chest as Absolon drifted to her, brushing her short blond hair with his wiggly arms. 'But I won't breathe a word. Fox has a keen sense of goodness within people. He wouldn't be helpin' you if he didn't think you were worth it.'

Esme felt a twist of guilt in her stomach. Fox wasn't helping her because he wanted to. He wanted his Eye back.

'Will he be back soon?'

'I imagine so. He's a good thief. He'll be back to us soon. Don't fret. No harm would've come to him.'

Esme blushed a little.

'I'm not worried about him, I'm worried he's abandoned me.' Esme thought hurriedly in her head, convincing herself she wasn't concerned about his well-being at all.

'Well I'll leave you for now. Have a good sleep.' Cuckoo said with a smile and shut the door quietly, leaving Esme blushing and fidgeting in the gathering darkness.

'I am not concerned.' She told herself again as she stepped towards the open window with Absolon clinging to her head lightly.

She glanced about the road. It was too dark to see but there was no movement. No one was there.

She sighed and waited. By the time the sun had sunk completely over the hillocks and rooftops, letting the moon and stars to take and the cool summer air was a light with birdsong and insects, Esme's body had been taken by the curse. She sat as a little vixen on windowsill with Absolon twirling about and singing merrily. Her eyes, now bright and golden, picked everything nearby. She could see clearly.

So when Fox came roaming up the road, she twitched in recognition and her heart skipped a beat. She lowered herself on the windowsill to get a good look at him. He wasn't lipping, there were no obvious wounds and she couldn't smell blood. He seemed well.

Esme sighed in relief and only managed to stop herself from marching downstairs and demanding where he had been all day when she remembered she couldn't open the bedroom door.

So Esme remained where she was, watching Fox turning the corner and listened to the door open below and Cuckoo's welcoming bellow, feeling a little too pleased Fox had come back to her.