Lucas skimmed through a section which listed the different ways each elemental center manifested itself once activated.
Light: Ability to sense the emotions of others. Quickly recovers from sickness and injuries.
Ice: Unaffected by cold weather/climate. If active from birth, manifests as silver hair and/or eye color.
Fire: Heightened physical strength/endurance.
Shadow: Ability to see in total darkness.
At the bottom of the list was written, “Elemental centers are rarely active from birth and, for most people, must be activated manually. For a list of techniques to activate your elemental center, see page 14. For a list of potions to help stimulate the process, see page 22).”
The book also taught Lucas that there are certain spells which do not necessarily require a particular center, known as rituals. Though they often demand a high level of experience to perform, and sometimes require multiple mages, they can be cast by someone of any of the four centers. However, rituals often depend on whether one has access to certain enchanted accessories and take much more time to cast than typical elemental conjuring magic. While the effects of rituals are powerful and elaborate, they are highly difficult to perform correctly. They also take much practice. The book went on to recommend other books by the same author, entitled The Art of Enchantment and Let’s Get Serious: Mastering Rituals respectively, for more information on the two subjects.
Next, Lucas learned that there are various techniques used to conjure through the elemental center. Successful conjuring occurs after one has focused their thoughts on a single point. With full concentration, the mage must envision the spell. After correctly assuming appropriate body positioning required for the spell (if required), they must verbalize the chant associated with it. Once the spell is conjured, the mage uses his or her mind (optionally in combination with physical gestures) to guide their creation to the target.
Lucas continued reading about various methods of focusing and envisioning spells, when he was suddenly interrupted by Hagan loudly proclaiming from the kitchen, “Food’s ready, Lucas! Come and get it!”
Lucas placed the book on the coffee table. He then realized that he hadn’t had a thing to eat since breakfast. He had been so focused on the book that he didn’t even notice the aroma pouring from the kitchen. The thick smell of freshly prepared food reminded him of his grandpa. He’ll be alone all night. Lucas proceeded to the kitchen as the worry sank in.
Chapter 7: A Friend In Need
Zoe sat down at the long table in the large stone room. Constructed entirely from materials harvested locally in the In Between, the table and its chairs shared the same bleak, colorless look as the rest of the dimension. Fifteen other Spades were seated at the table, patiently waiting for the meeting to begin and quietly talking amongst themselves. After sitting for several minutes, Zoe put her head down on the table, burying it in her arms.
Alex Beauford pulled out the chair to her right. “Mind if I sit here?” he asked with a gentle smile.
Without looking up, Zoe replied with a muffled, “Whatever.”
A young man at the age of twenty, Alex had curly brown hair and silver eyes. He sat down. “What’s wrong? You made it back with the fragment, right?”
“Yeah,” Zoe replied.
“Then what’s wrong?” he asked, bewildered. She didn’t reply. “Come on Zoe, you can tell me.” Looking up briefly, she shot him a glare. Alex raised his eyebrows. “Alright then...”
Several minutes passed before Tarren Haden entered the room. Immediately, Zoe lifted her head off of the table. Tarren was in his early forties and had short, dirty‑blond hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in silver body armor with a sword sheathed on his waist. He walked over to the head of the table, not far from where Zoe was seated. The room fell silent.
“My brothers and sisters,” Tarren began as he took his seat. “Thanks to your combined efforts, the disk fragment is safe from the clutches of Javan Quinn once again. Unfortunately, we have lost even more of our colleagues in the process. Many were killed during the raid on our previous headquarters and though our numbers are falling, we must not lose hope.” He paused for a moment. “Zoe has informed me that Morice was killed by imps as he was delivering the fragment to Roshan. However, he managed to hand it off to a trustworthy passerby shortly before his death, who successfully completed the delivery. Somehow, the Knowms had been tipped off about Roshan’s involvement in our organization, and the restaurant was raided shortly after the fragment arrived. Thinking quickly, Roshan returned the fragment to the trustworthy young man and sent him to the In Between, where he handed it off to Zoe.”
