Chapters 3-5

Chapter 3 (continued)

The curious thing was, Elya was certain she would be able to beat this knight if she was ever forced to affront him. As much as they might parade their strength, Elya knew that magic was quite effective at stopping men clad in armour and weapons. With a few moments of concentration she could move something and make it crash upon their heads, or lower the temperature around them so their vital functions would go at a rate much too slow for them to be able to fight. In short, she could wreck havoc upon any attacker. She smiled as she reminded herself that it was this power that had the church frightened.
As dinner had already passed, Lazero was invited to have a few drinks, a proposal also made to Elya. She kindly declined, and asked if it would be alright for her to return to her room. Lazero seemed to be suspicious of her actions, but he didn’t say anything, and she was escorted to her room by one of the servants nearby. ‘Now they are probably telling Lazero that I should be excused for my behaviour. That I am a bit of an eccentric whose unconventional liking for magic has caused much trouble in my family. They might say I’m quaint, to seem more polite. But I know they think me a disgrace’. Thoughts swam across Elya’s head; these thoughts had frequently encountered the sea of her mind, but usually left it soon after. As always, Elya chose to ignore all reproaches and instead decided to get some sleep. As in the Nereid, she left her things in a closet and locked them. She then went to a dresser and looked for a sleeping gown. As if it were an inn, the Ramile mansions had extra clothing for those staying in it.
As moonlight lit up her features, Elya was thinking about Lazero. She knew his birthplace— Mavelar city— was more prone to make fighters than magic users. Because of that, a swordsman such as Lazero never had to fight anyone with a great experience in magic. Not that it was needed, as his town had brigands who preferred physical assaults. With these thoughts, Elya drifted off to sleep.

Elya woke up early, as was her custom. The rest of the household seemed to be quite subdued, the alcohol would keep them in bed for a while longer. She changed into more suitable garments, found in the dresser, which were elegant yet didn’t stand out as much as her cousin’s ludicrous dresses. She then left her room, wondering vaguely across the halls with no set direction in mind. Twice she met servants on her way, and both of the times they seemed to be taken back by her sincere greetings. Obviously the other inhabitants of the mansion weren’t as cordial to them. As she made her way up and down elaborately made staircases, she encountered Lazero. Just as she thought, he seemed to be treating her like some oddity. He looked her up and down before making conversation.
“Good morning, miss Elya. Are you enjoying this beautiful morning all by yourself? Come now, surely there is something else you could be doing at this hour?” Elya tried not to glare at him as she responded. “Making myself more presentable, you mean? I would rather spend time enjoying my life. And what makes you leave your room so early? Surely after last night you must be exhausted”. The comment seemed to be making him more annoyed at Elya’s presence. “Well, as a knight, I tend to be quite enduring. The number of sleepless nights I’ve passed would surely astound you”.
More arrogance, Elya thought. She smiled, remembering the number of times she had deprived herself of sleep, to polish one of her spells or heal a client who had an accident at night. Lazero must have seen her smile, for he looked even more haughtily down at her. “You may think all you want, but that kind of hard work pays off. After all, look at how much I’ve done with my life in just twenty-five years. Killing two assassins that ambushed the major —single-handedly— is no meagre feat. Although, for someone with your… talent… that seems to be child’s play.”
That proved he had been told she was a magic user, and that he was afraid of what she might do. “I’d rather not answer” was all Elya responded. “Would you do me a favour?” Lazero started. “As you may know, people like me are very generous… but one of those I lent money to hasn’t been polite enough to give it back on time. If I tell you who he is—“ “—would I curse him? Is that what you were going to ask?” Elya was infuriated by him. Not only his lack of tact, but the fact that he, like everyone else, thought all magic users were despicable mages ready to kill anyone anytime. “Well, you need not put it so bluntly”, Lazero replied. He seemed to be enjoying her rage.
When Elya looked at him again, she noticed that his sword was attached to his back. She hadn’t seen it before because only part of the hilt was protruding over his shoulder. ‘He might be trying to make me cast magic against him. That way, he could say I tried to damage him, and he could attack me in self-defense. Or maybe he likes to parade around the mansion with that sword in his back…’ As he saw where she was looking at, Lazero drew his sword. He turned it, making the hilt face Elya.
“Try to lift it”. She knew he was trying to make fun of her, to mock her physical weakness. She slowly grabbed the sword, with both hands, and waited for him to release his hold on it. When he did, she felt its immense weight, and the blade slowly turned down, then grazed the marble step below Lazero’s feet. There was no way she could lift it, not without magic.
