Elara'S POV
The malachite wand felt unfamiliar in my hand. It was weighted differently than my old citrine wand. I swished my wrist again and inky smoke streamed from the end, covering a nearby rosebush. The shrub wilted, blackened, and shriveled to dust.
“Not bad,” Samuel said from where he stood several feet away. “Not bad at all.”
We were in the garden behind the house. Snow-covered evergreen bushes and vines were laid out in an obvious, symmetrical pattern. In the center was an open space that allowed for practicing dangerous spells.
My breath fogged as I spoke. “Isn’t that what it’s supposed to do?”
“Yes. But you’re hesitating. Put some determination behind the spell. Try it again.”
Shockingly, Samuel had stopped glaring at me and agreed to tutor me in magic. He was actually a
