Enchantress Awakening: Part One of the Book of Water (The Elemental Cycle 1) (7 page)

“That much is already plain.” Caleigh chuckled. “This is not the Tovrik you present in your performances, though it is not as unfamiliar to me as you might think. Working in an inn is more revealing than most people would imagine.”

“Ha, yes, I did wonder whether those innocent-looking eyes of yours were seeing more than they appeared, but then I suppose you have deduced that by now that my patronage was not solely due to the quality of your mother’s cooking or your father’s ale.” They both shared a laugh at this. “You must now wonder what to do with your new-found abilities?”

“Yes, even before my encounter with Loreliath I had thought to speak with you. Now, I feel I must do something to help for what is to come.”

“It seems to me that your first priority should be to realise your powers more fully. Now that your gift has been revealed you will be hunted, Marc may protect you for a time but if you wish to leave Connlad ever peril will be on your heels.”

“Dana keeps saying the same, what is this peril?”

“Ah, well Dana would know. It is important for you to realise Caleigh that not everyone is like Sir Marc, many people are afraid of magic and of those who wield it and in their fear persecute them. The ignorant and fearful mob is a constant danger to wizards. Then there are those among wizard-kind who choose to use their powers for ill purposes. To them any wizard who does not follow their creed is an enemy to be destroyed. Lastly, you should know that not everyone is opposed to the rise of the Beast. He has, and has always has had his followers amongst men. They know as we do that wizards pose the greatest danger to their master on his return and for centuries have dedicated themselves to the eradication of all wizard-kind not already beholden to darkness.”

“What did you mean by Dana would know?”

“Perhaps it is not my place to say, but suffice to say it is not by chance that she has no living relatives amongst her mother’s kin.”

“That’s terrible!” Caleigh exclaimed with certain knowledge. Long had she felt a deep sense of tragedy within Dana and only now did she realise that it went beyond the loss of her husband alone.

“Indeed, and this is why you must be able to defend yourself. I will not tell you what path you must now take, I will only offer you choices. After what you told me there is much I must do. Alas, this means I cannot stay in Connlad and council you more. However, I will leave Gideon here for one month. In that month you are free to learn from him as much or as little as you choose. Do not worry; he is a resourceful young man I am sure he will be able to keep himself occupied whatever you decide to do. At the end of that month he will return to my abode of Elevered and if it is your wish you may come with him. If not, then the invitation remains permanent, you will always be welcome, indeed you can consider it a home to which you can return at any time. Yet in all these decisions the choice is yours to make.”

“What would you have me do?”

“I will not pretend; I wish for you to join me in Elevered and I think you would be wise to do so. Even so, you are Loreliath’s chosen one and your destiny is yours to make.” Tovrik looked at Caleigh and laughed kindly. “You seem barely perturbed by all of this.”

“Oh no, I am. It is strange and terrifying to me, too much so for me to understand fully yet.”

“Such a reaction shows wisdom indeed. You are right to take these things seriously yet you need not worry overmuch for now, I think. While this doom before us is great and terrible the world will not end tomorrow, I am sure. It has taken a thousand years to come to this pass; a few months or even a year is of little measure by such reckoning.”

“Would Loreliath have appeared now if it were not urgent?”

“Oh, it is urgent be not mistaken about that, if these things come to pass twenty years hence we should still begin to prepare now. What I mean is that Loreliath is on our side; she would not have warned us if it were already too late. Time may not be on our side nor is it against us just yet.”

8. The Magician’s Apprentice

For all Tovrik’s reassurances he did not tarry himself, instead he kept to his word and left the next morn before Caleigh had a chance to speak to him again. She felt bereft at first with so many questions left unanswered. Perhaps this was his intent, after all, an incentive for her to join him in Elevered. For now she had to turn to Gideon, quiet, unreadable Gideon, for answers.

Her first chance for this came later that very day. After lunch Ellie was sent to bring her to a chamber on the top floor that normally stood empty. On this day a carpet and some cushions had been placed in the centre and in the corner nearest the window on the right hand side of the room a table had been laid out and stacked with scrolls. Gideon was already waiting for her dressed in robes similar to those worn by monks in basic design, although they were better fitted and light blue as opposed to the usual brown.

“Enjoy yourself!” Ellie bid with a glance at Gideon then a conspiratorial wink. Caleigh responded with a discreet smack on Ellie’s retreating hind, while smiling warmly at the newcomer inside the room.

“Please, be seated.” Gideon greeted as she entered. Caleigh perched herself sideways on one of the cushions and waited for Gideon to begin. “Before we start I have been bidden to tell you that you are free turn your back on all this and return to the life you knew before. You walk this road by your own choice.”

“I have been bidden.” Caleigh repeated with a grin. “You do not agree with this choice?”

“I agree that you should decide to do this freely.”

