Joy of Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky Page A

would be their magistrix.
    “All right,” I said. “We all got a taste of formal ritual magic on Samhain. Obviously, that working didn’t go as planned, but I’m proud of all of you for sticking with us. Thank you for trusting the Academy.”
    I glanced at Cassie, just long enough to catch her nod of cooperation.
    “In light of what happened, I’ve decided to postpone any additional spellcraft for a few weeks.”
    I hadn’t decided anything of the sort. David had insisted. But I had agreed that my students needed to regain some confidence before we ventured back into a ritual circle.
    “We’ll focus on other aspects of your education. As you know, most of our magic isn’t used in formal rites. There’s power in the entire world around us, in the balance of nature, in the twining of animals and plants, in the bedrock of our fields.” A breeze skipped across the lake, ruffling the sand with scalloped waves. A fish jumped, giving me the cue I hadn’t known I needed.
    “Let’s start on the dock today,” I said. Confident that my students would follow, I turned toward the weathered grey planks.
    Ordinarily, we would have completed a classroom session with only one warder in attendance. That was standard Academy policy, basic common sense. But these were hardly ordinary times for my magicarium. In an attempt to assuage any lingering anxiety from my students, I’d asked all their warders to keep watch, even Zach, whose arm was suspended in a sling.
    I wasn’t entirely surprised when Tony brushed past me. He was good at his job, scouting out danger and protecting his witch, Raven. He guarded the rest of us as an afterthought, but I wasn’t complaining. He took up his post on the end of the dock, his back to us witches as he scoured the distant shoreline for threats.
    Neko walked toward the end of the pier as well. I couldn’t tell if he was truly trying to support me, or if he was just getting closer to his boyfriend. Even though I’d had months to get used to the idea, I still had trouble adjusting to the notion of my familiar and Tony as a couple. Where Neko presented himself as the essence of frivolity, a fashion maven, a makeup guru, Tony was dour—pugnacious even. I suspected he wouldn’t recognize a designer garment if the label choked him in his sleep, and I couldn’t imagine him pulling together a costume for even the wildest party.
    Opposites attract. At least sometimes. Neko seemed happier than I’d ever seen him, and Tony had lost his feral edge. I couldn’t ask for more.
    My witches followed me onto the dock, accompanied by their familiars. Their warders took up stations along the beach. It might be overkill to have six armed warders watching over the most basic of witchcraft lessons. But we were gathered. We were safe. We were ready to start the fall semester.
    I sank onto the wooden planks and gestured for my students to join me. Neko leaned in close on one side, but I wasn’t sure if he was offering astral support or taking refuge from the breeze. I pulled my knees up to my chin as if we were all gathered around a campfire, and I started to tell a story.
    “In a standard magicarium, we’d begin by working the Rota, repeating a single spell for days. But you aren’t here for that type of education. Instead, our goal is to integrate our magic into the world around us. We’ll start by studying the magical potential of natural world. We’ll study its balance. Its harmony.”
    I watched them as I spoke. They nodded. They got it. At least, they didn’t want the mindless repetition of the Rota.
    “So,” I continued. “Let’s consider where we are in the cycle of nature. It’s autumn, November, a time when most things rest and recover from the exuberant growth of summer. Many birds have migrated. Mammals are hibernating. We’ve had one hard freeze, an early one, so insects and plants have died off.
    “But even in November, there are plenty of animals around us. We just have to train