Witch, Please (Not Your Basic Witch Book 1)

by A. J. Macey

  “Ah, you must be Aris,” a boisterous man proclaimed, his loud voice bouncing around the room, catching the eyes of several of my fellow witches. “Come now, dear, you can partner up with one of your classmates. Don’t want to throw you right into the deep end, now do we? That would be awfully terrible of me.” He flashed me a crooked smile, and despite his receding hairline and graying beard, his playful and open attitude reminded me of a lovable child. “Delilah, since you’re one of our top students, why don’t you assist Aris until she can safely handle all the dangerous ingredients we’ve been working with.”

  My eyes flickered over to Delilah to gauge her reaction. She had a small smile on her face as she gave the professor a nod. She didn’t look upset, though honestly, she didn’t seem to show a lot of emotion, seeming like the quiet and shy type, which should be interesting with my cheerful personality. As I walked around the tables to sit next to her, my eyes focused on her simple outfit. She had on a long, dark blue skirt with plain black shoes and a burnt orange sweater with the school’s logo emblazoned on the front. Her short black hair was down, except for a small section she had tucked behind her ears. She was petite though she had a few inches of height on me, putting her at about five-foot-three. Her light blue eyes were taking me in as much as I was her. They were hard to read, but she seemed nice enough.

  “Thanks for letting me sit with you,” I said in a bright tone, taking the stool next to hers. Professor Brogan brought over a thick tome and sat it in front of me as Delilah flipped hers open.

  “No problem,” she said quietly as she found her spot. “We’re on Chapter 12, Energy Elixirs.”

  “Awesome,” I said quickly before flipping through my new book. Once I found the page, I started skimming it, hoping not to make too big of a mess of this class.

  An hour later, I found myself packing up my bag, a tiny headache forming after attempting to absorb way more information than I thought it could handle. I gave Delilah a quick wave and checked my schedule, groaning at seeing mentoring next. The thought of sitting and being lectured by someone with an affinity or worse, being forced to perform all these stupid tests to make sure I was truly a Mixta didn’t seem all that appealing. The mentoring classrooms were in the administrative building, so I stepped outside into the gentle sunshine. The fresh air was exactly what my head needed to clear, the headache slipping away and a smile spreading across my face.

  Now that I was used to it, I didn’t have any trouble jumping into the crowd of students who constantly bustled through the courtyard. I still got quite a few curious looks, but that could have been them just checking out my awesome pink hair.

  The mentoring hall was full of tiny classrooms, separated to allow each pair to properly study without constant distractions. When I located the room number listed on my schedule, I opened the door and stepped in. I mentally groaned at the sight of the guy I almost took out in the library. How do my embarrassing moments keep coming back to haunt me?

  “Nice to see you again,” the guy said, a lazy smile spreading across his face as he leaned back in his chair. I took the chair on the opposite side of the table to face him.

  “Sorry again about earlier,” I mumbled, my cheeks heating. He waved me off before I could say more, clearly already over it.

  “I told you not to worry about it,” he reminded me, pulling a file out of his bag and setting it on the table in front of me. My name was scrawled across the front, and I could see my schedule on the top of the stack when he flipped it open. He thumbed through the papers for a moment before speaking again.

  “So… Aris Calisto, daughter to an elementally affluent family, registered to Aether Academy earlier this year. Alright, that’s all a bunch of shit,” he exclaimed, slapping the folder closed and shoving it off the side of the table to where it fluttered to the ground. “Tell me about the Aris who’s not in the file.”

  I felt my eyes narrow slightly, unsure whether he was being serious or if he was going to pull a prank on me. My brother’s friends loved to do that to me growing up—pretended they gave a shit, then proceeded to throw it in my face.

  “I like pink,” I stated, still cautious. When he gave me a small nod to continue, I started to ramble. “I like to draw, I collect strange things, my favorite thing to wear is tutus, and I’ve always wanted to learn how to fly a broomstick.”

