Warlock: Book 4 - Preview Chapters 260318 (Patreon)

Warlock: Book 4 - Preview Chapters

(c) 2026 Daniel Kensington

Chapter

“Noah! I can smell something from your bag!"

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The SUVs with our luggage, driven by Stefan and Drago, peeled off at the dead tree along Willowmere’s long drive.

“Tree worse,” Mihai muttered, looking in the rearview mirror. His eyes met mine. “You tell Bibi Khashni?”

I shook my head. “Nope — and don’t call her that on campus.”

Prima Rosethorn’s reaction to the Rom nicknaming her “Cranky Auntie” wasn’t something I wanted to contemplate, much less involve myself in.

The circle at the head of the drive had a few others in it — we were arriving a couple days early, Friday, to settle in, but most students would be arriving Saturday or even Sunday — but there were some differences.

We passed two of the typical, black SUVs preferred by the Familes who were dropping off witches and … well, the black SUV rideshares preferred by those witches who arrived by train — you actually could tell the difference, since most of the rideshare drivers were men and the Family drivers weren’t — but there were also a couple, dare I say, regular rideshares.

We typically only saw those on weekends when the witches were going into town and there weren’t enough of the pricier rides to go around.

I wondered how much of the local gig-economy relied on snooty witches — there did seem to be a lot of premium rides available for a small college town.

We clambered out of the van and stretched.

Morgan looked around and edged closer to me.

I took her hand and squeezed gently.

“I’m here,” I whispered. “Just like when you started high school.”

New schools were rough for Morgan. Before coming to the foster home with me when she was twelve, she’d been to seven different schools — one for each grade, but often moving in the middle of a school year, thanks to the machinations of the Cait.

She gave me a sideways look. “This is nothing like high school.”

She had a point.

We walked across the quad to the residence building — the path to the cottages was behind it, so it was quickest to go through the building.

Sam grinned, watching one of the new arrivals stare at the wide staircase leading up to the dorm rooms then glare at the large, rolling suitcase she was going to have to drag up to her room. I wondered if the staff watched how first-years dealt with no elevator as some kind of evaluation like they used for those who’d sneak off campus for the college party later in the semester.

Sam rolled her shoulders and flexed her fingers, showing that she had no luggage.

“It’s good to have a kumpani,” she whispered.

“You guys go ahead,” Cassandra said with a sigh. “I’ll catch up.”

Before I could ask what she was going to be doing, Cassandra left us and approached the girl.

“First year?” Cassandra asked.

“Um, yeah.”

The girls suitcase lifted off the floor.

“Come on, then,” Cassandra said. “What’s your room number?”

“Five — five oh six?”

Cassandra started up the stairs, suitcase floating behind her and gesturing for the girl to hurry up.

“Come on!” Cassandra snapped. “I’ve had a long trip, too. Next year, either learn some telly or pack less.”

“What’s that about?” Sam whispered, watching the pair start up the stairs. “Is she going to start apologizing to people who weren’t even here last year or something?”

I shrugged.

Sometimes Cassandra just did things.

We stopped at the cafeteria coolers and picked up some sandwiches and drinks, since it was between breakfast and lunch

“Do you think Elsa would like turkey or ham?” Morgan asked, examining a paper-wrapped sandwich.

“What’s your plan now?” I asked. “Be nice to her until she cries trying to figure out what you’re up to?”

“Of course not — she doesn’t need my help for that these days.”

Morgan had a point — Cassandra had been getting more and more emotional as the pregnancy went on, and especially since the Conclave, including a couple crying jags over … well, let’s just say at least three of us now habitually carried a bottle of Buffalo sauce in case any restaurant we went to didn’t have any.

We left the cafeteria through the back doors and took the path to the cottages, but we were only about twenty feet along before Cassandra called out.

“Wait up!”

We paused and she hurried to catch up.

“That was quick,” Sam said.

Cassandra nodded. “We were only a few steps up when I realized how much stronger I am than last year.” She shrugged. “So I tellyed her bag straight up and tossed it down the hall — she can roll it the rest of the way.” Her eyes rolled. “First years.”

“Yeah, sure,” Morgan said with a grimace. She held one of the wrapped sandwiches she was carrying out. “Ham or turkey?”

Cassandra stared at the offering and her lip trembled. “You … you got me … that’s so … fuck!” She stomped her foot, snarling. “Fucking hormones.” She scrubbed at her eyes and glared at Morgan, then reached out. “Tur … no, ham … no …”

Morgan sighed. “Take both.”