“But not that I might choose not to? Hehe, well fear not, I want to learn magic.”

“Very good, and what do you suppose magic is?” Gideon retorted. Caleigh took several moments before she gave her answer.

“The impossible?”

“Excellent answer, at its most basic magic is making the impossible, possible. Or rather it is changing the imaginary into reality. A thought, a wish, a desire, given form in a spell that changes the world we know to make that thought real. However, you should know that doing this is not simply a matter of wishing hard or saying the right words. Reality may only be fooled and manipulated by the best of lies. The greater the lie the more art there must be in the telling.”

“Is that what Tovrik was referring to when he spoke of different arts?”

“No, although that is as good a place to begin as any. First, you should know that wizard is a misleading term, and oft misused. All wizards can perform magic but that is not to say that every wizard can perform the same spells, quite the opposite. Furthermore, not everyone who can perform magic can properly be called a wizard.

The ability to change the world to fit our desires exists in many forms other than spells. Think of the harpist whose touch of a string can make his audience close to weeping, or the bard whose stories take you to distant places you have never seen. This can be magic of a kind. Most that are called wizards or magically-gifted simply possess a skill in greater measure than is normally found.

To be truly a wizard one must have such a skill and be able to use it consciously and to deliberate effect, or in other words turn it into a spell. Until your moment of realisation you were simply someone in possession of a strong talent. Now you are learning what it is to be a wizard.

Again, I repeat, all wizards do not share the same inherent talents and therefore cannot necessarily perform the same kind of magic. An Art is the branch of magic that a wizard is naturally inclined towards. Most wizards can only successfully perform spells from their own Art and those spells that are common to all because they exist in the elements. More gifted wizards can learn spells from other Arts but there is a limit to how much. There may be some enchantments that you might be able to master that will remain beyond even Tovrik because he is of a different Art to you.”

“How many Arts are there?”

“In the world today, it is hard to say, if learning has progressed in other lands in the same manner as here in the West then no less than twenty.”

“Why twenty?”

“Each part of the world has its own element, of which there are five; earth, water, fire, air and the spirit. In the West our magic derives from the element of water, which itself is divided into four Arts; Druidry, Enchantment, Sorcery and Illusion. Your Art is that of Enchantment: Tovrik’s is that of Illusion.”

“You are an Illusion…”

“An Illusionist.”

“You are an Illusionist too?”

“No,” for the first time Gideon betrayed some emotion, “I am a Seer, or at least I should be.”

Caleigh stopped herself asking why he was not, sensing a pattern that was becoming increasing familiar. “Are there no Seers to learn from?”

“None to be found easily, for all that it matters. Either way, and this is true for you as well as me, there is no more knowledgeable teacher than Tovrik and no better place to learn than Elevered.” Gideon had returned to his academic mode and Caleigh knew she would gain no more insight into his inner self today. “I think we can leave our introduction there for now. If you wish we can meet again at the same time tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’d like that very much.” Caleigh agreed.

The next few lessons consisted almost entirely of silent meditation, as Gideon explained, “The first step is to perceive the magic that is all around us and within us. Only a quiet mind can hear these faintest of whispers.” So Caleigh did as she was instructed and sat in silence trying to clear her mind of conscious thought. She soon found that this was not as easy as it sounded. Constantly her thoughts went to the foretold doom that was approaching, picturing how those she loved might be affected, or else they lingered on Loreliath trying to imagine what it must be like to be so isolated for so long.

On the occasions she was able to let go of these thoughts more often than not she found her head filled with libidinous images, unable to tell how much of it was her own and how much came from the other residents of the hall. Nonetheless she persevered, both in and out of her lessons with Gideon, listening with her mind for what could not be heard by ears.

“Were you’re first lessons like this?” She asked after a week.

“For the first month I was at Elevered, Tovrik had me confined to the gardens. He told me I could come inside when I could identify the sound of every creature that lived there.”

“And that took a month?”

“Oh no, I was never able to do it entirely. By the time I learned the sounds of all the creatures living there in my first week, some had died, some had moved away and others had come in to take their place. It was never meant to be possible. The lesson was to train me to think outside of myself.”

“It seems like an unkind way to teach that lesson.”

“It was the way that was right for me. Worry not I will not ask Sir Marc to lock you outside. You are far more patient and mature than I was when I first realised my gift.”

“How old were you?”

“Fourteen, Tovrik discovered me a year later. You are in a far better situation, as you have guidance from the start.”

“How many wizards has Tovrik discovered?”

“I do not know, I did not mean to imply that finding people with magical talent is a common occurrence. Including myself there are six scholars of magic at Elevered who could be called wizards. There are other scholars beside who are not magically gifted, indeed if Elevered is known as a place of learning those who know it as such do not necessarily think of it as somewhere where wizards study.”