  “You’ve never been on a broomstick?” he asked, his eyes showing emotion for the first time. I could see a bit of confusion and excitement in there. “We may just need to change that.”

  “That would be beyond amazing,” I squealed, dancing in my chair, my eyes widening at the prospect of finally getting to fly. Seeing me so excited, he chuckled lightly.

  “Let’s work our way up to that. It never hurts to have a reward in mind,” he said with a wink, folding his hands under his chin, leaning forward. “I’m sure every class, you’ve had to show if you can do magic, so why don’t you just tell me what you’ve been working on, and we can go from there.”

  “I’m a Mixta, and I don’t have a study or practice plan yet, so I’ve been stuck reading the rules and history books so far. Have an essay I have to write on it,” I explained with a shrug; it’s not like I had much to share with him.

  “Cool. Since you don’t have a plan yet, why don’t we try to get ahead on that homework? I’m not going to sit here and try to make you go through all these random tests I’m sure you’ve done a hundred times by now,” he stated, pulling out his own history textbook, the gold embossed ‘History of Akasha 401’ shining under the floating lantern above us. I couldn’t stop the surprised expression that took over my face at the fact someone wasn’t going to make me dance around like a spelled broom.

  “So… that’s it? Why do I have so many mentoring sessions then? I have some on Thursday, some with you…?” I trailed off, wanting to know if I was being singled out for some reason.

  “It’s something they do for first and second years. It helps them determine how strong their affinities, or lack of affinities, are and how to use them properly. You have one with a professor because you’re a Mixta, and they want to figure out the best direction to take your education,” he explained before looking down at his own work.

  Despite having to read through my boring text and write up notes for the paper I had due, I felt a sense of calm happiness settle over me as we got to work. The silence around us wasn’t stifling or oppressive, both of us able to focus without the feeling of a professor breathing down our necks. I flipped my book open to the first chapter and started reading.

  Asteria is comprised of five major realms, each with their own unique style of government and landscape. Twice a year, the heads of government for each world meet in a five-day summit to keep the lines of communication and trade open. Each world is made of one major species. Aureus is the human world, Althaia home to the dragons, Altair home to the vampires, and Arcadia home to the Elves.

  Following that theory of five, Akasha’s surface was made of five major areas that were later sectioned off into territories, each with their own unique landscape and council.

  Ignis is mainly comprised of deserts with a hot and arid climate. The academy of Ignis is comprised of Elementals and focused toward controlling the four major types of elemental powers—Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. The fifth power can be covered, but due to the rarity of the Spirit Elemental manipulation, it is not taught often.

  The second territory is Caeli, where the winds are most notable behind the valleys and plains of the land. The academy is the first of two schools open to all types of magic, including Mixtas.

  The third territory is Oceanum, where the majority of the landscape is made up of waterways, including marshes, rivers, streams, and lakes. The academy is exclusive to the two affinities of Scrying and Divination and Potions. It is one of the hardest to reach, only accessible through four bridges or by boat as it sits in the middle of Lake Tranquillo, the largest body of water in Akasha.

  The fourth territory i
s Terra, where most of the land is comprised of cliffs and mountains. The Terra academy is built into the face of Altus Mountain with the interior of the school deep within the stone. It teaches Spell Casting and Summoning to help reduce any possible risk to the neighboring towns.

  The final territory is Aether, which is abundant with forests and crystal caves. The academy here is open to all five affinities as well as Mixtas.

  “Aris.”

  My mentor nudged my hand, and a wave of soft tingles brushed over my skin, radiating through me before he pulled his fingers back. “Class is up if you want to pack up your stuff.”

  Oh good, I was just starting to fall asleep from that boring as hell textbook passage. Sitting back from my hunched position, I stretched my tense muscles and shook out my hand after scribbling several pages of notes over the text I just deciphered.

  “Thanks,” I pepped up, practically jumping out of my seat when the clock tower rang.