“Thanks,” Cassandra grumbled.

I looked around, trying to find something to change the subject to, but there was only so much to say about trees.

“It’s actually nice to be back,” Sam said, nudging Rachel to start walking again. “Don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” Rachel said. “I hope I’ll get the spellstick development class again this year.”

“You will, sweetie,” Sam assured her.

“I was thinking,” Priscilla said, “I could help you practice if you want.”

“Really?”

Priscilla nodded. “My Resonants don’t help with the flashy attack stuff, but Proprio will let me block shots or shoot exactly where I want, so you could practice interceptions or stuff like that. Not a lot of magic, though.” She shrugged. “That’s why I never played — putting the ball exactly where I want doesn’t help if I’m suddenly in the middle of a lake of fire.”

“If you can block everything, why don’t you play goal?” Morgan asked.

The others stopped and stared at her.

“What?”

“Only crazy people go goalie,” Rachel said.

“Yeah,” Priscilla nodded. “Proprio might help me get in front of the ball, but it won’t stop it from going through me.”

“What about you, Sam?” Rachel asked. “What classes do you want?”

“I’m hoping I get another advanced Potions class.” She hesitated. “Maybe Healing.”

Cassandra grumbled.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, despite the warning looks from the others.

“I’m going to be stuck in the cottage all day with nothing to do.”

“I’ll keep you company,” Hannah said. “In between policy manuals.”

“Thanks.” She looked at me. “What are you looking forward to?”

I was pretty sure it was a trick question designed so she could get upset with me for looking forward to something while she was going to be stuck in the cottage all day with nothing to do, but I decided to answer anyway.

“I’m actually looking forward to meeting the other warlocks — it’ll be nice to talk to some —”

“I don’t care what company you’re with!” someone yelled from farther down the path.

The girls and I exchanged glances, because that had been a guy — it was more common to hear a guy around the cottages since the Roma had come to campus, but that hadn’t sounded like any of them.

“What the fuck?” Sam asked.

We hurried our pace.

“Who’s your supervisor? I want to know why someone wasn’t there for our bags! I had to drag six bags down that stupid path and it isn’t even paved! When I tell my Gillian’s mother, you’re getting fired!”

We made it to the turn off to our cottage before we could even hear the hint of a response, because whoever was getting yelled at was responding in a perfectly normal tone and volume. I couldn’t make out the words, but Rachel muttered, “Oh, hell, no!” and started running. The rest of us were only a step or two behind.

We hurried into the clearing in front of the cottage to find a warlock about our age confronting Stefan, with Rachel rushing them.

The warlock took a step back when he saw Rachel, eyes going wide, then another as she slid to a stop between the two, fists balled at her side.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” she yelled, backing the warlock up another step. “That is my kumpani!”

The rest of us arrived to back Rachel up, but she didn’t need it.

We clustered around Stefan while Rachel backed the warlock up another step.

“What —”

“Say what again!”

“I — I’m — I —”

Rachel glared at him. “I’m sorry — did I break your concentration?”

Stefan was grinning. “I Jiloyaga[1].”

I frowned — The Fiery Heart?

Did all of us have Romani nicknames? And did they all have something to do with burning shit?

I glanced at Morgan — she was going to love that.

I stepped forward and took Rachel by the shoulders, turning her away from the warlock and passing her off to Sam.

“Can I help you with something?” I asked the warlock.

His eyes were wide, but I don’t think he really understood what he’d just been facing. I was smelling singed hair even after moving Rachel away.

I was also trying to control my own urge to throw the guy into a tree — which I knew for a fact hurt like hell.

“Are you staff?” he asked.

The guy’s attitude was annoying, but I figured he was one of the new warlocks attending this year and didn’t want us to start off wrong, no matter how pissed Rachel — and me — were about how he’d been speaking to Stefan.

“No, we’re students.” I held out my hand. “Noah Blackwood.”

“Blackwood?” The guy looked me over. “I thought you’d be older.”

After a moment, he took my hand.

“Richard Chadbourne — of the Independent Chadbournes.”

He said that like it should mean something to me. Maybe it did to the girls, but I’d never heard of them.

“Okay, nice to meet you — nicer if you hadn’t been yelling at one of our Roma — so what’s the problem?”

“Oh, well, it’s just that no one was there to help us with our luggage and I saw this servant here with yours and gave him a piece of my mind.”