Her eyes focused on the blade, she made the air around it move in a particular way, one that would make it as easy to lift as if it were a stick. She lifted it up to his chin in one swift stroke, then held it there, watching his expression. At first he looked like he couldn’t believe his eyes. But after a few seconds realization hit him, it had been magic. The look he gave her plainly showed his thoughts: ‘that is cheating’. Unconcerned by what he may think, Elya stepped back from Lazero and started swinging the large sword around her. She was following no set pattern, having studied none, but the fluidity of the blade’s movement seemed to be an intricate dance. When she got tired of staring at the blade and channeling air magic at it, one of her hands let go of the sword, and she extended the hilt towards Lazero. Without looking at her he put his hand around the free part of the hilt, and once she had let go of the sword he put it in his back.
Elya was going to make a remark before leaving, but decided not to add insult to injury —injury of his pride, that is. She had shown Lazero, a knight, how she handled a weapon with more ease than him. That was something he would never forgive. Of course, it mattered very little to Elya. She even saw it as a beneficial demonstration. After all, she reasoned, that will teach him not to underestimate magic users, and will deal a blow to his ego, something he had been asking for. Just like that time she had frozen Alarie’s lips to her drink, she felt her actions weren’t correct, strictly speaking. But she couldn’t help it, some people deserved to be brought down from their golden thrones. They should be glad she was so easy-going…

“Now, where did I leave my travelling clothes?” As Elya scurried around the room, packing all her loose things into her bag, she thought about how many people would see her as Lazero did. As she fastened her sheath belt to her waist and placed a spell on it she resolved not to think about her recent encounter. It was true that she would sell her services, but only to heal or cast other beneficial spells.
The servants noticed only muffled footsteps and light rustlings, they didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of Elya leaving the mansion. Not that she needed to sneak out, but she would rather not be seen leaving the mansion looking like a commoner. Her cousin already knew she would be heading to a magic shop, so she would do well to stay hidden.
Elya had to stop after walking for a short while, as the heat of the city was exhausting her. After a minute in standstill she continued going forward, destination clearly in her mind. She hadn’t been able to ask for a map, but she didn’t need one to find a magic shop. With the large quantities of magical objects present, and most of the magical community flocking towards it, a magical shop could easily be detected by any magic user. Ambling between the tall buildings, Elya reached her target within a couple of minutes.
The small shop was labelled ‘The Blazing Candle’. Upon entering it, Elya found what she wished were eternally present in her hometown. There were magical aides, such as talismans and charms, arranged on top of a table. Magical lore was stored in bookshelves lining the walls. A couple of tables were cluttered with other assorted goods: candles, cards, enchanted weapons, crystal balls and more. As her eyes scanned the room, Elya noticed the owner was an old man dressed in long robes. He seemed more like the stereotype mage than anyone else Elya had seen, which may be why she asked for his council concerning specific magic cast by the people of Kindlire.
Nervin, the shopkeeper, explained that most people in Kindlire were adepts of fire magic, at least to a certain point. “I’m sure everyone is able to at least light a candle with magic. Except perhaps travellers, or those born in another city. The Ramiles, for example, won’t even discuss magic, from what I’ve heard. Other prominent families, however, tend to be more open”. Elya nodded in agreement, but resented the bad reputation her family had gained. The old man continued explaining, “Most of the men here dedicate their lives to fighting, whether to hunt or to defend the city. They use fire magic to help them. Some use it to enhance their weapons, some learn a burning spell to have an edge over regular fighters. If you go to the magic guild, you’ll find most of the townspeople have at least attained the rookie level”. Now that he had brought the subject of magic guilds up, Elya decided to ask him if the titles were valid in every city. “In every city with a guild, yes” Nervin replied. “There are certain certificates —unforgeable— given to those who pass a level. Why?” the old man asked, “Are you going to try your hand at the guild?” Nodding in agreement, Elya asked him if there has anything helpful to do before taking the challenge. After showing Nervin the amulets in her possession, she was told there was not much more she could do. “If you’ve studied enough and you have some amulets to help you, you’ll be fine for the rookie level”. Stunned by this, Elya asked if charms were allowed, as it was a test of one’s skill, not wealth. “As you know, talismans and amulets take time to get used to, and skill to use effectively. It is true that the tests favor those with enough money to buy aides, but that’s the way things are”. After receiving some more of his advice, shopping for a few herbs and buying a book that had attracted her attention, Elya left the shop. She had also received a map, courtesy of Nervin, to find her way to the guild and other small magic shops that might have gone unnoticed otherwise.
It was now near lunchtime, since Elya walked slowly, both to take in the scenery and because she wasn’t accustomed to physical exercise. She entered the nearest place that offered food and ate something, not caring what. Gastronomy had not really been something she indulged in. After paying for her meal, making sure her copious amounts of money weren’t seen, she left her table. Consulting the map along the way, Elya found her way to the guild. Quite anxious, she stepped into the small building.