“What happened to Roshan?” one of the Spades asked.
“It’s unclear,” Tarren responded, “but I can only guess that he was arrested. Likely, he was taken to Valdis Prison for interrogation.”
“Who is this trustworthy young man you speak of?” asked another Spade. “Perhaps we should consider inviting him into our organization.”
“His name is Lucas,” Zoe answered. “I don’t know too much about him. He seemed like an okay guy, though I doubt he’s cut out to be a Spade.” She paused. “As for the situation with Roshan, I’d like to volunteer for a rescue mission.”
“What?!” Alex suddenly spat out. “Valdis Prison is impenetrable. It would be a suicide mission!”
Zoe turned to him, “Roshan made a great sacrifice for our cause. We can’t just sit back and let him rot in jail. If it weren’t for him, the Knowms would have the fragment–”
“Roshan did what he did for a reason,” Tarren interrupted. “If a rescue mission is attempted, we’ll simply be sending more Spades to their deaths. We can’t afford such a risk, especially taking into consideration our dwindling numbers.”
Zoe got out of her chair. “Then I guess I’m going alone.”
Alex quickly jumped from his seat and plead, “Zoe, don’t! Our duty as Spades is to protect the fragment. Roshan knew what he was getting himself into from the start. Just let him go.”
“Just let him go?!” Zoe replied furiously.
“Zoe,” Tarren said sternly. “Calm down.”
This only made her angrier. “You’re nothing but a bunch of damn–”
Tarren slammed his fist on the table. “That’s enough, Zoe! I understand that you were very close to Roshan, but you must not let your emotions cloud your judgment. We’ve already lost enough members as it is.” Completely ignoring Tarren, Zoe stormed out of the room.
As Tarren began to follow her, Alex interjected, “I’ll go talk to her.” Tarren nodded.
Zoe stomped down the hall and entered the barracks. Quickly, she searched the area around her bed and collected a sack. Grabbing a black cloak, she stuffed it inside. On her way back into the hallway she was met by Alex.
“Zoe! What’re you doing?”
“What do you think?!” she barked.
As she walked around him, Alex moved to block her path. “What if you get caught? What if they find out who you are and take you back to–”
“Don’t you think I know that already?!” She shoved him out of her way and stormed into the kitchen.
As Zoe added some bread to the sack, Alex walked into the room. “Don’t go,” he pleaded. Zoe said nothing and grabbed an empty bottle from the table, adding it to the contents of the sack.
“What if Roshan is already dead?” Alex argued.
“What if he’s not?!” Zoe screamed. She tied the sack shut. “I’m going. Deal with it.”
“Fine,” Alex replied. “Then I’m going with you.”
Zoe lifted her eyebrows in surprise. She was completely speechless.
Alex began to walk back to the barracks. “Just give me a few minutes to grab my things. I’m not letting you go to that place alone.”
Chapter 8: Learning The Art (Part II)
After they finished dinner, Hagan went home and Iris washed Lucas’s clothes. She hung them in the
washroom to dry before going upstairs to her bedroom.
Lucas had a very difficult time falling asleep as he lay on the couch that night. He couldn’t stop worrying about his grandpa. To make matters worse, the fireplace now contained nothing more than a smoldering pile of glowing ash. Other than its faint light, the room was completely dark and the temperature was falling fast. The thick blanket which had provided him with warmth and comfort earlier now felt as though it were a sheet of ice. How does Iris sleep here every night? This is insane! I guess it’s safe to assume that she’s an Ice center. It would explain the weird hair anyway. Finally, after several hours of shivering, Lucas finally managed to fall asleep.
The next morning he was woken by the smell of porridge, reminding him of his grandpa. Lucas quickly got off the couch and walked into the kitchen. Shivering as he entered the room, he was greeted by Iris. She was sitting at the table in a purple night robe eating with a book open next to her porridge.
