A Slave to Magic (19 page)

“Will she be safe in the forest?” Kwil asked,
concerned.

“Aqualia can look out for herself,” Seela replied.
“She is a creature of magic, and her voice can bend others to her will. She
will be quite safe.”

Kwil regretted not learning more from the Siren.
There was undoubtedly magic she could have taught him. Again he wished to learn
everything at once. His patience was in short supply when it came to learning
magic. If only there were a spell to plant all the knowledge in his mind at
once. Failing that, he returned to his desk to continue his reading.

Nera watched wistfully as Aqualia disappeared into
the distance. She closed the door and picked up her lute, strumming idly at the
strings. Singing softly to herself, a flash of blue magic shone in her eyes.

E
ager to inform
Kwil of the spell Aqualia had taught her, Nera approached him at his desk. Busy
with his reading, he took no notice of her. She stood a moment wondering if he
would look up, but his mind remained on his studies.

“Kwil,” she said,
excitement in her voice.

Startled, he looked
up from his book. “What is it?” he asked.

“You’re never going
to believe what the Siren taught me,” she said. “Such music as you’ve never
heard.”

“That’s wonderful,”
he replied. “Will you play it for me?”

“I’ll sing it,” she
said. Before she could vocalize the first note, Seela appeared in front of
them, a wooden bucket clutched in her paw.

“I need water from
the spring, Apprentice,” she said, shoving the bucket toward Kwil. “Today you
will have your first potions lesson, but I can’t teach without fresh water.”

Kwil gave Nera a
regretful smile. He was looking forward to hearing her sing, but it would have
to wait. Seela’s commands took priority. As her apprentice, he must obey.

“Off you go,” Seela
said. “Nera, go with him. I don’t want him lost out there.” She winked a golden
eye at the girl.

“It’s only twenty
yards behind the cabin,” Kwil pointed out. “I’d have to be a complete idiot to
get lost.”

Nera chuckled softly.
“The fresh air will do me good,” she said.

Even on a short
trip, Kwil enjoyed having Nera along. “Let’s go, then,” he said, grabbing hold
of the bucket.

The pair stepped
outside, the chill of winter immediately grabbing at their exposed skin. A menacing
wind moaned its way through the trees, dark clouds overhead threatening to
blanket the forest with snow.

“Let’s hurry,” Nera
said, pulling her cloak around her. “It’s freezing out here.”

Walking at a brisk
pace, they arrived at the spring. Its waters steamed as the warm spring water
touched the cold air. Fire deep in the earth itself combined with this water,
keeping it warm year-round. Its banks retained their green foliage, unlike the
rest of the Dark Forest. Here there was life, while elsewhere all was cold and
dormant.

Kneeling down, Kwil
dipped the bucket into the water and brought it back out. “All done,” he
announced. It was a quick venture out of doors, but a necessary one. Standing
up, he swiveled on a heel, preparing to return to the cabin. Nera’s expression,
however, gave him pause. She stared wide-eyed at something on the far bank, her
mouth slightly open. Kwil could sense her fear as her muscles tightened and her
breath became barely audible. Slowly lifting a finger, she pointed to the source
of her fear.

Cautiously Kwil
turned, observing only from the corner of his eye. A massive figure stood
unmoving on the opposite bank, a large object clutched in its hand. Positioning
himself for a better look, Kwil moved at a snail’s pace. If he moved too
quickly, whoever it was might consider him a threat. Keeping calm was his best
chance to avoid a confrontation.

Stunned by what his
eyes beheld, Kwil stood with his feet rooted to the spot. On the far bank stood
an ogre, its thick gray skin ornamented with warts. In one hand it held a
wooden cudgel, which dragged lazily against the ground. The creature narrowed
its eyes to get a better look at the two people before it. Raising its cudgel,
it scratched the back of its neck.

Kwil took two steps
backward, and Nera stepped sideways to join him. Neither had encountered an
ogre before, but both expected the worst. Any armed creature would give them
pause, but one as massive as this ogre meant serious trouble.

“Should we run?”
Nera asked. Seela had most likely dealt with ogres before if they lived among
these woods. She would know how to deal with him.

