Born of Magic (Channeler Series) (19 page)

“Are you one of those mages?” I asked.

“You might say that I appreciate the value of some good plants,” he said with a wink.

Tevon took me outside and we began walking out towards the forest, away from everything. The sun was a little past overhead now, and the valley was still busy with students and mages. Tevon took us deep unto the forest, until the castle disappeared behind the thick canopy of trees.

“Time to work on your best self-defense of all,” Tevon said, taking a seat on an old moss-riddled log.

“My best defense?” I was unsure I had any viable defense other than screaming for help.

“When Aton attacked me, you were able to cut off his flow of power, remember? If you can do that to other mages you can take away any advantage they may have over you—even out the playing field.”

I looked down at the ground, and how short of a distance it was. Even without their magic, there are few that would have trouble with me. One less advantage on their side was better than none, I guess. I tried to remember what I did to take away Aton’s power. It was difficult to recall anything from that moment at all. I acted only on adrenaline and was unsure if I even could do that again.

Tevon started using a weak amount of his power, sprouting a small round patch of lemon-green grass. He tilted his head up at me and nodded. In Etherea I could see the magic flow into him like light being sucked back into a candle. I tried taking as much power from him and into me as I could. Nothing. I was just standing there, staring at him expecting something to happen.

The mist carried on its normal routine; maybe I needed to ask it to do something. I tried drawing it away from him, calling it like a puppy in my mind. That apparently got its attention. As I pulled it away from him, more just poured back in like the water rushing back after you lift your out of a puddle. He was still able to use some of his magic, while the rest abandoned him for me.

The grass grew thick and tall. Pulling the magic away from him wasn’t working, so I tried creating a bubble around him, imagining the dome Tevon had created for us in the forest. I told the mist to stay out and as soon as what was still trapped inside was used, he was cut off. Pressure began to build up on every inch of the bubble—I could feel it pushing down on me as if I were under a couple hundred feet of water. I held it back for a few seconds, but the force became overwhelming and the dome collapsed and the energy poured in and crashed against Tevon. The wave of magic surged more power into him as it filled the void for a brief moment.

Tevon looked up at me with a look of astonishment. “That seemed different than how you did it the last time.”

I nodded in agreement. “This way works, but it was more difficult.”

“Want to try again?”

“Give me a minute,” I blurted out between heavy breaths. My body somehow ached from the effort exerted in creating the bubble.

The ache that ran through my muscles and bones was unusual, as though I had spent the day swimming while carrying a rock on my back, and every limb in me had nearly snapped from the exertion. Tevon sat down and looked through the grass he had grown while he waited for me to rest. It did not take long for my energy to return, but I spent the time trying to conceive another way in which I could divert energy away from Tevon. A new plan came to mind.

“I’m ready,” I said with a bit more confidence, certain that I would be able to do better this time, with my new idea.

Tevon once again began growing another patch of grass next to the last one. This time I watched the magic flow into him as it always did, in a constant steady stream. I thought of the energy as a living being, willing it to leave Tevon and avoid him. It would be a favor, I thought to it. As I did, I watched in amazement as the flow of magic veered around him like a herd of sheep flocking around a tree.

Not only did the magic no longer flow into him, but any magic that he had in him left as well. I watched a cloud of green magic that was in him float away. I beckoned the magic over to me. The energy had already been converted it to Tevon’s ability, but had been sucked away before he could use it. For another test I then willed the magic into the ground before my feet, and a small patch of grass grew.

Tevon stared at me with wide eyes and a ghostly pale face. “I had no idea such a thing was possible. How did you?” He stuttered as he spoke.

“I willed the energy to leave you. When it did, the magic you had already converted to your own left you as well. Then I was able to control that little amount,” I said, proud that my power was now not only a method of defense and empowering others, but could also be useful to me. I was no longer as dependent on others.

Tevon tested again to ensure he still had his power. He did. Nothing had changed when I pulled the magic from him—I just took it and made it my own. I was not anywhere near as efficient with his ability as he was, but it could be useful in a tight spot.

“I think the magic is alive—it responds when I ask it to do something, I think.”

“I’ve never heard magic described in such a way. You say it responds to your will?” Tevon asked. He stared off into the distance, probably still in shock over what had happened.

“I think so.”

“For such a little girl you certainly are full of surprises,” he said. His voice sounded shaky and his eyes darted around, avoiding contact with mine.

I wanted to ask him what had made him become uneasy but I was beginning to understand. Between the unusual results in my entry test and the new revelations of the true nature of my ability, I was a threat—too powerful and too uncertain. At any point I could cut off magic from anyone and use it against them. If I were to grow to be a powerful fighter as well, I could become unstoppable. That lust for power was once again wreaking havoc on my thoughts. Even I grew nervous of what I may become.

“Tevon, do people here trust me?”

He shook his head for a moment. “Jas, you’re a very powerful mage, with great potential. They’re concerned with your future, and the test left us with many questions.” He played with his beard, twirling his fingers through its scraggily ends. “They just need to get to know you better.” He then walked over and gave me a hug. “Let’s take a walk.”

I was tired from training, but a walk sounded strangely relieving to me—nothing but nature, Tevon’s warming presence, and no pending issues. I stood up in agreement and we headed further into the forest.

“What do you think about me?” I asked, continuing my unusual behavior of being direct with my questions.

“What do you mean, Jas?”

