~ Chapter Five ~
A s the sparks faded and Regan took a step onto the hardwood floor of the house in Boulder Creek, he scanned the room.
He was home—well, not really, but back in Boulder Creek and a short hour drive from his and Max’s house.
The chill of the air was a drastic contrast from the warmth of Puerto Vallarta.
What an experience. He probably enjoyed the adventure and the company more than he should have.
An excited shiver ran down his spine, and he turned to face Lutin. “Now what?”
Lutin glanced around, rubbing his chin. “Honestly, I’m not sure.” A chuckle escaped. “I’ve never had to train a Witch before and I think you’re a bit old to head off to a Witch school.”
Regan’s heart skipped a beat. “You mean like in the movies or on TV.”
Lutin smirked. “I’m kidding. There’re no schools of witchcraft or magical arts.”
Regan’s brows narrowed. Is it wrong I hoped for something along those lines? I guess I’ve read too many books.
Lutin reached out a hand. “Sorry to burst your bubble.”
“What about books or something I can read? How do Witches learn anyway?” Regan asked. He refused to acknowledge his disappointment that there weren’t magic schools.
“Well, kids are taught from an early age. It’s like talking and reading.
The parents do a lot of the training, and the Witches’ Council can provide resources and tutors if the family and the Witch need help.
The various covens in the area offer practice and structure as well.
Lutin peeked at his nails frowning. “I mean, sure, there are books you can read, but nothing is better than practice and I have some ideas about what we—well, you can try.” He cleared his throat. “Perfect practice makes perfect.”
“Don’t you mean, ‘practice makes perfect’?”
“Nope. I said what I meant and I meant what I said.” He huffed.
“You could become an expert of doing things wrong if you aren’t trained properly.
There was this whole big thing that happened down in San Jose a few years ago by Santana Row.
” He shuddered. “I don’t know all the details, but there was this whole drama with Witches…
and other magical creatures. From what I heard, the incident was a mess.
All because a magical user didn’t know what they were doing and another group took advantage of their inexperience.
I understand finally Patti and Deb Carson along with some others got the whole thing sorted out. ”
“Seriously? I never heard anything.”
“Good. Then we were doing our jobs.” Lutin offered his devilish grin. “You don’t want to end up like that.”
“I suppose. So can we talk to these Carson people?”
“No.” Lutin crossed over to one of the soft-sided chairs and sat down. “They’re lovely people but have their hands full with other matters. I’m pretty sure we can take care of this together. I’m not helpless, after all.”
Regan moved over to the sofa and sat down. “Okay, Mister Teacher, how do I practice? What do I need to do?”
“Well… you need to get in tune with your elements. Since they’re with you, you need to be able to talk to them and reach out to them.”
“And I do this how?”
Lutin stood up and reached out a hand. “Come with me.” He pulled Regan from the couch and they moved outside into the damp cooling air. “You need to get in touch with your inner self.”
“Seriously?” Regan may not have rolled his eyes, but his tone did all the eye-rolling for him.
“And you need to put away all your biases,” Lutin continued.
“As long as I don’t have to run around naked under a full moon.”
Lutin beamed. “Well, not yet, anyways. You never know, you might enjoy the experience. I can’t say I wouldn’t mind seeing you dance around naked in the moonlight.”
“Um… no.”
“We’ll see.” Lutin pulled Regan along the path the older Lutin vanished down yesterday.
The soft earth crunched under Regan’s feet as they walked deeper into the overgrowth and the area grew more secluded. Pines and other trees acted as battlements lining the path. “Where’re we going?”
“Almost there,” Lutin said as they walked.
The two men moved through the trees and into a clearing. “Here we are.” Lutin dropped Regan’s hand and walked around in a circle, breathing deeply. “This is my home.” Lutin grinned back at Regan.
“Your home?” Regan scanned the empty space—there was nothing here. No building, no shelter. They stood in a nice field with wildflowers and a thick cover of pines and other trees protecting the glen like an unbreakable rampart. The canopy opened to the blue sky. “We’re in a field.”
“You see a field and I see my home. Everything I need is here.”
