"Ever since I can remember, I have always used magic to manipulate the size and shape of objects. When I moved to Fractured Forest, it was no different. I found a stump, enlarged it, and carved it out."
Of course, all of this was technically true; it was just a fabricated story of what actually happened. I've only told two people the truth of what actually happened.
"Miss Cynthia, why did you move to the Forest?" one of the girls asked.
"That's one of the biggest differences between witches and other magical beings. If you become a witch, you'll probably want to move to a forest too. Witches study, just like wizards do, but wizards can be book-reading, know-it-alls. Witches write books. We experiment and study nature to learn." I unlatched my spellbook from my waist. "I record everything I find and make spells in here."
One of the boys in the front smiled at me and whispered, "You're really pretty, Miss Cynthia."
I acknowledged him with a smile and continued. "Where was I?"
"Your stump," another of the boys said.
"Yes, my stump. Does anyone know how the Fractured Forest got its name?" I asked.
All the children shook their heads.
"Because… there are small clearings spread throughout the forest; the stump I'd found was in the perfect clearing. So, I converted it into a home. I kept adding on to it little by little, week after week, until it was perfect. Eventually, it looked like this." I said, raising a hand to showcase my masterpiece. "After I was happy with how it looked, I was comfortable enough to fly through—"
"Can we see your wings?" one of the girls interrupted.
Sometimes they 'ooh', other times they ask to see my wings. This time it's the wings.
I obliged, stretching them as far as I could. "I flew through the forest to see what kind of animals and… monsters were around."
I felt heavy and winced at the sunlight breaking through my eyelids.
As I lifted my head, I called, "Samara?"
Little blades of grass tickled my hands as I pushed myself up, and something shifted on my left forearm.
I looked down and around. I was in a forest clearing, wearing a long purple dress and a pointy hat to match. My dress reminded me of the spirals I saw — just moments ago.
I pulled my sleeve up and revealed a leather holster. It was concealing a wand — my wand. I pulled it out, revealing a beautifully carved instrument. It fit perfectly in my hand; I felt a kinship with it.
"I carved you, didn't I?" I brought it close to my eyes.
The wand was made of white maple to channel strength and discipline. The dark oak handle provided a strong base for magic to flow. A piece of rowan, friction-fit the two halves, creating a gradient of color and clarity.
I put my wand back in its holster and reached down to the next thing that was secured to my body — a book and a pouch attached to my belt.
I undid the straps and took the book out; it was well-loved with frayed edges and a cracked spine. I opened it, revealing detailed notes of spells and notations on potions. Flipping through the pages caused a slip of paper to fall out.
Cynthia,
Here's the story that was woven for you:
You, Cynthia, were born a Fairykin. Your father, Sir Belric Cairn, is a distant noble of Velmir, and your mother is a witch. Now that you're of age, you've sought out the Fractured Forest, where you are now.
Within seven weeks, your purpose will find you. My only hope is that you'll understand why none of this could be left up to chance.
See you soon,
Samara
When I was done reading, the paper faded to dust.
I looked around again. "I have nothing but what's on me. I need a roof over my head."
I thought about food and water, but I found a spell in my book that would do just that.
Create Food & Drink
Required Materials: At least 1lb of compost.
Transmutes organic matter into safe food and/or water. Higher-quality compost results in better-tasting food.
I looked through the rest of my book, but didn't find anything obvious for shelter.
If I combined spells, I'm sure I could figure something out.
Further through the book, it seemed that I'd doodled ideas of hollowed-out trees and spells to do just that.
Enlarge Object
Required Materials: A strip of living bark, peeled and wrapped around a twig.
Enlarges an object to my preferred size. The wrapped bark realigns the object's internal structure to survive its new size.
Hollow
Required Materials: An acorn cap, snailshell, beeswax, or a reed.
The insides of the target compress with the object's outer shell, hollowing the inside. The remaining structure becomes dense and durable. Works great on clay!
All of these spells — research — felt so familiar. Reading it, I knew I had written it, but had no memory of actually putting pen to paper.
I wandered around the openings in the forest, the fractures of where the forest got its name. I roamed until I found a stump — it was perfect. Someone had cut it down with an axe, creating what I'd hope would be a slanted roof.
I snapped a little branch off a tree, peeled the bark back, and wound it around. I took my wand out of my sleeve and cast the spell. Not a doubt passed my mind; it was second nature.
As the stump grew, the ground shook and upheaved. The stump towered over me, and its features became more defined.
My mind was in awe, but my body moved on — in search of something empty to cast Hollow. Looking around, I didn't see any oak trees, and there were no signs of beehives or water nearby.
"What an odd forest," I uttered.
Without anything obvious to cast Hollow with, I returned my book and wand to their homes and opened the little pouch on my waist.