“Good morning Lucas. Did you sleep well?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not really. It’s a little too cold in here for me.”
Iris got out of her chair. “Oh my! I apologize.” Grabbing some matches, she walked into the living room. “I possess the ability to use Ice magic. As a result, I’m unaware of drops in temperature below a certain point. I didn’t intend to inconvenience you.”
Lucas followed her into the room. She was reaching for a log to put in the fireplace when he quickly said, “No, no it’s okay. I need to leave soon anyway.”
Iris turned to him with a look of surprise on her face. “You have not fully recovered from your injuries.”
Briefly inspecting the cuts, bruises, and bandages on his body, Lucas said, “I can walk, I’ll be fine. I just need my clothes and sword.”
Iris shook her head. “You’re in no condition to travel outside of the Azure city limit. In the event you’re attacked by monsters, you will likely perish.”
“But I have to try,” Lucas argued. “Grandpa’s all alone and I have our only sword. He has the axe, but if it breaks he’ll be defenseless.” Lucas thought for a moment. That’s right! I still have the gold I was going to use to get the sword touched up, plus the one hundred Roshan gave me! “What if I hire someone to escort me back to Cymbeline?” he suggested. “Then I’ll only have to travel a short distance on my own. Will you let me go if I do that?”
Iris lifted a log and threw it into the fireplace. “In theory, I would. However, doing so would be much too expensive.” She turned to him. “Are you even aware of the vast distance you will need to travel in order to reach Cymbeline?”
Lucas walked over to the couch. “Well, I guess it’s going to be far. But I don’t really know exactly how far.” He sat down as Iris walked over to the bookshelf.
Taking an atlas, she placed it on the coffee table and sat beside him. Opening it, she said, “I’m certain that once you are aware, your opinion will alter.” Iris pointed to an area on the far north end of the map. “You’re currently here, in Azure.” She slid her finger a good distance toward the southwest and stopped on another point. “There’s Cymbeline.” Lucas buried his face in his hands.
Iris closed the book. “I sincerely apologize if I’ve caused you disappointment, but hopefully you can understand why I’m concerned for your welfare.” She took the book back to the shelf and finished building the fire.
As she walked back to the kitchen, she stopped and turned to Lucas, who was visibly upset. “Would you like some porridge?” she offered. Lucas softly shook his head. Although she felt sorry for him, Iris was unsure of what else she could possibly do to lift his spirits. She returned to the kitchen to finish her meal.
Lucas sat quietly on the couch, watching the fire crackle. How am I ever going to get home now? Traveling on foot is going to take way too long. There has to be something I can do...
When Iris had finished her breakfast, she reentered the living room. “Here’s an idea,” she proposed. “I’m scheduled to make a small batch of potions this morning. However, when my work is complete, I would be more than happy to assist you with the basics of elemental conjuring.”
Lucas turned to her with interest. “I’d like that.”
Iris smiled. “I’m estimating that I will be in the laboratory for approximately two hours. As you wait, I suggest that you continue studying the book I gave you.” She walked out of the room.
After grabbing the book, Lucas returned to the couch and pulled the blanket up to his neck. Trying to find where he had left off, he flipped through the pages of So You Want to be a Mage: A Beginner’s Guide to Conjuring through Your Elemental Center. Once he found the page, he continued reading.
After two good hours of study, Iris returned. “What have you learned so far?”
Lucas put down the book. “That conjuring is pretty complicated.”
Iris chuckled. “Other than that.”
Lucas sat up. “I read some more about techniques to focus and envision spells. Then I read about targeting and spell types. I think I might be ready to do it, but I’m not sure.”
“Would you like to try casting?” Iris asked.
Lucas was perplexed. “I thought you didn’t want me casting inside.”
Making her way upstairs, Iris said, “We can practice in the backyard. I will return momentarily.”
