The next morning Itxaro brought her five candles and found Alvah acquired something else as well. The man had already been awake and was drawing the symbol of the sun onto a large grey crystal that looked like scratched glass with the aberration beside him.
“Is that gypsum?” Itxaro asked.
“Yes it is.”
“Allow me to guess,” Itxaro let herself take on a faintly sardonic tone. “Desdomena acquired it.”
“That would be correct.”
“I can travel as an eagle and I do not tire,” Desdomena boasted. “A single night was enough for me to travel to the coast and back.”
Itxaro would have been angry if she received any other answer. She imagined Alvah somehow walking out after he rejected her people’s offer to acquire it for him.
“You did not do it at night,” Itxaro stated matter-of-factly. If there was any accusation in her voice, it was unintentional. Trying to discern the truth in the unknown thing that was Desdomena gave her some relief from the aberration's inherent wrongness.
“What makes you say that?” Desdomena asked innocently.
Just the other day, Desdomena said “See you tomorrow,” and had not appeared that evening. Desdomena did not always appear and Itxaro could not take Desdomena at her word but her actions were consistently protective of Alvah. The aberration would not have left him alone while he was most vulnerable.
“You did it some time between noon and evening and returned before he went to sleep,” Itxaro declared with confidence.
“Maybe I did. Maybe I did not. Who knows but me and Alvah?” Desdomena leaned back to mark that the conversation had ended.
There was also something noteworthy in what Desdomena said earlier. “You do not tire?” Itxaro asked, the way the aberration had leaned back reminded her of how someone might sleep.
Desdomena flexed her fingers. “Never.”
“Then how have your kind not overrun us?” Itxaro asked. Her grandmother mentioned something similar but one of the ways that her people survived had been from retreating. If such beings knew not exhaustion, how could anyone escape?
“We have already overrun you.”
“They still get hungry,” Alvah added, having completed his engraving and put the crystal beside him. “Expending too much energy can result in their death, fading out of existence if they do not replenish themselves. Even the Great Ones vanish these days for lack of victims. Some have natures to show an illusion of sleep, to hibernate in the day to haunt the night when the prey they seek are available or vice versa. They imitate mannerisms of living creatures when it suits them. The more real they seem, the less they can be ignored.”
“The Great Ones can starve?”
“Unfortunately, no. Not while there are humans left,” he answered. “They might grow less active but their existences are those universally known. Even if they were destroyed, they, unlike lesser ones, might even be reborn. We can discuss this further later but perhaps learning the basics of magic might grant you your own insight on the matter. You have the candles ready?”
Itxaro held out five red candles as a response.
“Execellent. We will be working with fire, the simplest of human discoveries,” he began as he put the crystal in a bowl. “And to prove I am not advising you on matters I myself am ignorant of, this crystal turns to a white powder when heated. Observe.”
He breathed onto the sun glyph and the symbol glowed like a growing ember before turning a bright constant red. The grey surface slowly turned a dull white, spreading from the sun until it was uniform except for black and brown impurities along the base and speckling the corners.
The man took what was left and crushed it in his hands before picking out the impurities. Itxaro stared in awe.
“It is not as impressive as you think,” Alvah stated. “You could accomplish the same through mundane means with a powerful enough flame.”
“It is still something I myself can not do,” Itxaro reminded him. “Though I would rather learn to extinguish than to heat.”
“I recall you wanted to learn how to heal yesterday,” he remembered. “You are quite sufficient in my eyes as a healer even without spellcraft. I would not be able to teach you anything better than what you are already capable of in the time I have. It is better to start with the basics, it is easier to inflict harm than undo harm. Let us begin with the most basic of ideas even our most primitive of kin could master and appreciate.
“Humor me for a while,” he requested. “Forgive me but I fear I should give you a lecture before you can put ideas into practice. Rather than ask, what is magic, let us ask how magic can exist. There are three realms we humans are connected to, the material, the realm of thought, and the spiritual. Thoughts are the most flexible while the spiritual is the least mutable. By pouring some spirit into a firm mental image, it can be pulled into the physical realm as the three meet somewhere in the middle.
"Everyone could use magic quite easily but priests directed their attention to gods. Now that there are horrors about, such fears are what most occupy the mind.
"That, and magic has such a strong foundation on thought and spirit that it is easy for aberrations to detect.”
Itxaro took the moment Alvah needed to take a breath. “My grandmother said as much about aberrations but you used magic to mend yourself and for what you did just now. Are we in danger now?”