Chapter 4

It definitely wasn’t as magnificent as any of her mansions, nor as big. However, there was a certain comfort Elya felt as she stepped inside the magic guild. It must have been the presence of magical objects and people, she deduced. This kind of atmosphere was always missing in Numen. As she walked deeper inside she saw a woman, a few years older than her, standing with a sword in her hand. An older man was conversing with her, words like ‘fire’, ‘magic’ and ‘training’ caught Elya’s ears. Smiling, she walked on until she reached a wooden counter. She stopped in front of a man who looked very bored, and asked him if she could take a test to determine her magical level. “Only the magic test? No swordsmanship, archery…” Elya nodded, realizing that the people of Kindlire were quite well trained, and that she only practised one discipline. The man continued asking her questions, filling up a scroll with the information Elya was giving. “Alright, what level are you in currently?” Elya had to explain to the man that she came from Numen, that had no magic guild, and that Iramo had told her to start at the intermediate level. The man frowned, but wrote down ‘intermediate testing’ in the parchment with Elya’s information.
“Yes, Iramo told us someone from Numen would come and skip a level. Well, he must know what he’s doing. You must have impressed him lady, he wouldn’t make us waste our time for a useless testing, he knows how busy us guild workers are. Alright, you don’t know this, but we do all testing in the outskirts of town. We’ll give you a map to show you the way. But first I need to know what two kinds of magic you will be tested upon”. Elya bit her lip and thought about her magic. She knew she would choose light magic, but she also had to decide on another kind to be tested upon. “Light and air magic” was the reply uttered after a minute’s indecision. The man behind the counter nodded, then looked through another scroll. “Since you’re visiting, we’ll give you the first available time for testing. Lady Grenes is free tomorrow at dusk, is that fine with you?” After assuring him it was fine, Elya asked about the payment. “Well, since it’s the intermediate level, the testing isn’t simple, especially for light magic. Let me see… It’s ten grams of silver for the intermediate level, two for testing air magic, and four for light magic. That’s sixteen grams of silver”. Since Elya didn’t carry silver —gold was worth more by weight, so it took up less space— she asked him for the equivalent. “Ah, true, you are a Ramile. In gold it would be half a gram”. As Elya handed him a small nugget of gold, and got her change back, she asked for the place where she could ask for a job.
“Go to the right, you’ll see a large table. Jobs are categorized by the type of magic that is required to complete them. Emergencies are usually called out as they arrive, and others almost as urgent are on a small table nearby. You might want to take one of those if you want a short, well-paying job”. After thanking the man Elya turned to her right and found the tables that had just been mentioned. She looked for the smaller one, and saw a couple of pleas for healing and spirit banishment. After shuffling through a heap of parchments she found a request made by a woman named Eveni to banish a spirit that had lodged itself in her house. Apparently it was hurling things at anyone inhabiting that house, not letting anyone sleep or be at rest. Since the pay was good for such a quick task, Elya took the parchment, rolled it up and left the magic guild.
Luckily the scroll had directions to get to Eveni’s house from the guild. Following these, Elya reached the house after an hour. The sun was still sitting in the sky as she knocked on the wooden door, explaining she had taken on the job. A tall woman with dark red hair and brown eyes opened the door. She seemed to be expecting someone older than Elya, but she ushered her in and explained the situation. “It’s been a week and that spirit hasn’t left, so we sent a plea to the guild. Good thing you came, it was unbearable, living here with a spirit. Do you have experience?” Elya explained that she had banished a spirit or two in Numen, so she shouldn’t have much trouble. After assuring Eveni that she didn’t need anything else, she set to work.
First she walked around the house, then inside it. It was relatively small, and empty for the time being. For now, Elya explained, she would wait for the spirit to show itself. A few minutes passed, then Elya felt a presence closing in on her. “It’s here” she muttered, grabbing her necklace in her magic-casting hand, her right. The necklace was imbued with a spell to help her concentration, allowing her to cast magic more easily. Orienting herself with her mind rather than her eyes, Elya faced the spirit and started summoning the power of light.
The power had been manipulated to concentrate all on one spot, then to advance unto the spirit. The aforementioned spectre didn’t feel the magic coming until it was mere inches from it, and then it was too late for it to react. “By the power of light, banish this spirit” was the sound that reached Eveni’s ears a second before a burst of white light materialized where the spirit had previously been. “There we go” Elya said. “I’ll come back tomorrow, so you can tell me if it’s left completely or not. But from what I see, it won’t bother you again”. Eveni was definitely not a magic user, Elya reasoned, for she was asking how to determine if the ghost was really gone. “Well, see if it bothers you again. There’s no way to physically prove it to you if you haven’t studied magic… is there anyone who lives near here that can check?” The tall Kindlire citizen said her son was good with magic, and she would have him check.