As she was changing, Lucas went to the washroom to collect his clothes. Inspecting them to be sure they had dried overnight, he dressed himself and proceeded back into the living room. While he was waiting for Iris, he searched through the bookshelf. Which one was it... hmmm... there! That’s the one. He grabbed The Basics of Light Magic. Hopefully I can learn how to do some healing spells. I need to fully recover as soon as possible so I can work on finding the best way back to Cymbeline.
Iris walked down the stairs a few minutes later, dressed in a long, thick light‑blue coat with white trim and brown boots. Lucas turned to her. “Wait, I thought that as part of your Ice ability you weren’t affected by cold weather.”
“I am not,” she replied. “I simply enjoy wearing this attire.” Slinging a gray scarf over her shoulder, she asked, “May I offer you any additional clothing?”
Lucas nodded. “A coat and scarf, please.”
Moments later, the pair walked into the backyard. Lucas was now wearing a puffy white coat and scarf with gray gloves. He looked around, surprised at the size of Iris’s property. “Your neighbors are pretty far away for being in a city,” he commented.
Iris was flipping through The Basics of Light Magic as though she were looking for a specific page. She glanced at him. “This particular residential area of Azure is rather spacious. As an advantage of my career choice, I am one of a few residents who can afford to occupy this district. However, you’ll find that it’s quite different further into town.”
“That makes sense,” Lucas replied. “I was wondering why I wasn’t picking up the huge jumble of emotions I normally get when I go through Cymbeline.”
Iris stopped flipping through the book after reaching a certain page and pointed to a specific section of text. “Speaking of which, the first thing you should learn as a practitioner of Light magic is to control your ability to sense the emotions of others. Using the method listed here, you will be able to permit and prohibit your ability at will. It’s important that you acquire this skill first as you may find it hard to conjure while distracted by the emotions of the people around you.”
After reading the section Iris had pointed out, Lucas attempted the technique. It only took him a few tries before the calmness he had been sensing from Iris’s presence disappeared. “I think I did it this time,” he said.
Iris smiled. “Excellent. Now, let’s try conjuring.” She flipped through the book to another page. “We will start with a light orb. Orb spells are very basic and an excellent way to familiarize with the process of conjuring through your elemental center.” Iris outstretched her right arm, cupping her hand and turning her palm upward. “Start by
moving your right arm into this position. Though it’s not necessary to outstretch your arm in this manner to conjure an orb, it’s a suggested method for those who are new to the process, as it gives the mage a clear focal point. You may find that physical gestures are helpful in controlling your spells, though the process is mostly mental.”
Lucas outstretched his arm as Iris had. “Alright. I guess it’s time to focus?”
Iris nodded. “Precisely. I will give you a short duration to do so using your preferred method.” Following a brief silence, she continued. “Now you must envision the spell. Your element is Light. Therefore, I suggest starting by visualizing the color yellow. Next, condense the color within your mind into a ball. Then, focus your attention to the center of your right palm. When you believe you’re ready to attempt conjuring, say ‘Lumen orbis.’”
It was silent for nearly a minute. Suddenly, Lucas shouted, “Lumen orbis!” Nothing happened. “Ugh!”
“Keep trying,” Iris encouraged. “Conjuring your first spell can be extremely frustrating. You must be patient. Repeat the process again.”
Lucas outstretched his right arm and cupped his hand. Facing his palm upward, he focused. Using all of his concentration, he visualized the color yellow and began forming it into a ball. Then, he focused as hard as he could on his right palm. “Lumen orbis!” Still, the attempt failed. Lucas groaned. Getting back into position, he tried again for a third time. “Lumen orbis!” Sadly, he was unsuccessful yet again.
Lucas was becoming frustrated. “I just can’t seem to do it, Iris. What am I doing wrong?!”
“Nothing, most likely,” she replied. “You have not failed. This is your first attempt at conjuring in your life. Your power is still ‘waking up,’ so to speak. With practice, you will be able to conjure orbs with hardly any effort at all. Observe. Glacies orbis!” Suddenly, a floating ball of ice surrounded by a glowing blue aura appeared about a foot in front of her face.