The Spell of Rosette by Kim Falconer Page B

day of her life for it.
    Four summers later, Drayco’s back came halfway up Rosette’s thigh when he brushed against her, his tail entwining her waist. She hadn’t been able to pick him up since he’d turned two.
    ‘He’s full-grown now,’ Nell said, looking across the table at Rosette. The girl had her head bent over a star chart, listing the angular relationships of each planet to the others. She mumbled as she made notations in the margins, her brow knitted.
    ‘Mars in Capricorn square Venus in Libra—no wonder Liam could never decide what girl he wanted. So much conflict of interest. Does he assert his will, or does he accommodate to the needs of others? It’s like being a self-sufficient recluse and a social-hungry people pleaser, all at once. How can someone with this aspectdo both?’ She lifted her braids off the table, flipping them behind her back. ‘He has to find a way if he’s ever going to be happy.’
    Rosette sighed. ‘I’d love to know Jarrod’s birth time. It’s such a pity that he was a foundling—I guess an estimate’s all I’ll ever have for him. He was never even sure of the day.’
    She looked up to see Nell watching her.
    ‘I need more charts,’ she continued after staring back at her for a moment. ‘I’ve studied everything you have, cast the dates and times I can remember of those back home, but it’s not enough. If I’m really going to understand star-craft, I need more data to work with.’
    ‘And it seems you are too.’
    ‘Pardon?’
    ‘Both you and Drayco are adults now, Rosette. You turn twenty-one this summer—have you thought of what that means?’
    Rosette put down her pen and capped the ink bottle. ‘A bit.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘I want to keep studying, Nell. If I could train at one of the temples I’d really make some progress. Would that be possible?’
    ‘Rosette!’ Nell pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. Nothing’s impossible, so anything and everything is always possible. We live in a universe of infinite possibilities.
    Rosette blushed.
    ‘Do you have a different question?’ Nell asked.
    Rosette hesitated for a second. ‘Where can I apprentice?’
    ‘That’s better.’
    ‘And the answer?’
    ‘What do you want?’ Nell asked.
    ‘You already know.’
    ‘Remind me.’
    ‘Star-craft,’ Rosette said, ‘and the bow.’
    ‘Anything else?’
    ‘I’d like to learn more about controlling my power, about boosting the magic without having, um, side effects.’ She looked at the north wall of the cottage where new cedar boards replaced the ones that she had burst into splinters last month while trying to heat a cup of tea with her thoughts. ‘Spells and shape-shifting…’
    ‘And what about the sword?’
    Rosette started picking at a scab on her forearm. ‘I’ll never be good enough.’
    ‘Not if you keep saying that to yourself, you won’t!’
    Rosette felt the blood rush up to her cheeks. ‘Right. The sword as well.’
    ‘Where?’ Nell asked.
    ‘Bangeesh Temple has excellent teachers of both star-lore and the bow, spell-craft and sword-craft. It’d be perfect, except…’
    ‘Except their Sword Master has retired and his successor, though greatly experienced, is hopeless at teaching.’
    ‘I didn’t know that.’ She raised her brows. ‘I was going to say, it’s very close to Lividica. We seldom speak of it, Nell, but I don’t think it would be safe to go back there yet. Maybe never.’
    Rosette’s heart tugged as she said the words. Whole weeks went by when she didn’t think of her family. When the memory did come flooding back, it was as raw as ever. And there was Jarrod. She thought of him all the time. It was like she’d seen him only yesterday, even though she knew he’d have changed. His kisses still lingered on her lips and she wished with a passion he’d stayed that night on the beach, so many years ago. She looked up, realising that Nell was talking.
    ‘I feel the danger has passed, as long as you keep