A large part of me shuddered at the possible answers that might follow, but I needed to know. “Do you think I can be trusted?”

“Of course, Jas.” I had expected a very reassuring response from Tevon, and while his words were, his tone was not.

His response showed me that while they did care for me to some extent, I could not put all of my trust in them either. At least not Tevon, but Helendra was always honest towards me, I thought. She would be one that I could still turn to with this. The remainder of the hike I was silent, intent on discussing my concerns with Helendra tonight when I reached my home.

The sun cast an orange haze across the sky, painting the forest with a yellow tint that made the world feel alien to me. “I’m supposed to meet with the archery instructor soon. He’s helping me catch up.”

Without a word Tevon veered off path and in a different direction, one that I assumed led us back towards the castle. We barely made it back to the archery field in time, but the instructor was already there. At a steady gate he returned from far down the field, where he had setup two targets. He must not have been here that long as he had just finished setting them up.

He threw his thumb over his shoulder, pointing towards the targets. “By the time we’re done, you’ll be hitting those.”

I sized up the distance to cover in disbelief. The targets were farther down the range than any had been during the class earlier today, even the more advanced students’ targets had been only half as far away. “I can’t shoot anywhere near that far.”

With a confident smile and a flashing of his pearly white teeth he said, “You will.”

We stood next to each other as we took up our bows, taking aim at our separate targets. I shot first, and while my arrow made it much farther than I had managed earlier, it still only covered a quarter of the distance.

He grinned and drew back his bow, then released it. The arrow glided through the air. It was a very straight shot, and he did not arc it upward like he had trained us to do. The arrow traveled pristinely through the air, its feathers thrown back by its speed. It was about to hit the ground when his eyes grew wide. A narrow gust of wind came whooshing by us and caught the arrow in its path, and seemed to increase its speed at least five fold. The arrow hit the center of the target and passed through it, leaving a gaping hole in the center.

With a feral smile he turned back to me and slung his bow over his shoulder. “I have a bit of an advantage there.”

“Can you do that again?”

With pride and pleasure, he pulled another arrow and drew his bow once more. The moment he released it, I watched as magic formed within him. I called it over to me and stored it within me. A puzzled look struck his face as he tried to use his magic. He came up short at first, and the arrow was about to hit the ground just before he had built up enough magic again to send it screaming down the field.

“That was weird,” he said, sounding a little ashamed.

“My turn,” I said, eager to try another power.

I took an arrow into my hand and drew my bow, aiming a little high, just to be safe. I took a deep breath and started to release the air slowly. At the end of my exhalation, I unhooked my fingers from the tightly pulled string. It snapped forward and launched the arrow away. I focused the magic I had stolen from him, summoning a concentrated gust of wind to pick up the arrow and rain it down onto the target. While it did not hit as well as his had, I had made my point.

Expecting congratulations on my well-placed shot, I turned to him. His face wore nothing but a look of concern. “You took my magic,” he said with a stuttering murmur. “Your eyes, they turned black, darker than a moonless night.”

Ashamed at another concerned response, I turned and ran off, leaving our training session. I was not followed as I hurried to my home, if I could still call it that for long with the welcome I had been receiving today. It was relieving to find it empty. I curled into my bed and pulled the blanket over my face.

“Are you there?”
I asked.

“As always,”
Helendra replied. There was an obvious bit of uncertainty laced in her voice.

“Is there something wrong with me?”
I was sure the answer was yes. Every time I demonstrated my potential, others grew afraid of me. I could see it in their eyes. I was not considered a friend or student, I was a dangerous weapon that could not be trusted but could not be left alone either. They needed to watch over me.

“Not as far as I am concerned. There is just apprehension over how much power you have for your age. That and—”
Her pause confirmed my beliefs--they’re afraid of what had happened with the test. I needed to gain their trust just as they had gained mine.

“What can I do? I want them to trust me. I want to be treated like a student, not a weapon.”
I questioned my usage of the word weapon, but it was too late, I had revealed that I knew what I could become.

“Jasminis, you are no weapon. You are going to save millions if you can help end this war. That makes you the opposite of any weapon.”

Helendra had always been there, watching over me, keeping her faith in me, never shifting in her own opinion. She could feel my emotions at any time. She knew me well and she placed her trust in me. I could not betray that trust.

I was about to finish my conversation with Helendra when a pressing question reappeared in my mind.
“Helendra, those stones I had helped Aton get, what do they really do?”

“When the stones are combined and.... embedded into the wielder, it draws magic into them. With them, he wouldn’t have needed you, at least not as much.”

“Why didn’t the academy ever use them for themselves?”

“You remember what had happened to Aeden when you channeled more magic to him? The use of magic can be tiring, and the way the stones are placed into the wielder, it leaves a constant large stream of magic going to them. After some time, that much magic changes someone. It corrupts them.”

“Is that why they are so concerned about my future?”

“Mostly.”

While knowing the reason for the others' mistrust in me was good, I was still bothered by their lack of faith in my ability to control my power. I would have to prove my restraint. I would have to keep the magic from corrupting me.

“What of Aton? He doesn’t need that many more to complete his quest.”

“We have taken the last three stones and placed them somewhere very safe, so he will never find them.”

I replied with a cold tone in my voice,
“He’s still a threat to others.”

“He will be found in time. We have people looking for him.”

Our conversation ended there and spent the rest of the night staring at the roof of my hut.