  “Oh, hey, Angel!” he hollered as I meshed into the crowd. Turning, I was bumped a few times but didn’t move, waiting to hear whatever he had to say. “The name’s Drayce! Also, try not to run into any more people!” Drayce flashed me a bright smile before I lost him in the wave of witches. Did he just call me Angel?

  The encounter—and the cute nickname—had me smiling the entire way to Summoning class. This one, I was really excited about. The fact someone could use magic to summon creatures and objects had always impressed me. There were a few whispers I’d overheard of darker things that could be summoned, but those weren’t something we’d learn about in class. I just hope the professor lets us see some of it firsthand.

  The classroom had an ominous vibe—the way everyone turned and looked at me as I entered the room only amplified it. The room was dim, the lanterns overhead set with a low blue light that gave the room an ethereal glow. A raised circle was in the middle of the room with tables surrounding it. Runes were etched on the outer edge of the circle, currently dim since it wasn’t in use. There wasn’t a teacher’s desk, so I stood to the side of the door and waited. A few moments later, she swept into the room. Her face was serious, but when her eyes landed on me, I could see kindness in her features.

  “You must be this Aris I keep hearing about. Come join us,” she said, her voice holding a musical quality. She seemed younger than most of my professors, closer to Torryn in age. Her black, long-sleeved robe was simple, but she made it look classy.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I confirmed as I followed behind her. She led me to a row of hooks where similar black robes hung. She eyed me before searching through them, tossing one to me. I caught it easily and slipped it on, the hem hitting just above the floor.

  “In order to keep yourselves grounded while summoning, you must form what we call a rune circle. You want to stand inside your circle as you form it, which keeps your summoned creature or object contained. There are five points within your rune circle, one for each element, which are the mandatory portions of your circle. Each circle is unique to the caster and the object they are conjuring. This is done to keep your magic focused, and as you know, is part of everything we as witches do. When you are finished summoning and want to release whatever you’ve conjured, draw the rune for dissipating the spell in the middle of your circle. You must follow these steps, and you must keep in mind the law of three. What you send magically into the world can come back three-fold. This is why dark magic is forbidden,” she droned on, ending on the warning we’d all heard throughout our entire lives.

  When the bell finally tolled, I was so drained, I practically sleepwalked through the halls. The moment I stepped into my room before dinner, I dropped my bag on the floor and face-planted on my bed, letting the exhaustion overtake me.

  This will get easier… right?

  September 4th

  Wednesday Morning

  Aris

  Something bumped into my face, waking me from a dreamless sleep. No matter how many times I swatted at it, it came right back. Eventually, I peeked open my eyes to see three paper airplanes flying around my room, dive-bombing me every few minutes. I snatched the first one out of the air and opened it up.

  Hey! You want to hang out tonight?

  That clearly had to have come in after I fell asleep; I barely remembered making it back before dinner last night. The next one came down, and I snatched it out of the air before it smacked me in the face.

  Stopped by and could hear you snoring up a storm from all the way across the room and through your door, so I figured I’d let you sleep. See you tomorrow, Cupcake <3

  I groaned as the third note continued to ram into the back of my head the entire time I was reading the first two. Instead of white like most I had seen around campus were, the note was attacking me was a brilliant red. Guess whoever is really trying to make a statement.

  I’ll see you tomorrow for our first mentoring session. Don’t be late.

  -Professor Callahan

  I rolled my eyes at the formality of the note—as if I wasn’t capable of remembering a simple schedule change. I wrote it in my planner and everything. Not wanting him to think I was ignoring him, I wrote a quick note back to Torryn on the spelled paper to let him know I’d be there. I muttered the activation incantation I had learned during my reading in Mixta Basics on Monday, the paper folding itself into a little paper airplane before it hovered in front of me. Tacking on Professor Callahan’s name, I watched the message fly out of my room, slipping out under my door. Since I was already writing notes, I scribbled a quick reply to Caspian.

