Chapter 37 Declan #2
She laughed. “I would not put it that way, but it is not completely wrong. Emotion, need, and environment often call abilities to the surface.”
She looked out beyond the grotto at the forest below, then turned back to face me.
“Let’s try this another way. Forget magic for a moment. When I was a little girl, I remember my father telling me about a neighbor whose leg became trapped under his cart while he was fixing a wheel. No matter what he did, the weight of the cart was too great for him to escape. Worse,
it was slipping off the road, threatening to crush him. His scrawny, fourteen-year-old son raced to his rescue. Somehow that child was able to lift the cart just enough for his father to roll away. Later that night, it took four men and an ox to pull the cart from the ditch.”
“Was the boy a Physical with some kind of enhanced strength?”
“No. The boy never manifested any magic. His fear and panic—his need—drove him to do the impossible. We may never understand what happened that day, but magical abilities can be like that, even for Gifted. The need in a single moment can drive hidden or dormant power to the surface.
“For you, this will be especially true. Your relationship to magic presents a limitless number of possibilities, most of which you will only learn when pushed or threatened. I wish I could arm you with training on every skill you will manifest, but I cannot.
The best I can do is help you learn control and familiarity within magic’s rules, and prepare you to recognize when new abilities surface.”
“How many abilities do you have?” I asked.
“I only have four, although ‘only four’ is more than anyone alive today, except you. The Keeper is granted one within each pillar, not just to help protect the Well, but for this moment—the moment when magic’s heir requires guidance.”
Childlike wonder filled me. “Magic’s heir?”
Kelsa grinned and nodded. “Enough theory. You wanted some action, so here we go. There are two ways to use Elemental magic. Either you shape something that already exists, or you call an element into being. We’ll start with shaping something that already exists because it’s much easier.
I will explain why in a minute.”
She looked down at the bowl. A fist-sized ball of water rose.
“Water is the only element I can manipulate, but the basic principles should also work for fire, earth, and air. Different elements may be more challenging to mold than others, so you will need to practice to master each.
“All right. Your goal is to make a water ball. Close your eyes, and I’ll walk you through it.”
The ball splashed back into the bowl as she stepped back and leaned against one of the outer stones.
I closed my eyes and, for no apparent reason, broadened my stance and squatted as if expecting a fight.
“You’re calling on magic, not wrestling a bear. Relax.” My mother’s chuckle echoed against the mountainside. “Now, find your Light and approach it with both hands stretched outward, but don’t touch it.”
I mimicked her instructions with my arms and hands.
“Okay. I’m there.”
“I want you to use your hands to ‘shape’ the Light, like it’s a ball of clay. Just touch the outer edges with the lightest possible pressure. Don’t let your hands sink into it. When it squirms out one side, gently guide it back into the shape.”
My hands moved in stiff motions as I struggled to maintain a consistent shape.
“Slowly. Smooth motions. Treat it gently, like you’re stroking órla’s feathers.”
My gestures smoothed as my hands slowed.
“Excellent. Now, here’s the hard part. You have to see both the water in the bowl and your Light at the same time. If you release one without the other, the water will drop or your magic will dissipate.”
“How do I see them both? Beside each other?”
“No, overlay the image of the water. Not the bowl, just the water.”
My brow furrowed as I struggled. “I think I’ve got it.”
“Okay. Now imagine the ball of Light becoming the water. Merge the two images. It may look like the water is absorbed by the Light, but you should be able to see it there, as well as the flame.”
The water in the bowl began to ripple and rise in an unsteady stream, forming into something not quite ball-shaped, more of a blob.
“Good. Form it. Remember to use your hands to keep the shape.”
I strained with concentration.
A bead of sweat rolled down my face and tickled my cheek. Without thinking, I reached up to wipe it off. The water fell into the bowl and splashed loudly.
“I had it!” I opened my eyes and slumped in frustration.
“You did well for your first time. Practice what we just did. When you think you have control, open your eyes and try to maintain the ball. Don’t get frustrated. Think of this like sword forms. When you tried them the first time, they were stiff, right?