“I am an exception for many reasons. It would be difficult to explain how I am different when I have not explained other branches. I store my magic in symbols, what I just did was nearly identical to everyone else as I was quick to cast it so we would be in danger if not for Desdomena but ordinarily my magic would have seeped into the symbol, my original thoughts, emotions, and intentions woven into it having gone “stale.””
“Emotions go stale fast,” Desdomena added. “I can’t describe it for you because I doubt you’ve ever tasted them the way I have. But you are a human, you know how fickle your own thoughts can be, how swiftly one emotion can turn to another like that.” She snapped her fingers.
“I know not what precautions your grandmother takes and I do not intend for you to copy my methodologies so for these lessons you will be having Desdomena shadow you,” Alvah explained. “Spells use the spiritual and mental so I would say aberrations such as her can sense such castings like fish noticing disturbances in the water but it is more like sharks noticing blood. Was that a proper comparison? Are you aware of what a shark is.”
“My people are from near the coast,” she reminded him. “I know what a shark is.”
“Good. She will be with you, drinking up the energies you might release to make sure nothing else catches scent of you.”
Desdomena leaned forward and stuck her tongue out as if to taste the air. “I will try to be gentle,” she said in mock kindness.
“You can leave anytime you want,” Alvah ensured Itxaro. “No need to subject yourself to her attention if you do not find the endeavor worthwhile. Like all things, if you think it is wrong or too much, you can simply walk away.”
“Understood,” Itxaro acknowledged, welcoming the aberration into her shadow. She did not feel any different so it might have been like yesterday only there were no plants to tell her there was something wrong. Desdomena was right beside her but hopefully not in her head like she was with Alvah. “Tell me what we will be doing today.”
“Today, we will be developing the words and gestures of your first spell. These words are more to convince yourself than the world. Create for yourself a string of words you would never say in polite conversation and tie them with an idea in your mind. Imagine the sensations, the sight, the sound, the smell and then invite it to be real. Whenever you chant those words, imagine what you want again and again until it becomes as though the moment the words form on your lips, the image reaches the forefront of your mind out of habit. In this case, we will be lighting a candle.”
“Why do you and grandmother stick to such simple things? If it is a matter of visualization, wouldn’t it be just as simple to imagine a wild fire as it is to imagine a spark?”
“The more complex something is the more difficult it is to control. Once it leaves your mind, it acts in accordance to its new nature rather than your desire. Ironically, if it’s nature is to act according to your desire, it might do things you do not want. There’s parts to our mind we ourselves do not know, the way we can’t see ourselves without a mirror. Also, it takes energy from us to do such things but the strain while a key factor is negligible in the face of the danger and sheer concentration required. That is why I tend to choose effects that are instantaneous, to have the spell be over and gone before it can go wild. I am willing to teach you how to limit yourself once you actually learn how to cast spells but right now I do not want to chain you down before you have even begun to crawl.”
“A baby bird must first learn how to fly before worrying about touching the sun,” Desdomena’s voice was whispered directly into her ear.
“Seems to me that someone should teach someone about wild beasts before sending them into the wilderness,” Itxaro advised.
“You will understand,” Alvah predicted. “There will be a tiredness of the mind rather than the body. I have seen more mages die to their own spells running wild than from the strain, only those sick or that insisted to do so repeatedly without support have succumbed to death by mental exertion. Our capacity for spells, like our craft itself is unique to each person. I believe it to be our own creative potential. One can cast one massive spell and not be able to concentrate on a new one for several days but maybe cast many small ones in succession like myself without alarm. I hope I am not relying on this metaphor too heavily but an artist can not be expected to make more than one masterpiece in a single day, let alone repeatedly but one can make draft after draft.”
Alvah raised three fingers. “Let me instead tell you of the impossibilities rather than dangers. If there are indeed three realms each one possesses a law that no mage so far has been recorded to overcome. For the material, no one has reversed the passage of time. For the realm of thought, no one has ever completely taken control of another person's will. As the spiritual, no one has ever destroyed a soul. There are mages that accomplished effects that might as well spit upon such limits, especially the second one, to the point it appears to be a true miracle but after analysis, they merely found another way that reached a similar destination.”
Alvah smiled. “But we will not be pursuing such matters. Your goal is to light a candle, what would be your invocation, the words and gestures to your spell?”
That seemed very simple to Itxaro. Fire was an aggressive force so she wanted something spontaneous. She pointed at nothing particular and put her heart into shouting “Burn!”
He looked solemn. “I am afraid you need to make something more complicated than that. Your spell would work but perhaps too well.” He mimicked her pose. “The complication of an invocation is for everyone’s safety, not just our own. What if you had been pointing to something and in your conversation, you said “burn.” The mental image you developed would come to mind and might even trigger the effect. Something small like this would hopefully be harmless but it would be an inconvenience.”
