Power

by Doug Burbey

  "And this." She had stopped in front of one of the trees that stood there on the edge of the clearing. Where a short time ago it had been full of lush green leaves, liana growing up it, and even the beginnings of some sort of fruit starting, it now had desiccated leaves, all the liana surround it had cracked and withered and the tree itself had split, showing wood that looked like it had been dead for years.

  "You had to pull so much power from the other sources that they lost their lives to your demand. And for what?" Lewl walked over to his tree and pushed against the trunk, and the wood gave.

  "What?" Shane moved over and peered at the rotted core of the tree.

  "Too much magic destroys what it touches, and entropy is the other side of life. Whatever grows also decays. When you push that hard to accelerate life, you also accelerate death."

  Lewl pulled back her hand and made a sudden gesture full of controlled power. A crack sounded and the tree he'd grown began to topple in slow motion, landing on the clearing with a thud that raised a cloud of dirt and knocked him off his feet.

  Looking up at Lewl as he sat on his ass, she half smiled. "Think of what I have shown you. Go through the city and think of the consequences of magic. Power is fine, but all of it has consequences. You must know and accept those if you ever want to master magic."

  No anger just a statement. She turned and walked away. Shane stared at the tree rotting away in front of him.

  8

  Air

  The memory of the forest and the trees stayed in his memory, crystal clear, and the ramifications etched in each detail. Shane suspected what he learned didn't line up exactly with what Lewl wanted him to learn. Though he could be wrong, she might not be that short-sighted.

  Lessons kept apace and he learned to feel the magic within minutes and eventually could do it without closing his eyes, though he couldn't figure out how she could see it. Which she could. She proved that more than once. Earth proved slow and strong, not good for the fast battle techniques he'd learned. Fire remained his favorite and what he had the strongest affinity for. Those days left him jazzed and everything smelling of smoke.

  "Lewl?" He asked in the middle of finishing the water channel flowing around the area. They'd been working on his micro control and while he freely admitted it was more aesthetically pleasing doing it her way, he could have done the entire thing in an hour instead of the slow pace of days.

  She lifted her head, pulling her attention from the gemstone she was crafting. An exercise of earth magic, she'd proved doing it his way only resulted in ruined gem stones. He would never be a craftsman.

  When she didn't say anything only looked at him, still with eyes he couldn't figure out the color of, he continued.

  "Why so much focus on water? I mean, in most places it isn't as easily available as here. It would take ages to coax it out of pipes. If you lived on the coast it would make sense, but why focus on that? Granted fire is more fun, but I'm missing something about the water."

  "Granted, it can be scarce in some areas." Lewl turned her head away and focused again on her gem.

  "Exactly. So why spend so much time learning to manipulate it on such a tiny level? Especially through earth, which is resistant and stubborn to say the least."

  Lewl nodded. "All of that is correct."

  Shane glanced away from her to make sure the water and the earth were moving the way he wanted. It did create a kind of soothing effect, but his skill set had always tended towards destruction rather than creation. The artistic type, he was not.

  He frowned and tweaked the flow, then shifted his attention back to her. The gem she worked on had turned into a rose, each petal paper thin. The lumpy uncut ruby she had started with now looked like something impossibly beautiful. Caught by the impossibleness of the rose, he found himself blurting out another question.

  "Did you, well the Fae, also create the crystal skulls?"

  "Yes. Those were fun to watch my great-grandfather create, though I had never expected them to be discovered."

  Shane blinked, his mind trying to wrap around how long Fae and earth had interacted. With a sigh he shook his head. It didn't matter to be honest.

  "So, what about the water?" He finished the last bit merging the stream back into the spring and stood, stretching. Shane watched her coax out another petal, growing from the stone like an extension of its original form.

  She isn't going to answer. Dammit, what am I missing?

  "What percentage of the earth is water?" Lewl asked as Shane finished putting away his tools. Tomorrow they would start on air, the last and most difficult of the elements.

  "Umm, about seventy percent, I believe." He frowned, not understanding the question. Yes, the earth was lots of water, but most of it was in oceans and not easily accessible unless you were at the edge of it.

  "What else is predominately made of water?" She straightened and smiled. "Done, I think. I will see you for breakfast in the morning." She moved from her position and picking up the rose, walked out of the atrium with Shane staring after her in puzzlement.

  What in the world does that mean? Lewl and her cryptic shit. Lots of things are made up of mostly water. Humans for one-

  His train of thought snapped off and the irritation vanished as if it had never been there. Humans were made up of mostly water. Surrounded by cells, like the earth surrounded the stream. His knees gave, and he sank to the ground looking at the stream he'd created by working through the overlapping magic of the earth, the same way cells overlapped in the body.

  Oh, fuck me sideways.

  His mind darted around thinking of all the ways this could be used and when he next became aware of his surroundings, night had encroached and Rich sat across from him. The Fae's face held no emotion, but his eyes never left Shane's face.

  "I see the depth of what you are being taught has finally registered." His voice mild and uninterested.

  "More ramifications have been realized, yes," Shane admitted warily.

