Spell Book Ch. 05

Aria giggled. "Nothing builds up magical energy like sex does. Like I said earlier, witches alone have a hard time generating our magical energy. We are inherently magical, but whatever happened at Roanoke three hundred years ago..."

"It's like the cord connecting you to the magic originally was high-voltage, but somehow Roanoke ripped that cord out of the wall and replaced it with a cheap, low-voltage extension cord. Difference between that and a power line running power into the neighborhood. Is that about right?"

Aria shrugged. "Sounds accurate."

I thought about that for a moment. "Okay, so that would make me a high-voltage power amplifier. Instead of being able to access the magic directly as witches used to do, you need a Merlin in order to fully charge up. So is that what we're doing with this new coven? Building up magical energy?"

Aria cuddled into me, rubbing my stomach. She gave me a few pecks on my neck and then ran her tongue up to my ear. She spoke gently into it. "Well, it's actually more like draining your battery before it overloads and explodes. Reading between the lines, I think the difference between the Merlin and a warlock is that a warlock has too much magical energy. Too much power, you know..."

"Corrupts?" I finished.

"In this case it actually degrades. The magic overwhelms the man, and erodes away at him until only the most negative aspects of him are in charge."

"So you're saying that sex is like a release valve for me? It bleeds the corrupt influence out?"

She scrunched up her face, trying to find the right phrasing. "Eh, kind of, it's more like, when you have sex with us, it passes some of your magic into us. Gives us girls a boost. Well, it'd work the same if you had sex with guys, I suppose. If we can find any who can do magic, but aren't warlocks. The magic boosts our own, inherent magic, and allows us all to use it to greater effect."

"Hang on. How would that work with guys? Wouldn't that corrupt them as well?"

"It depends. There are other forms of magic. Witches tap into most of the elemental forms, and are capable of channeling most kinds of magic. But these other forms are available to some. Fairies, weres, demons, dragons, goblins, and other magical creatures use different kinds of magic. Some have an inherent kind of magic which they're born with. Others, like demons and dragons and fairies, are able to tap into primordial forces that witches aren't able to access. You tap into a kind of universal source of magical energy that can enhance and multiply the power of whoever you're being intimate with."

"Okay. Now I feel like we're getting too far off-subject. You said that the warlocks kidnap witches. Why do they do that?" I looked from one to the other, and both looked...angry.

"They kidnap people equally. They use them to generate the more negative emotions--fear, anger, hatred--and use those to fuel their magic further." Aria tapped on the grimoire in her lap nervously. She clearly didn't want to talk about what the warlocks did, and I certainly didn't blame her.

"Okay. From what it sounds like, the warlocks steal people and, what, rape and torture them to feed their dark side-based magic?"

Aria opened her mouth to say something, then shrugged as she considered what I said. "That's actually a pretty good description, yeah."

"No wonder you guys get so angry talking about them. Fuck those guys." I took a deep breath, the weed and the feel of both girls sitting with me on the couch keeping me grounded. "So the difference is dark versus light. Coercion versus cooperation." I smirked. "Fear and manipulation versus love and affection."

Aria nodded. "That's the simplest explanation. The more love and affection you have with more women--though it doesn't specifically exclude men, if you find a decent one--the stronger everyone becomes."

"Right. I'm not into guys, but that's good to know. So you--the witches in our coven--are getting magic from me?" Cally nibbled on my other ear and I turned to give her some soft kisses.

"To add to our own, yes. The act charges our magical batteries and brings yours to a healthy place."

Cally frowned. "But if he uses his magic, wouldn't that drain it in a healthy way?"

Aria shrugged. "Yes, it can, but releasing magic with spells is more of a trickle. Sex is magical in a lot more ways than just the physical. Look at the three of us now, versus where we were a couple days ago. Look how we're acting with each other now, and how we were as friends. It changes things. And I think the act itself bonds us together, and allows us all to share in those magical energies."

"So what you're saying is that the two of you are helping, but you are only able to help so much?" I said.

