Jade padded over and sat at my heels. Her presence made me feel a little less nervous, but not much. I climbed slowly into the basement. I could tell immediately that the protection around the house had been removed. Cursing under my breath, I made my way to the creepy, wooden door and held out my hand.

The barrier was still there, but it felt different. Touching it again, I closed my eyes and tried to identify the change. Before, I’d felt a sort of jolt when I touched it. It had scared me at first because I didn’t know then that I was a witch.

Now, I realized that the jolt had been recognition. Grandma must have set the original spell on the door, and something deep inside me instinctively knew it was her magic. I didn’t recognize whoever had cast this new spell, however.

With a sigh, I let my hand drop. I trooped over to the cellar doors and climbed out, shutting one and then the other while I climbed back inside. Looking back over at the white door, I rubbed my chin.

“I’ve got to get inside that room, Jade. Whoever keeps breaking in wants something in there. It could be information about my family, or some kind of powerful tool they used or something.”

Jade curled around my ankles, then meowed. It’s a strong barrier.

“Yeah, it is, but this person can evaporate my protection spells like they’re nothing. I’ve got to get better at magic and bust in there because we’re not safe.”

The sheer weight of it all threatened to bury me. I’d felt better after being able to produce a protective barrier around the house, but it must have been weak for someone to get through it so easily. I felt tears rising and desperately tried to push them down, to no avail.

I felt like an idiot crying in front of Jade, but she didn’t say anything, choosing instead to sit quietly by my side.

After several minutes, I dried my tears with my sleeve and forced myself to push away the panic. I had to get inside. I needed spells that could get rid of magical barriers.

Hurrying upstairs, I found the spell book where I’d left it on the kitchen table. I looked up a spell for unlocking doors in the chapter about physical magic, but I found nothing about taking down magical barriers. I flicked through each spell in the book one by one. Nothing.

In the section about control spells, I found something interesting. It was a silencing spell. I wondered if the culprit used a silencing spell to mask their movements when getting in and out of the house.

Then again, I’d heard noises during the first intrusion, and Jade had mentioned hearing noises when she’d rushed to Faith’s house to get me.

I closed the book, wishing I had some kind of help or clue or anything. Something about the silencing spell struck me, but I wasn’t sure what my intuition was trying to tell me. I had to deal with the more immediate problem of getting that door in the basement open.

Perhaps Faith has something that can help you.

I looked over at the kitchen counter, where Jade paced. Folding my arms, I gave her a look.

“We didn’t exactly part on good terms,” I pointed out.

I’m sure she wishes she could have helped.

“Why are you defending her? She turned you into a cat!”

Jade tilted her head. I’m big enough to admit that Faith is a talented witch. She might not be willing to come into town, but she probably has something that can help. Maybe she can teach you a spell.

My gaze drifted down to the floor as I contemplated Jade’s words. I knew I was being prideful, that Faith’s life very likely was in danger. The thought of her dying too sent a stab of terror through my heart. Then again, I wasn’t sure if Faith would be all that glad to see me.

I had to admit, though, that I was at a dead end.

“Fine. You coming or not?”

Jade leapt down from the counter and headed to the front door, so I took that as a yes. I double checked all the upstairs windows and doors, then the downstairs ones. With some trepidation, I went back down into the basement and found a length of rope. Tying it around the cellar door handles, I yanked the knot tight to make sure it couldn’t be opened again.

We reached Faith’s house as the moon began to rise over the horizon. She opened the door before I’d even finished knocking.

“Sage!”

She pulled me into a tight hug, her face etched with concern as she pulled back. Tugging me gently inside, she waited for Jade to follow before closing the door.

“What happened? Are you all right?”

Despite my best efforts, my lips tightened and a line appeared between my brows. I pushed away the negativity. Faith looked genuinely concerned and relieved to see me.

“I’m fine. Someone broke in and messed with that weird door in the basement. Whoever came inside took down Grandma’s old barrier and put a new one up. They got rid of the protection around the house and got in through the cellar doors.”

Faith sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingertips before settling her gaze on me.

“I’m sorry, Sage. Please try to understand that I did want to come, but I just can’t.”

Her face sagged with such worry and regret that I couldn’t be mad. I took her hand and squeezed it.

“It’s all right. I don’t want anything to happen to you. But I do need your help. I need to be able to protect the house and keep the intruder from getting in again. And I need a way to get through that barrier. I looked through the book you gave me and couldn’t find anything.”

Faith motioned for me to follow her into the untidy living room. Muttering to herself, she looked through the large, messy stack of magic books before she took one out and straightened.

“Here we go. This is the book I showed you before. You’ll find some more intensive protection spells in there, along with a chapter on concealment magic. I’m almost certain there’s a spell in that chapter about placing magical barriers.”

I smiled grimly as I looked down at the brown leather cover of the book.

Enchanting Enchantments: Spells for Safeguarding Yourself and Fending off Others.

When I looked up, Faith was rummaging through her sweater pockets. She pulled out her wand, then looked at me.

“I thought the spell I taught you before would be enough to keep you safe, but I guess I was wrong. The spell you used makes a barrier sort of like a strong balloon. It will protect, but it can be punctured and removed. This next spell is specifically for buildings and acts more like a brick wall perimeter.”

My heart lifted. I glanced down at Jade, thankful I’d followed her suggestion.

“Yeah, that sounds better. How do you do that one?”

Faith frowned, concentrating.

“It’s a little hard to explain. Think of it this way. Build your walls, then direct them into place around the house. It requires a high degree of mental concentration, and you’re fairly new to magic. But if you keep practicing, I think you can get it.”

My lips twisted into an expression of uncertainty, but I didn’t really have any other options. Taking the book from Faith, I wrapped my arms around it.

“I’ll give it a try. What about the protection spell on me?”

She gave what I took to be an approving nod. “It’s still intact, and it’s good. Make sure to check the spell’s strength regularly, though.”

I gave her an awkward one-armed hug, my other arm still holding the book. She put a gentle hand on my cheek as we pulled apart.

“Even if I can’t get to town, I do care about you, Sage. Just come here anytime you need help, okay?”

The house was quiet and unharmed when we got home, much to my relief. Jade trotted inside as soon as I opened the front door. After grabbing a quick dinner for us both, I plopped down on the couch and began rifling through the book Faith had given to me.