  "Then you have also seen that which we could do, but do not do, not out of inability, but of custom. I say this to make sure you understand. That which we do not do, does not mean we cannot do. Remember that both as you learn, and when it comes time to fulfill your geas."

  The unspoken threat wrapped around his heart and squeezed.

  One of these days, moron, you'll remember there are always people more powerful than you.

  "I will." His voice dry as he spoke.

  Rich nodded at him, rose and disappeared into wherever in the house he lived. Shane had spent so much time learning, and time seemed to disappear so fast, he never bothered to explore the rest of the place. He had even less desire to disturb Rich or be caught somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. What he learned would suffice.

  Sleep that night proved the most restless he'd had so far. Not dreams but suggestions of dreams that left him grasping for them as he woke. At breakfast, Lewl tilted her head and said nothing until he followed her back out to the atrium.

  She settled into the sand in front of a candle, a broad leaf, a long white feather, and a bowl of herbs.

  With an arched brow, Shane dropped down on the other side. If nothing else, the last three months had ensured his flexibility increased to enable him to sit cross-legged for long periods of time and still be able to get back up.

  He wanted to ask a question but Lewl always had a reason for everything. She touched the wick of the candle and it burst into a small flame, a trick he'd learned the second time he'd seen her do that.

  Too bad I don't smoke, it would be a cool party trick, and one I can do without demon blood.

  "Air magic is one of the most subtle and hardest. While it may be possible to create storms or tame hurricanes, I doubt anyone in the last thousand years could do it. I am not even sure your Merlin could have. Most air magic is more mind magic." She reached down for the feather and let it catch on fire then removed it from the flame, the smoke trail following it. "But the most basic aspect is this." L
ewl glanced at the smoke and it began to twist downwards in curls, then sideways, then back, circling the feather.

  Merlin? Merlin was real?

  Shane narrowed his eyes feeling for the magic but came up empty. "Again, please? I can't feel it."

  Lewl glanced at him, her lips pursing for a moment, then she again caused the smoke to ripple and flow. But again, he couldn't find the trace of the magic.

  "What am I missing?"

  "Air magic is not easy to sense. I suspected you would have difficulty with it. Here, let's try this." She picked up the candle and tilted it over the bowl of herbs, a drop of fire, aided by her magic that he could feel, dropped into the bowl. The herbs blazed then settled down into a smoldering pile, smoke billowing out of them. Lewl glanced at the smoke and a face formed in it, looking at Shane.

  With his eyes closed he reached and felt her magic, but couldn't feel the magic of the air. There was nothing there to his sense. Growling softly, he dug deeper and tried to focus on what wasn't there. It was then, as he changed focus, he saw it. Like black ice- invisible to the eye, but when you drove over it you noticed it. He sensed a change in how the magic felt. He found it. Opening his eyes, he pushed with the magic and the face crumpled.

  "You found it, now build something." Her voice cool.

  He tried. While he could feel the magic and push it around, he couldn't manipulate it the way he could water or earth. Fire called to him with its heat and hunger. Air just ignored him.

  Sweat dripped down his back as his world narrowed to trying to form something with the magic and it did no good. Nothing happened except more distortion of the face.

  "Stop." Her voice cut through his focus and the world spun around him as he tried to pull back the from the razor edge he'd been at. "Here." She held a large glass of water out to him and he drained it. His body craved the liquid.

  "Thank you," he rasped out, confused as to why he felt like he'd been running for hours.

  "Air magic does not like you; the corruption does not help. But I think you can use the more," she paused as if searching for a word, "aggressive forms of it. The subtle and passive will never be yours."

  Shane clenched his fists.

  I will figure this out, even if I have to try for ages.

  "And that would be?"

  "Thrall, beguile, and ignore." Shane just looked at her blankly and she smiled a touch. Raising her voice, she called out, "Bianca. If you would?"

  A young woman, not even old enough to drink appeared in the atrium a few minutes later. Obviously a local with her long dark hair, black coffee eyes, and tanned skin. She smiled at both of them and settled down on the ground, creating the third point of an invisible triangle.

  "Bianca works for us and often lets the younger members practice on her. I will ensure no harm comes to her via your efforts."

  He understood she wouldn't allow him to hurt this girl either by accident or purpose.

  Does she think so little of me? That I would seek to harm her?

  "First is beguile. This is where you convince the person you are their best friend, so they would tell you everything and anything. No secret is safe." She took a deep breath. "If you are not careful you can hurt them or wipe their minds without intending to. I will convince her I am her best friend. First watch how she changes and then see what I am doing. It is more like water with power before and behind, but subtle like the smoke. This you should be able to sense."

  Turning from him she smiled at Bianca, a full smile that Shane had never seen. "Bianca, how are you?" Lewl's voice held joy and warmth. Something in Shane panged but he pushed it aside, closed his eyes and looked for magic. He didn't sense Lewl's normal personal magic, but he knew where to look, around Bianca. Instead, he felt for the change, keeping in mind her comments. The comments that always made sense after you did what she asked.

  There! Like a whisper, he felt the suggestion of magic, and he followed it.

