A Slave to Magic (15 page)

“You should be proud of him,” Nera said. “Not only
is he a master wizard, he also helps escaped slaves return to their homelands.”

“I would expect no less,” Seela replied. “And I am
proud of him.”

“Can we start my lessons now?” Kwil asked, eager
to get started. Every corner of the cabin reminded him of magic, its presence
emanating from the walls. With the poison out of his system, he could sense
great power here, and he craved the knowledge of its creator. Seela’s golden
eyes spoke of magic far beyond anything he had sensed from Rili. This was where
he truly belonged, and he was ready to begin his lessons.

“In the morning,” Seela replied. “First you need
rest.”

“Agreed,” Nera said. “I, for one, could use a bath
and some clean clothes.”

Disappointed, Kwil remained silent. Yes, he was
dirty and needed a bath as well, but delaying his lessons by one night was
physically painful to him.

Seela led her guests upstairs and pointed to two
doors. “You may use these rooms,” she said. “The bath water heats itself,” she
added with a grin. Retiring to her own room, she left the visitors to their
rest.

Nera could sense Kwil’s disappointment. “It’s only
one night,” she said. “After tomorrow, you’ll be on your way to becoming a
master wizard, and no one will come looking for you here.” After hearing
Seela’s account of history, Nera knew no Gatan would set foot anywhere near the
cabin. Attitudes did not change quickly in this land, and no one would risk
being cursed by an evil Feles. The thought brought a smile to Nera’s lips.
Seela was possibly the most intriguing person she’d met. Despite being an
outcast, she appeared to live life on her own terms and was genuinely happy.
She was free from the rules of society and master of her own destiny. One day,
Nera hoped to have the same thing.

A
fter a hot bath
and a full night’s rest, Nera awoke feeling more alive than she ever had. The
forest air was fresh and inviting, despite the darkness of the landscape.
Looking out her bedroom window, she could see only beauty. The dark trees and
withered leaves held a sense of mystery, no longer one of foreboding and fear.

Pulling the last of
her clean clothing from her bag, she silently hoped Kwil would learn a spell to
wash laundry without having to get wet. It was cold, and she had no desire to
stand outside scrubbing. After dressing, she retrieved her lute and headed
downstairs.

Seela was already
up, a breakfast of fruit and nuts waiting at the edge of the table. Despite
having guests, she had not bothered to tidy up. Vials and flasks were strewn
about the kitchen, leaving little room for cooking and eating.

“Good morning,”
Nera said, announcing her presence.

“Good morning to
you,” Seela replied. “I trust you slept well?”

“Better than I can
remember,” Nera said, taking an apple from the basket. “Would it be all right
if I sat outside to play?”

“Oh yes,” Seela
said. “The imps are gone, and no one will bother you.” She headed to the window
and pushed it open. “If you sit here, I’ll be able to hear your music.”

Nera beamed with
pride. Seela hadn’t heard her play a single note, yet she was willing to lend
her ears. Nera hoped she’d be pleasantly surprised by her talent. Stepping
outside, she took in a deep gulp of forest air and let it out slowly. No more
stuffy towns or noble manor houses would be in her future. She would play for a
traveling company, giving concerts under the stars.

Taking up a
position near the window, she fiddled momentarily with her strings to make sure
they were in tune. Then, she strummed softly, humming along with the rhythm.

“Why don’t you
sing?” Seela’s voice called from inside.

Pausing in her
song, Nera replied, “I’m afraid I don’t have that gift.”

“Nonsense,” the
Feles said. “You can learn. You simply need a teacher.”

“Would that be
you?” Nera asked, grinning.

“I’m afraid not,”
Seela replied. “I never took the time to learn, but I do have a friend who
might be able to help. I’ll try to get in touch with her.”

Nera returned to
her song, playing with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, she thought
she saw movement among the trees. Peering into the woods, she saw nothing and
dismissed it as her imagination. Switching her song to a lively tune, she
tapped her foot to keep time. As she stared into the trees, she was certain she
saw something buzzing around. Standing, she took a few steps toward the trees
for a closer look.

Two tiny figures
appeared before her eyes. “Play more!” they shouted with high voices.

Nera’s jaw dropped
open. They looked exactly like the pixies she had seen in stories as a young kit.
Saying nothing, she lifted her lute and continued the music. The pixies darted
and dipped, dancing along with the rhythm. Nera laughed to herself, hardly able
to believe what was happening. Here among the ominous trees of the Dark Forest
were creatures straight out of a fairy tale. She made a note to tell Kwil his
scary stories of the forest couldn’t possibly be true, at least not in the
vicinity of Seela’s cabin.

