Page 39 of The Wolf Queen’s Curse

“And if you do,” Bishop murmurs, “she will mistake your consideration for shyness.”

I grin at him. “It was adorable, though.” I turn to Rufus. “In answer to your question, that wouldn’t quite be the right analogy. When a man spends his passion, it is all at once and then he is done until he is rested. While it is possible to cast a spell so great that we’d be unable to cast anything afterward, it’s more like…” I wave at him. “As strong as you are, you’ll still tire if you overextend yourself in a fight.”

“Takes a long time, though.”

“Because you’ve trained and expanded your well of strength, just as I train to expand my well of power. But I still need to conserve it. The bigger the spell, the more energy I drain, just as a bigger blow will take more of your strength. If you exhaust yourself in a fight, you won’t collapse in a motionless heap, but you can’t fight the way you need to. If I use up my spell power, I can only cast small spells that won’t be terribly helpful.”

“Such as?” He leans back. “Show me a spell.”

Julius groans. “Cordelia isn’t performing for your entertainment, Rufus.”

“It’s not a challenge. I’m curious. I’ve never fought a spellcaster, and if you’ve got a cabal on your tail, I might need to.”

“He’s right,” I say. “Here’s what might be the best-known witch ones.”

I cast a quick cover spell on myself. Rufus’s brows lift, and he leans forward, peering at the space where I’d been. When he reaches out, Bishop catches his hand.

“I was just seeing if she’s still there,” Rufus says.

“I am,” I say, breaking the spell. “A cover spell hides me, but I’m still here and if I move, I break it. Stereotypical witch magic because…” I shrug. “Hiding.”

“Useful, though. Could you cast it on someone else?”

I nod. “I can reliably hide two people at a time.”

“And to cast it, you recited an incantation.”

“Witch magic uses spoken spells. If we can’t talk, we can’t cast them. Sorcerer magic uses…” I flick my fingers, and he jerks back in his seat, startled enough to make Julius laugh.

“That’s what you did to me earlier,” Rufus says.

“Knockback spell,” I say. “No fancy words for us. Spells generally do what the name says.”

“And you cast that every time you make that gesture?”

I shake my head. “I need to consciously think of it while making the gesture. Now, for power, the knockback is low energy, which is why it’s one of my favorites. It won’t incapacitate anyone, but it’ll get them out of my way.”

“Useful,” he murmurs.

“It is. Knock them back and then cast a stronger spell. Maybe this one.” I say the incantation, and Rufus goes totally still, and when panic sparks in his eyes, I break it.

“Fuck,” he says as he shakes himself. “That was…”

“Even more useful? Binding spell. Very handy, but also very hard for a spellcaster. I can maintain it for only a few minutes, and I’m rather proud of myself for that. My aunt could hold it for ten. With practice, I’ll get there.”

“But you recited an incantation. It’s witch magic?”

I smile. “Witch magic doesn’t mean weak magic. That would still be considered a defensive spell. It doesn’t hurt you. It just stops you from hurting me. Or, in a fight, stop you long enough to be hurt.”

He considers before saying, “Could you hurt me while I’m stuck like that? Lunge at me with your knife?”

“Are you offering yourself up for practice?” I arch a brow. “Honestly, I don’t know, and I would like to practice—not with a knife, of course. The question, I think, is whether I could bind someone and then move fast enough to stab them before they can recover, because as soon as I lunge, the spell breaks—it really does require all my concentration.”

“And uses a lot of power?”

I nod. “If someone surprised Bishop from the front, I’d use a knockback, to give him time to react. If they surprised him from behind, I’d use the binding spell to stop them.”

Julius starts unpacking the lunch hamper, and as we eat, I answer more of Rufus’s questions. When I stifle a yawn, Rufus and Julius tease Bishop about not letting me get enough sleep at night.