This description of Elevered sounded very different to anything Caleigh had known before. The idea that a community might exist based around learning seemed as strange as it did appealing. How would she fit into such a community, she wondered during her meditations. Although she could read she had not read widely or in great depth on any subject. Compared to these scholars she might appear to be some kind of uncultured peasant. A month felt like scarcely enough preparation for an environment such as this.

Contrary to her fears, in the second week of her studies Gideon announced that she was ready to move onto the next phase. “But I have not mastered the first phase, not even nearly.” Caleigh confessed. “My mind is anything but clear.”

“Is that so? Have Sir Marc and his wife made love in the last week?” He posed. Caleigh looked down with embarrassment.

“It is not for me to say…”

“I do not need to know; the point is that you know the answer.”

“Yes, I know the answer.”

“When was the last time your pretty friend was excited?”

“This morn” Caleigh answered instinctively.

“And what am I feeling?”

“I do not know.”

“I would say that you have learned the lesson.”

“How? I did not answer your first question and I did not know the answer to your last?” 

“Nor did you guess. You sensed nothing from me because I am blocking you, a fact that you had already noticed. Remember, it is the unconscious mind as well as the conscious that we are exercising.”

“So what is the next phase?”

“You have learned how to hear magic, now you need to learn how to see it.” Gideon moved from his usual sitting position and made himself space to move. “This is confusing I know. No doubt you are thinking about Tovrik’s illusions, which are very much visible. Not all magic is like this, your own ability to charm and empathise is not seen by the naked eye, for example. Only when a spell takes on physical properties can it be seen and even then there are exceptions. Most people cannot see most magic, it is one of the reasons it scares them so. You or I could identify the spell but to the ungifted all they see is the swish of a wand.”

“It is less terrifying to see it happen?”

“Of course it is; anything that can be comprehended is inherently less terrifying than the unexplained.  Either way, it is better to be able to see what you are facing.”

“Forgive me, what is a wand?”

“This is a wand.” Gideon declared selecting a slender length of carved and polished wood that tapered towards the end from his belongings on the table. Caleigh nodded in comprehension, she had seen Tovrik use something similar in his performances. “Bear in mind that there are some spells which you will never be able to see no matter how hard you look. Also, of those that can be seen, some spells are easier to see than others. This is not random; the same rules apply as in other things. Spells that are based around light are naturally easier to see than ones based around sound.” He moved a stool into a space in front of the window. “This is an important moment, Caleigh.” Gideon announced with a smile. “This will be the first time I have shown you a spell, what kind of spell would you like to see?”

“Oooh, I would like something I can see, please.” Caleigh cooed excitedly. Gideon nodded and picked up an apple from the fruit bowl on the table and placed it on the stool then stepped back several paces and pointed his wand directly at it. In a flash of orange and yellow the apple burst into flames and burned briefly until it was left as a black and brown carcass amid a small cloud of sweet smelling smoke.

“Wow!” Caleigh gasped her eyebrows high upon her forehead.

“Did you see the spell in flight?”

“No, I only saw the apple catch fire. Can you do it again?”

“Ah, the first lesson of spell casting…the same spell cannot be repeated in quick succession. I did not use much power so we should not have to wait long though.” Gideon flicked his wand and the apple flew out of the window. The impressiveness of this move disappeared almost instantly as a thump and cry of pain sounded from outside. There was a guilty pause before Gideon remarked “How unfortunate.”

“Worry not,” bid Caleigh peering out of the window and struggling to stifle her laugh “he is unhurt”.

“That is well.” Gideon responded absently fingering the remaining fruit in the bowl.

“Although he is a little messy.” Caleigh resettled herself on the carpeted section of the floor. “What does the wand do?”

“It focuses and stores magical energy. Wands and staffs and other such things are not necessary to cast spells; they simply make it easier and less exerting.” Gideon placed a second piece of fruit, this time a pear, on the black smudge where the apple had been. “This time I want you to clear your mind first.”

Caleigh folded her legs and did as she had practiced frequently over the last week and a half. Gideon pointed his wand again and a heartbeat before the pear ignited she thought she saw a spark flash at its end. They practised this several times more until finally as evening drew in Caleigh could see the spark start at the end of the wand and race towards the fruit as though the two were connected by and taut, oil soaked string.

As the week went on Caleigh was able to see the flame being lit every time and Gideon moved on to a different spell. On first viewing a simple tugging motion from Gideon’s wand seemed to knock the stool on the ground and pull it several feet closer. “Is that the same spell you use to throw the fruit away?” Caleigh asked after watching this three times. “I’ve never been able to see that.”

“No, this is a different spell. This is another lesson to learn, although some spells may have similar effects they are not the same. They use different powers and produce these effects by different means. It may not seem important now but these subtleties can make all the difference.”