As she finished her
song, the pixies came forward to applaud before buzzing away into the trees.
Inspired by the enchanted beings, she sat down to begin a new composition.
Attempting to capture their flight pattern by song, she plucked at her strings
until she found the correct notes. It was still a work in progress, but it was
coming along.

Seated at her desk
near the window, Seela tapped her tail to the music. “Sounds like the forest is
having an effect,” she called to Nera.

Nera smiled. “I
think you’re right,” she replied.

* * * * *

Kwil did not wake until
late that morning, the sound of Nera’s song greeting him as his eyes finally
opened. He stretched his arms and sat up, certain that it was the best night’s
sleep he’d ever had. The bed was extremely comfortable, almost as if it had
been made specifically to fit his body. The thought gave him pause, and he ran
his hand along the mattress to examine it. Smiling, he realized the mattress
had indeed conformed to him. It was enchanted, as were most items in the home,
he suspected. Seela had an extraordinary talent for magic, and Kwil couldn’t
wait to start learning.

Jumping out of the bed, he ran to the door and
opened it. The cool breeze reminded him that he had yet to dress, and he
quickly shut the door to ready himself for the day. The sun was shining
straight through the window, and he noticed its high position. He had slept
much later than intended. Half the morning was already gone, and he had not
reported to his mistress.

Combing his hair, he tried to tame his dark locks
into an orderly fashion. Splashing water over his face, he was pleasantly
surprised to find it warm. After dressing, he headed down the stairs to greet
the others.

“Look who’s finally out of bed,” Seela jibed. She had
taken the extra time to clear the table and neatly organize her potions inside
the cupboard.

“Forgive me,” Kwil said. “I must have been more
tired than I thought.”

“Here,” Seela said, filling a wooden bowl with
porridge. “Eat.”

“I’m not all that hungry,” Kwil replied. His zeal
for learning had usurped his appetite.

“Nonsense,” Seela said. “You can’t learn on an
empty stomach. Eat now and then we will begin.”

Nera paused in her playing to peek inside the
window. Kwil was busily shoving spoonfuls of porridge into his mouth, and Seela
was admiring her work with the potions. Staying silent, Nera decided to hold
her position and observe them. Kwil’s first lesson with Seela would probably be
amusing to watch. It might even inspire a song.

“All finished,” Kwil announced, swallowing the
last mouthful.

“Very well,” Seela replied. “Let’s begin.”

Striding over to Kwil, Seela took the bowl from
his hands. Spreading silver magic over it, the dish became clean as Kwil
watched.

“You have to teach me that spell,” he said.

“Later,” she replied. “That is not today’s
lesson.” Extending her paw, she handed the bowl back to him. “Do you feel the
magic in this bowl?”

Taking the bowl, Kwil placed his hands on either
side and closed his eyes. He felt a faint trace of magic still in the wood. “I
think so,” he stated.

“Good,” she replied. “Now draw it out.”

Wrinkling his brow, he opened an eye to look at
his mistress. “I don’t know how,” he admitted. He had felt magic in the stone
he used against the cockatrice, but it had never occurred to him that he might
take the magic inside it for his own. “What is the incantation?” he asked.

“There is none,” she replied. “This is a spell you
cast by being in contact with an object. If it contains magic, you can claim
it. Now focus your mind and do as I told you.”

His mistress sounded impatient, so Kwil closed his
eyes and tried to reach into the magical residue left on the bowl. Imagining
himself reaching between the grains of the wood, he attempted to steal the
magic inside. He tried until his hands began to shake, but he failed to
retrieve the magic. He still sensed its presence locked inside the bowl.
Opening his eyes, he stared blankly at Seela.

“All of us have our shortcomings, and no one has
limitless power,” she explained. “Only an elemental is replenished by its
element. The rest of us must find it where we can.” She took the bowl from his
hands and spread red magic over it. “Try it now,” she said.

Undeterred, Kwil made another attempt. This time,
he could feel the heat of the magic against his hands, and he called to it with
his mind. Magic oozed from the wood, his fingers taking on a red hue in
response. A strong sensation of heat filled his chest as the magic became his
own. His eyes opened wide, he looked up at Seela. “I did it,” he announced,
stunned by his achievement.

“Good,” she replied. “You managed it on the second
element. Now we know your affinity is for fire.”

“Does that mean I’ll be a fire mage?” he wondered.

“If that is the path you choose,” she replied.
“You may learn from any school: air, fire, water, or earth. But most humans and
Gatans take the time to master only one.”

