The Demon's Blade (18 page)

“That sounds scary,” Jerris shuddered slightly. “I’m not sure I want to learn that.”

“Very few mages can learn the technique. In addition to tremendous power of will and concentration, it requires one to focus the mind in a very specific, very painful, way., but, if I could continue.” The boy nodded, still enthralled by Darien’s words.

“It isn’t just the elements around us that contain magical energy, either. That energy exists inside us as well. Our will, our mind, our thoughts, are said to be made of magic, which brings us to the second school of magic, called domination. Those who focus upon domination magic are called dominators, manipulators, or illusionists. Domination is the art of forcing one's will upon other beings directly, influencing them subtly, or simply altering their perceptions slightly in order to deceive and confuse them. Domination is most effective against those who lack magical talent, but almost impossible to use against those of equal or greater magical skill. Avirosa is a master of domination magic, and is particularly adept at using his talents to manipulate beasts to serve as his eyes and ears, and to fight for him.”

“Like the gloom crawler!” Jerris broke in excitedly.

Darien chuckled aloud despite himself, infected by the lad’s enthusiasm more than he expected. “Yes, exactly. Obviously, you can see how useful such a mastery can be, especially to an assassin who prefers to avoid a direct confrontation. Domination focuses on manipulating the magic of other beings, but we can also manipulate the magical energies within ourselves. That is called augmentation or sometimes channeling, and its practitioners are sometimes called channelers. Channelers use background magical energy around them and within them to make themselves faster or stronger. They can also enhance their eyes and ears to see and hear great distances, or augment their reflexes so they can react to an enemy far faster than an ordinary warrior. You may have observed I can move and react much faster than my opponents. This is the reason why.”

“So you can use more than one school?”

“Yes, most mages are taught the basics of each school. They usually develop an affinity for one or two of them, and focus their advanced training exclusively on that school. I am something of an exception. I was called a savant, able to manipulate many magics instinctively. I learned advanced techniques in many schools, which is something of a rarity. Nevertheless, my strong magical energy dictated that most of my energy was devoted to elemental magic.”

“Why is that? Is it better than the others?”

“Not at all, but those who possess the gift are not equally gifted. Using elemental magic is something like extending your energy outside your own body, then manipulating it as if it were a part of you like an arm or a leg. Not all have equal amounts of this energy. Some have far more innate magical power than others. The more innate magical talent one has, the more powerful effects they can generate, and more importantly, the farther away they can generate them. Range is of critical importance in elemental magic. Generating effects farther away, and being able to increase the range of projectile attacks can be critical in battle. Elemental magic is a magic of brute force, so those who possess that force are steered towards it.

“The other schools are generally much subtler, requiring less force and more precision. It can be difficult for those with great innate magical talent to master the precision required for subtle illusions or properly focusing one’s vision to see something a mile away.”

“So how great is my talent?” the boy nervously asked. “How much innate talent do I possess?”

“Well, regrettably, I couldn’t honestly tell you. The art of perceiving and understanding magical energies, called mysticism, is actually the fourth school of magic, and the one for which I possess the least aptitude. I recall being told something about strong mages having difficulty seeing the magic around them because their own is so strong. I can sense the active magic around me, an ability called second sight, or mage sight. Most mages possess it to some degree, but it has limited practical function. Beyond that, I can sense if a very powerful mage is nearby, especially if it’s someone familiar, but not with any degree of precision. A true mystic can sense the magical fields, called auras, of mages and enchanted objects, sometimes many miles away. The more skilled among them can tell how far away they are, and in which direction. They can also manipulate their own magical auras to avoid being seen by other mystics. They also can sense potential magic as well, assessing the capabilities of an opponent before an actual encounter. It is quite a useful talent, and I somewhat regret that I don’t have much aptitude for it. I could not say how strong you could become. Perhaps one day you will find someone who will be able to answer your question.”

"Wow," Jerris said, his excitement still undimmed. “So mages can tell each other apart without even looking at each other. This all seems so complicated, all these different forms of magic. So what about enchantments? Which school are they?" Darien paused for several minutes, both considering his answer, and simultaneously marveling that the lad continued to listen so intently to his somewhat tedious explanations. “Well,” the lad pressed again.

"Well, if you'd let me finish." The teacher said, "Enchantment is the fifth and final school of magic, though some do not think it should be considered its own school, but rather an extension of the other four. Either way, it is arguably the most important of all magics. Enchantment is the art of weaving particular magical spells or effects into particular objects or areas. The principal difference between spells and enchantments is that spells are only effective for a certain amount of time, and are often dependent on the mage’s physical presence. Enchantments are relatively permanent, taking centuries or longer to lose their potency. The objects themselves can be almost anything, and the effects that can be created are thought to be almost limitless. Most enchantments are exceedingly complicated and can only be performed by very skilled mages. The success or failure of an enchantment revolves around successfully manipulating and permanently changing the nature of the magical energy within the enchanted object or objects, and this is neither easy nor quick. Unfortunately, once the objects are created, almost anyone can use them, often even those with no magical talent."

"But the enchantment that killed my mother, you said it was simple."

"Yes, unfortunately, that enchantment and a few others have proven so useful that they have become well known and well-practiced over the centuries." The shade said glumly. "That particular enchantment amounts to simply establishing a link between two objects, the basis of much enchanting, with the second object being a potion that naturally holds enchantments easily. It's quite possible that the initial spell was even cast on a single object, which even a laughably incompetent mage can do, and then that object was ground down into the potion your mother was forced to drink. It is, regrettably, one of the easiest tricks for a novice enchanter to perform, yet take it as a lesson. The simplest tricks are often the most effective. A skilled mage does not always use his most difficult and complicated spells in battle when a simpler spell will do. If you delve far into magic, you will quickly learn that more powerful and complicated spells will exhaust your mind very quickly, just as a heavy weapon will quickly exhaust your body."

