Chapter 17

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Our way back to the castle was long and uneventful.

"I think I remember you not using any words for casting a spell a few weeks ago," I said and the whole scene played clearly in my mind. Lady Lesso tried to scare me when I said I found magic ridiculous and she performed a few magic tricks. "Could you teach me how to do that?"

"You are unable to use basic magic yet, and wordless one requires a lot more skills and experience. It'd be too dangerous," she answered but didn't turn around to look at me as she spoke.

I stayed behind her and watched Fenrir trot right next to her. Even though I wasn't the Dean's biggest fan, Fenrir's behavior proved she most certainly meant no harm. I could never be sure, as she was certainly a Never - and also the Dean of the School for Evil which spoke for itself - but something about her made me feel somewhat safe. It could've been just the fact she's a teacher and is supposed to keep us from all sorts of dangers.

"How long does it take to master it?" I asked and finally joined her side.

"It depends on many things and is individual for everyone."

The dog froze abruptly, one of his paws still raised. I quickly scanned the surroundings but there was nothing alarming in sight, yet Fenrir did not move a muscle and now had his ears pressed down to his skull.

"How come you're so interested in-"

"Shh!" I pointed to our four-legged companion and then put a finger on my lips.

"What-" her words were interrupted by Fenrir's low growl.

I grabbed the teacher's hand and dragged her to the side of the path and then down to the ground.

"Quiet," I whispered and this time, she listened. The light from her finger disappeared at once.

The forest went completely silent, as if in anticipation for whatever was to happen. We waited. And waited. Finally, I noticed a movement in the corner of my eye and turned my head to see what it was. A huge horned owl flew past us and landed on a branch a few feet away from where we were. Fenrir had his fur bristled which made him appear a lot bigger than he actually was. He, too, was looking at the bird.
It was undoubtedly the biggest owl I'd ever seen. It was mostly brown but you could see red feathers here and there. There were two horn-like feathered tufts on its head.

"An owl?" Lady Lesso scoffed and yanked my hand out of my strong grip. I didn't even realize I was still holding onto her. The fingerglow appeared again and we both observed the owl. It glanced at us briefly with its yellow eyes. Then, it flew away and a loud "whoo, whoo" was all we heard. Not a minute passed and the silence disappeared as well, replaced by typical nighttime noises. Fenrir's fur came back to its normal state as well but he was still visibly tensed.

I ignored Lady Lesso's words and bent down to pet him. "You okay, buddy?"

The only identifiable sign he'd heard me was one of his ears turned to me but his eyes were fixated on the direction of the owl's flight. I grabbed a leash out of my pocket and attached it to his collar just in case.

"Let's go, bud. It's late," I said and saw the Dean was already on her way. None of us uttered a single word for the rest of the journey.

"You did well, Reader," she stated while we walked through the bridge.

"You think so?" I asked excitedly with a big smile plastered on my face.

"Yes. Now go. It is late. You missed supper."

"Aren't you coming with me?" Why the fuck did I say that?

"No. There's work that needs to be done," she answered but refused to elaborate.

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