“Could I master them all?” he asked, his mind
swimming with the possibilities.

“You could,” she replied. “But it will take many
long years of study. Perhaps more than a lifetime.”

He thought for a moment and said, “I’ll master
fire first, and then I’ll master as many as I can before I die.”

“Most are content to master one,” Seela replied.
“After that, they consider themselves wise enough.”

Shaking his head, he replied, “I wish never to
stop learning. There will always be knowledge out there that I don’t possess,
and I want to find as much of it as I can.”

A smile crept across Seela’s face. “You are wise
for someone so young,” she said.

Curious, he asked, “What element are you mistress
of?”

“Air,” she replied. “And earth. I am studying
water now.”

“Maybe I can help you with fire,” he responded.
“That is, if you don’t master it on your own first.” He wasn’t sure whether he
had misspoke.

Seela laughed. “If you master fire before I finish
with water, then I will gladly accept your help,” she said. “I may have you bested
now, but in time, you may become the more powerful one.”

Kwil doubted that, but he didn’t say so. He wasn’t
even sure how to know when he had mastered any element to move on to another.
How do you master something when there is always more to learn? Though he might
finish the lessons and earn the title, he would not stop studying. There would
always be more for him to learn, and with Seela as his guide, he might learn
more than he’d ever imagined.

“Come now,” Seela said, opening the cabin door.
“You must learn to draw magic from a creature.”

They stepped outside together, Kwil’s expression
displaying his uncertainty. What creature did she have in mind? Would he be
fighting those imps again? He hadn’t had much success the last time, but he
would do as he was told.

Seela trotted over to a tree where a small brown
spider was wrapping up an ant that had caught itself in her web. She whispered
a few words to the creature, but Kwil could not hear her reply.

Returning with the spider resting on her head,
Seela said, “This lovely young lady has agreed to help us with the lesson.”
Lifting her paw, the spider climbed onto it. The Feles spread white magic over
the spider, the eight-legged creature trembling in response. Seela leaned an
ear toward the spider. “She says that tickled,” she said before passing the
spider to Kwil.

Kwil took the spider in the palm of his hand and
did his best to hide his discomfort. “Does this work the same as the bowl?” he
asked. He had no desire to harm the little volunteer.

“It does,” Seela said. “But this is not a fire
spell because I would not harm this creature. Be gentle with her, but be sound
in your resolve.” After a pause, she said, “And take your time.”

Barely able to feel the spider on his hand, Kwil
wasn’t sure he would be able to draw magic from her. Closing his eyes, he
attempted to block out all distractions. Focusing his mind to the spider’s
magic, he found it almost impossible to detect. Seela had put only a small
amount into the creature, forcing Kwil to work to find it.

Holding his concentration, Kwil managed to sense
the presence of a slight amount of magic. Directing all his energy to the
spider, he realized he could feel her tiny feet against the palm of his hand.
There was a slight warmth to them, but he did not know whether it was her
warmth or his own. Realizing it didn’t matter, he saw the opportunity to draw
out the magic. It passed through the spider’s body, exiting through her feet
and leaving a faint glow of white on Kwil’s palm.

Opening his eyes, he could have sworn he saw the
spider grin at him. The magic passed into his body, giving him a tingling
sensation in his veins. White magic was used for healing, and it revitalized
him as it added itself to his magical stores.

“Well done,” Seela said. “And thank you, Miss
Arachnid.”

The spider lowered herself on a thin string of
silk and scurried away.

“You’ve done well for your first try absorbing
magic from another creature,” Seela said, a hint of pride in her voice. “That
would have come in useful against those imps. Had you drained one, you would
have found him quite docile.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kwil replied.

“With more practice, you’ll perfect your technique
and be able to perform this spell much more easily.” With a flash of gold in
her eyes, she cast an energy burst at one of the trees, lighting it with a
golden hue. Then she cast silver and green at various limbs and leaves. “That
should keep you busy for a while,” she said. “Oh, and this too.” Spinning
around, she cast white magic at Nera, who had been observing the entire time.

The blast hit the Gatan in her midsection, and she
jumped in surprise. She was unhurt, but a little annoyed at being used as a
guinea pig. At least the spider had given permission first. She crossed her
arms and stood still, waiting for Kwil to practice his skills.

Seela laughed and headed back toward the cabin.
“See how you do with absorbing those spells,” she instructed him. “You might
want to start with Nera first. She looks a bit perturbed.” Chuckling, she
stepped inside and prepared to close the door.