Beep, Beep, said the alarm in a low tone.

Jacard woke. He sat up and glanced at the alarm clock. The clock read 4:00 AM. He reached over and silenced it.

“Alara, Alara.” He brushed her luminous black hair away from her face. “Alara, you need to wake. We fell asleep together again.”

It’s ridiculous. We sneak and go to each others’ room unseen. Alara and I are doing nothing wrong. We have not been intimate yet. Though people do not believe that. We both want to wait until we go through the joining ceremony. It sounds like marriage to me, but I don’t care what we call it as long as we commit to each other.

“Alara, honey, you need to get up and get to your room before others awake. I have to get to Mili’s in an hour.”

Alara fell asleep in his bed, just talking as they did each night. She still wore her priestess of Isis’ robe from yesterday. It was pure white with gold trim on the sleeves and collar. A rope of matching gold filament tied around her waist bound it together.

Zzz… she snored.

“Come on, baby.” He nudged her shoulder.

She grabbed his hand and pulled it to her, resting it in the center of her chest.

“That’s not helping.” He pulled his hand back.

The room was small, yet it contained a dresser and mirror, a washbasin with a pitcher, and a basic lamp stood on top of a nightstand that accompanied the bed. The bed, a single, fit one person. They squeezed both of them into it each time. No sunshine. There were no windows. The entire coven was underground, in a cavern high in the mountains.

Neferita had painted everything in his room a flat gray. The lack of colorful decor was a jab from Neferita. She wasn’t happy he was still here.

Mili taught him color manipulation magic, a straightforward spell. Changing an item from one color to another. So far, he had not achieved success.

Jacard shrugged his shoulders. It can’t hurt to try. It would be nice to see something aside from gray.

Jacard concentrated, drew a symbol of light in his mind, pulled energy from the symbol, changing it to gold, and threw it at his dresser. In his mind, it hit and exploded with dazzling light. In reality, nothing happened. He sighed and glanced back at Alara. Still asleep.

He tried again. He imagined a larger symbol, pulled energy as previously. The image in his mind turned to gold, and he pulled once more. The symbol dissipated with a fizzle, the sound of a soda can just open. It vanished before it hit the dresser.

Jacard laughed. It has been three months since I moved here. I still cannot spirit shift. Of course, it helps to know what I am changing into. Mili will share nothing. She keeps saying, ‘When I am ready.’ When I am ready. I was ready before I got here. She has a point. If I cannot change the color of an item, even temporarily, I suppose I am not ready for bigger things.

The third time is the charm.

He cleared his head. Think of nothing. Do. Do not think. He drew the symbol again in his mind. This time, he lacked concentrating on the exactness of it. A wisp of thought flew past in his mind. It looked different this time. He pushed energy. Pushed? His mind was fuzzy. The symbol changed to gold with a red outline, like fire. It shot out of his mind with a ripping sound, metal being stretched and pulled apart. The symbol hit the dresser in a shower of sparks and flame.

Jacard covered his eyes with his arm. That was real. It wasn’t just me imagining it. The light show died, and there in front of him was his dresser and the mirror behind, no longer gray but bright gold.

“Alara, look, I did it.”

“Hmm? What?” she turned back to sleep. “Wha…? What is that smell? Burnt air? Ozone?” She sat up and looked.

Jacard was beaming with pride. “I did it. The color changed to gold. I cannot guess how long it will stay, but I did it. A shame Mili isn’t here to see it.”

As if on cue, there was a sound at the door. “Knock, knock.” Without waiting, Mili opened the door and strode inside.

Alara jumped at the sight of Mili and grabbed the covers, pulling the blankets over her.

Mili raised her left eyebrow. “Alara? Why are you hiding? You are adults.” She smirked and shook her head. “How and why did you cast a transformation spell? I didn’t know you could cast that. I heard the psychic wrenching sound in my quarters. Half of the coven heard it too.” Mili looked around, and her eyes caught the dresser and mirror.

She approached the dresser and ran her hand across its smooth surface, mumbling something under her breath. A brief light from her hand lit the dresser. She whistled. Fwheeeoo. “This is a perfect shift. A very complicated one as well. Alara! How and why?”

Alara pulled her head out from under the covers. “I cannot take the credit for this.”

Mili turned to her student. “Jacard? This is an advanced transformation.” She smiled. “You are full of surprises.”

Jacard got out of bed. “I only changed the color. You make it sound as if I did something amazing.”

“Jacard, you didn’t just change the color. You transformed your dresser into solid gold.”

“I did? How long will it last? I need to change and get dressed.”

Mili laughed and covered her mouth as if trying to hide her amusement. She opened one drawer and pulled out a pair of Jacard’s underwear. “I don’t think you will wear these again.” She dropped it to the floor with a thunk. “I think a shopping trip will be in order.” The underwear was also solid gold.

Jacard said, “Mili, I do not have any money.” He blushed.

“Jacard, I believe you are the richest member of the coven. I estimate this to be worth at least half a million or more. I will locate a buyer, or we can melt it.”

“Can I give it to the coven? I want to help, and I do not feel I have contributed since I got here.”

“If you like, but you are keeping at least half of it for yourself and Alara. The next question is, can you do it again?”

“How did I do it the first time?”

Mili nodded and walked to the door. “For now, find something to wear and meet me for training in one hour.”