  Excuse you, I do not snore, and if you keep that up, you’ll never get to find out what it’s like lying next to me, again!

  Kisses,

  Cupcake.

  Once I finished getting ready, I headed out for a quick breakfast, needing the fuel to get through another long day of classes.

  Wanting to make sure Torryn wouldn’t freak out at Caspian and me being late, I made sure to corral a still eating Caspian out of the dining hall and to our history classroom. Sinking into my seat, I placed my bag on the ground next to me. My and Caspian’s desks were so close together, when he shifted to stretch out his legs, his left knee rested against my thigh under the table. I had to cover my cheeks as they flushed when he would nudge me every so often with a nearly inaudible chuckle. He slid a piece of paper onto my desk, which I recognized as my note from earlier. He winked over as I unfolded it.

  You do, and it’s the cutest snore in all of Akasha!

  I folded the paper back up and threw it at him in indignation, but he just laughed and blew a kiss at me. Ugh, he’s incorrigible.

  Torryn strode out of his office and into the classroom right before the clock tower chimed, his gaze immediately falling on his younger brother and me, eyes dipping down to see where Caspian was playfully pushing my leg.

  Did... he just grind his teeth? I mentally questioned with a furrowed brow. No, you’re imagining things, I told myself.

  “We have a guest speaker today. One of our students will be providing insight into the inner workings of the Council. As the son of a councilman, his experience and knowledge are unique, so pay attention. While we are learning the basics in class, I thought it would be beneficial to get a new viewpoint. Hold your questions until he asks for them, please,” he said pointedly, glancing at me, then around the room. “Please welcome Xanthius Eideann.”

  A few students clapped awkwardly as the guy I met in the pantry walked in. He looked as stiff and stoic as I remembered him, his clothes perfectly starched and ironed, the pants still holding their crease. He had on a dark button-down shirt and kept fiddling with the hem as he made his way to the front of the room.

  “Good afternoon. Thank you, Professor Callahan, for having me. Akasha is run by one main council headed by the prime minister, the Council of Akasha or CoA for short. The five council members are the head of each of their territories and oversee a smaller council, reporting back to the CoA. Each council oversees local laws and petty crimes. The Co
A makes Akasha’s laws and acts as the judge and jury for major crimes…” Xanthius continued to talk, but his words ran together in a haze of boring information I honestly didn’t care about.

  “Alright, thank you, Mr. Eideann,” Torryn addressed the class before turning to me. “Miss Calisto,” he called, stopping me from shoving my paper and pen into my bag.

  Glancing up, I made eye contact, unable to push away the sensation of prickling tingles I always seemed to get when I was around him. I really need to figure out what’s going on with my magic and all these fucking encounters.

  Note to self—research!

  “Don’t forget, we have mentoring after your next class.”

  Torryn’s statement pulled me from my thoughts to realize I had been staring at him. Oops. It’s not my fault he is sexy as hell. He had a handsome, dignified style that drew me in. I didn’t usually go for older men, but he was hard to resist.

  “Aye, aye, captain!” I said, saluting with a teasing smile. I almost burst out into laughter at the warring emotions on his face—a mixture of wanting to laugh and ‘oh shit, what have I gotten myself into.’ Good, he could use some humor in his life.

  “You ready, Cupcake?” Caspian called from the door, a hint of amusement in his voice. Torryn’s face fell at his brother’s nickname for me, irritation replacing the previous emotions. For a moment, his eyes held something else, a look resembling longing.

  Longing? Okay, I’m definitely imagining things!

  “Yup, let’s go to familiar training!” I said with a squeal. This was one class I was really looking forward to. I didn’t expect to get a familiar right away if ever. They were rare, but it was important for witches to understand how to properly care for familiars in case one chose you later in life. The bond between a familiar and a witch was a strong mental bond. If they let a familiar get hurt or sick, it could harm the witch. A witch felt what the animal felt, and that wasn’t something any witch should be unprepared for.