by Ryan Sova
Soon the topic of Garry was over and the radio anchor was on to other news. Garry’s mind, however, was still locked back in time to the report that was about him. Garry realized that police had been moving much faster than he had anticipated. As his mind was continuing to race over what he had just learned, Garry suddenly changed his plan.
Garry realized that he could not afford to stop in Wyoming tonight. Police were closing in on him and if they ever managed to identify the set of plates that he currently has on the back of his car, the automated plate scanners in every city and on every highway would instantly give away his location. He needed now, more than ever, to reach Utah TONIGHT and get his plates switched out several more times in the city. Then and only then would he be safe enough to rest anywhere for the night.
Garry braced himself for the long and painful drive that was ahead of him.
****
Breakfast had been fairly pleasant. Nephal was seated at the table with both Eliak and Atonick. Heragald had also joined the three for a short while but then left again to attend to more pressing matters. Before leaving, she had conveyed to Nephal that she had spoken to King Noah and that the king would be stopping by at some point today during their first lesson to answer Nephal’s questions about time travel.
The sorcerer’s robe Nephal had put on this morning felt somewhat strange to him. The robes fit loosely over his body, covering his body from his chest down to just below the kneecaps. Aside from his undergarments, Nephal was completely naked underneath his robes.
Eliak turned to Atonick and asked, “How are we supposed to stay warm in these things during the winter months?”
Atonick responded, “Well down here in Bragsdale, you don’t need to worry so much about staying warm. But in colder climates we are allowed to wear warm clothing as undergarments, so long as the only clothing that is showing on the outside is your robes.”
Nephal added, “It’s going to take some time to get used to these things.”
Atonick responded, “I know it will, but in time, wearing them will feel perfectly natural to you. Also, wearing the robes identifies you as a sorcerer, which brings with it the respect of the common folk and also clearly identifies you to the guards and soldiers here and in other places, allowing you access to areas within the kingdom that are usually off-limits to the common folk.”
A short time later, the three had all finished with their breakfast. They then rose from their table and took their empty trays to the kitchen. Atonick then motioned to Eliak and Nephal, instructing them to follow him to their classroom. Eliak and Nephal followed Atonick through winding hallways and up several flights of stairs until the three had finally arrived at their destination.
Atonick opened the door to the classroom and invited Nephal and Eliak to enter. As soon as the door opened, a magical light filled the room. Upon entering the classroom, Nephal and Eliak quietly observed the room that they were now standing in.
The room was large and seemed to be divided into two sections. The first section of the room made a square-shaped design and had blue marble floors with an accompanying colored wall and ceiling. Connected to the blue section at the center of the room on the far side was a long corridor that led to a dead end. This corridor had red floors with an accompanying colored wall and ceiling. Thus, the two sections of this room could easily be distinguished as the red section and the blue section. Both of these sections had magical light globes on the ceiling that provided magical light to the room.
The left side of the blue section was lined with desks that were clearly arranged for students to be seated. Each of the students’ desks had a small supply of paper, a small book for note taking, and a number of writing utensils. The right side of the blue section had a large table, a large and distinguished desk for the instructor, and a chalkboard located behind the desk. The center of the blue section was where one would be upon entering the room. This section was clear of all obstructions and allowed for all people, teacher and student alike, to be able to easily navigate around the room to their assigned spot. The center of the blue section also led to the long red corridor which Nephal identified as the red section of the room.
Once Nephal and Eliak had both entered the room, Atonick instructed them to find a desk and be seated. Once they were both seated, Atonick addressed them, “Today will be your first lesson in the art of magic. During this lesson, we will not be conjuring any spells or even studying the language of magic. Before you can learn any of that, you must understand the basic fundamentals of how magic works. Once you both have an understanding of this, we can then start working on perfecting your talent.”
Atonick continued, “This room is divided into two sections. The blue section that we are in now is for academic study and learning. Here you will learn the language of magic, as well as magical symbols, and how to properly conjure a spell. The red corridor that you see to your left is for gaining a practical understanding of magic. In this red corridor is where you will practice actually casting spells. There is nowhere else other than this red corridor you see before you, where you will ever, and I mean EVER, try to cast a spell. This corridor is guarded by magical enchantments that can absorb the power of your spells. Throwing a fireball or even a bolt of lightning in this red corridor will have no ill effect on anything that you may hit with your spell. Try casting the same types of spells elsewhere in the castle, though, and you will start putting holes in the castle walls.”
At this comment Eliak started laughing, then jokingly commented, “I didn’t like the look of my walls much anyways.”
Atonick responded with a serious tone, “I’m glad that you think this is funny Eliak. Go ahead and start misusing your magic. I can think of no quicker way to end up in a dungeon.”
After a short pause, Atonick continued, “Now I want the two of you to explain to me, to the best of your knowledge, what happens when a sorcerer casts a spell?”