“Thank you very much, young sorceress. I didn’t think you would be able to get rid of this ghost, but apparently the people of Numen are quite capable”. Frowning a bit, Elya had to disagree. “Most people there don’t study magic, but the few of us who do have to be very determined. Maybe that’s why”. After a quick goodbye the short magic user wound her way back to her family’s mansion, eagerly awaiting dinner. Not because of the food, but because she would be able to retire to her sleeping chamber afterwards. It may not have seemed much, but for Elya it was quite a trek to go around the city.
Finally she was back in her family’s mansion. The sun had already set, but it was still relatively early, as it was one of the winter months. As she got back, Elya was asked where she had been. “I was having a look around town” she told her aunt, showing her the map. Aunt Benia nodded, accepting her story, but Alarie wasn’t so trusting. As Elya walked towards her room, to leave her things before going to the dining room, Alarie confronted her. “And how has your day been, my dear cousin? Have you shown others your magic yet? Or did you pretend you were a Ramile for once, and acted as is proper? By the look of your attire, I would say not”. Elya decided not to argue, opting to head to her room instead. As Alarie hated to be ignored, it was fitting punishment. “Don’t you dare overlook me! I assure you, if you don’t follow our family’s traditions and principles, it will deny your existence. How will you survive without your family’s aid?” “I’ll manage” Elya responded, barely within earshot of her cousin, as she had been walking away during her cousin’s reproaches.
She sighed once in the privacy of her room, then placed her things on her dresser. Resting for a while on her bed, waiting until the servants came to fetch her, Elya decided travelling would be a hard task for her. A horse would be quite useful, she reasoned. Feeding it wouldn’t be hard: she could procure water for it with magic, use earth magic find grass more easily, or make it grow with light magic. And Elya really needed a steed, she was painfully slow on her own. Having a horse would speed her travels up.
After having made that decision, Elya was called by one of the servants to have dinner. Thanking the servant, she left the room, after having locked her things in. Best to be safe, she thought.
Dinner was quite pleasant, mainly because Alarie and Lazero were busy making conversation. They seemed to be getting along well, though knowing how similar they were, Elya never doubted this would happen. The young pair shot Elya condescending glances, apparently the knight had been the victim of more gossip while she was away. His sword, ever present on his back, was more visible now, probably to let Lazero salvage some of his pride.

As it was the day she would take the intermediate level test, Elya would have rested a bit more in the mansion, to read the book she had acquired in the magic shop. However, one of the servants, called Orian, warned her it would be best for her to leave. “Today Mr. Ramile is in a horrible temper, apparently an iron shipment from Joyesu is taking too long to arrive, and it’s holding back the blacksmiths in town. They are holding Mr. Ramile responsible, so he’s not in a great mood. Considering how he seems to dislike you, it would be best for you to leave soon after breakfast”. “Thank you Orian” Elya told the young man, “I’ll leave soon. Is he this crabby every time something happens against his wishes?” Orian sighed, looking at the floor. “Not only that, but he takes it out on us. A Ramile’s temper is something to behold… but take no offence, you are quite different”.
After thanking him again, Elya had a hurried breakfast, grabbed her things and left the mansion. Using her map and the scroll from the guild, she found her way back to Eveni’s house. This time her son was with her. “I haven’t felt anything since mother told me you banished the ghost. Quite a nice job for someone your age”. Elya smiled at him. Eveni’s son was only a few years her elder, judging by his looks, but he probably thought her younger. Considering her short height, it was a mistake easily made.
After a quick tour of the house, Elya was outside the front door again. “I hope no more spirits come to bother you. I’d tell you to ask for me again if anything happens, but I will be travelling, so it won’t be possible for me to help you”. After a short chat, in which Eveni was shocked to find Elya was of the Ramile family, the short magic user left to find a stable, with directions from Eveni.
It was a bit run-down, weary from the bustling of travellers. A dozen horses stood inside, eating fodder from the ground, clearly bored from being cooped up in such a small place. Elya headed towards a small desk, where an old man was sitting, waiting for a customer. “How may I help you, young lady?” Elya looked at the horses and, not being able to recognize which ones were better just by looking, asked what the price range was for a horse. “Well, the cheaper ones, like that grey one on the left, can cost as little as seven grams of gold. They’re good if you want a steed for a short time, and don’t have much currency to part with. The more costly ones are about thirty grams of gold, very reliable, usually at the apogee of their youth”. Thanking him for the information, Elya asked for directions to another stable, so she could compare prices. The man wasn’t thrilled about this, but told her where to go anyway.
The other stable was larger, with three people attending to any incoming customers. Elya headed towards one of the vendors and started comparing prices. “Most of our horses are expensive, as we only sell the best. They are in the price range of twenty to forty grams of gold. But don’t worry, even those that cost twenty are resistant, as long as you give them some rest.” By the sound of it, these horses were driven too hard. Elya felt like she would do a horse a favour by buying him, her petite figure would not give the horse too much to carry. Not to mention, she would care for the horse much better than others seemed to.