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He retracted his index finger and pressed his thumb against his middle one. “Someone could set it that they summoned lightning at the snap of their fingers.” He snapped his fingers loudly. “But that would mean they would not be able to perform that gesture without bringing the thought of lightning to mind. With extreme self discipline, one could overcome that obstacle but it is simpler and safer to make it so that you never risk triggering a spell unless you want to.”
"What were most spells like?"
"The casting of and execution of spells often leaned toward the theatrical. If the world is already bending to one’s will, there is little need for subtlety. A mage like any artist takes pride in their work."
Itxaro added words to her original idea and rather than simply point, she swiped her hand from left to right with a slight twist of her wrist. “By my will,” she said calmly before shouting “burn!”
She regained her composure. “How was that? Any problems?”
“None whatsoever,” Alvah informed her. “Perhaps a bit aggressive for something so benign but it fits for someone who does not want to develop any offensive spells.”
"So, what is next?" Itxaro inquired.
Alvah set the candle in front of her and lit it with simple tinder. “Watch this candle burn. Memorize every angle and sensation. Know the sight, know the sound of the flickering, the scent of burning, and its warmth. And while you are doing that, repeat your invocation, words, gestures and all repeatedly as uniformly as you can. Try even to say every word with the same inflection. That is not necessary but it helps. I recommend you make a few attempts to test to see which way rolls off your tongue easiest before settling into that style.”
"How do I put my "spirit" into it?" Itxaro asked. "How do I make it into a spell rather than simple words and movements?"
"That part comes surprisingly naturally. In trying to make a spell, maybe we put a part of ourselves in the process. We simply have to will it to be a spell. Fortunately, the soul has proven to be quite durable. The mind and body is what limits the casting."
Itxaro decided on what she originally used, practically whispering until the final word. It was getting the flick of her wrist consistent that proved difficult. She spread her fingers out so it felt like she was reaching out for the flame. Overtime, her wrist started to strain and her voice went hoarse from repeated shouting.
She stared into the light until her eyes hurt, the sound and warmth was barely noticeable but the faint stink of burning was almost aromatic.
While Itxaro worked on that, Alvah wrapped his own leg in fresh linen. Itxaro already had an idea what he planned and said nothing as what he was using was already resistant to water. Afterwards, he took powder he made from the crystal, placed it in a cup of water and stirred until it became a thick white paste.
He took a brush and slowly coated the linen in the paste. He kept his hand steady and evened out any drips until everything was a solid white. It was a surprisingly quick process. At some unknown point, he mentioned something about the plaster taking three days to dry while he was calculating.
Her own task was monotonous and time seemed to slow down to a crawl. Still, time slipped by her after a while as if she had been put to sleep, hypnotized by the fire. Alvah finally caught her attention when he snuffed the wick of the half-melted candle with his bare fingers.
“That is enough for now,” he decided. “Doing a single task without rest can be counterproductive. It will drive you insane.”
“What now?” she asked.
“We eat, rest, and talk about anything other than-“ He gestured toward the thing that had been the object of her attention for several hours. “this.”
As they ate, Itxaro watched as Desdomena manifested from her shadow and literally floated over to Allah. The aberration draped herself over the man like a cloak as she hugged his neck as if to compensate for their short time separated.
Itxaro eyed the aberration. “If Desdomena is able to hide your spells, why didn’t you finish healing your leg with magic? You mentioned your spellcraft as incomplete but you were able to do so before, why not again?”
Desdomena’s lips stretched to her ears in an eerie smile. “Suspicious of him?”
“No, just curious.”
“The answer is not so complicated that I doubt you would understand if I explained it to you as much as it is too personal for you to understand,” Alvah began before checking his still wet cast. “Suffice to say, I have changed methodologies or ingredients. With a single exception, I can’t use the same mental images I used to.”
Itxaro thought back to the glyph used to heat the crystal. “And that would be the sun?”
“Exactly, I actually lack an affinity to fire. I simply can not think of a soul that would cease to associate fire with the sun. So, my ability to use my sun glyphs remain unchanged. I can use that glyph to conjure and control flames and heat.”
“So, you can cast multiple spells with the same glyph?”
“It must be one spell per “filled” glyph but I can use each one for any application I can associate with the nature of that symbol.”
“Could you show me another one of your spells?”
“You want an another demonstration? I’m afraid the only thing I can prepare immediately is a little flame no more impressive than what you could accomplish with flint.”
“I would still like to see that.”
