But it wasn’t as simple as Katie had hoped. According to the book, you couldn’t just pick up any old stick and do magic with it. They put the next night’s lessons on hold while Katie puzzled over the instructions, and after a quarter of an hour, Zoe sat tottering on the edge of sleep next to the fire, and Penny had to jab her to wake her up.
“You two fill me in tomorrow. I’ve got to get some … some …” her mouth stretched in a huge yawn, “ … some sleep.”
Katie threw a distracted wave in Zoe’s direction. “Yeah. G’nite.”
Penny amused herself conjuring handfuls of her harmless fire and tossing them into the air while Katie’s back was turned with her nose almost pressed to the page of the book. The flames died a few seconds after leaving her hands but left bright streaks that lingered