"Yeah. You, as an awakened Merlin, are a living conduit of magical energy. If I had a magical Geiger counter, the needle would be trying to break its way out the side of the device. We need to siphon off a significant amount of that magic, or even the three of us together won't be enough to keep you from going warlock on us. You need more release valves." Aria nibbled my ear thoughtfully. "Do you know of any girls who might be interested in joining our burgeoning harem?"

I grimaced at the term. "I...nobody I can say for sure. There's a couple of girls that I would definitely be interested in bringing in, but I don't know if they would be open to such a...different kind of relationship. I also don't know if they have any magical talent."

Cally shook her head. "Oh, that's not much of a concern. Magic is more of a ladies' club than a boys club. Most women are inherently magical. Why do you think we're the ones that carry the babies? Also, why do you think there are covens and then there are warlocks? There's only supposed to be one Merlin at a time."

"So every person with a vagina is able to do magic?" I asked.

"Well," Aria said. "There's a small percentage of women--like, one percent or something really small--that are completely magic-neutral. They can't use it and it doesn't affect them if it's used on them. But yeah, basically."

"Hmmm." I leaned back and closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of both girls cuddled up against me.

"So!" Aria said loudly. I opened my eyes and looked at her grinning face. "Who are these girls you're interested in? I'm betting Cally and I will be able to help reel them in for you."

I laughed at that. "You guys would be my wingwomen?"

"Well, you know, as long as you keep us satisfied as well as the new girls, I don't have a problem with that." Cally stage-whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"All we need are two more ladies and we could totally have an orgy of our own!" Aria crowed. "Mmmmmh, I would love an orgy. It's been a while."

"I thought one or two orgasms was your limit?" I raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't an orgy be more?"

She shrugged. "Oh, I'm usually pretty well satisfied with one or two, but then giving people orgasms is almost as good as having orgasms."

"And I love as many orgasms as I can get." Cally's hand dropped to my lap, squeezing my semi-hardness.

"Hey!" Aria glared at Cally.

"What?" Cally looked hurt. "I'm just giving it a little love squeeze. He's been a very good boy." She emphasized it by squeezing me again and pumping me through the boxers a couple of times. It was already starting to peek out the bottom of the leg.

"Cally," Aria glared at her best friend.

"Okay, okay, fine." Cally gave me one last squeeze and then let go. "Like you don't want to ride that..." she muttered.

"And I will. But--still sore--and we need to figure this out." Aria looked at me. "So, who do you want to approach about the coven?"

I thought about that for a moment. "Okay, but wait, how do we approach this without coming off as, like, creepy cultists?"

Cally giggled. "Oh, don't worry about that. Aria and I spent the most time recruiting for the Circle. We can do the heavy lifting, if you want."

"Or," Aria said, "you can ask the girls out and see if there's possible interest. Not in the coven. Just, see if the attraction is there. If it is, we can probably work with that."

"And what do I tell them if the subject of you two come up? If they ask me if I'm single, I don't really want to lie to them."

"Look, you don't want to scare anyone off. You don't need to mention it until after you've figured out if the spark between you and the girl is there." Aria squinted at me. "You are thinking of girls, right? I mean, if you want to bring a couple of boys in, I...well, I honestly don't know how that will work. I understand, don't get me wrong, I've had a few nights where all I wanted was to be filled in as many holes as possible all at the same time as much as possible, I'm just...these are archaic rules which were brought into being some thousand plus years ago, so, you know...really fucking sexist."

"No, no, I'm cis all the way," I said. "Never had a problem with any other orientation, of course. Just...I've never been interested in guys like that."

Aria let out a breath of relief. "Okay. I really wasn't sure what I was going to do if you wanted to bring another boy into the mix. The book, it really only talks about harems--one boy and multiple girls...I know, really not forward-thinking, but it was a very different world back then."

"Okay, so, spill it. Who are you thinking of?" Cally laid her head on my shoulder and squeezed my left arm tightly, while Aria entwined her fingers in mine. She leaned into me, hugging my right arm.

"Well, my first choice would be Riley at the front counter," I started.

"Oh, I like her," Cally said. "She looks like she would be a lot of fun."

Aria giggled. "Mmmm that's perfect! I've totally caught her checking me out after gym before. Do you think she's working right now?"