“Excellent. But I will consider this a lesson so please pay attention as you have.” He looked to Desdomena for a moment as he opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. Instead, he addressed Itxaro. “Do you mind bringing me a handful of grass or straw?”
Itxaro stepped out for a moment to grab some grass from the ground and passed that to him. He took them approvingly and they began to eat while they gave the grass time to dry.
Once they were dry, Alvah held the blades of grass between his fingers and Desdomena took some flint and lit them. Alvah gently breathed onto the growing embers and smoke arose. He moved his hand about to draw a sun with the smoke.
“Spells are about bringing what you envision to reality, the way a craftsman carves out a statue from stone,” he explained. “I can not disassociate the sun with fire and this smoke serves as a fine reminder in case I fail to somehow remember my intent.”
Red vapors exuded from his chest, blew over his shoulder, then snaked around his arm before reaching the symbol. The smoke ignited, startling Ixtaro.
“See. Just a trick,” he said. “I do not need words because I use such symbolism, a concept predating even written language.”
“That was really interesting,” Itxaro exclaimed honestly. It may have been a trick by his standards but the presentation was caught her attention.
“This particular trick is new to me as well. Until recently, I was limited to filling carvings that had been near me for a day as if I bled into them drop by drop. But thanks to Desdomena, it is controlled enough that I can breathe it into my symbols.”
"How recently have you begun to do that?"
"Very recently. I would say I started practicing a week ago."
So, he had begun a week ago yet he was already formulating something new.
“But I will eventually be inventing a spell all my own?” Itxaro inquired. "After I learn the basic."
“Yes. What do you want most? That is often what one’s spells are meant to accomplish.”
“For everyone to be safe?” she seemed to ask herself rather than answer. If she said she wanted to heal people, that meant those she cared about already got hurt. She would rather avoid harm altogether.
“And what could do that?”
Itxaro imagined a peaceful world. If there was no danger, then they would be happy as well.
“I do not know.”
“No rush. You have centuries to perfect this.”
“Centuries? Grandmother said it would take me a few decades to learn her craft.”
“If you are compatible with your grandmother’s craft then yes because the rituals are already set but if you are creating your own… it can take a lifetime, though that is for the undetermined and untalented,” Alvah explained. “This is not something we can measure easily with time and effort, a masterpiece is born at its own pace. Individual spells can be mastered in months or years. Though there are prodigies among us that can develop their own magic from childhood when our imagination is strongest.”
“How long did it take you?”
“He is no prodigy but he is yet again another exception,” Desdomena commented.
“And I am glad not to be one,” Alvah added. “Prodigies such as those are also evidence one can accidentally create an invocation, attribute a spell to words or actions without knowing it. Such accidents are dangerous. One must remain aware of oneself and maintain some measure of control of one’s own thoughts.”
*****
Their conversations eventually came to an end and her candle was relit. Itxaro returned to observing it until it had completely burnt out two or so hours later. Some water had been prepared for her sore throat and she took a moment to relax.
Alvah then placed a fresh candle in front of her. “Now, try lighting this with your spell.”
Itxaro did her gesture. “By my will, burn!”
Nothing happened, nothing at all. Maybe if it had been lit her shouting and waving might have had it flicker but the sheer absence of anything was clear. That did not bother her too much. It was a good thing Alvah had told her it often took months, still she did not want to stare at candle wicks for months so she wanted results of some kind to prove her time had not been wasted.
She repeated her invocation over and over until Alvah stopped her. “Ten times is enough. Do not strain yourself.”
“So, am I to stare at this one as well?”
“Not today. We will be doing this tomorrow exactly as we did today but for now go about your life and scavenge what you can of the day.”
It was not quite evening but it had grown late. The sun would soon begin to set. She remained quiet as to how her current life could be summarized as spying on him. At the time, her services as a midwife were not needed just yet so she needed to take what opportunities she could.
Still, it felt good to step out and breathe the open air and see the sky after hours indoors. She could see why Alvah was so eager to walk, if only to get out of the building he was in. She did not want to compare it to a prison but it was far from luxurious and freedom was better than comfort.
She reported everything she was taught to her grandmother. The elder had nothing to say in the contrary to what Alvah claimed so what he taught could be accepted as accurate.
“So his craft is naturally “stale” as he put it?” the elder assessed. “That only really helps him with his casting.”
“But he said Desdomena can hide me as well. He has two methods,” Itxaro offered.
“Yes, but an aberration is untrustworthy, dear. Still, it would be worth knowing how far its ability to conceal castings extends. Does it have to be in your shadow or can it cover an area?”
“That should be something I can easily ask tomorrow.”
“Thank you, dear.”