“Which means one of the things you’ll be doing with me is learning the witch tongue.”

  “That sounds hard.”

  She snickered, “You’ve done well so far, so you should pick it up fast. It’s something you learn as you go, you only need to learn the words and attached intent and definition of each word in the spell you’re currently studying and trying to master. You also don’t have to worry about syntax, but you’ll pick it up over time, long before you can even consider creating a new spell of your own.

  “The goal of course, is when you master a spell, merely saying a word will have your subconscious feeding you the subtle and overt meaning of the word to fill your pool of magic in your palm. That will take time and practice, but when you first cast using the words, it will prompt your conscious mind to dredge up the meanings from your study. Follow?”

  I nodded, “I think so, yes. It’ll take months to master a handful of spells.”

  She nodded, “Yes, but you can cast spells before mastering them, if you have them well memorized. It shouldn’t be too long before your decent enough to decide to join us or not, a couple of weeks at most. The ritual for joining the coven is not overly complicated, since nascent witches or warlocks need to cast the spell as soon as possible.”

  I supposed that made sense.

  She said, “The last part of a spell is understanding. Your intent to fix a tear in a garment for instance, will be worthless if the knowledge of how cloth is made is lacking. Knowledge is power, for a witch and warlock, a saying I know you’ve heard many times before.”

  I nodded.

  She smirked, “Which is why we have spell books. The spells not only list the words and definitions and intents of the words, it also contains the knowledge necessary to cast the spell. So learning a spell, will require you to study and memorize words of the witch tongue, their meanings and intents, as well as the knowledge behind it.

  “Creating new magic is much harder than learning what is known. Most witches don’t try to make a new spell until their fifth decade, or older. Most things we need done, or can conceive of, is already covered by our grimoires already, so it’s worth learning and mastering all those spells first.”

  “I understand, Rue. You’re really not going to tell me what that was about earlier?”

  She laughed, and said teasingly, “Nope.”

  Yeah, who was flirting with who now? I let it go, afraid if I accused her of it that she’d stop.

  She leaned over to the side and opened the chest at the end of her bed, and then pulled out a small book. She could’ve gotten up, and she’d had to show off quite a bit of flexibility as well as her petitely supple ass to do it. Given her increased arousal I was almost positive she’d given me a show on purpose, damned tease.

  Just to drive me crazy, as well as herself.

  “This book contains three simple spells, a fourth slightly more complicated one, then the fifth is the joining ritual. You are not to look at any spells without having successfully cast the preceding one successfully at least five times in a row. The spells will prime you for the joining ritual, since they cover all the words in it, and it will be decision time, for you and for the coven. Any questions before you start studying?”

  I nodded, “What’s the difference between a spell and ritual?”

  She smiled, “That’s easy. A ritual is a spell that must be cast by the entire coven. Not to say a spell can’t be cast by the entire coven, but spells don’t need to be. They can be cast by one, two if it’s called for, or the whole coven, while rituals require everyone’s participation, even if some are only giving magical consent.”

  “Oh, I was thinking rituals would be more complicated, but it’s only defined by the entire coven needing to do it.”

  She nodded, “Some of them are extremely difficult, but the joining ritual is pretty simple. I mean, it’s a two-part ritual, but both parts are simple enough. You’ll see when you get to it.”

  She handed me the book, and I opened it up.

  The first spell was a communication spell using telepathy, and I read it over completely to get a general idea of things, before going back to the beginning and studying it. The spell would work if my target was within range of my aura, which is what I used to sense the magic around me. Or, it could also work if I held something of the person I wanted to contact, using a sympathetic magic connection. Hair, nails, and blood were best, but an item owned by the target could also work over an extended range. Several hundred miles.

  I pretended not to notice as she studied me, while chewing her bottom lip, but damn was it hard to focus through that along with her needy arousal and angry distrustful scent. Fortunately, I had two very active lovers and three friends with benefits now, so it wasn’t exactly sexually frustrating that she fought her attraction so hard, but I did want her for her, not just for more sex, which I was getting more than enough of as it was.

  Seriously though, it was hard to tell if she was stabbing me or fucking me, in her imagination. I did wanted her of course, badly. She was sexy as hell, but I also wanted to hold her and make stupid promises.

  Anyway, the spell had five words. The very first word defined the spell type, as mind magic. It was the same magic type as telekinesis was, so the explanation and knowledge of what mind magic was struck a chord in me. The second word was actually two. An either or choice. It specified the target of the spell, either someone else’s magical signature that I could feel, or the other word specified the target through a sympathetic connection.

  In the first case, I’d have to picture the person and the feel of their magic while saying the word, in the second case I’d have to focus on the blood, hair, or nail filings that I held. So there were actually six words to memorize, not five.

  The third word connected our minds. It briefly described brain waves, and how every brain was on a different frequency of thought. The connection didn’t sync our minds, since that would be a bad idea. Instead it acted as a translator, modifying the sent thoughts to the frequency of the receiver. It also warned that the receiver would need to be open to contact, and they’d have to let it through their magical protections. They would also know who was calling, as they’d feel my magical aura.