I looked at the clock. It was nearly six in the evening. "Maybe, yeah. We can go check, I guess. If she's still there, she's definitely getting ready to leave now."

"Great! Shit. Not great. If she gets off at six, I've only got a few minutes to get ready, and that's not nearly enough time." Aria frowned at the clock on my wall above the TV. "I've got this whole just-fucked aesthetic going on right now, which is generally really hot, but I don't want to walk across the apartment complex looking like this, in just my tiny outfit. I'm not nearly drunk enough for that." Her eyes widened. "Ooooohh, do you have alcohol?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I've got some tequila in the freezer and mead in the fridge."

"Mead? What, are you a Viking?" Cally raised an eyebrow.

"Descended, yeah. I've got ancestors who came over with the Vikings as well as the Mayflower. Hey, you know, I could go," I said. "I'm not usually...I mean, I don't have a lot of practice asking someone out on a date, but I can go try. It doesn't take me very long to get ready."

"Really? It should. Hmmm. We'll help you out. Come on, Cally, to the closet!" Aria stood up and pointed dramatically towards the bedroom. "We don't have time to waste!"

A few minutes later, the girls came out with a pair of jeans and one of my nice shirts, and demanded that I get dressed. Cally had my comb and hair putty, and started fixing my hair as I was getting dressed.

Cally snapped her fingers suddenly as I was pulling my pants on. "Socks! And shoes. Hang on." She ran back into the bedroom and came out a moment later with a pair of dark socks and a pair of dress shoes.

I narrowed my eyes at the shoes. "Where did those come from?"

"Hmm? Oh, these were in your closet. I did a quick repair spell, they were pretty tattered."

"That's because they're about three years old."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Okay, we're going to get you new shoes tomorrow. But, these are fixed for today."

I put the shoes on. They felt just like new, and fit mostly perfectly. I was going to have to break them in all over again. I frowned down at them.

"What?" Cally asked.

I shrugged. "I have to break them in again. Can you teach me that spell? That seems like it'd come in handy."

"Only like, all the time. Works on all kinds of things. You'd better get going. It's almost six." Aria pushed me towards the door.

"Wait, wait! I What should I say to her?"

"Tell her that she's pretty," Aria said.

"But not too pretty," Cally rushed. "You don't want to come off desperate."

"And that you wanted to see if she'd go to dinner with you."

"Just dinner," Cally said. "No movie, you can't talk during movies."

"No, wait," Aria frowned, tapping her chin with one finger. "Invite her to one of our parties. We could throw one tomorrow night. That way, we can all get to know her better. I know I do. She has really nice bone structure."

"Ooooo, that's good. Yeah, we're going to need alcohol and maybe we could enchant the apartment again to help loosen people up." Cally nodded in approval.

"Wait, you can do that?"

"Done it several times. Always keeps the parties more lively."

"More interesting," Aria chimed in.

"Also, helps with the part where people get naked."

"If we want them to get naked."

"We usually do," Aria stage-whispered.

Cally slapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Don't give away all our secrets," she glared at Aria.

"It's okay, Cally, he's our Merlin. If we can't trust him, who can we trust?"

Cally turned and looked back at me. "You're still here? Go, go! You're going to miss her!"

And without another thought, I ran out the door, leaving my coven alone in my apartment.

I ran most of the way to the office before slowing down to walk as casually as I could. It didn't help that I was breathing a little bit harder than I probably should have been after just a casual walk. I was nervous.

I couldn't help smiling anyway.

I felt really good about being "their Merlin," and honestly everything was moving so quickly I was felt a little dizzy from it all. There was a part of me that kept telling the rest of my brain that this was all some crazy dream, and I was going to wake up to reality any second now.

I didn't.

I was definitely already pretty attached to the two witches, and from our talks, they were clearly very attached to me. Hell, I could tell that I was already half in love with the both of them. Would I be able to maintain a relationship with both of them and more women?

I didn't know.

I did know that for all intents and purposes, it came down to them setting up a magical harem for me. With me. Both of those. I shook my head at the thought of me as the one man in a harem. I really wanted to find another word for that.

