A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping

Luke is Sera’s love interest, but he is also a dynamic character. He is the primary caregiver of his nine-year-old sister, Posy, who has autism, and he also exhibits many qualities that are often associated with autism, such as intense sensory sensitivities and discomfort with crowded spaces. As one of Verity Walter’s apprentices, he was ridiculed by his peers, who called him the “Tin Man” (from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) in order to suggest that he has no “heart.” In truth, Luke has learned to protect himself by making himself “smaller” to fit in with his family and his peers. He also thinks of himself as an unwelcome burden. As a result, he pushes people away and abandons friendly spaces before people can tire of him or reject him, and this protective habit sabotages his chances of forming meaningful relationships. When he first saw Posy receiving the same mistreatment that he once experienced, he relocated her to the Guild’s estate in the hopes that she would be more accepted there, but she was rejected once again—this time for failing to follow the Guild’s rules.

When Luke and Posy arrive at Batty Hole Inn, indirectly sent there by Verity, Posy immediately develops a sense of belonging, but Luke doesn’t think he fits. Like Sera, Luke treats others with compassion but has little for himself. Until his friends make him aware of his own habits, he doesn’t realize that he always anticipates becoming unwelcome and leaves before others can abandon him. Like Sera, Luke eventually develops a more accurate view of himself when he learns to value himself as others do.

Albert is the novel’s static antagonist. Until Sera is born, Albert is the most powerful witch in England; he hates the fact that her magic rivals his. He is one of 12 ministers comprising the British Guild of Sorcery, and he has a magical contract that gives him the power of veto on any decision, no matter how many other Guild members support it. When the young Sera became his apprentice, she hoped that he would be a nurturing father figure, but he never fulfilled this role for her or for his own daughter, Francesca. (In fact, even when Francesca becomes the Chancellor of the Guild, she bitterly declares herself to be her father’s “puppet.”)

Cruel and selfish, Albert prioritizes power over everything else. By insisting on rewarding only the witch children from families with rich, magical pedigrees, Albert initiates a reign of terror that spreads the poison of xenophobia and prejudice throughout the world of the novel. Rather than training the young Sera to wield her power to do good or to help others, he regularly challenged her to duels so that he could overpower her and make her feel small. Then, when she uses the resurrection spell to bring her aunt back to life, Albert gleefully exiles her from the witches’ community and makes her a pariah—someone whom other witches are forbidden from aiding.

Albert’s merciless and volatile nature is symbolized by the form his magic takes: a lightning bolt. Just as lightning is powerful, destructive, and unfeeling, so is Albert. He lords his power over anyone and everyone, publicly humiliating those less powerful than himself and manipulating the Guild to do his bidding. Once Sera completes the restoration spell and regains her substantial power, she breaks his magical contract with the Guild, and they oust him from his position. When Albert later confronts Sera at the inn, she realizes that he will persecute and punish the people she loves rather than battling her fairly. She therefore tricks him into a duel and steals his power, sacrificing her own magic in the process. He never suspects that she would be willing to use such a mutually harmful spell because he himself would never sacrifice his own power to protect other people.