Fantasy Academy - The true Witch Hunting

The Library

"It's just past the market. Or so one of the shopkeepers says." Luna said, resting on her bed, sighing heavily.

"Ask the innkeeper, he'll answer all the questions. He told me about the night market. People will be there after sundown, it's the main attraction! We should go and visit it tonight."

"Sure."

"So, while we're waiting, let's go to the library." The elder sister stood up and headed for the door. Luna followed suit, shoving the key down her pocket before closing the door behind them. They headed downstairs and the innkeeper bid them farewell.

Luna wrapped the slightly oversized jacket tightly on herself, feeling the breeze brush against her neck and the shivers running down her spine. Sara was no different. They walked through the lively market, sometimes stopping to look at the potion bottles, floating carpets and the dragon eggs. They walked past the food stalls where the delicious smells hit their nostrils. Luna hurried out of that area and dragged Sara along. They haven't brought any money at the time.

After leaving the market on the other end, they took a left turn, and saw the library in full view. It was a big building with beautiful carved windows and doors, about three stories tall. Outside were plants and colorful flowers and in front of the building was a marble waterfall decorated with colorful stones, and to the left was a small garden with a small, flowing stream. They walked past it and opened the library's wooden door, greeted the librarian—the one who let them in the village. She greeted them quietly with a warm smile as they walked up to her at the counter and sat on the chairs. Probably a habit they caught from their old village.

Luna swallowed down the uncertainty of talking to a stranger and asked, "...where can we find magic books?"

"They're everywhere. They're the books rimmed in gold." She answered, smiling slightly back at them. "You want to learn magic?"

"It would be great to. If we don't get to study in any magic school after this, at least we'll have something." Luna said ruefully.

"When I saw you come through the gates you two were alone, weren't you? Where are your parents?" Luna went silent. Sara wasn't quite sure of what to say, glancing sideways. The librarian just hummed, Luna got the impression that she understood what they meant. She replied them with something disappointing, yet astonishing. The latter more than the former. "Please understand that lending a magic book to someone that hasn't enrolled in high school or isn't capable of casting spells yet is illegal. But I could give you a few hints..."

"The is a deal I want to make, not helping two orphans seemed a bit two cruel to make amends for." She laughed.

"A deal?"

"Well, it's more like a bet when you think about it more closely. Say, if both of you are able to cast even one spell, going off of this hint alone by the night market opens, I will be your mentor for the time being and teach you magic." She mused, still, with a smile on her face.

Luna felt a smile tugging at her lips as she turned to face her sister. She was smiling back, nodding eagerly. Luna asked the librarian again, "What about if we lose the bet?"

"You won't be allowed to borrow any magic books from here any longer."

The sibling froze. Sara gulped. Luna let out a shivering sigh. They looked at each other again, their faces showing signs of uncertainty. They might regret it. Luna asked again once another question came to her mind. "What about if we don't accept the bet?"

"Nothing happens. So, what do you say?"

Luna looked at her sister. "We always tried our hardest....so why not give this a shot?" She couldn't believe all that just came out of her mouth. While it was true, they didn't have any information to go on. They couldn't do it. But this is their chance, and they can't lose it. Not this time, when they had just what they needed. Sara answered her question with a shaky reply.

"Well...okay, sure."

Luna turned back to the librarian. There was a slight commotion going on at the moment. The people around the library were starting to gather round, watching as they made their decision.

"It's a deal." the crowd applauded at them, seems like the librarian making bets was a rare thing.

"Starling's made a bet! Who wants to bet on how this one goes?" The crowd whooped at the mention of it, though the origin of the voice wasn't exactly clear. The librarian cleared her throw to get their attention.

"Please, be quiet. This is the library." The crowd was a bit quieter now, only excited murmurs echoed in her ears.

"Your name's Starling?" Sara asked with a small voice. She was certainly shy. The librarian nodded. She turned back to the pair of siblings, and said, "Listen carefully, I will only say this once...magic, or casting out any spell, is to show your intentions and reveal your very core. That's all I can say. Your time starts now."

A/N

Sorry for the somewhat-extremely-late update. Things are busy, as usual. If I don't update by Friday, something's definitely wrong. If that ever happens, I will try and deal with it, and get the chapters to you guys ASAP. I just edited some of this, and yeah. I hope you enjoyed it!