Void Domain, Book 01 полностью

Either that or an eccentric and rich funder. Eva hadn’t seen any evidence of illegal activities that might be the source of funds. Though, she supposed, if I could wander around for a month or two and stumble across illegal activities, some authority would have noticed much sooner and shut them down.

They parted with Irene outside the clothing shop and entered Foible Foci.

Juliana meandered over to the alternative foci, leaving Eva to guide Shalise around.

Shalise turned her brown eyes over everything in the shop. Not just her eyes. She had to touch absolutely everything, much to the chagrin of the young man managing the store.

Eva dragged the excitable girl to the simple wands and helped her pick out a wooden wand.

“So, Shalise, you’ve never done magic before?” Eva asked before the girl could run around the store.

“I heard of magic, who hasn’t, but I never expected Professor Baxter to show up claiming I was a mage.” She laughed and waved a hand in front of her face. “I told her she had the wrong person. That nothing in my life could be considered magical.”

Eva waited, but Shalise didn’t continue. A bit of a look had fallen over her face. She turned her eyes downwards and sighed. Just as Eva was about to ask if she was alright, Shalise continued.

“She handed me a ticket for a flight, a scholarship fund, and a bunch of papers. I threw them all in the trash.

“Professor Baxter showed up again a week later asking why I missed the flight and if I needed assistance getting to school. I told her I had too much to care for at home, too much work that other people wouldn’t do.”

Eva never thought about that. Someone like Juliana, from a magical family, was probably expected to be shipped off to school. Eva held no attachments to anything back in Florida. But what about people who actually had friends and liked living where they did.

A smile flitted across Eva’s face. Maybe her registration to high school hadn’t been withdrawn. She’d be marked as absent in all her classes until truant officers were sent to her father’s house. If he got arrested due to her disappearance, it would be a happy day.

It was a bit much to hope for. Unfortunately, he knew Eva could do magic and he knew she had visitors from ‘one of them magical academies’ looking to recruit her. Even if Zoe Baxter hadn’t arranged anything, the government surely had a method of contacting Brakket and finding out where Eva was.

Shalise broke Eva from her thoughts. “Eventually, she promised me that she would take care of my home while I was gone. And that I could visit anytime I wanted just by asking her. If I turn out to be a terrible mage or hate it here, then I can go right home.”

“Well,” Eva said, “it is probably good you skipped summer. It has been fairly dull around. I can’t say that I hate it, or that I’d be doing anything more interesting at home except volunteering at a local vet’s office.” She gave Shalise a smile. “Hopefully, school keeps us busy, at the very least.”

Juliana wandered back from the other side of the store, sporting a full finger ring on the index fingers of either hand. At Eva’s questioning glance, Juliana said, “I thought yours looked cool so I got some. Though you never wear yours…”

“It turned out to be a tad more cumbersome than I expected.” Not to mention Eva didn’t actually need any foci for casting her spells. The wand was just for show.

“You should.”

Eva blinked at her terse response. “Yeah,” she said. It would be a handy excuse if she had to cast a spell in an emergency, that was at least part of the reason she originally bought it. “Maybe I will.” She turned to Shalise. “Do you want to look for any alternate focus?”

Shalise held up her hands and took a step back. “Oh no. I don’t think so. This,” she held up her new wand with a bright smile, “is more than enough for now.”

Juliana looked like she wanted to say something but held it in.

“Let’s get your books then. I could use some more paper and ink from Major’s as well.”

Toomey Tomes Bookstore was just as devoid of life as the last time Eva entered the shop. The sole living person was the owner, sitting behind a counter. He was a pencil thin man with far too much gel slicking back his hair. His sunken in eyes glared at the group as they entered his store.

Eva glared right back. Her last time in the store found her running right into some dangerous smelling people. If they were in the store to meet with the shop owner, then that was all on him.

Because of her suspicions, Eva took extra care snooping about the store while Juliana helped Shalise find her books.