Eliak was the first to answer, “You say some strange words and then…”
There was a short pause, then Eliak continued, “Magical stuff happens.”
Atonick responded, “And what do you think Nephal, is he right?”
Nephal took a moment pondering everything that he had seen thus far regarding magic, then answered, “No, I don’t think that he is. I don’t know much about what happens when you conjure a spell, but from what I have seen so far, you are not reciting something. Instead, you are talking to someone or something.”
Atonick responded, “So who then do you think that we are talking to?”
Nephal answered, “I don’t know for sure but the times that I have witnessed you conjuring a spell, there were voices all around you. At first, they seemed like some kind of background noise, some strange echo but I don’t think that this is the case. I later realized that you were talking to these voices and they were talking to you.”
As soon as Nephal had said this, Atonick smiled and pointed at Nephal saying, “Exactly! You are spot on Nephal!”
Atonick then addressed both students again, “The biggest misconception that non-magic users have about us is the belief that a rehearsed song and dance can somehow conjure a magical spell, as if speaking some rehearsed line and then waving your hands about like a lunatic will actually conjure a spell. Such talk is utter nonsense. If I were to walk into this red corridor right now and conjure three identical fireballs and if you were to pay close attention to what I say and do for each spell, you would notice that each spell was unique. The words that I use for each spell would change vastly from spell to spell, even though I was conjuring the same damn spell all three times. Even the symbols I use would change from spell to spell. In short, nothing remains the same when you conjure a spell and everything is unique to that particular spell.”
Nephal interrupted, “How then do you know what to say if it changes every time that you cast a spell?”
Atonick responded, “You will know when you learn to listen.”
Eliak then interrupted, “
Who or what exactly are we talking to when we cast a spell?”
Atonick answered, “Before the Gods created the Earth, they created the spirits we know of as elementals. After they created the elementals, they used them to organize matter, creating the sun and all of the planets and moons. The elementals are invisible spirits that constantly work to maintain the balance that the Gods created. Without the elementals matter would break apart, life would wither and die, the weather would run wild, and all things would disintegrate and would become as it were before the solar system ever existed. They are seemingly innumerable, possessing numbers that exceed the number of all living things on Earth, and I am only referring to the elementals for this world when I speak of such things.
“When the Gods gave us magic though, they gave us the power to command the elements. Therefore, we can speak to them and they can speak to us. By commanding the elements, we can mimic the power of the Gods. We can alter gravity, create shields of energy, and summon powerful storms and terrible quakes. We can even bend space and time, opening rifts that can teleport us anywhere we please. We can do all these things and many more because, by commanding the elements, we can inherit the power of the Gods.”
There was a slight pause, then Atonick continued, “Now, because of the vast number of elementals out there, you will be dealing with different elementals every time that you cast a spell. Different elementals have different personalities. Different elementals also need to be spoken to differently. One of the greatest difficulties that you will have when you start trying to cast your first spell will be in discerning what kind of elementals you are speaking to and how to best communicate with them. Also, there are some spells that are easier to cast than others. Let me explain this concept to you using the same analogy that was once used to teach me. Eliak, let’s say that I ordered you to kill Nephal. Now, the way that I want you to commit this murder is that you are going to prepare a meal for him and poison his food. There are some things that you are going to need to know first, though, in order to perform this task. First, you are going to need to know what ingredients that you will need. Then, you are also going to need to know where to find these ingredients. Now, once I have explained all of this to you, I will need to properly instruct you in how to combine these ingredients and cook them in such a manner that the meal will be palatable and taste pleasant to Nephal. Once I have taught you all this, I would then need to instruct you in how to properly administer the poison. Sound complicated yet?”
There was a slight pause, then Atonick continued, “Well that is because it is. Now, let’s say that rather than having Eliak prepare a poisoned meal for Nephal, which we all know will take a lot of explaining to get this meal served the way that I want it. This time, I will tell Eliak to take a frying pan and bash Nephal’s brains in. Eliak, which of the two sets of instructions will be easier for you to follow—the poisoned meal, or the frying pan?”
Eliak answered, “The frying pan.”
Atonick responded, “And why is that?”
Eliak answered, “Because it’s simple.”
