When I walked in, dinner was already on the table, the mouthwatering smell emitting from wisps of steam. After being in a cold, damp dungeon, coming home to this gave me a warm sense of comfort. "I got the produce you wanted." I said as my mother turned around at the sound of Ananta rushing in through the door. I realized the metal cuffs had made marks on my wrists so I slid my arm guards down a little to hide the evidence from my forbidden trip.

"So, the Spring Valley didn't give you much trouble?" she asked as we sat down to eat.

"No, and sorry I'm a little late, I got caught up, talking with Rose," I said, careful to sound truthful. She eyed me suspiciously before shaking her head and proceeding to eat. It's an unsettling feeling, lying to your mother. I can't believe I got away with it. Right about now, she'd be thinking I was lying and use magic to make me tell the truth. As much as I love her, she's always on to me about everything, so it was a surprise that she didn't suspect anything today.

Ananta was already finished when I began eating and didn't bother to say a word as she felt the tension between my mother and I. Dragons have a weird sense of feeling like they know when to keep to themselves. My mother gave me an uneasy look that sent a chill down my spine.

"I'm not that hungry, mind if I finish this later?" I said referring to my half-eaten bowl of soup. "Maybe another lesson?" I asked. My mother had taught me magic from the moment I set the garden on fire. I was three. Since then, she had taught me how to channel my power into spells rather than dangerous outbursts of destruction. She nodded and walked over to a shelf of books, spell books. Each one with gold designs decorating the spine and borders, most of them red, green, or blue. A bunch of old scrolls sat neatly in an open oak box at the right base of the large bookshelf, and numerous magical artifacts were placed on the top, each one spelled to repel dust.

She pulled out a red book with gold trim that laid across the cover making a diamond pattern on the front. The tip of a blue silk bookmark hung out of the bottom. I marveled at its beauty, how the shiny red leather cover reflected the light and how the bookmark was perfectly folded in the middle of the book with not one mistake. My mother kept the books in top shape, never letting any of them get dusty or damaged.

"Today, you learn to fly," she said.

I didn't argue with her so I took a seat in the living room while she placed the book on a silver and oak stand. She flipped through pages faster than I could keep track of. It was almost dizzying, and the breeze from the rapidly turning papers hit my face. It smelled like old book, not old-nasty and moldy, but old-warming, like a candle-lit archive, where my mother would sit and practice spells of her own.

I was so lost in thought, I barely heard her speak. "...via. Novia. NOVIA!" I jumped at the sound of my mother's voice yelling my name. "You wanted to learn magic... I don't have all day," she said.

"Now, this spell will give you wings, temporarily that is. You don't need to worry, you won't be permanently stuck like that," she said.

My mother gave me some space by the book to read over the instructions. They really were simple enough. There were so many different versions, each for different kinds of wings. Next to each, was a number, one through three, determining the level of difficulty. Tracing my finger down the list, I found dragon wings. A faint smile formed on my face as the number three was written next to it.

"Now, this spell requires a lot of power so I recommend you start with something..." she started before my spell cut her off.

"Alas Dracones!" I was engulfed in grey and purple smoke and a weird tingling feeling ran down my back. When the smoke cleared, a large pair of jet-black dragon wings extended from my back.

"...simple." my mother finished. "Now, if you want them to retract and disappear, just fold them in tightly and they'll be gone."

I did as she said and I was back to plain old me. Hey, that was pretty cool, why don't you do that on the roof! Ananta said. I swear that dragon had the craziest ideas. 

I started heading toward the stairs when my mother called out, "Novia, where are you going!"

"To the roof!" I yelled, not turning back for her to tell me that it was 'too dangerous.'

Ananta was already there, waiting eagerly for me to jump. Well, go on now, jump! I positioned myself at the end of the roof, my feet on either side of the middle where it came to a point. It wasn't hard, keeping my balance considering I could run on tree branches, but the thought of jumping off the roof started pushing me toward second thoughts. No, I was going to do it. I ran fast, toward the edge of the roof, and jumped as high as I could into the air. "Alas Dracones!" My jet-black wings appeared out of the same grey and purple smoke. It was strange, how I could feel the wind hitting my wings like they were a part of me. I had full control over them, as I propelled myself up into the late afternoon clouds.

The sun was still bright as it outlined the clouds, giving them a golden glow. Ananta was next to me as I tucked in my wings for a dive. I shot out of the sky and down, head first toward the forest canopy. My hair flapped wildly as the wind hit my face. I tilted my wings to give me a spinning dive. Nearing the trees, Ananta gave me the pull up signal. I stretched out my wings as I spun upward and over the branches of the forest below me. The sight and feeling were incredible as the sun set beyond the horizon and the clouds became tints of pink and orange.

This was true freedom, and I was flying, without Ananta holding me. The sun had set and the stars were out when we reached my house. Angling my feet below me, I touched down on the roof, with barely a sound. The moon was rising, its angelic glow casting shadows upon the ground. Yes, magic could be power, but this, this was true magic.