“He’s not a servant, you … you stupid mind-piecer!”

“Dick,” Morgan whispered to Rachel. “His name’s Dick.”

“Richard, actually,” Chadbourne said.

Morgan smiled. “Sure thing, Dick.”

Great, I thought, hoping my smile didn’t look as forced and grimacy as it felt, we’re getting off to a great start with the first new warlock at Willowmere.

“Stefan isn’t a servant,” I said. “There’s a Roma kumpani pledged to my coven.”

“Ah,” Richard said. “Well, when they’re done with your baggage, please send them over to our cottage? The administrative offices clearly made an error and assigned us to one that is quite in disrepair. An embarrassment to the school, if you ask me.” He looked around at our cottage. “This is so much nicer — you have a jacuzzi?”

Rachel took a step toward him, but Priscilla and Sam caught her arms and held her back.

“The only way we’d send them over, Dick, would be to shove a big dirk up your butt!” Rachel frowned, then bit her lip. “That came out dirtier than I thought it would.”

“Girls,” I said, “why don’t you go in the cottage?”

Rachel snarled, but went along with the tugs on her arms.

Morgan gave Richard a little wave. “See you around, Dick.”

“Richard — ah, it’s Richard.” He frowned and looked at me. “Did I offend them in some way?”

I didn’t ask him if he was stupid, because that was becoming self-evident.

“Just don’t try to boss around the Roma,” I told him, trying to salvage something from the meeting. “So you’re in a cottage? Did all the new warlocks get cottages?”

Richard shook his head. “Just Gillian and I. The others are in the dorms.” He grimaced. “I have to say — I rubbed that in a bit … before I saw ours.”

“They do need some work,” I agreed. “So you’ve already met the other warlocks?”

Richard nodded. “Oh, yes — we’re all old mates. Most of us anyway.”

“Really?”

Another nod, then a frown. “Of course, why would you even ask … oh! That’s right, I heard you were raised outside the Families! How fascinating!”

It was my turn to nod.

“Ah, well, we’re all from Independent Families, you see?”

I didn’t. He must have seen my confusion.

“Most of the Independents aren’t nearly as large as the Council ones — hard to avoid consanguinity issues, you see? So we have more contact between Families.” He grinned. “My good luck to be bound by a Chadbourne, don’t you know?”

“So you have a high priestess?”

Richard nodded with a smile. “My Gillian, yes.”

“Noah!” Cassandra yelled from the cottage door. “Come unpack — you didn’t unpack everything after New Orleans and we can’t tell what’s dirty or clean!”

Richard glanced at the door. “Is that, um, your high priestess?”

I shook my head. “That’s Cassandra.”

“Noah! I can smell something from your bag and it’s making me nauseas!”

“She’s, ah, having some hormone issues, I’m told.”

Richard frowned.

“Anyway,” I said. “I should get in there.”

I didn’t want to — not that I didn’t want to get in there, but that I didn’t want to do what I was going to do next. I didn’t want to do it almost as much as I hadn’t wanted to fuck Naked Zombie Lady.

But it was the right thing to do — we were going to have to live with the warlocks all year, after all, and this guy was our neighbor.

“Dinner’s in a couple hours,” I said. “Would you like us to stop by and get you so we can all walk to the cafeteria together?”

Richard shook his head. “Have to beg off, I’m afraid — the lads and I planned to go into town for dinner.” He grinned. “Sort of a last fling before being locked down here for months, right?”

I nodded.

I wasn’t disappointed I wouldn’t be having dinner with Richard, but I would like to meet the other warlocks. Especially since it seemed they were already a solid group of friends or something.

Chapter

“Does that spin?”

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We settled back into our cottage.

The renovations had been completed over the summer and I had to really admire what the Roma had done with the place.

In addition to the new, voice controlled couch-bed, they’d redone all of the upper rooms with Murphy beds, so they could be changed from sleeping spaces to anything else we wanted.

One was filed with wardrobes to act as a dressing room for the girls, another had several gaming systems set up — Morgan’s eyes were vacant for nearly half an hour as she told Felicity about it. A deck with a jacuzzi had been added to the back, along with racks of potted plants that Sam started ooing over and making potion plans.

They’d taken half the kitchen space to add to the bathroom and put in three toilets, each in their own little room, and a shower that might actually hold an entire coven if they were friendly enough.

