Crystals could do anything. Heal the sick. Levitate a grown man. Purify water. Except near the Wall. Everybody knew they didn't work there, but nobody could explain to Tsiann why.
- Start -
But this one could. This Mage, Virgo he said to call him. Tsiann's new "mentor" - She wasn't happy with the arrangement, especially not after these first few weeks. What was cleaning the tower going to teach her about magic? Why couldn't he just make the magic do the cleaning, if he was so darn powerful? And why, when she had taken the crystal back to the wall where she found it, did it no longer shine?
She longed to hear the song again - the one she had heard in the wall. It was fading from her mind, she could barely hear the words any longer. The outside felt, normal, again. Tsiann did not like this. But he had promised to answer her questions, as soon as she finished her chores. Tsiann repeated them to herself, not wanting to forget a single one.
She asked her Mam why the Mage was teaching her in such a weird way, after the first few days of cleaning work.
"Because men think you have to suffer in order to learn." She had answered matter-of-factly.
"That's stupid." She had replied.
"Yes it is." Her mother started braiding her hair. "And that's you can practice as much as you'd like when you are home."
"Why can't you just teach me?"
"Because if the other Mages found out," It was always a french braid, only on one side. "They would hunt us down and kill us."
"How would they find us?"
"They are always looking. The only reason we haven't been found yet is Virgo - He's using one of his crystals to hide the magic that is going on here."
"Why does Virgo want to help us?"
"A very long time ago I saved his life. Ever since he has done his best to make right by us Wytches."
So the Mage had some good qualities. Tsiann still didn't enjoy the chores. But she would do them, as he asked - as long as she got the answers she wanted.
---
The night air was cold. It was mid-winter, and the snow was a few inches deep. Virgo had insisted that they come out in the middle of the night, or just before it. He had led her out of the village, about halfway to the Wall. They both stood on the path that led there, bundled in furs and shivering at each other.
"Why are we out here, Old man?"
"You know I'm not that much older than your mother, right?"
"She's old too."
"You've got quite a tongue on you, you know that?"
"My mother taught me well. Why are we out here?"
The Mage laughed, his breath a cloud of white. "Do you really not know of the Wytching Hour?"
"My mam talks about it all the time. How its her favorite of all the hours. I don't know why, though."
"My dear lady," The Mage started, affecting that uppity tone. "The Wytching Hour is when the moon reaches the top of the sky. You can always tell by looking there." He raised a hand and pointed at the very top of his tower. "When the moon and the steeple are in alignment, the Wytching Hour has begun."
"Okay, but what's special about it?"
"and you said your mother taught you well." Virgo scoffed. "The Wytching Hour is when the connection between Wytches and their magic is strongest - You can even cast magic close to the Wall."
"Oh!" Tsiann's interest in the lesson perked up. "I've been meaning to ask you about that. Why can't crystals, or magic at all, be cast when too close to the Wall?"
"Very good question!" Virgo replied. "Let's continue towards it, and I will answer as we walk."
---
"The Wall isn't a thing as most people would believe. I think you can tell just by the fact that when the village-folk look at it they see a stark, foreboding barrier made of iron, whereas those of us with Magic see it for what it actually is - pure magical energy. It is the source of all Magic in this world. My power as well as yours. And it is alive, little Wytch."
"I heard it sing to me!" Tsiann added.
"Yes, and you could even enter it - move past it, if you wanted."
"Can't you?"
"Oh, I don't think so." Tsiann watched as one of Virgo's hands quickly moved to hold the other, softly. The same one he had grabbed her with only a few weeks ago, when she almost had fallen out the other side.
"Why not?"
"I am still working on a theory." Virgo moved his hand back to his side - they were almost at the Wall now, and the Wytching Hour.
"But if the Wall is pure Magic, wouldn't that make it easier to cast, not harder?"
"Beyond that Wall," The Mage pointed at the shimmery surface. "Is the Void. A place of pure and utter nothingness. If the wall were to break, all of this world would fall into that nothingnesss and we would be lost forever."
Tsiann cocked her head as she attempted to process the information. "I almost fell into nothingness..."
"Yes, you should count yourself lucky I had been paying attention." They had reached the Wall at this point, and Virgo seemed to be examining it. "To answer your question - I believe that Magic cannot be cast near here in order to prevent some mis-fortunate spell to cause the doom of this world."
"So it's a good thing?"
"Yes, at least on the surface." Virgo brought his hand up to the Wall, revealing it from underneath his robe. The skin looked like ash, and fell from the hand as it moved - turning to dust as it hit the cold night air. As it made contact with the ethereal veil it began to smoke, and the Mage retreated with haste.
"What happened to your hand?"
"The cost of childhood innocence." Virgo laughed. "In any case. You asked me why I brought you out here?"
"And you never answered."
"Keen mind, Wytch."
"Answer, Mage."
"Well, as you can see, it is now the Wytching Hour."
The Mage turned and pointed to his tower. Sure enough, the moon hung directly above the steeple. "I made an agreement with you and your mother, and I intend to keep it."
"We are going to start learning Magic?"
"Oh yes," The Mage replied. "Do you still have the crystal you found?"
"The Opal, yes." Tsiann retrieved it from her pocket, and showed him. "Why?"
"We are going to play a game."
- End -
No comments:
Post a Comment