  The fourth word defined the focus symbol necessary to transmit thought, kind of like the mike button on a CB radio. That way the target wouldn’t hear all the thoughts crossing my mind, and only the ones when I was actively focusing on that symbol. The symbol showed in the book looked a lot like an antenna. The symbol would also be delivered over the connection already established, and float in the recipient’s mind’s eye, so they’d know how to reply.

  That was it to make the connection and actually communicate, those first four words.

  The fifth word was to disconnect early, or to cancel the spell when the conversation was done, assuming the magic invested into it didn’t run out first. It was also rude to press on another mind for thirty minutes straight, so if the target didn’t let the spell establish within ten seconds, it was common courtesy to end the spell at that point.

  Then I studied all the definitions, concepts, and knowledge in detail, starting from the beginning.

  The rest of the hour passed, and I said, “I don’t know, I’ll be ready to try tonight?”

  She shook her head, “You’re mine until you can cast it at least once. Studying and memorizing isn’t nearly as intense as holding a constant discipline over your thoughts while using magic. So there’s no reason to limit it to an hour at a time, twice a day. Then I want you to review it against before dinner, so you’ll be ready to cast it over and over again tonight.”

  I winked, “I can live with that. Back to it then.”

  She shook her head, “Live with what?”

  I grinned, then got back to studying without answering, which drove her a little crazy as both annoyance and curiosity spiked. Of course, I’d been referring to the being hers part of things, for a little while anyway.

  It was another hour later when I was satisfied I could do it. I’d been able to close my eyes, and think the five words, and consciously evoke the knowledge, meanings, and intents attached to them in regard to this spell. I’d checked and double checked.

  “I think I’m good. Shall we give it a go?”

  She waved, “Go for it.” She didn’t seem at all bored, despite the fact she’d just sat there with me for the last two hours, and she had been studying me about half that time. That seemed a little off, since she wasn’t a stalker, so maybe she had her own communication spell going on or something?

  The magic pooled in my palm with a thought, it was far from an exact science, but I was sure I’d matched the amount called for in the book to ensure the spell would last about thirty minutes.

  I spoke the first four words of the spell slowly, but not hesitantly, instead I projected my voice and enunciated with a strength of will and confidence. Slowly, only because I needed to consciously dredge up the knowledge, intents, and meanings in each word. Still, that was about a word every two seconds or so, which meant it only took eight seconds to cast the simple spell and then release it. Once mastered, it could probably be cast in two seconds.

  Her eyes widened as the magic formed a bridge between us, and she snickered as she let it in.

  “Something amusing?” I sent.

  She shook her head as her mind sent, “Maybe a little. I thought you were a bit slow, most of us try in the first thirty minutes or so, but we fail. You were just making sure you got it right the first time. So, not slow at all given that. Of course, you’re not done yet, the last word.”

  I spoke it, and the magic unraveled.

  She nodded, “Excellent. One more time and we’ll meet again tonight.”

  I asked, “I thought five times.”

  She replied, “True, but part of it is ensuring retention. It’s why seven to fourteen days. Later tonight it will no longer be in short-term memory, so we can ensure your long-term memory has it. You’ll continue to cast it at least once a day after that while we focus on the next, and so on.”

  Right, this wasn’t like a history test in high school, that I could just forget all the information I crammed in my head after setting down the pencil. It was my magic, and magic that I could be using daily.

  I grinned, “That makes sense. Okay, one more time.”

  The second time I resisted the urge to try to do it faster, that would probably just end in failure, so I cast it in eight seconds with careful deliberation. Maybe a part of it was my builder mind set, my literal builder mind set being in construction. Always measure twice and cut once, never try to rush as that’s how expensive mistakes were made, and like the first time the connection bridged between us.

  In a lot of ways, I was seeing spellcasting as building a spell, because really, that’s exactly what it was. The words of the witch tongue, while alien sounding, resonated with my magic as well. Not that it would be easy to learn, but I thought it’d be easier than say, trying to learn French.

  Instead of letting me in, she just smirked at me as the connection knocked on her natural protections against the magic of others. So, at the count of ten I spoke the fifth word which unraveled the spell.

  She laughed, “Damn, I tried to catch you out, but you really did read the whole thing. Okay, I’ll see you tonight after dinner. Celestine could use your help with something, and there’s still a couple of hours before lunch.”

  “Alright. Thanks, Rue.”

  She nodded casually, but I scented her surprise and pleasure at my genuine thanks for the teaching. She was a good teacher, all part of her duties as second. She was intense and passionate about magic, even for me. As I said earlier, she didn’t let her crazy or anger interfere with her coven duties, it was just the personal side of things where she was tempestuous and alluringly forbidding due to that undercurrent of desire she covered up.

  I got up off the floor, and then headed to Celestine’s cabin. The curvaceous platinum blonde had needed something, vigorously, but it had nothing to do with furniture…

  Astra blessed the top sirloin, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and dinner rolls before we dug in. It was dinner time that same day. After Celestine and lunch, Iris had blown my mind with her fingertips, clearly she’d adapted her magical technique to please a man. Then after that I’d been seduced hard by Astra and spent the rest of the afternoon taking care of her and Carline.