Just remembering the sequence and steps was hard, but with practice, they became instinct. Now you can execute them without even thinking. Learning magic is the same. You’ll get there, but it’ll take practice.”
I sat on the ground and leaned against a stone. I hadn’t really moved during the exercise, but my breath was heavy, and sweat still dribbled down my face. órla stirred and flew to the bowl, lapping up some of its water before ducking her head under, then shaking herself.
“Thanks for getting my bath ready, Declan,” she said between splashes.
My tension released. “Anything for you, Princess.”
“Again with my title. You’re getting so well trained, little Mage.”
“You two.” Kelsa snickered. “Enough rest. Let’s switch to ‘creating’ water, rather than shaping what’s in front of you. Now, we can’t create anything; rather, we call what is around us and assemble it for a purpose.”
My excitement was replaced by a blank stare.
“I think fire might be easier to understand. An experienced Elemental with the ability to call fire can hold out a palm, and poof! Fire appears floating above it. To the untrained eye, it might appear the Mage called fire out of nothing, when in reality,
he pulled warmth from the surrounding air and assembled it into the ball of flame.”
“I guess that makes sense, but how would I even visualize that?”
“Perfect question. You’re getting conceptualization, which is the most important piece of the puzzle.”
I cut her off before she could continue. “But what if the Mage is on a mountain, in the snow? There’s no heat up there.”
“There’s always heat around somewhere. It may just be highly dispersed or only existing in minuscule quantities. In your example, it would take longer, and the ball would be smaller or less powerful, but it would work. An inexperienced Mage might fail to create anything useful,
but a powerful one could. In extreme situations, you could call the heat from your own body to create flame, but that is dangerous and could kill you if taken to excess.”
I bolted upright, suddenly excited again. “If I can call heat from my own body, what about drawing heat from living things, like trees or animals? They’re everywhere, and I’d never run out.”
She frowned, and her voice became stern.
“Drawing heat, moisture, or air from another living being is possible but would likely kill them.
Imagine having the breath drawn from your lungs, being unable to stop it while you gasped and suffocated.
Empress Irina used her power to do exactly that on the battlefield, drawing air and water from her foes, leaving shriveled corpses for leagues in her wake.
“Declan, those are the first steps down the path of dark magics that guild law has prohibited since its founding. Sometimes a Mage must defend, but to use one’s magic to harm another without cause is a violation of the Phoenix’s most sacred principles. We were given magic to save and help life,
not take it.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know,” I mumbled.
“Why would you? I am glad you are asking questions, even those that stray. We will have to discuss those at some point if you are going to be prepared for what is coming. Irina has no conscience and will use all of her abilities to crush anyone in her path, including you.”
Kelsa walked over and kissed my forehead. “I am going inside to work on a few things. Practice with the bowl. We can talk about what you learn over dinner later tonight.”
I nodded but didn’t meet her gaze.
“What is it?”
The small, dandelion-headed boy spoke in a quiet voice. “What if I become like her? What if . . . what if this is all too much? The idea of drawing magic was so exciting that I never even thought about what it would do to animals or plants . . . or people.”
She cupped my cheek until I met her gaze. “Listen to me, Declan. The man I see in front of me, the man I am coming to know, is a good, honest, and decent man. Each of us chooses our own path, and you will choose yours. No one else can do that for you. No one.
“Irina chose a dark path. She gained incredible power, but at what cost? There isn’t the tiniest part of me that believes you would follow in her steps. You have a strong heart, and I am so very proud of you.”
She swallowed and glanced away before continuing in a quiet voice.
“For years, I dreamed of what it would be like to be part of your life, to see you grow up, to watch what you would become. I am happier now than I have been in . . . in a very long time . . . because I am finally getting to know you and play a part in your journey.
I have always loved you and always will. I have never doubted your goodness, not for one moment.”
My throat caught, and my arms moved on their own as I wrapped her in a tight embrace.
“Thank you, Mother. Thank you.”