After being shown a few horses, she had to stop in front of a brown one. It didn’t stand out very much, not like those pearly white ones, but Elya liked the way it looked at her. She headed towards it and tried to connect to it. Not only was she able to call animals, as she had done in the Nereid, she could also have some sort of a dialogue with them. Well, dialogue wouldn’t be the best word, it was more a mutual sharing of feelings. All, of course, if the animal complied to chat.
Elya touched the horse’s head, and asked it if it wanted to tell her anything. Closing her eyes, she felt that this horse wanted to get out of the stable. It was not treated as well as it wanted to, especially not in winter, when few buyers came. During those months the shopkeepers didn’t bother to make them look presentable, which meant no grooming and less eating. She asked the horse if it wanted to come with her, and it agreed to.
“I’m taking this one. How much does it cost?” Elya said as she patted the horse, who seemed to be glad to leave. “Well, he’s not one of the best, but he’s quite capable… I’ll sell him for twenty-five grams of gold”. After Elya agreed to buy him, she asked to see all the accessories needed to have a horse. So, with her newly acquired steed at her side, she bought a saddle and a few other things. “It doesn’t look like you’ll need a whip” the woman who had been showing her around said, judging by how the horse seemed to like Elya. At the revolted look in Elya’s face, the seller opted to show her to the counter. “So, twenty-five grams for the horse, and two more for the equipment… twenty-seven”. Handing over a large chunk of gold, Elya looked at the horse. “You were quite expensive, you know… travelling is more and more costly as almost everyone chooses to go on journeys nowadays. I still have to give you a name. What name would you prefer?” Concentrating on her horse, Elya waited for a response.
Sorellen, his mind said, and she recognized it as the name of the hero who set out to save the world with magic. “Then your name is Sorellen. I didn’t imagine horses would know about human history, but apparently you are smarter than I give you credit for”. The woman behind the counter gave her a few grams back, looking strangely at her. Obviously she had never talked to a horse, or heard anyone do so except to say ‘go!’ or ‘faster!’.
After having her horse equipped with its saddle and other items, Elya walked alongside him to the outskirts of Kindlire. She knew it was too early for her testing, but she had nowhere else to go for now. Back in the mansion her uncle was in a bad mood, and would probably not accept her horse in his stable. She could go to an inn for lunch, but she would rather eat some of the food she brought with Sorellen. After all, he probably wanted to have a taste of fresh air and grass.
“Let’s stop and eat here” Elya suggested to her horse. He complied and stopped walking, resting in the grass. It was one of the coldest months, so it was cooler than usual, but they were near the source of fire magic. It was warmer in Kindlire than in any other city at any given time… well, Joyesu was warm as well, since it was close to the Gema Desert. Shivering slightly, Elya cast a short spell to light a fire between her and Sorellen.
Elya took some pastries she had nicked from the breakfast table that morning, while Sorellen munched on some grass, without much enthusiasm. “What’s wrong?” she asked her steed, who didn’t want to reply. Respecting his silence, she finished her lunch, then explained to him what her plans for the day were.
“Lady Grenes is going to test me for the intermediate level of sorcery at sunset, so we can take our time getting there. I’m sure she won’t mind having you nearby while I’m evaluated. After that, we’re going back to my family’s mansion, I’ll ask one of the servants to find you some room there. And when I’m done buying supplies in this city we’ll head for the Rekun Mountain Range. Luckily it will be quite warm there, even though it’s winter there are many volcanoes to warm the air. What do you say?” Sorellen turned its head to one side, seemingly asking her why she was going to a place like that. Elya smiled and explained that, not only were there phoenixes that she wanted to see, but there was also the source of fire magic. “In a way” she concluded, “I want to do what the hero Sorellen did, defeat the keepers of the six types of magic. However, I’ll have to be careful if I don’t want to end up like him”.
After a few more minutes of rest, the two started heading for the spot of testing, walking alongside each other. They met few travellers, as they were walking by the outskirts of the city. Those they saw, however, were plainly wondering why a girl would walk alongside her horse when she could mount it. In truth, Elya didn’t want her horse to do much these first days, and wasn’t in a hurry anyway. As she was walking, she noticed they must be heading northwest, as the power of fire was slightly stronger. That must be good for those being assessed in fire magic, it would be easier for them to cast spells, Elya thought. She also noticed they were getting a bit further away from the sources of light and air magic, something that wouldn’t benefit her.
As she arrived at the meeting point she saw it was empty, so Elya decided to sit down and wait. As her horse cantered around her, she was muttering a few teachings of magic under her breath. The situation was similar to those she encountered in her school, except this time she didn’t know the teacher. Maybe this teacher won’t be so expectant, Elya thought as she remembered Professor Emerand’s tests. They were all relatively easy, except those he composed for her, which were more difficult tasks. No one noticed, testing was done in private so others wouldn’t laugh at the more incapable students. He would tell her she passed the test, so she shouldn’t complain about its difficulty.