Before Kwil could
reply, the ogre lifted the cudgel over his head and belched out a deep roar. In
two strides it crossed the stream, its eyes focused on the apprentice.

Dropping his
bucket, Kwil dodged to one side while Nera went the opposite direction. The
ogre’s foot crashed against the spot where the pair had stood. It turned its
focus to Kwil, ignoring the Gatan for the time being.

Kwil’s magical
instincts kicked in, and he prepared a fire spell to toss at the beast. It was
approaching too fast, forcing him to jump out of the way to avoid a blow from
the cudgel. Hiding himself behind a tree, he focused his mind to fire,
summoning a red blaze in his hand. Hurling it toward the ogre, he watched in
shock as it bounced from the ogre’s thick skin without fazing it.

Nera jumped from
behind, grabbing tightly onto the ogre’s arm. With a look of confusion, the
ogre stared at the furred creature clinging onto his arm. She attempted to bite
through his skin, but it was too tough for her to penetrate. The ogre shook its
arm, forcing Nera to relax her grip. Landing on the ground, she rolled out of
the way as the cudgel slammed down next to her.

Frantically, Kwil
searched his mind for a different fire spell that might break through the
ogre’s defenses. As if a light went on, he remembered the spell Seela first
taught him to weaken his enemies. He needed to drain the creature’s magic in
order to subdue it. Conjuring a beam of light, he focused it at the ogre,
holding it firmly in his power. Drawing power away from it, he soon realized
that the ogre had only a tiny store of magic.

Enraged by the
violation, the ogre closed in on Kwil. Its heavy foot landed next to him, the
young mage standing only to the height of the ogre’s knee. As the ogre lifted
its cudgel to smash him to bits, Kwil threw a fire spell at the weapon, setting
it ablaze. Feeling the heat next to his face, the ogre dropped the cudgel. Kwil
rolled away, hoping to avoid the falling object.

Roaring in anger,
the ogre watched as its weapon burned to ash. Ripping at a limb, it tore it
away from the tree and swung it in Kwil’s direction. The wizard reacted with a
burst of energy, forcing the limb away and knocking the ogre slightly off-balance.
It managed to steady itself quickly and stepped forward to pummel the mage.

Knowing he couldn’t
move fast enough to avoid the beast’s attack, Kwil used the energy blast to
move himself from harm’s way. The ogre roared its displeasure, the ground
shaking under the weight of its stamping feet. Without hesitation, Kwil
returned to the spell to absorb the creature’s magic. Its stores were dry, but
Kwil had another idea. The same magic could be used to weaken the beast
further, draining his energy to the point of exhaustion. If only Kwil could
hold the spell long enough, he would have the creature under his control. But
the ogre was advancing, and Kwil knew he would have to move away, breaking his
concentration and his spell.

Not knowing how else
to save her friend, Nera thought of the magic Aqualia had taught her. The song
swam in her mind, its notes intertwining with her soul. Opening her mouth, a
single note released itself, thin at first but becoming more intense as she
held it. The ogre dropped its tree limb and placed his hands over his ears,
shaking his head from side to side.

Kwil watched in
amazement as the ogre groaned and staggered sideways. Only yards away, Nera
stood, her voice cutting through the winter air. It was her, he realized, that
had the creature under her power. Somehow she had produced magic through her
voice, and she had stopped the ogre in its tracks.

“Enough!” a voice
called, silencing Nera. It was Seela, who had emerged from her cabin to remedy
the situation. “Impressive,” she said as she passed Nera.

Approaching the
ogre, she extended a bundle toward him. He dropped his hands from his ears and
looked curiously at the Feles. Taking the bundle, he peered inside it before
nodding his approval.

“Your help is most
appreciated,” Seela said.

With a soft grunt,
the ogre marched off into the trees, disappearing from sight.

Scrambling to his
feet, Kwil asked, “What was that all about?”

“He is a friend of
mine,” Seela explained. “I asked him to test the two of you, particularly Nera.”
Looking at Kwil, she said, “Your abilities are coming along nicely too. You are
becoming wiser at choosing your spells, but you still need work.”

“Then this was a
trick?” he asked.