Atonick answered, “This same concept is true with magic. The more complicated a spell is, the more explaining that you will need to do in order to conjure it. This will affect both the length and difficulty of the spell. Also, more complicated spells require a great deal more willpower and will drain the sorcerer’s energy much faster than by just using simple spells. Of all the spells that are available to a sorcerer, the simplest, most basic spells available to a sorcerer are spells of pure energy. Just like when I instructed Eliak to bash Nephal’s brain in with a frying pan, spells of pure energy require very little explaining, meaning that you can conjure them quickly and with very little effort. Energy spells can include pushing something or someone, grabbing a person or object, like a form of telekinesis, but the most common form of energy spells are shield spells. When a sorcerer erects a shield, he or she is creating a magical barrier that can block both physical and magical sources of harm. The strength of your shield is determined by your willpower. Willpower is like a magical muscle inside of your brain. Some people, like the two of you, are gifted to have a naturally strong willpower from birth, but even with this natural gift, the shields that the two of you could conjure up won’t even come close to matching the power of a more experienced sorcerer. This is for several reasons. For one, more developed spells such as fireballs and lightning bolts hit with more force than the willpower needed to conjure them. Secondly, just like any muscle in the body, you will need to work that muscle before it will grow to its full potential. For this reason, even though you both have the potential of becoming the most powerful sorcerers alive, right now, I most likely have a stronger willpower than you. Of all the spells that you could possibly learn in this class, shield spells are by far the most important. If you ever find yourself in a magical duel with an opposing sorcerer, shield spells will save your life. But a good shield spell alone is not enough. To win a magical battle, you will need to think fast to outmaneuver and overpower your opponent. A magical battle doesn’t simply come down to who the stronger magic user is. It is a duel of wits, speed, and power.”
The classroom door opened and King Noah entered the room. As soon as the door opened, Atonick instructed the class to rise and then kneel before the king. After the three were on their knees, King Noah returned them again to their seats by saying, “As you were.”
King Noah walked into the room and asked, “So how is your first lesson going so far?”
Nephal responded, “Very informative! I never realized that using magic could be so complicated.”
King Noah responded, “A misconception shared by nearly all non-magic users. Reciting a few rehearsed lines and then tracing some symbols in the air would be a fairly simple task to learn, don’t you think? And if this was all magic really was, hell, we could make master sorcerers out of both of you by the end of the week! To truly learn magic, though, is a very involved process. It requires one such as yourself to learn the language of magic and be fluent in both speaking it and interpreting it. Then, you will need to learn how to effectively identify the speech and personality differences in each and every elemental and truly grasp how to communicate effectively with them regardless of the fundamental differences between each and every one that you will encounter. This will be your most difficult task as a sorcerer. You will then need to be able to recite from memory the two-hundred and eighty-six magical symbols that exist in this world and be able to trace the correct one at a moment’s notice, at the precise time that the elementals inform you of which one to use. Once you have finally mastered the three fundamentals of magic use, which are; language, interpretation, and symbol usage, you will still not be done yet. For now, after you have already explained to the elementals what you need from them and presented them with the correct sign, you will then need to control them. This control comes from your mental strength, or in other words, your willpower. The willpower that you pour into your spell will determine how powerful it will be. The difference between a fireball that only causes a slight burning effect and one that will blast a hole in the castle walls is all determined by the amount of willpower that you use to conjure it.
“But I am getting sidetracked now. What I really came here for this morning, is to answer some of Nephal’s questions about time travel. Normally, I would not have made it such a point to take time out of my day just to come here and give the two of you this explanation. But the two of you might just have the natural talent within you to be able to one day cast time travel spells yourselves. So it is important that both of you understand what time travel entails and also the risks involved in using it. When the Gods first gave magic to mankind, time travel was among the spells that these early sorcerers could cast. In fact, there are books that still exist today that explain the basics on how to cast a time travel spell. Today though, there is no one who can cast a time travel spell. No one, that is, except for me. So, to give anyone else from my council a detailed expl
anation as to how time travel works would be fruitless seeing that none of them will ever be able to use such magic.”
Nephal interrupted, “Why are you the only one who can still cast time travel spells?”
King Noah answered, “Time travel spells require more willpower than any other form of magic. In the old days, sorcerers had the willpower to use them. But as time went by, sorcerers slowly became weaker, and time travel spells became impossible to cast. But, as you know, I was born with the natural ability of the first sorcerers. So eventually, I learned how to cast such magic, and one day so might the two of you. Now, time travel magic is very similar to a teleporting spell. So let’s speak somewhat concerning teleportation spells. There are two ways in which you can teleport. You can teleport in spirit and send a ghost form of yourself to another location, like what Atonick did the night that the undead escaped. Or you can teleport your whole body to another location, like what happened when Talmadge and I brought the two of you here to Bragsdale. Atonick currently only teleports himself in spirit because he is not capable of teleporting his whole body yet. Even if he were able to, though, using the more advanced spell of teleportation is not always the safest option. Sometimes, even more experienced sorcerers choose to only send their spirit when they teleport. That way, if they run into any problems, they are not actually putting themselves in any mortal danger. This form of teleportation is also used commonly when we send diplomats to other nations. With time travel this same concept also exists, only time travel is far more dangerous than teleporting between two different locations. In fact, I have never used anything other than my spirit when I travel through time, and even then, I keep my spirit invisible so that I don’t inadvertently change anything in the future or past. Quietly observing the future or past in such a way is the only safe way to travel through time. Making any change to the future is both reckless and foolish, but even still, it is not quite as bad as making a change to the past. Making a change to the past, on the other hand, is pure suicide.”