Sam’s basement plans actually turned out well. The main space was a general workroom with a circle embedded in the stone floor — no cushioned mats like at Mel’s, but it was nicely done. One corner had a pair of workbenches — one covered in glassware, little ceramic bowls and jugs, and what looked like a couple stove burners, while the other had knives, chisels, and what looked like a small oven.

“I don’t know what half of this stuff is for,” Morgan muttered, examining the bench.

“They’ll teach you in Crafting,” Sam said. “I’m sure you’ll get that this semester.

“What’s that?” Hannah asked, looking at the far end of the basement, which was curtained off by thick black curtains hanging from the ceiling.

“That —,” Sam started, rushing over and grasping the curtains.

“Let’s go,” Cassandra said, taking Hannah’s arm and dragging her toward the stairs.

“What? Why?”

“— is mine!” Sam finished, throwing the curtains wide with a dramatic flourish.

“Ew!”

“Holy shit, Hexual.”

“Does that spin?”

“That’s … different?”

Sam turned back to us with a wide grin. “Hexa,” she said to the ceiling. “Playtime!”

The lights in the basement changed from bright white to flickering yellow and orange, giving the room a distinctly medieval-dungeon feel, and music started playing — a deep, slow bass with the faint sound of people chanting.

“I tried to warn you,” Cassandra told Hannah.

“Does that spin?” Priscilla asked again.

Sam wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh, it spins, but that —” She pointed up.

There was some kind of electric hoist thing attached to the ceiling.

“Huh,” Priscilla said, brow furrowing.

“What’s that for?” Rachel asked, pointing at something else.

Sam’s grin widened. “That? That’s a … see, I … then he …” She frowned. “You know, I’m not sure what that is.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s a Roma thing — we’ll figure it out.”

“Can we please go look at the nursery again then get ready for dinner?” Cassandra asked. “I’m starving.”

“Wait,” Sam said, “you haven’t met my friends!”

Cassandra again tried to drag Hannah toward the stairs.

Sam opened a cabinet against one wall and started pointing at its contents.

“Bambi and Thumper, you already know, but these are Stingy, Zappy, Nibbles, Cuddles —”

“I’m leaving!”

# # #

The girls spent most of the remaining afternoon in the new nursery.

I thought it was very nice, but didn’t understand half of what they were so excited over, so I left them to it and read a book on my phone while they were in there.

Yes, it was a romance novel — it had a waterfall scene I thought would be perfect for the new shower and I wanted to get things right in my head to set the glamour myself, so Morgan and I didn’t have to keep asking Felicity.

I had a feeling the cat-witch had been amusing herself speculating on what we had planned in each environment we asked her for.

Sunday we sort of lounged around the cottage. Mel and Felicity came over to see the renovations and Felicity stayed until dinner to play games in the room upstairs. It turned out our cottage’s network was linked to the school’s and we could play with people in the dorm’s rec rooms as well, which would have been cool if Sam had ever let me change my gamer tag to something other than 🪄🍆👑SpellDaddy👑🍆🪄.

Yeah, I could have ordered her to tell me what she’d changed my password to, but it gave her and the other girls something harmless to tease me about.

Unfortunately, playing on the school network was probably going to be something another four-hundred witches could tease me about now.

We were just about to leave for dinner when I heard a clatter outside the cottage.

“It’s probably the schedules,” Sam called as I started for the door. “Don’t open yours yet!”

“I know,” I answered.

“Can you guys hurry up?” Cassandra asked. “I’m starving and I don’t want to be too far back in the line.”

Outside I found Sam was right and there were a bunch of envelopes in the little box near the door. They’d have our class schedules and we’d stop by the Magistra Hennessy’s office after dinner to get all our books and supplies.

“Can we go now?” Cassandra demanded.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m ready,” Sam said, coming downstairs.

The others agreed, too, and we left the cottage for the residence building and the cafeteria there.

“Told you we should’ve left earlier,” Cassandra muttered as we came through the empty cafeteria to the line forming in the main hall. “We’re going to wind up back with the first years.”

“It’s always longest the day before a semester starts,” Hannah agreed.

I didn’t think it was that long, but certainly wasn’t going to argue with a pregnant, hangry Cassandra.

We settled in at the back of the line, getting a couple dirty looks from girls who were coming downstairs and thought they’d get there next.

“Do you want to sit and we’ll bring your tray?” Rachel asked.

“No, I’ll be fine,” Cassandra said with the long-suffering sigh she’d been affecting ever since the bump she was now lightly resting a hand on had become noticeable.