My last girlfriend was very demanding. Katia heckled me and belittled me because my comic book loving lifestyle was something she wasn't interested in. She had been gorgeous--literally a model, she had to fly from our apartment in Portland to LA or Florida for a week or sometimes a month or more at a time. For the first six months of the relationship, I was mostly just awestruck that she wanted me to be a part of her life. Once the honeymoon phase wore off, though, as is so often the case, we started to get on each other's nerves. I was never too big on the whole dressing up to party part. She loved it, of course. We spent the next nine months trying to figure out some common ground between us.

It didn't work.

I have ADD, and when it comes to my living space, I can be messy. It's not that I don't want to clean up. It's just hard to remember to clean my stuff up. Until I get really focused, then I'll spend a day or two just cleaning the hell out of everything. Which I did just before reading the spell book. On top of that, I can be forgetful, and because of my ADD, I don't always remember to say things like, 'thank you," or "Hello."

So, Katia spent the next three months telling me everything that was wrong with me, every time we saw each other. It was the least fun I had ever had, and when I finally broke it off, I pretty much went into seclusion. My job had already been something I could do anywhere, so I pretty much just stayed in my apartment, went to the gym, and occasionally went out to get food or see a movie by myself.

If anyone showed interest in me, I would flirt back, but really wouldn't let anyone get that close to me. All my friends lived far enough away that I couldn't really talk to them much. Aside from hanging out at Aria and Cally's parties, I really didn't get out at all, and I usually left before the naked part of the parties hit. I hadn't even known that was something they did before they told me earlier today. Where Katia loved going to parties thrown by millionaires, I only felt uncomfortable. I didn't really have anything in common with the people there, and for the most part, they all treated me like I should be serving them instead of enjoying their parties.

So, now that I had paused to catch my breath, I was feeling pretty nervous about doing this. All of these things were running through my head as I walked through the door to the front office.

Riley looked up and smiled when she recognized me. "Hi, Dan!" My palms started sweating. She had a smile that lit her entire face up, her dark brown eyes sparkling at me.

"Hi Riley," I said, smiling back. I spent an awkward moment just standing there staring at her pretty face. She had very kissable full lips.

She narrowed her eyes at me slightly, though her smile never faltered. "You haven't gotten any packages today. Though, after I screwed up yesterday, let me double check..."

She started to turn to the back room, but I stopped her. "No, I'm not expecting anything. Um, actually, I was wondering if you'd like to..." I stopped, my mind suddenly blank.

She turned back to me, her smile a little wider, a slight flush in her cheeks. She was ridiculously cute, with a subtle smattering of freckles across both cheeks. I loved freckles. "To what?" She giggled. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Really good, actually, just a-a little nervous. Sorry, I don't have much of a filter. Would you like to get some coffee with me sometime? Or-or dinner? I mean, if you don't have a boyfriend. Or girlfriend. Or anything. This isn't coming out right." I looked down at the counter between us, wincing at my awkwardness.

"Why, Mr. Deekins, are you asking me out on a date?" She said it in a fake southern accent, and put a mock hand over her mouth, but her eyes never lost their sparkle. She had flecks of green mixed in with the brown, and I realized that I was just staring into her eyes and hadn't said anything yet.

"I--yeah, that was the idea. I mean, it's fine, you work here, I know that could get awkward, and I-I don't know if that's something you'd even consider--"

She giggled. "Yeah, what are you doing now?" Her eyes darted to the clock on the wall. "Well, three minutes from now. Just let me clock out, grab my stuff, and I'm all yours."

"Really? That easy?"

She rolled her eyes and then grinned at me."Dan, I've been flirting with you for months. I honestly didn't think you were interested. Glad to see I was wrong. I'll be right back."

I blinked as she walked into the back room, then froze. The door swung wide, and the woman with the strange red and green eyes was there again, only this time, she was staring directly at me, with a thoughtful look on her face. She looked as if she were sizing me up for...something. Like I was a meal ready to eat and she had been fasting for a week. But the weird part was that Riley didn't acknowledge her, stepping around her. The door swung shut and I was left out in the office entrance.

I leaned over the counter, as if that would give me a better view through the door, and shook my head. I pulled my phone out, and started texting Aria and Cally.