Sorellen had to nudge Elya with his head to snap her back to reality. As she focused her eyes she saw a lady dressed in a long green gown, the same color as her eyes, waiting with a furry little animal in her hand. As Elya greeted her she was told she would be practising magic on the animal, which was a badger, as well as on a tree. As if he wanted to prevent being targeted, Sorellen took a few steps back, then disappeared behind a clump of bushes. “Well, how else would you practise light magic?” Lady Grenes reasoned, “We need a living specimen for you to practise on. Healing plants will have to be done as well, but animals are more complex, and required for the intermediate level. As you are also using air magic, you will employ it to hurt the tree, then heal it with light magic. The badger you can hurt any way, but heal it using a modified healing spell”.
Now Elya was not only stunned at her cruelty, but at the difficulty of the test. Modified healing required using two kinds of magic at once. One of them was light magic, the other could be anything —except dark magic. The good thing about modified healing was that it was much more efficient. Air healing was very quick, and great in emergencies. Fire healing was useful when the afflicted had lost great quantities of heat or energy. Water healing was used to heal and wash out infections at the same time, as well as treat burns. Earth healing was good to counter poisons while healing. Of course, there was a downside to these, they were almost twice as hard to cast as a normal healing spell. “Is the badger under anesthesia? Asleep?” Elya asked, she didn’t want the badger to be hurt just for her advancement in magical level. She felt the same way about the tree, but as it had no nerves it would not feel pain.
After being informed the badger couldn’t feel a thing, the little critter was set aside, and Lady Grenes explained what the first part of the evaluation consisted of. “First, using air magic raise the pressure of the air around the tree, in such a way that the top half of the tree is chopped off. Then move that piece over there” she indicated an area a few meters away, “and heal the tree with a normal healing spell until I tell you to stop”. Nodding, Elya approached the tree, but stopped a couple of meters away. The spell would hit her too, if she came too close.
Grabbing her necklace, she concentrating on gathering the power of air. Magic came rushing from her left, where the source was, and she shaped it as it came. To an experienced magic user, it would look like a sphere of magic were encircling the top half of the tree, a sphere that was constantly getting larger. As she reached the desired level of magic, Elya used it to increase the pressure of the air next to the tree, cutting it in half. “Air” was all Lady Grenes heard before half of the tree fell loudly to the ground.
Normally, Elya would cast spells faster than that. However, precision was needed to cut the tree in this evaluation. Otherwise, Elya would have used up a only a few seconds, and left the tree as a couple of splinters.
Elya opened her eyes, concentrating on what she had just made fall. As she had just called upon the power of air, it was easier for her to move it the required distance, since the same magic was being used. When it landed with a soft thump on the ground, she was reminded of the competition against Iramo that took place in the Nereid. Smiling, she walked over to the remnants of the tree she had just damaged. Laying her hands on the top, feeling the sap attempting to reach the missing leaves, she found the power of light somewhere to her right. She drew it towards her, then directed it to the tree. The magic provided the tree with energy and a means to recuperate faster. Elya’s hands were slowly raised as the tree recovered and grew under her palms. After a minute or so she had to stand up; she then decided to do the spell without touching the tree, as it was mostly healed by now. She opened her eyes for the first time since the healing, and saw the trunk was fully-grown now. Slowly, as Elya channelled more magic towards it, the tree grew branches. Then it started to grow new leaves, to replace the fallen ones. Realizing the earth beneath the tree was devoid of all moisture, due to the tree’s fast regeneration, Elya cast a quick water spell. The healing stopped for a second as water began to form above the ground, then trickle into the earth. When Elya thought the ground was moist enough she continued her healing.
“That’s enough” Lade Grenes said as most of the tree had returned to its former shape. She then explained the last stage of the test to an eager Elya. “I’ll leave this badger in the ground, and you have to damage it using any magic, until I tell you to stop. Then, heal it using modified healing magic. Tell me which one you’re using before you start”. Elya nodded, then turned to the badger. Sighing, Elya gathered the power of fire, since it was the closest, and one very good at damaging. Instead of releasing a lot of power at once, as she had done with the tree, she burned the badger a bit at a time, so Lady Grenes would be able to tell her when to stop. It was close to torture for Elya, especially when a wolf came, smelling cooked badger. “Leave” Lady Grenes told the wolf, who recoiled and left when it saw a display of her magic. Finally, Elya heard “you can stop now”. Smiling in relief, she bent down, next to the poor charred badger. She called the power of light again, then found the power of air. Since it was far away from where they were, it was hard to gather the magic fast. “Air healing spell” she said before starting.
