Tartah invites Coco to help with his stall at Silver Eye. As it is a place for witches to showcase their magic. One thing that is clear is the impact that Coco has made on Tartah. Someone who was down with his condition is now really pushing himself forward in the right direction.
The big reveal in this volume is that Tartah is studying apothecary. A reminder that Tartah is a witch like Coco, and we know that studying medicine and magic is considered a big NO. Tartah’s logic is sound because why can’t we use both to help people? They both venture into the unknown, waiting to be discovered.
As the world-building in this series continues to excel, we get to learn more of Olruggio’s inventions and, more specifically, what he considers his failure. A magical tool that creates fire that doesn’t burn you sounds like the best of both worlds. The problem is that fire can be created naturally, and if someone created the safe to-touch magic fire, they might assume all fire is safe to touch. The big point being stressed is that magical tools should make people’s lives easier, but they shouldn’t disrupt the natural order of the world.
A good portion of this volume is focused on Custas, who hasn’t lived the best life. If it weren’t for Dagda, who knows where he would be at right now? Of course, with the incident at the river, Custas doesn’t have much mobility. On the bright side, him studying apothecary and medicine with Tartah is a great avenue to continue to push for.
Coco’s invention for Custas is a magical tool that lets him fly. Which is a huge aid given Custas’s injury. Still, this brings a question to Tartah if he should have done more for Custas because you see how much magic can help him. Is magic being as secret as it is truly what is best for everyone? Granted, when you dive into forbidden spells, that is really where keeping magic a secret is important. But what about approved spells? Well, magical tools are still tools, and a tool can be bad if used in the wrong hands. It will be interesting where Tartah’s journey continues from this point.
As Dagda and Custas get attacked in the forest, Dagda gets killed. Though someone who claims to be a true witch heals Dagda. As she says, the ones who claim you can’t heal are fake witches, which points to the Pointed Caps. Is this girl a Brimmed Cap, or is it another association? Who are the true witches? Does Coco have the potential to be a true witch as well?
