by CM Raymond
Hannah extended her hand, like she had with the rock, and lifted the bucket into the air. She twisted her wrist, and water drenched the wood, smoldering the logs to nothing, the steam and smell of the fire permeated everywhere.
She collapsed back on the couch and looked back over at the smiling geezer. “That was a shit trick.”
Ezekiel winked. “I am full of them. And the trick worked. The magic is there and is ready. We just have to get you to direct it. Soon, fire will be yours. Second nature. But you need to be careful, control both your desires and passions. Like your friend back in the boulevard.”
Hannah bristled as Ezekiel mentioned Parker and passion in the same breath. “What do you mean?” she snapped.
“All I meant was that it was a balancing act. Like your friend’s trick with the pushups. You need to be able to balance your emotions with your desire for control.”
“Or what?”
“Or the world will go up in flames, and you will be the firestarter. The Patriarch knows that the last thing I need on Irth is another Adrien to deal with. Unleash passion without control into the world, you could blow up this whole damn tower—if, in your core, you feel too much.” Ezekiel tilted his head. “That said, the negative consequences aren't always so drastic.”
“Oh?” she looked over at him. In the corner, Sal’s little tongue went in and out, tasting the air. The lizard got up to go study the logs.
Ezekiel shrugged his shoulders, “No, sometimes the effects are a bit more local. I’ve seen magicians burst into flames, sever bones, and one just disintegrated into oblivion—doing no harm to anyone or anything around them.”
Hannah swallowed hard. “Well, uh, that’s comforting.”
****
The hair stood up on end on the back of Hannah’s neck as she entered the shade of the thick trees overhead. It was shocking just how much the temperature dropped when they got into the woods.
They had passed the place that Karl, the rearick, had saved her from the boar only days earlier. The drag marks on the ground remained. Silently, the girl hoped she would meet the man again someday.
She kept her eyes open in case that pig with tusks had family around. She considered, just for a moment, sharing the experience with Ezekiel, but held her tongue instead.
The magician had told her to stay in the tower, and it was likely he’d not be happy if he knew that she had willfully disobeyed on her very first day. But fully aware of his power, it was a good chance he already knew about her field trip.
“Your physical magic is coming right along,” Ezekiel said, striding just ahead of Hannah. “It’s the most basic, so if it didn’t come quickly, we’d be in trouble. Now, it’s time to try something a bit more complex. Physical magic is about a subject manipulating objects in the world. It’s easier to control, and you’ve seen it a lot in Arcadia. But have you ever heard of Nature Magic?” he asked her.
Hannah considered trying to sound more impressive, but answered, “Nope. Never heard of it.”
“Well, that’s no surprise. When I was here last, few in Arcadia were aware of it. I imagine Adrien might know some things about Nature Magic, but it might be beyond even him.”
“What makes it so much more difficult?” Hannah asked.
“Well, once you understand how it works, it’s not that much more difficult. There is a fundamental difference, though, and if you don’t understand the variance, and if you are trained in a particular way, it is tough to cross over. Those who use nature magic were raised in it. They’ve seen it everywhere, day in and day out of their lives. So, for them, they struggle to use physical magic.
“You, on the other hand, are starting pretty much from scratch. That’s why we’re doing a little bit each day. Build them all together and hopefully, they’ll grow together as well.”
She thought about how it worked in her city, “Starting a little late, though, aren’t we?”
“Ah, I’ve taught older dogs new tricks,” he answered.
If her eyes could shoot out lightning bolts as she stared at the back of his head, “Hey, Zeke, I know you’ve been in the woods for a while, but never call a lady a dog. Not cool.”
Ezekiel laughed and continued. “My apologies, fair maiden. As I said, physical magic is the direction of our inward power out into the world. We can influence and modify things that are already existing. And some things, like the fireballs, can even be created. Everything, except gravity, is energy. It is certainly powerful but has its limits—like all the arts. Each has their own strengths, each their own limitations.”
The two walked down what could, if you were generous, be called a path. Not far from the tower, the sound of running water filled the air. Dropping down at a slight rise, the two sat on the edge of the River Wren under a short, stout willow.
Ezekiel continued without missing a beat. “Unlike physical magic, nature magic requires a willingness not to call out the power within you,” he pointed around them, “but to call out to the power hiding in the natural world. Whereas physical magic is a form of domination,” he opened his hand, palm up and a small flame flickered into life, “of a strong will imposing itself on the inanimate, nature magic is more like supplication. With physical magic, we tell the object to act.”
He pushed away and the small flame leapt out from his hand, flaming out a few feet away. He clapped his hands together. “With nature, we ask and it responds. It takes a lot of time to form this bond with the natural world around us, it cannot happen overnight.”