  It really was a suggestion, the magic teasing and coaxing. Once he found it, he just watched, lost in the complexity. Since he couldn't see it, it was more like feeling the vibrations of a harp being played with exquisite skill. Each vibration led to the next in a pattern that made sense, yet he never knew what would be the next cord.

  If I could see this, would it be like looking at a painting by a master? How do I replicate that which I can only sense, not see?

  9

  Door Closes

  "I can feel what you are doing, but I can't see it. How do I do the same thing?"

  Shane opened his eyes to see Lewl tilting her head as if thinking. Bianca had a rather dopey smile on her face, smiling with adoration back at Lewl.

  "To put it in a frame of reference that makes sense to you: I see colors and try to create palettes that are pleasing to my subject. You will need to create your own way to do this." Lewl shifted her attention back to Bianca. "Would you go get some wine for my friend and me?"

  Argh, again with the cryptic shit that always makes sense AFTER I figure it out. Some days I miss the Army and their exact instructions.

  Shane sighed and closed his eyes, focusing on the magic.

  "Of course. I'll be right back with your drinks." Bianca bounced her feet and headed toward the dining area and probable kitchens.

  Yes, a drink will help, make me fuzzy –

  He broke off the mental thought and wanted to bang his head. How in the world did she do this to him every time?

  Years of drinking in the Army had taught him all the stages of alcohol inebriation and he knew them intimately. He and Declan would get plastered on a regular basis and occasionally even remember what they did the next day. If he treated this like how booze or drugs affected you, he might be able to see how to do it.

  Shane heard Bianca come back but instead of opening his eyes, he felt for the music and changed it into sensations. The soft soothing of your cares with the first glass, the buzz that made you happy and amiable by the third, then that fifth drink where you'd do anything no matter how crazy or stupid it would seem after the fact.

  He felt Lewl's magic back off as he seduced Bianca. The power of a nice narcotic eased him, but he wrinkled his nose. As it was, this felt almost too much like rape and he hated the very idea of it. So his manipulation stopped at the friendly buzz. Where you liked everyone. Part of him realized he could probably duplicate most drugs he'd tried, and with distaste, he resolved to try both GHB and Rohypnol so he knew the effects. But with Bianca, a sweet girl he had no reason to hurt, he stopped.

  Shane's eyes opened and he looked at Bianca. "Hi, Bianca. How are you?"

  She smiled a beatific smile at him. "I'm wonderful. How are you doing? You look tired sitting there."

  "I am a bit." He cast around for something absolutely harmless and inoffensive but yet something she wouldn't normally do. "Would you mind brushing my hair?" He'd let it grow out a bit, and it resembled a shaggy pelt at this moment.

  "Oh, I don't have a brush." She looked heartbroken at this and he swore he saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

  "That's okay. Why don't you just comb it through with your fingers?"

  "I can do that." She rose coming over and sitting behind him and started running her fingers through his hair. It felt unexpectedly good.

  Lewl half smiled at him. "While your implementation is unusual, I've never seen it done like that, well done on how you treated her. I cherish those I protect." The first real compliment he'd received, and it was on how he acted, not his use of magic. So much of the Fae world view snapped into place and he really wanted to wander away, to think about what it meant.

  "You are much like Merlin in how you view things. If you stayed with us, and let the corruption be cleansed, you could be a great mage." She said it as a statement, not an offer, and he knew he could never be happy here with their constant control and slow movement.

  "Merlin was real?"

  "Oh yes. He learned to use our magic, human magic, and angel magic. If he had known of demons, I a
m not sure anything would have been outside his abilities. I think that is why they killed him."

  "Wait angels? Angels are real? Who killed him? Are we talking about my Merlin? Camelot, King Arthur's court and all that crap?"

  Lewl laughed. "Yes, your Merlin. Angels are in another realm just like us and the demons. There are four realms, Human, Angel, Demon, Fae. One of the Angels killed him. His power and his understanding posed a risk to their plans. Since they only mention they have plans and not what they are, I have no idea what plan that might have been but then I haven't seen them in this realm, ever. Most of the mentions are in old tales." She shrugged. "Glamour is not a skill you can use, though it is powerful, you do not have the…" She paused, thinking. Finally, she shrugged. "If you were artistic you might be able to do the seemings, but your ability to cloud and control thoughts is powerful. If you are not very careful you could basically lobotomize someone. Remember that."

  She rose. "Practice as needed, though I would not suggest trying it on any of the others here. While you would succeed, the consequences would be fatal for you." With that parting comment, Bianca still combing his hair, she turned to leave.

  "Lewl?"

  She paused looking back at him an elegant arch of her brow, though he still couldn’t see her eyes, her smooth skull seeming so perfect for her after all this time.

  "Do you use glamor on your eyes? Is that why I can't see their color?"

  The corners of her mouth quirked up. "That I will show you the day you leave our enclave."

  He watched her leave as he reduced the amount of fuzziness in Bianca's brain. "Thanks, Bianca. Why don't you take the rest of the day off and enjoy yourself?"

  "You sure? I could stay and help you more?"

  "No, it's fine." He watched her go, his brows furrowed, as he thought over everything he had learned in the last few hours. The potential magic of the portal hung in his mind's eye again. Merlin knew three magics. He needed to know more about Merlin.