Chapter 7: the teaching

“So” Sharkk said, a day later, they had traveled in the woods, heading towards montana. Their plan? Alaska, they could build a new coven there, recruit new witches, ones like Errol, with their covens destroyed, they could make a new life. 

“So” Sharrkk said again “spells: the thing that makes a witch a witch!”

He pointed out a finger, and touched the air, a Red  spark appeared in the air. 

“Magic: the source of spells” 

Errol started, nodding, mesmerized by the glowing red touch in the air

“How do I channel that?” Errol asked  

“Simple: imagination, you must imagine it happening, and two, must BELIEVE, it will happen, then it will happen, it sounds corny, but it's true”

“Huh, ‘corny’?” 

“What?”

“What does that mean?”
“Uh, embarrassing? Odd?”

“Bit’ afternoonified don't you think?

“What?”

“Afternoonified!, y’know!”

“I don't”

“Ah”

“Ah what? Sharkk said, bewildered

“Let's acknowledge the corn here,” Errol said, confusing Sharkk further, “time froze for me in the late 1800s, so I bet I'm still using slang and words in front here eh?”
“Ohhhhh that makes sense” Sharkk said, nodding a few times

“Although ma and pa did tell us once that people talk differently now here let me try something better” Errol cleared his throat noisily “radical bruh, like tubular yknow what im saying!”

Sharkk cringed visibly” “please stop” he said weakly in a subdued tone 

“What's wrong with that? I thought those terms were hanging!”

“HANGing?” sharkk said, extremely confused now, “ok, why didn't you talk like this before?”

“I don't know, I guess I was too scared to think about the slang my parents would use sometimes.

“Oh, well stop it with the 80s slang, seriously, that age was terrifying” 

“Cheeuh” Errol said, enjoying Sharkk flinch with the pain of hearing another 80s term used

 “ i always did wonder how my parents knew those terms if we never saw people for 5 generations” Errol wondered aloud, moving on

“Probably scrying, we will go over that later, but first: simple spells, here we go, two good spells, offensive and defensive, the Shield and the Purple Streak”

‘Creative” Errol said, he pushed his glasses higher onto his nose, while nodding 

“Shut up.” Sharkk said testily 

 He drew a single circle in the air, and tapped it, it grew into a large round red see through shield, Sharkk reached around and  tapped it from the outside

“Permeable  from the inside, and solid from out” Sharkk said,   “try it”

Errol tried, but failed, he drew air circles over and over

“Nothing” he said

“You must believe Errol! You must BELIEVE” Sharkk said, holding both is hands out, pinching the fingers together but keeping the folded palm 

“I'm TRYING” Errol whined, “but it's not working!”
“Try it with a little flair, some pizazz!”
“Pi-what now?”

“Ugh nevermind” Sharkk said, he grabbed Errol's shoulders, and shook him slightly “you must believe you can do it! Otherwise? It won't work!”

He tried about fifty more times, of the Purple Streak this time. Nothing.

“Ok let's move on to sigil weaponry”

He pulled out his large knife

“She's  a right pretty Arkansas toothpick,” Errol said, nodding and smiling a bit, a good knife always got him in a better mood. 

“She says thank you” Sharkk said suddenly

“She what?”

“She says thank you” he said again “first lesson kid: they're alive, in mind at least, they dont breathe, but they're alive in a way, NEVER trust them though, they say that if you trust your sigil weapon your power will double. But they ALSO say that the sigil weapons entity comes from a war against evil witches that happened millions of years ago, and guess where all the evil witches went? Right into the void, were we rip their entities free and put them inside sigil items”

“Huh” errol said, a bit wary of a talking knife

“Watch, hold her” Sharkk said, holding out the blade errol nervously took it

Hello there a serene, female voice spoke. Who are you? My name is Fala

Errol nearly dropped the knife

Uh Errol he thought back, right as Sharkk said “oh yeah really important: don't tell them ANYTHING about yourself, the more you do, the more power they have over you, mine doesn't know anything about me, and they only can hear you if you sort of throw your thoughts at them  

Great! Hi Errol! Hey, don't listen to him! Just listen to me, focus on me, tell me more about yourself 

Errol was suddenly filled with a powerful urge to trust her, to tell her everything its working he realized, he steeled his nerves against her will, 

Take me and drive me into Sharks ribs, I promise I will serve you forever and ever if you do! Errol please! Please Erroll, you must do it now!

The feeling to do the deed rushed through errol it was the most urge to do something he had ever felt before in his life, it was a battle of wills, and she was winning, 

“Errol you uh good?”

Errol was holding the knife, pointed at Sharkk and took a step forward

“Uh Errol?” shark said, eyes wide with a bit of fear 

“GAH” Errol screamed, using all his will to throw her away from him, she hit the grass and stayed their, the urges stopped and the want to kill Sharkk ceased

“She- she wanted me to KILL you!” Errol sputtered

“Yeah that's what she says to everybody, look, you told her your name right?”
“Yeah”

“It's a battle of wills with these things, sometimes in order to get a particularly powerful one to go into you item, you must tell it certain things, for the most part, through, you have full control over them 

“Ok good to know, how do i get one?”

“Woah woah woah!” Sharkk said, holding both hands up, palms facing outward  “you can't even do one of the most simple spells, and now you want to do a VERY complicated spell?”

“That's different! That's really cool!”

“Then try the simple spells again, we will talk after christmas!”

The last word hit Errol like a train smacking his face,

“Christ-mas?” he said eyes wide he said that word like it was new, his smile had faded, and he looked like he had just been hit over the head with a hammer 

‘Errol you good”

“I forgot about that,’ Errol said a bit softly “i was always so excited for christmas, this will be the first- the first” Errol said, eyes brimming with tears 

“Oh” Sharkk said as realization hit him

“Look kid, im sorry” he said awkwardly, having no idea what to say 

Errol walked, animated to the tree, as the last seven days came crashing down around him, he didn't know how long he brooded against the bark of that oak, but then Sharkk came over.

“Did you know i lost my family too” he said softly, “i mean, half of them were demons, and they were all pretty bad, they killed cheated, lied, stole, but i loved them, they were family, i know it sounds stupid, but they say family is the most important thing in the world, and i believe it, you can never give up on family, they say, but then some demon hunters come along, and their dead” he looked down, his eye downcasted, 

“I just wish I could see them again,” Errol said, wiping his eyes. Sharkk gripped the Boys shoulder, and squeezed, 

“I do too kid, I do too”

They embraced. Maybe they had lost their families, but maybe they had found a new brother in the process only time would tell