By the time Sunday evening rolled around, I was exhausted. Basic magic was second nature, but spells proved difficult. Nothing worked as it should, and frustration soon took its toll. Even Grandma was anxious.
“I don’t understand it, Clara. It should work,” she said after I’d tried casting a protection spell for the fifth time. “Your wording is perfect, you can feel your magic, but it’s not working.”
“Tell me about it,” I huffed as I sat down. “This is useless.”
“We have to be missing something,” Grandma said, turning the page of yet another book.
I swear, she’d gone through every book in her office. I’d gone over everything she’d told me more times than I could count. The words of the spell were ingrained in my memory. I could recite it in my sleep. My magic flowed with ease. It just