Sorellen peeked from his hiding place, the first thing he saw was the animal whose burning he had smelled. Cautiously he moved towards it, staying a good distance away. He would have hidden, but his curiosity was getting the best of him. He watched interestedly as the burns disappeared, being replaced by flesh and newly-grown hair.
As the healing neared completion, the anaesthetic started to wear out. The badger twitched, so Elya concentrated even harder to heal it before it woke up, so it wouldn’t feel pain. Apparently she had done it, the badger was now wide awake and trying to run away, not hide to wait for wounds to heal. Releasing the badger, Lady Grenes turned to face Elya.
“I’d say you passed” she said, smiling. “But tell me, does everyone in Numen cast magic that way?” Elya shook her head. “No, it is up to us. Those who have an easier time saying only ‘air’ or ‘light’ when using magic do so. Those who prefer a longer invocation are free to use it. One of my classmates used to give a paragraph-long incantation every time he wanted to use magic. It was quite funny, actually. ‘I summon the power of fire. Come to me from the Rekun Volcanoes. Grant me, a humble disciple, the magic needed to light this candle. By your strength, let your magic flow here’. And I think it was longer than that, even.”
Petting Sorellen, who by now was next to the pair of chatting magic users, Elya told him the badger was fine. “I didn’t want to hurt it, but it was part of the test. They gave it something so it wouldn’t feel pain until the healing was over. And you saw how it squirmed off, it was fine”. This comforted Sorellen, but he wasn’t truly calm until Elya told him she would never practise on him. “I’ll know how to heal you if anything happens, but I won’t hurt you, don’t worry”.
As visibility was reduced to a few meters, Elya started to walk back to Kindlire, storing her diploma for the intermediate level in air and light magic. Sorellen walked at her side, a few feet away. “Do you really think sorcerers are that scary?” Elya inquired of her travelling companion. He looked down and kept on walking. I guessed right, Elya thought, he was afraid I would curse him, or use part of him in a potion. It’s logical, no one explains magic to animals, so they can’t know how it works. And if those working at the stable used magic against their horses, it would explain his fear. Glad to have rescued Sorellen, Elya walked on.

Chapter 5

“I’m not sure Mr. Ramile will let your horse stay here, he instructed us to let them in only if he approves of it. I know you are of his family, but…” Elya looked pleadingly at the young man in the stable. “Please, let him stay for one night. He probably won’t know Sorellen’s not his horse, he has about ten of them. And I’m quite sure he doesn’t know their names, let alone recognize each one”. The servant took Sorellen’s reins and led him inside, although it looked like he was doing it against his best judgement.
“Thank you” Elya told the stable boy as he came back. “I promise I’ll take him back tomorrow, early in the morning. I might not come back after then, so if my uncle finds out you can blame it on me. And you can blame anything else on me as well, I won’t care what he thinks of me after tomorrow”. The servant said he would take care of the horse, and expressed his regret at her parting. “I hadn’t seen you before today, but everyone in the house says you’re the only decent Ramile. Except for Sebent —he’s the man in charge of keeping us all ‘in line’—, who sees Mr. Ramile as one of the Gods”. After thanking him for his hospitality, Elya started walking towards the mansion.
Now that Lazero had spent more time amongst the Ramiles, he seemed to be one more member of the family. Alarie had taken to staring at his face when she wasn’t talking. Unfortunately he had the same habit. Elya had a hard time keeping herself from rolling her eyes during meals, the only time she would spend near them. After excusing herself from the table that night she headed straight for her room. She was tired, as she had channelled quite a bit of magic that day, but satisfied for having passed the intermediate level test. Smiling in her bed, she grabbed the book that had called her attention at the small magic shop she had visited.
The book was titled ‘How to Use Magic in Perilous Situations’. Elya scanned the chapters, they all seemed to be directed at magic users on the road. Of course, that was why she had bought it. A few sections were devoted to healing, others to defending one’s self, some to finding what was and wasn’t edible. Another chapter to offensive magic, a bit of each type, in case of an attack by animal or brigand.
There was a knock on her door, so Elya left the book and opened it. It was Orian, who had warned her of Mr. Ramile’s temper that morning. “I heard you will be leaving tomorrow. Are you not travelling with Alarie back to Numen?” The sorceress being addressed shook her head. “I’m leaving by myself to the Rekun Mountains. Well, my horse Sorellen is coming with me. But we’re not returning to this mansion, it’s not pleasant to be so close to my family”. Orian nodded, knowing fully well how hard it was to live in the Ramile Manor. After telling her to take care in her travels, she was left on her own. Appreciating the solitude, she continued reading the book, getting herself prepared for her travels. I’ll have to get used to this isolation, Elya thought, I’ll only have a horse for company from now on.