  Needless to say perhaps, was that I was extremely fortunate to have life magic, or I was fairly sure my cock would’ve been sore and useless for days, especially factoring in my morning threesome and the fact Carline and I would have another marathon later that night before finding sleep. Not a complaint, just an observation. A little healing to take care of chafing and a little blooming magic focused on my libido and stamina would ensure I’d never fall short in taking care of my lovers and friends in the coven.

  Astra said, “Tomorrow morning a group from Sophia’s coven will be here to trade just after breakfast time. I think it’d be a good idea for you to stay in your cabin until lunchtime. Sophia’s not a rabid enemy, but she’s not our friend either, and I wouldn’t put it past her to send a group here to spy.”

  Rue countered, “And if she asks to see him? I think it’d be better and safer if he went out on patrol with Carline instead. So they can get a good look at him when he returns, and he can shift inside and stay inside his cabin after that until they leave. We can’t exactly tell her people that he’s too busy being trained by me, can we? We’ll have to skip that morning lesson anyway.”

  Carline said, “There are some things he should be taught, his shifter abilities when shifted.”

  Rue nodded, “We can tie him into the communication spell with Carline.”

  Astra reluctantly nodded, “Okay, we’ll do it that way. But they might be suspicious of it. They have to know he hasn’t been doing patrols yet, so changing our routine on the morning of their visit will pique their interest.”

  I frowned, “I didn’t think of that, should I have been? As a cover I mean.”

  Rue shook her head, “Shifters go through a training period, to master their shifts and instincts in their other form, as well as learn their other abilities and what to do and what not to do when patrolling. The rumors indicate you’re a new shifter, so we weren’t worried about it. We probably should’ve been seeing to that training, but we’ve been focused on the warlock side of things since that will be your place in the coven. It should be fine though, you already demonstrated enough control of yourself in that form to follow Carline’s lead, if not with mastery of your abilities.”

  I nodded, “That makes sense. So what can a shifter do?”

  Carline said, “Besides being immune to magic in that form, and having our senses, strength, and speed even more enhanced, there’s the dominance magic. You used it, poorly, during the fight three weeks ago. A fully trained shifter of your power and dominance could’ve chased all three off after a token pass or two, even held one of them still by sheer force of will. That’s why our enemy marked you as a new untrained shifter.

  “The dominance magic can also form a pack bond. Focusing it on me for instance, with the intention to declare yourself dominant and to accept me as yours and pack will form that bond when I submit in agreement. You can’t force a weaker shifter into a bond, I’d have to submit in trust and want it too. Once the pack bond was formed, we could communicate mentally in shifted form, and sense each other’s intentions well enough to fight as one. That’s about it.”

  “I see, and I didn’t know this before because?”

  Astra shrugged, “For one, we didn’t want to confuse things while you were mastering the four main foci of your warlock magic. Second, we don’t want you to make her pack, not until we’re sure you’re joining us and are part of the coven. Pack bonds are permanent until death, and if we decided not to invite you, or you decided not to stay, then you still would refuse to leave or try to take her with you. We always intended on teaching you after you joined the coven.”

  I blinked, “Right, I guess I didn’t think that through. That would be bad. So, we’ll use the comm spell tomorrow, and avoid the pack magic part of things.”

  Carline said, “Dominance can also cow, chase off, or even influence natural animals to a certain task, but that really doesn’t come up anymore. That’s about it.”

  Right, no animals at all in this wasteland, save the domesticated food sources hidden somewhere underground near here. I hadn’t tried to discover that location at all, but the witches were extremely careful about not leaving in any particular direction when I was outside. I suspected they moved all the meal supplies and any lumber, tools, or other things between here and their stash when I was busy learning magic in class.

  “What kind of trade?”

  Astra said, “We all have things other covens don’t have, and they have things we don’t. In those cases we make more than we need of the unique item, so we can trade it for things we can’t otherwise enjoy or get. In this case, it’s oranges for bananas.”

  I nodded, “Fruit has seeds in them?”

  Astra said, “We prepare the exchanged fruit with magic so that the seeds aren’t viable, and they do the same. It gives an excuse to interact and spy on each other.”

  That night after dinner I was able to cast the communication spell five times in a row, perfectly. It was a short lesson, and it felt like a job well done. The same kind of satisfaction I got from building something filled me, pride in my work, and of course doing a spell was just as exhilarating as using my affinity magic. The only thing Rue told me was not to read the second spell yet, she wanted me to do it again in the late morning after our guests left, before I polluted my thoughts with another spell.

  Chapter Nine

  After breakfast, Carline and I stripped down in my cabin. The communication spell had already been cast by Astra, and there were symbols floating in the back of my mind associated with her, Rue, and Carline. I could mentally speak with all three, or just one of them individually. It was obviously a more advanced version of the basic spell that I’d learned yesterday.