Page 37 of House of Pain
“So, like, if I kill you, Professor, and use your blood to cast a protective spell over myself, the police won’t be able to get to me to arrest me because the spell will be too powerful to overcome?” Andro inquired, drawing a few more laughs.
Professor Felix nodded. “Yes, that’s right, Mr. Weir. If you killed me and used the blood from a pig to protect yourself from the police, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to get away with your crime.”
A wave of laughter went over the class.
“Witches who choose to wield death magic will have to use the remains of the dead or spirits in order to fuel their protective spell,” the professor continued, walking over to the edge of the platform. “Sex magic will require an act of sort to be performed, bone magic will rely on the bones of the First Ones to empower the spell, and nature magic will draw from the witch creating the spell themselves, draining their life source.”
“But what will happen if I need a super-potent protective spell and I’m using nature’s magic to fuel it?” Jolene asked, leaning forwards in her seat. She was a naturalist who refused to use any other magic but nature and sex. “Would the spell drain all energy from me to create the potent shield?”
“Let’s hope you don’t have to find out, Miss Frone,” the professor said simply, turning his back to the class to walk over his desk.
A few more students chuckled at the look on Jolene’s face.
It was beyond him why some witches and warlocks used their own life source to practice their craft when they could just channel the power from someone else.
“But actually, it’s an excellent question, Miss Frone,” Professor Felix added after a moment. “If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t fuel the spell with one of the five magics, then you can use the ritual circle to fuel it.”
The professor leaned on his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. He then jerked his chin at Blaze.
“Mr. Leveau, please start mixing the ingredients in the bowl,” the professor instructed. “Let’s create a shield around you so you can see how the spell works.”
Blaze glanced at the bowl and many glass jars in front of him with different herbs and berries.
“Frog’s tail, green rose petals, dried midnight lily, and three dashes of Sea Monster’s tears,” the professor said. “In that order, Mr. Leveau.”
It took Blaze a while to gather all the ingredients, his brain and fingers working exceptionally slow, but he managed. Once he dropped the last tear of Sea Monster in the bronze bowl, he glanced back at the professor.
“Sayisolentus mixortisand conjure the shield of energy stretching around you inside your mind.”
Blaze closed his eyes.
As his lips moved, whispering the chant into the air, his mind worked to conjure the image of soft white tendrils swirling around him, joining together to come into a united formation.
Almost immediately, electric current zipped through his body to the tips of his fingers, and his hands shook at the power gathered in his palms.
Blaze took a deep breath, his muscles going taut, but he didn’t let go, continuing the chant and keeping his focus on the image.
It would beworsethan embarrassing to mess up a simple protection spell in front of the whole class.
Only when a few gasps reached his ears did Blaze dared to crack his eyes open. The view of the class in front of him was distorted, a barrier of some sort making the sight fizzy.
It was the shield he had conjured in his mind, the white smoky tendrils swirling together in a cocoon around him.
“Nicely done, Mr. Leveau,” Professor Felix said, coming to stand closer to Blaze. Then, he spoke to the class. “The same protective shield will look different for different witches and warlocks. It all depends on how you imagine it in your mind and bring it to life.”
The professor walked around the long table, grabbing something from one of the jars.
“This particular spell is designed to protect you from any physical damage,” he explained. Blaze barely caught the movement of his hand as the professor threw a dried elephant beetle at the shield.
There was a light sizzling sound as the beetle turned to dust the moment it touched the shield.
“If you find yourself in a pickle where another witch is trying to hurt you in anonphysical way, this protective shield won’t do you much good,” the professor added.
He turned back to Blaze and murmured something under his breath.
In a flash, a sharp pain pierced Blaze’s mind. He groaned, grabbing his head with his palms. The shield he held in place dropped in an instant, and the pain was gone just as fast as it appeared.
The whole class was gawking now.
