Mindbender (49 page)

Isabel sat on the cushion and closed her eyes. She relaxed and cleared her mind for a moment before she opened the portal to the realm of light left behind by the birth of the fairy Sara. Whatever Desiderates had done within her mind made the process a simple matter. The light filled her with a feeling of love and safety. She felt rejuvenated and her spirit was buoyed with hope beyond reason. Reluctantly, Isabel closed the link to the light. She felt almost deflated when the life-giving energy faded. After a few moments she realized that the fatigue she was feeling when she arrived at Magda’s chambers was gone. She felt awake and alert. Her mind was clear and sharp.

She linked her mind to the realm of light again. The light was bright like the sun, clear and perfect, yet she could look directly at it in her mind’s eye without any discomfort. She basked in the warmth of it for a few moments before she closed the connection. It came easily and quickly. She knew within a few minutes of her practice that she was ready to move forward, so she went back to Magda.

“Back already?” Magda asked.

Isabel nodded. “The light comes easily. I can link my mind to it at will with a simple thought and it fills me with warmth and hope. It’s beautiful.”

Magda nodded with a frown. “I was worried about that. I suspect you will find the next step much more difficult. You must call the anger and then connect with the light. I fear the contradiction will be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome.”

Isabel blinked with the realization of what she was trying to do. “I see what you mean. I’ll try, but I think you might be right.”

She returned to the meditation room and sat down, thinking of Phane and all he’d done to harm the innocent people of the Seven Isles. A spark of anger ignited in the pit of her stomach. She nursed it and fed it with thoughts of injustice and the selfishness of evil until it grew into a formidable rage. With her anger firmly in place, she called to the light. The link came less easily but it came nonetheless. When the light washed into her, the anger she was holding onto with grim determination faded away like fog in sunlight. Hope flooded into her soul and filled her with purpose and faith. She closed the connection and tried again and again, but no matter how determined she was, she could not hold on to anger in the face of the light.

She returned to Magda and sat down, dejected. “I failed. The light and the anger can’t coexist within my mind. No matter how hard I try, I simply can’t resist the hope of the light.”

Magda chuckled softly. “That’s a good thing, child. The light shouldn’t be resisted. Embrace it and accept it into your soul. We’ll find another way.”

A thought occurred to Isabel. “What about love? What if I use love to resist the firmament instead of anger?”

“That would set you up for another contradiction,” Magda said. “During battle, it’s very difficult to create a feeling of love. That’s why we use anger for most of the combat-oriented spells we cast. For creative and healing magic, love is the best defense against the pull of the firmament.”

“I think it might be easier for me because of the strong positive feeling evoked by my connection to the light. I’d like to try.”

“Very well,” Magda said. “You may have the capacity to fight with love in your heart. It’s rare, but not unheard of.”

When Isabel sat down in the meditation room and opened her link to the light, the intense feelings of love necessary to protect her mind from the pull of the firmament came easily and powerfully. She sat for a time simply basking in the glow of it.

She released the link and then created it again. It came quickly, easily, and intensely. Carefully, tentatively, she made a connection to the firmament. It was a juggling act within her mind to hold on to her feelings of love, maintain a mental link to the light, and touch the firmament all at once but she was successful with her first try, even if her connection to the firmament was limited and restrained.

After several hours of work creating the right conditions within her mind to cast the spell, she was ready to attempt it. She returned to Magda with much greater confidence.

“I think I’m ready to give it a try.”

Magda raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps some more practice would be in order. This is a new variation on a spell and may produce unforeseen consequences.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for,” Isabel said. “I’m sure I can cast it and I think the only way I can judge the wisdom of continuing to work on it is to attempt it.”

“Fair enough. But have some lunch first,” Magda said, gesturing to a covered platter. “You’ve been meditating for hours.”

Isabel suddenly realized that it was the middle of the afternoon and she was starving. She ate quickly while she thought about the process of casting the spell. It was very similar to the common version but with the added twist of her unique connection to the realm of light and the usage of love rather than anger to defend against the pull of the firmament. She had no way of knowing what it might do and was eager to find out.

She didn’t have long to wait. Soon enough she stood between the lanterns in the practice cavern and faced the target on the distant wall. Very deliberately, she began the process of casting her new spell. First, she called on the light. Then she used the flood of hope and faith she felt to cultivate a feeling of intense love. Once her distraction emotion was firmly in place, she opened a connection to the firmament, although she deliberately restrained the degree of connection she created. Caution was in order. Finally, she envisioned a beam of pure white light leaping from her outstretched hand and striking the target in the distance and she released her vision into the firmament.

Her hand briefly glowed with pure white light that streaked to the target with exacting precision but nothing happened to the stone on the far wall of the cavern. Isabel completed the spell, closing off her link to the light and her connection to the firmament, then frowned with disappointment.

“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head.

“Not necessarily,” Magda said with a look of deep concentration. “The spell fired. Although it didn’t burn the stone, it might have some effect against another person or creature. The realm of light is a place of great creative power. It’s very unlikely that you could harness that power in such a direct and concentrated way and yet create no actual effect on your target. Perhaps a different target would reveal something more.”

“What did you have in mind?” Isabel asked.

