Priestess Tulip entered her room when the sun breached the horizon. Dressing into her new robes required a little guidance, and she was careful to keep her flower uncrushed. Tulip hovered a hand over her daffodil and after a warm golden glow encompassed her finger, it returned to a pristine state.
On her way out of the room she looked to the side, pausing to stare into her eyes in the mirror. Her steps halted for a moment before she resolutely stepped forward and grasped Tulip's hand in her own.
She was led to the chapel, but quickly walked across the center aisle to reach a door on the opposite side of the large room. It looked identical to the one they had left behind.
Through it was a room filled with beds hidden by curtains of woven morning glory and ivy. A subtle fragrance floated through the air and had her muscles relaxing subconsciously. Lavender dotted the windowsills and shelves of healing herbs created a colorful array.
Dahlia stood in the morning light, rearranging pots of marigold and aloe.
He turned towards them with a relaxed smile and gestured for them to follow.
They moved deeper into the room and Daffodil absentmindedly brushed her fingers along the petals of a bright chamomile flower. Her hand was tugged gently and she redirected her attention to Tulip, who ushered her toward the back of the room where another door hid behind a robust curtain.
Dahlia opened the door and entered the room, Tulip pushed her forward but didn’t follow, remaining in the room behind.
Daffodil felt the warmth in her hand fade and frowned, turning to grasp Tulip’s hand again but the door closed with a soft click.
Dahlia cleared his throat and she met his eyes with a slightly furrowed brow. He hummed. “Today is your first lesson, child, but that does not mean the church can shirk its responsibilities to the rest of the village. A member of the garden must always be ready to heal when it is needed.” He gestured to a chair with a moss cushion and she sat reluctantly.
He smiled and patted her head gently before moving to a chair next to her. She glanced towards the large chair behind the desk and he shook his head. “It would be difficult to teach you sitting so far. It will be easier to show you the spellwork and runes closely initially and then I will give you materials to study on your own.”
She nodded, then shifted to stare at his hands as a single circle lit up in his palm.
It spun slowly, lazily, and followed when the Head Priest shifted his hands so she could get a better look. She pointed at the circle and the gold symbols that lined its edges. “Runes. Language of the world.”
Head Priest Dahlia smiled. “Yes, very good, Daffodil.” He lifted his eyes to meet hers and they seemed to glow amid the light of the spell.
He returned his gaze to the spell and pointed at the runes. “This is the simplest spell available to the followers of Asmophel and also the base of all spells in the healing branch of magic… even the ones that harm. ‘Heal’.” She reached out to poke it and Dahlia did not stop her. Bolstered by his acceptance, her fingers quickly touched the swirling gold. It seemed to shift, but otherwise remained unaffected. Her fingertips warmed.
“The only way to affect a spell circle is through the use of magic, but they are generally fragile, my magic is just a bit less so.” His hand moved out of reach and she pouted slightly. She rubbed her fingers together as the warmth dissipated.
“Today you will learn how to channel magic, but it is unlikely that you will succeed.” Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. “I will.” She met his gaze and he chuckled. “Alright, then you will succeed.”
“First we meditate. You must remember the warmth that infused you during your ceremony. You should find its source behind your eyes.” He moved to the floor and she followed, not at all uncomfortable on the plush moss. He sat with his back straight and his eyes closed, she copied him.
Surrounded now by darkness she listened as the Head Priest moved and gently touched right between her eyes. “It is here.” She concentrated and felt the warmth of his skin on hers, but felt nothing otherwise.
“The most important aspect of magic is not the runes or the source behind your eyes, but will.” She furrowed her brows and shook her head and he paused for a moment. “You must want something to happen. You must want to heal.”
“Magic is considered the greatest truth, as a dishonest heart will not be able to perform a spell. You cannot heal if you don’t wish it, and you cannot commit harm in the same way.” He sighed and she cracked open her eyes to see him staring wistfully into the distance. His gaze returned to her and she hurriedly shut her eyes. “Remember the sensation you felt during your ceremony.” He reiterated and stood, she heard him move behind the desk, the rustling of plants and cloth loud in the silent office. She would be receiving no more guidance for the moment.
She sat in the dark for a moment, unsure, then focused between her eyes, where the lingering warmth remained from Dahlia’s poke. She furrowed her brow in concentration. I must want. She did. She wanted. So badly.
The sound of rustling paper was a distraction and she couldn’t help but shift when she grew restless. Eventually, she changed to a more comfortable position. Sitting like this she could feel her body relax and she sunk deeply into the dark, willing herself to see light.
Warmth bloomed between her brows and they relaxed. She immersed herself in this familiar feeling, like the sun warming her skin, or the feel of her mama’s back against hers as they slept. She bit her lip and forced her eyes to stay dry before opening them. She looked at Dahlia who sat hunched over the desk. When she moved he glanced up at her and their eyes met. He flinched. “You…” He moved from behind the desk and kneeled in front of her, looking deeply into her eyes.
If he hadn’t been looking for it he wouldn’t have noticed, but her eyes deepend just a smidge in color. “You succeeded.” His tone was flat in disbelief and she pursed her lips slightly. “My apologies, it’s just… surprising.” He combed his hair through his fingers in a rough motion. “It has only been a few hours since you entered meditation. It took me days.” She startled and looked down at her legs, only now feeling the pins and needles assaulting them. He mumbled to himself and rested his hand under his chin in contemplation. “Perhaps, Asmophel truly blessed you, child.”
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He helped her to stand. “Regardless, congratulations, Daffodil. You have succeeded in the first step in spellcraft.” He rubbed her head and her face flushed. She looked down at the ends of her sleeves and rubbed the runes between her fingers.
