“Brigia?”
Ayla sat on the bed, cradling the great owl like a stuffed doll, stroking its feathers while she thought.
“I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere, but I can’t place it…”
“Brigia.
The more common form is Brigid.” Soren enlightened her.
“The goddess of fire, poetry, and wisdom in Celtic mythology.
Ring any bells?”
Mythology was exactly the kind of thing that stuck in a child’s memory.
Ayla’s face lit up with recognition.
Soren continued, “I originally wanted to name her Athena, but that’s Greek mythology.
Figured I’d go with something more local.
Brigia carries the same wisdom goddess metaphor.”
He stepped closer and rubbed the back of his hand against the owl’s crown feathers.
“What do you think, Brigia?
Do you like it?
Bri-gi-a?”
The beautiful female eagle owl tilted her head at him.
Her long ear tufts flicked, as if signaling agreement.
“Wonderful.
Brigia it is, then.
My goddess of wisdom.
May you share some of that wisdom with me.”
Soren stroked the owl’s head and sealed the deal.
Ayla had no naming privileges, but she pivoted toward another right instead.
“What does Brigia like to eat?
I still have some nuts left, and there should be pork sausage with dinner tonight!”
“Pork sausage…” Soren’s expression turned doubtful.
“Probably not a good idea.
Human food has too much salt and seasoning.
Bad for animals.
Nuts won’t work either.
Owls are carnivorous raptors.
They eat meat.”
“Raw meat?”
Now it was Ayla’s turn to look uncomfortable.
An orphan had no easy way to get fresh meat.
Soren grinned.
“Don’t overthink it.
Mice, birds, insects.
Nature provides plenty.”
He checked the time and gestured toward the door.
“Let’s go, ladies.
The other kids are all outside playing right now.
Let’s head to the barn.
I guarantee Brigia will love it there.”
“The barn?” Ayla’s eyes lit up.
“Mice!”
“Free mice.
Director Brent will be thrilled if we thin them out.”
Fun AND no risk of getting scolded.
The plan suited Ayla perfectly.
She gathered the great owl in her arms and pushed herself up.
She didn’t stand.
The owl’s round, plump body wasn’t that heavy, but it was bulky enough to block her entire line of sight.
Soren swallowed his laughter and offered a hand.
And so Soren carried the great owl while Ayla walked ahead, guiding him.
The two of them made their cheerful way toward the barn behind the orphanage.
They had completely forgotten that Brigia could fly.
Along the way, they passed a few children hanging around the main building.
Every single one of them locked eyes with the magnificent owl and lit up, itching to rush over and get a closer look.
Fortunately, Soren’s carefully cultivated reputation for meanness over the years did its job.
One cold glare was enough to keep them at bay and spare the pair from becoming a public spectacle.
Outside the main building, the scent of grass and flowers washed over them.
They laughed their way through the small garden and past the playing field until they reached the barn tucked away at the back.
Don’t ask why an orphanage had a barn.
The building used to be a family farm.
After the conversion, this tall, reasonably well-sealed storage room was kept for drying grain and storing vegetables with a long shelf life.
The barn door was always locked.
Too many children had tried sneaking in for adventure, and none had escaped a whipping for it.
Today was no exception.
But that wouldn’t stop Soren.
He was a distinguished wizard!
He wedged Brigia against his left arm, freeing his right hand for his wand.
“Alohomora!”
Without a sound, the old iron lock caught the wand’s glow.
Red light pulsed through the mechanism.
A soft click, and the lock popped open on its own.
The Unlocking Charm.
Beloved of thieves and burglars everywhere, making its debut.
“Ahh!”
Ayla gasped, slapping both hands over her mouth to muffle the sound.
Soren caught the worshipful gleam in her eyes and lowered his wand, basking in silent glory.
Ah, that hit the spot.
What was the point of learning magic if you couldn’t show off?
He’d have been wasting his time!
For the express purpose of today’s flex, the second magic book he’d studied was Standard Spells, Grade One, cramming a handful of practical charms in advance.
“Normally I’d say ladies first.
But there are mice in there, so I’ll take the lead.”
Ever the gentleman before a young lady, Soren stepped into the barn first and flipped on the light.
Dim yellow light spilled from overhead.
Dust motes floated in the air, and the space carried that old scent of wood and earth.
At the sound and the light, rustling broke out from corners all across the barn.
Once Ayla slipped in after him and pulled the door shut, the real hunt began.
Soren’s sharp eyes found a fat rat cowering on the crossbeam.
A flick, a swish, and then: “Avada…
ahem, Wingardium Leviosa!”
This time there were no flashy visual effects.
The rat simply floated off the beam, four stubby legs scrabbling wildly at empty air, grasping at nothing.
The great wizard had achieved another great victory!
Soren guided the rat’s floating trajectory with his wand, lowering it slowly.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught the span of Brigia’s enormous wings and remembered a rather obvious fact: owls could fly.
Well.
Why bother with all this effort, then?
“Go, Brigia!
I choose you!”
He scooped the owl up with one hand and tossed her into the air.
Brigia caught the momentum and took flight.
Wings beating with elegant power, she streaked toward the rat like lightning and clamped down on the back of its neck with talons strong enough to crush bone.
Super effective!
The rat stopped struggling instantly.
Right before Soren and Ayla’s eyes, Brigia tore into the adult mouse and swallowed it in a few efficient pieces.
She must have been hungry.
For the next while, Soren repeated the process.
Free owl food to fill his pet’s belly, plus a solid round of Levitation Charm practice.
Without exaggeration, this was one of the two spells he was best at.
The other was a simplified Summoning Charm of his own invention.
Long before he’d gotten his wand and begun systematic magical study, he’d already mastered this technique for manipulating objects from a distance.
It was why his spellwork succeeded on the first try, even though his wand movements and incantation rhythm were still rough around the edges.
During the practical session, Ayla overcame her squeamishness about rodents.
Armed with a pair of twigs, she joined Brigia for a feeding game.
Half an hour flew by.
Both human children and the messenger owl were thoroughly satisfied.
Soren told Ayla, in a cheerful tone, that Brigia would visit every Friday to spend the weekend with them.
He invited her to join the ongoing and thoroughly beneficial rodent extermination campaign.
Ayla was more than happy to oblige.
If Director Brent hadn’t heard the rumors and come rushing over to see “the legendary owl” for herself, she probably would have clung to Soren all day.
Alas, the director put an end to their fun early and dragged her away.
Soren debated it for a long time but ultimately decided not to tell Director Brent that Ayla knew magic existed.
He did enjoy the company.
But if he wanted to focus on his studies, having Ayla tag along constantly wasn’t going to work.
A fine plan.
Reality, however, had a habit of ignoring plans.
Saturday, Ayla showed up after lunch to play.
Sunday, Ayla showed up after lunch again to play.
Soren eventually gave up.
He threw his teammate under the bus and sent Ayla outside with Brigia so he could study in peace.
And so the days settled into a rhythm: study in seclusion Monday through Thursday, then carve out an hour each day from Friday to weekend to take the ladies barn-hunting for spell practice.
Quiet, fulfilling, everyday life.
The crossed-out dates on the calendar piled up fast.
Before long, late August had arrived.
The start of term was close at hand.