Several natural trinkets filled the pouch, resources for casting my spells. I scoured through — at the bottom was a tiny acorn. I popped the cap off, threw the seed back in the pouch, and retrieved my wand.
I fluttered over the dishoveled ground, touched the stump with the cap, pictured the home I wanted it to become, and waved my wand in the air.
The bark opened, becoming a dense exterior. The wood gave way, creating doors and windows, making a perfect cavity to live in.
I stepped inside; it dawned on me that I'd need more rooms. I sat on the hardwood floor and grabbed my book.
"Spellbook," I said, flipping it around and looking at the cover, "how can we add more rooms?"
As my hand graced the cover to open it, I got the sensation that someone was watching me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark figure standing outside the doorway.
I focused my eyes on my hand and slowly reached for my wand. I had to believe that if I were in danger, my body would know how to protect me. I shot a streak of blank ink from the tip of my wand; it continued until it hit a tree on the other side of the clearing.
"It worked," I whispered. "But where did the figure go?"
I stuck my head out; my eyes darted around the clearing. Nothing moved other than the tops of the trees and the slow clouds overhead. I carefully stepped out; there were no signs of footprints.
I returned to my spellbook, which was open now, on a page with only one spell and countless drawings of objects and doodles.
Shapecraft
Required Materials: At least four stones, creating a perimeter around the materials
Coaxes materials into a desired form. The new form can also merge with an existing object or repair broken ones, assuming I have all the parts. Works best when I ask politely and tell the materials exactly what I want — sometimes a mental image isn't enough.
"This is perfect…" I said as I turned back around. "Could it have been a figure, or is this just how I dropped it?"
I walked back out and called, "Hello? Thank you for your help."
With a blink, time stood still — the figure reappeared in front of me — a black shadow.
Another blink and it was gone.
Seeing the figure left me with conflicting feelings — safe familiarity and obscure danger.
"You must be from my past." I looked down at my hands. "Her past. You probably don't even know that I'm not her, do you? It's not my fault, though, if that makes you feel better."
I looked back at the shell of a home I'd created, sighed through my nose, and grumbled, "I'm going to need a bed."
Using Shapecraft, I constructed a bed and windows out of sticks. I made blankets, a mattress, and a pillow from leaves and grass.
In the following days, I planned, designed, and crafted my home. I completed with a bedroom, kitchen, workshop, and dining room. As for hygiene, I settled for an attached latrine to act as a bathroom. Luckily, I already had a spell for cleaning myself.
Cleanse
Required Materials: Soap, or animal fat and ashes.
The target and their clothing are removed of all dirt and grime. Creates a concentrated ball of the detritus. It's best to dispose of the ball afterward. However, I do have ideas for how it could be used for other spells.
After three weeks of creating furniture, decorations, and adding finishing touches, I was ready — I went outside and flew around.
On the horizon, I could see the outline of a castle. I wondered if my task had something to do with them — my distant family. But, I still had four weeks before I knew why I was here…
While I was in my head, monsters and animals of all shapes and sizes caught my eye.
I started to fly toward them, but with a second thought, I knew I'd spook them.
I unclasped my spellbook and flipped through it until I found spells that would accommodate my desire to visit my neighbors.
Invisiblity
Required Materials: None.
Makes me or someone else transparent for about five minutes. Sweating causes the spell to stop, so don't run around or use this on a hot day.
Animal Speech
Required Materials: None.
Pretty straightforward, converts animals' noises, movements, and surface thoughts into basic speech. I have to continuously cast the spell for it to stay active. Does NOT work on monsters.
I pulled my wand out from my sleeve. The sun was high in the sky, but each week it was getting colder and rainier — autumn was here. I cast Invisibility and fluttered down. I hovered right above the forest floor, stuck out my wand, and cast Animal Speech.
"Hello, friends," I said.
Deer, birds, and squirrels meandered about. They were hesitant, looked around, but one by one they responded.
"Whose there?"
"Who talked?"
"Hear person?"
"It's okay," I whispered. "I came to tell all of you that I've moved into that big stump over there."
"I'm scared."
"I'm hungry."
"Old tree, down loud."
"I'll bring you some food," still in a hush. "If you guys need anything, I'm right over there."
With closed wings, I ended Invisibility and walked back to my home.
"Fairy."
"Girl fairy."
"Fairy has food?"
"Although animals didn't have anything interesting to say, I went back home and made a sweet treat for them. Afterward, I went back to explore the forest further, going through the different fractures to see what secrets the forest had to offer. I found hoards of berry bushes, mushrooms, as well as several fruiting trees. I had to be quick, since most of them were rotting."
"Why didn't you bring any food when you moved to the forest, Miss Cynthia?" a little boy asked.
"Because I had a spell to make food. No need to carry extra supplies if you have spells to do the work for you!"