Read West Coast Witch for Free Online

tuna melt on it. “What…what was that?”
    Amy smiled. “You were out of focus for over a minute. You were very receptive to the
     magic, I think.”
    “Yea, uh…I felt it. So much of it. God, I…Hell, that was intense.”
    “Pax has a lot of Arcanes, in a close space. It is a good place to introduce you to
     your sense, and a bad one as well. There is a lot of energy here. Which, while making
     it easy for you to sense it, is also easy for you to get overwhelmed.”
    I shook my head, slowly bringing myself back to the physical world. “Yea, no kidding.”
     I murmured.
    “You will learn how to filter in time.” Amy said. “That was the pure, unadulterated
     sense of magic. What you want is to be able to take stock, to feel, but not experience.
     Magic is about drawing that into your body, taking it, and shaping it to do what you
     want.”
    “So, what, I’ll learn how to blast people with fire?”
    “Everyone finds different specialties in their craft. Your mother was quite adept
     with illusory magic. Her mother was more adept at divinations.”
    “Divination? Like, seeing the future?”
    “Not quite. It is a broad term. She could see links in things quite easily. For instance,
     if she had someone’s hair, she could tell you exactly where they were. Usually that
     takes a ritual of some sort.”
    “Wow. Are there any ideas what my specialty lies in?”
    “It will become apparent in time.” Amy promised. “Now, eat your tuna melt and your
     strawberries.”
    “Yea, Miyagi.” I said, and ate my dinner.
    As I ate, I asked cursory questions, trying to figure out what I could from Amy. She
     explained that she had connections with my mother’s side of the family. My mother
     was from a line of witches, the Morris family. They had come to America in the nineteenth
     century, and had claimed roots in New York at some point.
    Finally, I had to ask. “So, what do witches do?”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “What do they do with this power? I mean, vampires tend to live in luxury, and werewolves
     form packs. What do witches do?”
    She nodded. “A fair question. Witches are the solitary arcane. Their power can be
     vast, and most, apart from family members, cannot abide sharing power, even when intentions
     are noble.”
    “You’re saying that ability breeds ambition.”
    “Indeed.” She nodded. “All creatures are one of two things. Creatures of nature, or
     creatures of choice. The vampire, the werewolf, they are creatures of nature. However,
     the witch is not bound by instinct. They are, in fact, remarkably close to humans.
     They nearly are identical, apart from your arcane talent and a very different metabolism.
     It sets them apart. You are also more vulnerable, in ways. Humans are social creatures,
     but they do not trust that which they do not understand. And when they do not understand…well,
     human history is full of examples of what happens. People of different religions,
     nationalities, and sexualities, were persecuted. And what did they do when they thought
     that one who looked like them consorted with demons?”
    “Witch hunts, burning, lots of people dead.”
    “Exactly.” She nodded. “A witch keeps themselves guarded from threats, and often guarding
     yourself is a solitary thing.”
    “So, watch who I keep around. Got it. But that still doesn’t answer my question. What
     do I do with power?”
    Amy’s lips curled into a smile. “I just told you. You guard it.”
    “Wait.” I held up a finger. “So, I have this power. And what, I do nothing with it?”
    “You are Victoria’s son.” Her voice was warm, almost proud. “What would you do with
     power, Eric?”
    I shrugged. “Help people. It’d be a waste if I didn’t do some good with it.”
    “But what about personal gain? Magic is a powerful tool, and one you could use for
     your own benefit.”
    “Come on, I've watched Star Wars. And I’m a reader. I know what happens with abused
     power.”
    “It is not