“There are few
real-world opportunities to test you,” Seela replied. “Don’t worry. I was
watching the entire time and would have intervened had you needed me.” After a
pause, she added, “The ogre meant neither of you any harm, but I asked him to
be as forceful as possible.”

“We could have been
killed,” Nera said, still in shock.

“I wouldn’t have
let that happen,” Seela assured her. “Aqualia would be pleased with your
mastery of the Cry.”

Nera swallowed
hard. It had taken little effort on her part, yet she had managed to subdue the
massive creature. “I didn’t realize how powerful the spell was,” she said.

“The Cry can be used only every few days, and it
will work only on certain creatures of low intelligence,” Seela explained. “The
effect does not last long, but if you work hard at it, you might be able to
control people as Aqualia is able to do.”

Nera didn’t know if she’d ever have the powers of
a Siren, nor did she desire to control other people. But the desire to learn
more about this spell and other spells based in music was growing inside her.
This was the magic she desired, but she did not know it until recently. The
magic she was taught at the College could never compare with this.

“Aqualia taught you
magic?” Kwil asked, amazed. “You were incredible. I’ve never read about any
spell like that.”

Nera smiled shyly,
unsure how to reply. Pride radiated from her friend as he praised her magical
ability.

“I can’t believe
you learned that in only a few days.” he remarked.

“What’s so special
about that?” she asked. “You learn spells in hours, sometimes minutes.”

“Yes, but I have the
desire,” he replied. “You’ve always resisted learning magic. Now you’re
mastering a form of magic I never knew existed.” His heart swelled with pride
as he looked upon his friend. “Maybe you can teach me how to do that.”

Seela shook her
head. “The Cry can be taught only by the Sirens. You’ll have to wait until
Aqualia returns or you go to visit her.”

“Is there no way to
learn music magic without Aqualia?” Nera asked, hoping that wasn’t the case.

“I have some books
that explain other spells,” she replied. “Only the Cry is exclusive to the
Sirens. There is much you can learn here.”

“I’d like to learn
it too,” Kwil replied. “But I’m afraid I’m not much of a singer, and I can’t
play an instrument.”

“You could learn,”
Nera said.

“And perhaps one
day he shall,” Seela interjected. “For now he is learning elemental magic, and
he is mastering fire. I know you youngsters want to know everything right away,
but it isn’t possible. One must learn these things in steps.”

“Can you teach me
to master music magic?” Nera asked, hopeful.

“I cannot,” Seela
replied. “But that won’t prevent you from mastering it on your own. Not all
magic is learned in the same way. The music is within you, and if you study
hard, you will work great feats of magic. The path you choose to take with that
is up to you.”

“I don’t
understand,” Nera said. Kwil had a destiny ahead of him. According to Seela, he
was the one who would free the humans of Gi’gata. She fully intended to help
him with that, but the fondest desire of her heart was to make beautiful music
and share it with the world.

“You may use it to
perform magic as Kwil and I do,” Seela replied. “Or you may use it to compose
works of music and perfect your skills with various musical instruments.”

“Now I think I
understand,” she said with a smile. The choices before her were broad, as broad
as those that Kwil would be given. Her form of magic was something entirely
different, one that she would have to learn on her own. No school could teach
her, only her heart could do that. The magic needed only to be pulled from
within her.

To Kwil, Seela
said, “I still need that water if we’re going to learn potions today.”

“Of course,
Mistress,” he replied, rushing to collect the bucket. Refilling it with water,
he returned with the others to the cabin.

Seela immediately
went to the shelf to retrieve a few books for Nera. “These are a good place to
start,” she said. “Learn these things and use them in your music. You’ll figure
things out soon enough.”

Nera was happy to
comply. She had never been one for reading, but reading about music and the
magic she could make with it would not feel like a chore. This was something
her heart truly desired. Snuggling up next to the fire, she opened one of the
books and thumbed through the pages.

“The potion I’m going to teach you to make is a
simple one,” Seela said to Kwil. “It will do nicely for your first lesson.”

“What does the potion do?” he asked.

“It will help you maintain focus when you cast a
spell,” Seela replied.

“Like when the ogre attacked, and I had to drop the
spell to run,” Kwil replied. His mind could not hold the spell when he had to
concentrate on fleeing.