Sal popped out of Hannah’s bag as if on cue and curled up at its master’s feet. She reached over to run a hand over its head. “Tell this guy that.”
Ezekiel watched the two of them for a moment, scratching his beard. “Yes, the lizard.”
“Sal.”
“You’re naming the creature, Sal?”
“You know like—”
“Oh, I get it. Like salamander. I just thought you might have been a bit more creative.” The magician stole another glance at the lizard and then back to Hannah. “Yes, you and the lizard are indeed a peculiar case. It was what first caught my attention. When I saw the thing change, I knew something was afoot in Arcadia. As far as I know, no one practices nature magic there, not even the Unlawfuls.
“And yet this,” he pointed to Sal, “well, this is something different. I don’t think that the masters of the nature arts could do what you’ve done to your little friend. At least I’ve never seen it. When I found you, you weren’t a magician, or at least you said you weren’t. But I knew that there was something special about you.”
Hannah kept her eyes downward as he spoke. She wasn’t used to being praised, not like this. “I get it. I am the special bloody mudball. Now back to the magic, I don’t have all my life. Why would someone want to chat with a grouse when they could torch some baddies with a big ass fireball? What else can you do with it?”
Ezekiel’s face spread into a smile. He held out a finger and clicked his tongue. His eyes flashed red, and a brown and white robin with an orange breast flew down and perched on his finger, tweeting and flicking its head. He clicked again, and the bird took flight.
“Nice. Little birdy control. I’ll put that one in my back pocket for the next time a Hunter is trying to rip off my shirt,” she muttered, unimpressed.
“Don’t be so shortsighted. Not everything needs to be viewed through the lens of that one bad experience. However, if that is what you need to know about, for any of this to pierce that skull of yours think on this. What if it wasn’t a bird, but a giant black bear, ready to do your bidding? Or what if it was something even more powerful? Something mythical.” The old man glanced back down at the spiked-backed lizard.
“You get the picture. But it doesn’t end there. The supplication of nature is about as vast as one’s imagination. I can control the weather, call down lightning, animate plants, and even ask the River Wren here to stop its flow to allow me to pass. It took a long time to master, but I use my nature magic mor
e now than the physical arts—at least for the past few years. There is something fulfilling about working with things, not just on them,” he finished.
“OK,” Hannah had to admit, “That sounds cool. I hadn’t considered all of that. It will take some time to digest it, I’ll admit. Anything else?”
“Yes, the most important bit, really. The secret hidden power of nature magic is the power to heal. The world, if we ask it, will grant us some of its own life energy, and we can channel that energy into another being.”
Her eyes got a faraway look, “Like my brother, Will.” Hannah’s eyes sparkled as the event of his healing dashed through her mind.
“Exactly like Will. Theoretically speaking, I might have been able to heal him by passing on my own power, I guess.”
Ezekiel rearranged his robes and bent out a leg before continuing. “But the combination of the fatigue of the casting on the body and the giving away of energy could have disastrous effects. The natural world gives with pleasure, and we borrow with a deep sense of responsibility and stewardship. The relationship is quite symbiotic. The power within each of us and the world is like a dance. We just have to lead without stepping on too many toes.
“Sadly, I’ve never been very good with the animals. It takes a special kind of bond. I can call in birds and a few other things.” He pointed down to her feet once more, “But I don’t have anything close to what you and that lizard do.”
Hannah tossed a small rock into the Wren. She watched the ripples get washed downstream by the current. “You mean Sal.”
“Dreadful name, but yes. The two of you are connected now, and that bond would be hard to put asunder. From now on, part of you is in that little creature and part of him is in you.
She leaned forward and picked the lizard up and held him in her lap, trying to understand the connection between them. She could feel something, but couldn’t put words to the feelings. “Maybe I should have picked a bear.”
The old man smiled. “Seems he picked you as much as you picked him. And don’t worry, I have a feeling the little one is full of potential.”
“Yeah. It’s a shame no one practices nature magic.”
The man clapped his hands and laughed. “Now, why the Hades would you assume that no one practices it? My girl, your world is as small as Arcadia itself. The druids practice nature magic all of the time.”
She stopped petting Sal for a moment, turning to face Ezekiel, “Druids? They’re real? I thought that was just more horseshit.”
This young woman had made him want to roll his eyes more times in the last week than his whole last decade.
“They’re very real, although they might think that one who lived her whole life trapped in a city was horseshit.”
“Have you seen them?” she pressed.
“Not only have I seen them, I’ve spent years with them. Delightful folk. Far too secretive. You won’t see the druids often, if ever at all. Unlike their physical and psychic magic brethren, they have found life in the natural world too compelling. They have left the society of other men and gone to live deep in the Dark Forest where they can better commune with nature. And, like Arcadia, they are building a civilization there that lives up to their ideals. At least, they were when I last saw them. And by the time I got out of the dreaded Dark Forest, I was glad to see the sun again.”