"I see," Jerris said. "It seems almost unfair that the spell that killed her was so easy."

"Why should that seem unfair?" the shade cocked his head curiously, and looked strangely at the youth. "An ordinary man with a dagger might accomplish the same death even more easily without the aid of any magic at all. Would you have felt better if a very difficult spell were used to kill her? She would be equally dead. I fail to see the difference."

"Of course you don't see the difference," Jerris groaned. "You seem to know everything, but then you don't understand something so simple. I only meant that it was unfair that something so awful could be done so easily." Darien did not understand what Jerris was talking about, not in the slightest. For a moment, he thought about the meaning of the words, but in another moment, his thinking was interrupted. "I'm sorry," Jerris apologized, "I interrupted again. You were trying to help and answer my question, and I just interrupted and then insulted you."

"I took no offense, Jerris. In fact, I'm not sure what I was supposed to take offense at. I served the Master so long I barely know how to speak to ordinary folk, save for deceiving and manipulating them." The Executioner decided it best to change the subject and continued his lesson, "To return to my answer, those five are considered the schools of magic, but there are other kinds of magic as well. It’s said that the ancient elves possessed magics very different from our modern schools. Though it is difficult to separate fact from legend, it is said that some had the gift of healing, and were able to mend grievous injuries using magic. Some could make trees move and act as servants. Others could create animate creatures called golems out of earth or metal. I'm sure elven magic was probably divided into various schools just as our magic is, but I only know about these from what little I remember of what my mother must have told me.”

“Alright, now that I know about the different kinds of magic, how do I actually cast a spell?”

“Well, all spells are, at the most basic level, simply a change in energies, from one kind to another or from one place to another, or both. You simply have to choose the form and the place.” Darien could see confusion in the lad’s eyes. The first casting was the most difficult step for most mages. Learning to manipulate the energy, then overcoming doubt and disbelief, were very basic, yet very difficult hurdles every novice mage must face and overcome. The experienced shade searched his mind for some other way to explain, finally happening upon something he had heard once, in a time and place he could no longer remember. “Have you ever watched a fire burn, Jerris?”

“Yes, actually. I’ve always found fire fascinating. But what does that have to do with anything?”

“When a fire burns, the flames don’t always stay the same shape, or the same height. They are sometimes smaller and sometimes larger. If you concentrate very carefully, you will notice that the flames are constantly changing. They burst forth from the wood and vanish, replaced by new flames which are different from those before in dozens of ways. They have different shapes, heights, and widths. They emerge at slightly different points and in different directions. Still, all these flames together make a fire of a certain size.”

Jerris nodded his agreement, and his teacher continued. “Alright then, think of the magic inside you as a fire. You must choose a single flame from out of the fire, guide it where you want it to go, then shape it into the form you choose.” As he finished the explanation, he watched Jerris’ eyes widen and brighten, as confusion was replaced with understanding.

“Alright, I think I understand, but how do I know where to guide it to?”

“The area where the energy change will occur and the spell will be cast is called the focus. The focus can be anything. It could be an object, an area of ground, a point in the air, an enemy, an ally, or even yourself. You must begin by focusing your energy on that one area, then shape the spell.”

“But you said before I can’t use it in pure form, right?” Jerris countered. “There has to be something else.”

“Quite right,” Darien added, “if you would stop interrupting. Once you have focused your energy, you must manipulate the nature of that energy into a particular kind. You should concentrate on mastering only one sort of magic at first. It is customary to begin with elemental magic. You recall how I mentioned it is a magic of brute force. As such, it requires little control, and because it is both visible and immediate, you know immediately whether you’ve succeeded or not. Further, it is customary to begin with a single element. If you’ve paid attention, you’ve noticed all the elemental spells I’ve cast to this point are based upon the elements of earth, ice, and darkness. I was exceptional in that I was able to perform some very powerful shadow magic by instinct alone. I next learned ice, then earth. I know the others, but those three are still my strongest.”

“So what should I start with?” Jerris asked. “How do the elements differ?”

“Each element requires one to focus their mind in a different way,” the teacher replied. “Take fire, for example. It feels warm, hot, and fierce. Fire turns our minds to passion and excitement. If you want to cast a fire spell, you focus your mind on those feelings. In a sense, you become the fire, or the ice, or the darkness, or whatever else you wish to manipulate. In your case, however, I will begin somewhat differently. All elves are said to have a natural affinity for the manipulation of light energy, and the stone should aid you in this.”

“I see, so what do I do?” Jerris asked eagerly.

“I think it must have been my mother who first told me this, but I don’t remember when she told me. ‘Light is life, and the stars shine down their very life upon Terrallien.’ In order to use it, focus on your own life energy, the beating of your heart, the warmth of your body. Remember your elven blood, and the importance of your life to your mother, and carrying on her memory.”

“Alright, can you demonstrate?”

“I was afraid you would ask that,” Darien sighed and pulled Cloud to a halt, then climbed down out of the saddle. “Climb down and I will show you what I can, but it is my hope that you will exceed my abilities in this area at least.”

Jerris climbed down off his horse, and Darien tied both horses to a nearby outcropping of stone so that they would not bolt. The mage then focused himself carefully, attempting to shape the light energy in his hand. He thought of his mother and his elven blood, and the instinct to survive. That was how he had managed to summon a flash of light in that one moment of desperate need five years ago. The light began to take shape in his hand, but, just as every time before, he could not hold it, and it flashed brightly, disappearing in an instant.”