“Here’s your horse” the young man said. “He was very subdued last night. I think he missed you”. Elya looked at her horse, who was glad to be leaving. He must not like small, enclosed spaces, she thought. But he still doesn’t seem to trust me, because I’m a magic user… “Excuse my intrusion, but if you’re leaving for a long journey, don’t you need some more equipment?” She looked at him and explained all she needed was some food, which she would acquire that morning before leaving. After waving goodbye to the people in the stable she started heading for the market, on their directions.
The tumult of noises made Elya uncomfortable, she wouldn’t have come to a market at this hour if it weren’t absolutely necessary. She headed to a stand that had all sorts of meats on display and bought some dried meat. Since she wouldn’t hunt, she needed another source of protein. She also bought some grains and beans, a small pot in which to cook them and a small water bag.
As she passed stands laden with spices she realized she was going to have very plain and simple meals for the next few weeks. Thinking of Sorellen, she went to the first stable she had gone to the previous day, where she hadn’t bought anything. The old man wasn’t too pleased to see her with a horse by her side, but was glad she had remembered him and bought some of the hay he had. “Business is much better these days, because there are many travellers. But other, larger stables gain the most. Mine is small an in a corner of the city, not many travellers bother to come. Will you be wanting anything else?” “Yes” Elya responded, “do you have bags that can be attached to my horse’s saddle? Since it’ll be just to store our food they needn’t be too large”.
With her new purchases secured in Sorellen’s saddlebags, she took out her map and compass, then headed west. After about an hour they had left the city behind them, and Sorellen seemed to wander why Elya wasn’t riding him. “I tire quickly” she told her horse after he had nudged her questioningly, “I will then. I know it’ll be harder for you to walk if I’m hindering you”.
By the time the sun was at its highest point in the sky Elya stopped to eat. Flipping through her recently bought book, she recognized a couple of edible herbs growing around. Knowing she wouldn’t find many near the volcanoes, she decided to look for them now. There weren’t many, as it was winter, but enough to give her some vegetables to eat. Sorellen was looking around, nibbling the grass that looked tastier. When she was done with the vegetables she ate a strip of meat, waited a bit for Sorellen to finish, then resumed her journey.
After about an hour Elya began feeling tired, so she mounted Sorellen and continued heading west. The road was quite visible in the short grass, so she didn’t even need to direct Sorellen. Slowly the sun set, so she asked her brown horse if he wanted to stop and rest. He seemed determined to head a bit further before retiring for the day, so Elya rode on. A bit after dusk she had to summon a magical fire in her hand, to light the way. Once her legs started to ache, Elya asked Sorellen to stop. He did as she told him. Once she had gotten off of him he started looking for grass again, while she had her dinner.
Later, Elya took her cape from her bag and placed it on the grass. She could have bought something more comfortable to sleep on, but she didn’t want to carry any extra weight. “Come here Sorellen” she called. “I’m going to put a protective barrier around us, so we won’t be attacked as we sleep. The closer you are, the easier it is for me to shield you”. He seemed to be a bit reluctant, but he came closer anyway. “It won’t hurt, don’t worry” she reassured him. She gathered the power of light and shielded them both, noticing she was getting further away from that source of magic. “Good night Sorellen” she told him, then lay on her cape to sleep. He whinnied in reply, then lay on the grass to rest.

The next few days followed the same routine. However, as they came closer to the Rekun Mountains, the grass became more scarce. Elya had to use magic to grow grass for Sorellen to eat. She also had to summon water, since the area became more parched as they neared the source of fire magic. It changed from a savannah to a desertic mountain range. “Look at those mountains” Elya told Sorellen, “they’re the tallest in all Nispes. And that one there, is it a volcano?” She shuddered a bit. “Let’s not get too close them… except the volcano that houses the fire source, of course”. Sorellen looked back at her inquiringly, he didn’t seem to know much about the different Gods.
“There are six sources of magic in the world, sometimes called the six Gods. The sources are guarded by their keepers. The keeper of the power of fire is called Kagutsu, according to the hero Sorellen. If you succeed in beating the six keepers, something good will happen. Some say we will be free to cross the barriers that keep us inside our small, hexagonal part of Nispes. Oh, you didn’t know about the barriers? They’re the reason many scholars are preoccupied about the number of children people have. If there’s too many people in the world we won’t have enough room to plant food, which is why we want to go outside the barriers. Of course, it’s said that while the hero Sorellen was still alive the power of fire and air magic were greatly increased. At any rate, if I can defeat Kagutsu, the keeper of fire, we’ll see”. Elya noticed Sorellen was quite lost by this explanation, but was glad she had satiated his curiosity. Her horse was very inquisitive, Elya was finding out, so it would be best for her to explain where she was heading. After all, he was helping her get there.

Chapter 5's continued next section...