“Long ago, the Reishi Coven developed a spell for just this purpose,” Magda said. “It’s a variation on a projection spell that’s designed to allow a witch to discern the effects of a spell cast at her projection. Normally, a projection is capable of allowing a spell caster to see and hear in the surroundings of their projection as well as speak through their projected image. This version is much more advanced and requires some preparation. It will allow me to identify the specific effects of the spell as if it had been cast against me—without any risk of injury.”

“You can do that?” Isabel asked excitedly.

“I can, but I need some time to prepare,” Magda said. “I suggest you spend the next few hours practicing your new spell. Use the same process we went through with the basic version. You should always refine any combat spell down to a simple process that comes quickly and easily, even if you aren’t quite sure how it will affect your enemies. While you practice, I’ll review the advanced projection spell. We’ll meet in my chambers after breakfast tomorrow.”

Isabel spent the rest of the afternoon casting her spell. She refined the mental process until it came easily. After several hours of practice, she had a sudden thought that sent a thrill of fear up her spine. She felt wonderful from the repeated creation of loving emotions and her connections with the realm of light, so when she tried to cast the basic version of the spell that relied on anger, she couldn’t create a strong enough sensation of anger to dare make a connection to the firmament.

After several failed attempts she sat down and focused on Phane and his war against the people of Ruatha. She envisioned all of the hardship, suffering, and despair that he was creating until her anger ignited. Carefully and methodically, she fed her anger until it boiled into rage. Once she had a firm grip on her anger, she cast the basic version of the spell. It came easily and quickly, burning several inches into the stone of the far wall.

The process of moving her emotions from love to anger was slow and difficult. Perhaps the other direction would be easier. She linked her mind to the realm of light and hope flooded into her. Her carefully nursed anger resisted for several moments but eventually washed away in the face of the creative light, leaving ample emotional space for her to create a feeling of love.

She made a mental note. Once she used the light to build a feeling of love, it was much more difficult to cultivate the anger necessary to cast the light-lance spell. While the battle wouldn’t be won with the light lance, she might need to cast it nonetheless.

Chapter 28

The next morning in the practice chamber, Magda prepared her advanced projection spell. It took several minutes of concentration and chanting. Isabel watched with rapt attention as the triumvir completed the spell and produced an exact duplicate of herself on the other side of the chamber. Magda sat on the floor in a deep state of meditation while her projection walked over to the place in front of the target.

“Cast your version of the spell at me, Isabel,” Magda’s projection said. “Be quick, I can’t maintain this spell for long.”

Isabel called on the light and cast her spell. Light leapt from her hand and stabbed into the image of the triumvir. Love and hope filled Isabel as she released her hold on the firmament.

Magda gasped and her projected image flickered out of existence as her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Isabel with an expression of serenity and pure contentment, then stood with a gentle smile.

“Child, you have created a spell of profound power even though it will cause no damage to a living creature. It filled me with feelings of hope, faith, and reverence for life. I believe it would dispel the anger a witch needs to cast combat spells as well as induce such intense positive emotion within a wizard that he would not be able to maintain the state of emotional detachment necessary to touch the firmament. A spell capable of disabling another’s ability to cast spells is no small thing. As for those who cannot cast spells, I believe your spell would dampen their will to fight.”

“It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I’ll take it,” Isabel said. “Any idea how long the effect will last?”

“Not yet, child,” Magda said. “I still feel the effects but I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve had time to process the feelings more completely. Come. Walk with me to my chambers.”

Magda maintained a wistful smile as they walked through the passageways of the fortress island, even humming to herself a few times. Isabel wondered at the power of her new spell. It had the potential to offer her another edge in the coming fight, but it wouldn’t carry the day. Isabel still had a week before she was to meet Gabriella on the battlefield. She intended to make good use of that time.

Magda led her into her chambers and retrieved a book she had set aside on the little table next to her reading chair. She handed it to Isabel with a smile.

“Take this spellbook and study it well. It’s a shield spell capable of defending against most physical weapons and some, though certainly not all, direct magical attacks. Take the next few days to master the principles involved with the casting and practice the exercises thoroughly. I will meditate on the effects of your spell and let you know what I learn when next we meet.

“On another matter, it’s customary for the one who invents a spell to give it a name. Any thoughts about what you’d like to call your new spell?”

Isabel shrugged. “Maker’s light sounds good.”

Magda nodded with a smile. “Indeed it does. Study the shield spell and return when you’re ready.”

Isabel read the book and mastered the principles involved in creating a magical shield around herself. She practiced the exercises for three days until she was confident that she was ready to attempt casting the spell.

It was slightly different from the light-lance spell in that the shield was designed to be created and maintained for several minutes, while the light lance was almost instantaneous. The difference required a shift in her mindset when she released her vision into the firmament. Her vision had to incorporate an element of time in order to impart duration on the spell. Several of the exercises were designed to help her accomplish this.

During the days spent in study, she could see Abigail and Wren worry for her. The battle was quickly approaching, and while they were confident in her, they still feared for her survival. Isabel did her best to put on a brave face but she occasionally felt the nagging doubt of inexperience push in on her.

She decided it was time to begin putting her plan into place. Subtly and gently, she began to worry aloud about Gabriella bringing her wyvern to the battle. She expressed her concern only in the presence of Wren, displaying confidence against Gabriella but not if she came to the battlefield riding her steed. It didn’t take long for her worry to transfer to Wren. The young waif of a serving girl was eager to see Isabel survive and began to grow concerned about Gabriella bringing her wyvern to the fight.