“I don’t… where’s your bed? Where do you eat? Where’s the bathroom—no, don’t answer that.” He glanced down and checked the bottom of his feet with a frown. If he listened, the gurgling of a creek caught his ear, so at least Lutin had fresh water.
Lutin laughed, then raised his hands and muttered something.
As with the shimmering currents for the travel portal, sparks appeared as a rainbow of colors spiraled around them.
Soon the glen shifted and before them a cottage started to take shape.
The grove was replaced with more wild flowers, fruit trees, and different kinds of berry bushes.
A stone path lead to a stone cottage with a thatched roof.
Regan couldn’t believe his eyes. The small creek off to the side of the home grew louder, but what was odd is he didn’t see a creek.
Must be hidden in tall grasses.
“It’s beautiful,” Regan sputtered.
“Thank you. I’m fond of it,” Lutin commented as he walked up the path and opened the door. “I think it’ll be better if you train here than in your home. Easier to control when things go wrong.”
“When things go wrong?” Regan questioned as he took steps up the stone path.
“Oh yes, things are bound to go wrong and we don’t want to cause trouble on the human realm.”
“You mean we’re not on Earth anymore?” Regan looked up at the sky, not sure what to expect.
Lutin chortled. “Good lord man, is all your knowledge based on popular media? Yes, we’re on Earth. No, other humans won’t come across us. Yes, we’re safe from prying eyes. Now, can we please…?” Lutin pointed to the front door.
Regan kept his other questions to himself as they went into the cottage, which was warm and inviting with scents of lavender and sage filling the living space.
All the plants were in bloom and everything smelled fresh and clean.
The space felt bigger on the inside than one would think by looking at the outside.
Another question he pushed to the back of his brain.
Lutin sat and invited Regan to do the same.
“Now let’s start.”
Regan frowned as he sat.
“Close your eyes and focus on your breathing,” Lutin instructed. “I want you to focus on the joy you get from working with your hands…” He paused.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Lutin continued. “You need to fill your mind with seeing how energy flows. How streams flow. How electrical currents and the currents of water move through everything you do.”
Regan sighed, closing his eyes, and tried to picture what Lutin said, unsure how any of these things worked or how he could pull them together in his mind.
However, he did understand his job and he did understand electricity and plumbing.
In his mind he started mapping out how wires moved through a building, how they started at one point and ended at another.
He always found this part of his work fun.
The design and problem-solving always made him feel…
feel what? Not close to nature, but close to the power seemingly surrounding everything.
There were times when he worked on projects that he thought he could see the best ways to move energy from one location to another.
How to control the inputs and the outputs.
The process wasn’t about control, but learning how to manipulate the power to the best, and safest, outcomes.
His lips rose as he worked out how he would bring power into Lutin’s home, how he could harness wind or, better yet, water to create the energy to light the cottage and provide Lutin with all the power he’d ever need while staying true to the natural surroundings.
Regan planned out how to work with the natural world.
Electricity and water weren’t opposites, but they could work together.
They could complement one another. Help each other.
Hydropower was the perfect example of the two together.
He could use turbines and generators from the creek and bring power here.
The process wasn’t difficult—anyone with the proper know-how could do it.
Water and Electricity could work well together.
He made a mental list of what materials he would require and how to accomplish such a thing as he mapped the connection and paths in his mind.
He filled with joy and satisfaction as the ideas and the process revealed each step to him.
He glanced around in his mind, seeing the energies working together.
As he focused, he heard laughing and clapping.
Regan followed the sounds and saw two children sitting together playing a clapping game as he watched.
Each of the children was crouching and smiling.
One child had dark hair and dark eyes with a blue shirt and gray pants with sparks popping off around them, giving them a crackling aura.
The other child wore a gray shirt with green pants, and had blonde hair and blue eyes with droplets of water dancing around them, giving them a rippling aura. They both laughed as they played.
Regan filled with warmth and joy as he watched the two children play together, a flutter of excitement and pride filling him. As the children continued to play, they both glanced over at him and laughed. “Are you going to play with us?” they asked.
“I… I don’t know how?”
“Come play,” the one with the brown eyes said.