At five months, it wasn’t that big, I thought, but it was enough for her to draw attention to. It did draw attention as we passed down the line of waiting witches and Cassandra’s expression just grew smugger at the whispers.

Brittany joined us a few minutes later.

“Did you bring your schedule?” Sam asked.

Brittany nodded, turning her back and cocking her hip to show the envelope sticking out of her jeans pocket.

Tight jeans.

I noticed Brittany had filled out a little over the summer and I felt something stirring.

Sam waggled her eyebrows at me and nodded at the other girl’s butt.

“Hey, what year are you?”

The question came from behind me and as I was turning I heard Morgan answer.

“First, why?”

“Thought so,” the witch behind our group said, jerking her thumb toward the rapidly filling line behind her. “You’re in line three minutes early. Get to the back.”

Great — I’d forgotten about the stupid dinner rule where first years were supposed to wait until a particular time before getting into line. Well, I was going to have to —

“Fuck you.”

I sighed and started to say something, but Cassandra stepped on my foot.

“We’ve got this,” Cassandra whispered.

“What did you just say to me?” the other witch asked Morgan.

I kind of recognized her from last year, but not enough to remember her name.

“Sorry — yeah, that wasn’t appropriate,” Morgan said, lips pursed. “I’m trying to do better, but I’m new to this witch-shit.” Her brow furrowed. “Go hump a broom?”

The other girl’s eyes got wide and her face went red as I sighed. Morgan’s typical first-day-of-school attitude really wasn’t what was needed here, I thought.

I felt gathering mana and recognized it as an aura-push, something Morgan hadn’t had any instruction about, so started to ready my own — which was when Cassandra stepped on my foot again.

The angry witch’s presence, her sense of self, expanded, rushing toward Morgan with the intent to overwhelm her and drive her to her knees … but it was met with Cassandra’s.

Followed quickly by  Rachel’s and Sam’s, but it was Cassandra’s presence that rocked the other witch back a step, knocking her into the arms of the girls behind her.

“Bound witch,” Cassandra said, putting herself between the two while Sam and Rachel took either side.

“And a Blackwood,” Sam said.

“What —”

“Say ‘what’ again!” Rachel demanded, glaring.

“Don’t overuse it, sweetie,” Sam whispered.

“What is up with that?” I whispered to Priscilla.

Priscilla sighed. “Cassandra told her she needs to be more assertive this year, since she’s in a coven.”

The other witch was staring at Rachel. “What —”

“Say ‘what’ one more time!”

The other witch stumbled back and had to be caught by the two behind her again.

“She’s, um, been watching movie clips,” Priscilla whispered.

“See?” Rachel asked Sam. “It still works.”

“Could you get her to watch a different movie for that?” I whispered.

“Sam’s been trying.”

“She thinks the actor’s cool,” Sam told me over her shoulder.

“You can haze the other first years like this,” Cassandra told the other witch, “but our coven stays together, got it?”

The other witch held up her hands. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

The line started moving and we reached the serving tables.

“This is the cafeteria?” Morgan whispered, eyeing the food.

I’d had much the same reaction — Willowmere’s meals were a step above. Tonight there was chicken parmigiana and some fish dish, as well as steak, if you wanted to wait a few minutes for the next batch to finish cooking.

We took our trays and headed for the onesies table — what was the Blackwood Family table now, but where we still wanted the onesies to feel not only welcome, but invited. That was a little bit of a fuck-you to the onesies' Families who didn’t want them at their own tables.

“Hey, I’ll catch up — can someone —” Cassandra was holding out her tray, looking back at the serving line.

“I got it,” Morgan said, switching her own tray to one hand and reaching out for Cassandra’s.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes and Morgan sighed.

“I’m not going to spit in your food or something, Elsa. Not behind your back, anyway.”

Oddly, that seemed to satisfy Cassandra and she let Morgan take her tray.

We got to the table and sat, then when I looked back to see what Cassandra was doing, the first years had reached the serving trays and Cassandra was talking to one of them. She nodded and then pointed at our table, then gave the younger witch a little push toward us before turning back to the line of first years.

Cassandra had really been acting weird since we got back to campus.

“What is up with that?” I asked.

Morgan gave me a look, then shook her head and nodded at Cassandra.

“Elsa’s being a mom, Ashe.” Morgan’s face softened. “She’s gonna be a good one.”

[1] The Fiery Heartee jee-loh-YAH-gee