Page 75 of The Spellreader and the Phoenix

“Yeah,” Max agreed morosely. “So we need to be really careful all the time.”

Alex nodded. “Got it.”

“This is normally something that’s drilled into magical kids from the time they’re old enough to talk,” Max added. “The Council also has harsh sanctions if anyone messes this up.”

“You mentioned the Council before. Who are they again?” Alex wanted to know.

Rory jumped in. “They’re a group of shifters and witches who’ve been elected to resolve major disputes and deal out punishments if required to shifters and witches. Because we live hidden amidst normal people, we’re theoretically subject to the same laws they are, but there are times where that can’t be enforced. A witch or shifter might be able to escape anything that a normal incarceration system would impose. Or sometimes putting them in a jail would risk exposing our world, like if a witch has a familiar.”

“You mentioned those, too!” Alex exclaimed. “My head feels a bit like it’s going to explode, but I want to know more.”

Rory grinned. “Yeah, let’s just put a pin in that for a sec. The Council steps in when someone is a potential danger of exposure. They also deal with crimes the normal human systems wouldn’t recognize as crimes or can’t handle, like witches killing people with magic or shifters in their animal form, that sort of thing.”

Alex looked uneasy, and Max interjected. “Just like normal humans, witches and shifters can be good and bad people, and everything in between. We make up a much smaller percent of the population, though, and I believe the last census shows that the rate of crime amidst witches and shifters is lower than it is for the normal population. But it still exists.”

Alex frowned. “Does that mean that magical people are better than normal people? Like… fundamentally more good?”

“I don’t think anyone’s done a study on that.” Max shrugged. “Honestly, the bar isn’t super high.”

Alex and Rory laughed.

Rory pointed out, “Remember that witches and shifters both have magic. So it’s possible that they have access to options that make it less likely for them to need to resort to crimes.”

Max chimed in, “Or those resources mean they’re less likely to get caught.”

Rory shot him a look, but Max just shrugged, looking unrepentant.

The pizza arrived, and they continued to give Alex a crash course into a life that they should have known about this entire time. There was no way they were managing to tell Alex everything they needed to know, but it would hopefully be enough to get on with until they had time to learn more. They were also going to need to practice their shift and make sure they felt comfortable with it.

Alex ate an entire pizza on their own and looked shocked when they saw the empty box afterwards. “Is it even possible to be that hungry?”

Max laughed. “Evidently. Seriously, though. The first shift is the hardest, or that’s what I’ve heard. Your body is doing something it’s never done before, and it hasn’t figured out how to optimize fuel or anything yet. It’s going to get easier, but you’ll probably always want to have something to eat on hand when you shift.”

Rory nodded. He’d seen shifters eat an astonishing array of food over the years. Eating could never make you more magical than your maximum, but it absolutely worked to help restore depleted magic faster than rest alone.

“Now,” Rory said, “is there anything else you think you need to know in the short term?”

Alex shook their head. “I don’t think so. I know I don’t have to shift. I know it’s not going to happen just because I suddenly thought about a bear. I know I’ll need plenty of food if I do shift. I know to never ever do it in public or where others who don’t know about magic are.”

Rory and Max nodded. Those were pretty much the basics.

“You can text or call us at any time,” Max said, and Rory agreed immediately.

Really, they’d already told Alex they could do that before the shifter revelation, but it was extra true now.

“I have to tell my mom,” Alex said, looking determined but kind of horrified.

“Yeah,” Max agreed. “Good luck with that.”

Alex shot him a panicked look, then seemed to realize he was joking and stuck their tongue out at him.

Max laughed.

Rory rolled his eyes, but he wanted to hug them both. “When would be a good time to talk to her? I wouldn’t recommend waiting too long. It’s a big secret in your life, and there’s a chance she could find out by accident, and that tends to be awkward.”

“Tell me about it,” Alex grumbled. “She’s on evenings this week, so she’s not home until late tonight. Probably tomorrow would be best, to make it easier for her to talk to all of us. Maybe around ten?”

Max nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. And if we have to delay opening the shop for a bit, that’s what we’ll do. People can learn to live without us on Sundays.”