This time, her mouth stayed open in amazement, “Wait. You, like, lived with freaking druids? That’s crazy. Did they teach you the nature magic?”
The man blushed. “Actually, it was I that taught them. Not the other way around. Though, they have far surpassed the master.”
Hannah looked at him with disbelief.
He kept his eyes trained off in the distance as he continued, “The Arcadian legends about the Founder didn’t only begin because of physical magic and the beginning of our city. It goes deeper than that. I, of course, despise the name, as it takes what is due from the Matriarch and Patriarch.”
Her voice, this time, wasn’t so pushy, “Where’d you learn it all from?”
“That is a long story, for a longer time. The short version is this: Lilith, the Oracle, trained me herself in the arts. I simply passed them down to others. Just like Adrien was my disciple in Arcadia, I trained others in the other arts—trusting each of them with the stewardship of their own disciplines. But enough talking.”
He stood up slowly, and continued, “Time for magic, Hannah.” Ezekiel pointed at a tiny wildflower growing at their feet with several buds waiting to blossom. “Make that little one bloom and then come find me at the tower.” He turned to walk back toward the path.
“Wait. Do I use hand motions like with physical magic?” she called out.
The magician shrugged. “Probably could, I guess, though the druids never do.” He pointed at his chest. “Don’t forget, the magic is within you and there is power in the created order.
This time, he pointed to her. “Your task is to connect the two. Physical magic uses the hand motions to help focus. The druids find touch to be the most important. This staff–” he glanced down at the knotty piece of wood in his hand “–is more than a decorative walking stick for an old man. It keeps me connected to the natural world. Most druids carry a similar form of artifact as a way to keep a hand on nature at all times. Clever really. One day I may take you to the forest and the druids will help you form your own connection. But for now, you’ll simply try to connect with the source itself.” And with that, the old man turned and in moments, was out of her sight.
Hannah pushed Sal out of her lap, “God, your getting heavy for the little runt you started. Must be flies the size of cats out here.”
She rolled up onto her knees. Hovering over the plant, she stared long and hard at it, wondering for the first time how one was supposed to connect with nature. Having grown up her entire life in the city, she had spent little time with nature. The park was the closest thing she had ever gotten, and even that paled in comparison to this spot by the river.
“OK, little guy,” she said. “Why don’t you open for me?”
Nothing happened, except she felt a little awkward talking to a plant. Not for the last time was she glad Parker wasn’t here to make fun of her. She pictured their time spent together under a tree after a long day of work. If she could figure this out, maybe she and Parker would never have to steal again. She stared at the flower again, then shook her head.
“This is going to be harder than I thought.”
She bent over and cupped her hands around the plant. Closing her eyes, she did the reduction she had practiced within the tower, pushing all the thoughts out of her mind. It was easier out here amongst the breeze.
Hours seemed to pass as she lost herself to the peace of this world. Those few instances where the thoughts tried to intrude again, it was but a small task to release them and sink back into the calm she had before.
When she finally opened her eyes, all Hannah noticed was the flower.
Instead of trying to command something to happen, she imagined a beautiful blossom bursting open where the bud sat in her palm.
As she did, her eyes glowed red, and a flower unfurled into existence. She smiled, then plucked it gently and held it up to her nose, breathing in the sweet fragrance.
It was like smelling flowers for the first time.
She looked around, reveling in the peace and calm of the river before standing up, grabbing Sal and making her way down the path the magician had gone. It took only thirty steps before the birds heard her gripe. “Ow! Fine! But don’t be asking for a ride, you can walk the whole way on those spindly little legs.”
“Nicely done, Hannah,” the magician said when she had returned to the tower. “I had half expected you to be out there all night.” He nodded to her hand. “Evidenced by that flower and your reptile companion, your connection with nature must be very strong. Most likely stronger than my own. Now, you must meditate every day out here. You will only get stronger and the bond will be reciprocated. Nat
ure will do your bidding, but it might also require something of you.”
Hannah stooped and picked up Sal, letting Zeke’s semi-ominous words rush over her. “If it will help me get back at those bastards, then I’m ready to pay it, whatever the cost.”
She looked up at the old man. There was a strange look in his eyes, something akin to sadness. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. Like he was trying to stifle a lecture.
Finally, he said, “Your passion is good, Hannah. But for now, why don’t you get some food and rest. We will continue tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I’m sure. Avenging the wronged can’t be a full-time occupation after all. Besides, I wouldn’t be much of a teacher if I didn’t give my students a break occasionally. Now, come inside and tell me more about the cons you and Parker used to pull. I have no desire to get pickpocketed by some kid from the Boulevard next time I’m in the city.”