“I will admit I wasn’t prepared to continue to the next steps, but I will gather what is needed while we have lunch.” Her stomach grumbled and her face turned a deeper pink. A new spell appeared in front of Dahlia and he quickly swept it over her legs, the uncomfortable feeling fading to nonexistence. She grabbed his hand and took the initiative to lead him out, meeting Tulip, who was conversing with a young man. His orange eyes snapped to the door as it opened and she startled, hiding behind the Head Priest.
Tulip smiled gently and the young man just grinned and hopped up, quickly escaping out of the door. “Thanks for healing my hand, Priestess!” He called, quickly disappearing into the chapel.
Tulip bustled over and grabbed Daffodil’s free hand and led them out. Dahlia didn’t wait to tell her the news and Tulip burst with surprised excitement- words of congratulations poured out of her mouth nonstop.
Daffodil felt warm, like magic was thrumming under her skin and she couldn’t help but swing their clasped hands as they walked. She listened to Tulip chatter and stared at the indulgent smile on Dhalia’s face. She felt like she was home again. No. She found a new home, another home. She would tell her mama all about it when she saw her again.
They returned to the office shortly after lunch and Daffodil was eager to get started, buzzing in her seat and high on praise. Dahlia sat across from her and pushed the papers he had prepared. She stared at the ink covered paper in confusion. Dahlia couldn’t help the flash of dark amusement that flashed through his body, briefly thinking back to his own first forays into magic.
“Runes?” She traced the familiar looking symbols, feeling odd at the sight of black instead of gold. Dahlia nodded. “There are three fundamental aspects to magic. Magic itself, the source that sits behind your eyes. Runes, the language of the world through which magic is interpreted and forms spell circles. Finally, will, the force which shapes magic and gives it potency.” She narrowed her eyes at the runes and felt her sight swim at all of the characters. “Will?” Dahlia seemed to grasp her meaning immediately and the ends of his mouth tilted upwards. “Just because I said will is the most important aspect of magic, does not mean the others can be neglected.”
She slumped, resting her chin against the paper. She sighed then straightened, a determined look stealing over her features. “Okay.”
She started by copying the most fundamental runes with a thin charcoal stick Dahlia handed her. The fundamental runes were the simplest, and combined to create new runes with more robust meaning. Soon her fingers were stained with black powder and her face had black smudges where she rubbed her face in frustration. Dahlia was patient, explaining the meaning of each rune.
“They’re like pictures, and each picture represents a piece of the world, everyone knows runes innately, as we are all a part of the world. We just need to jog your soul’s memory, and then we can build from the basic runes to create something more complex.” He smiled wryly. “Like each rune is a leaf or piece of bark, and only when many are gathered together do they create a tree.” She stared at him for a while as he stared over her shoulder with unfocused eyes. She turned her head and looked out a window to see an oak with twisting branches cast its shadow over the room.
She stared back down at the paper and for a while the only sound heard in the office were the light sounds of charcoal scratching on paper.
The peaceful atmosphere was broken when Tulip walked in carrying a tray with drinks and snacks. She set it down on the desk and leaned over Daffodil’s shoulder to take a peek. She hummed and walked to the bookshelves set into the office walls. She traced the spines before choosing two relatively thin books and placed them before her.
“As you learn to recognize runes, it might be helpful to recognize how they are used in writing as well.” She opened a book to the first page and pointed to the runes she had been copying. “If you’d like I can read to you so it’s easier to recognize them?” Daffodil nodded hesitantly and Tulip sat by her side.
Dahlia glanced up briefly before returning to his work, but after finishing his page he stood and departed from the room. Daffodil sat up. “Where going?”
Dahlia chuckled. “Remember? A member of the Garden must always be available to heal. I’m just switching places with Tulip, for now.”
The door closed behind him and Tulip turned in her seat with a click of her tongue. “Now. Let’s see about those marks on your face, young lady!”
Tulip pulled a handkerchief from within her robes and gently wiped Daffodil’s face clean. Daffodil giggled as Tulip hemmed and hawed about how to take care of one’s appearance. When Tulip was satisfied they both turned to the books in front of them and Daffodil followed along as Tulip dragged her finger along the page, pointing to each rune as she read aloud.
After a while, the runes began to stick to her mind. She didn’t see them as shapes or pictures, but could feel the concept they represented. Feeling a burning urge she sent some of the warmth to her fingertips and they flickered with golden sparks and a wobbly rune appeared for a brief moment.
Tulip sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes flew up to meet Daffodil’s. She placed her hands over her own. “Magic is dangerous, Daffodil, I’m amazed at your progress, but please let me know before you try something.” She rubbed her temples wearily. “Unpracticed magic can end very badly.”
She tucked her hands under her legs and nodded, contrite.
Tulip rubbed her head. “Maybe we need a break from runes, instead let’s move to the most fundamental skill of the Gardens. I was hoping to teach you this soon anyways, and now that you’ve found your source it won’t pose too difficult an issue.”
Daffodil cautiously perked up, her eyes shining. “What do?” Tulip tilted her head. “What do we do or what does the skill do?” She smiled, “both!”
Tulip gave a knowing grin.
Tulip cleared her throat and straightened. “This skill is one everyone in the gardens must learn and take to heart. It is a skill that is one of the most important to our clergy. It is a channeling spell that requires no runes.” She paused dramatically. “It is the spell that keeps our flowers alive.” Her hands hovered over the flowers sewn into the hems of her robes, and her fingertips ghosted over her tulip. “All that it requires is will and a constant supply of magic. It is a constant flow of healing magic to keep our flowers fresh and healthy.”
She smiled gently. “It is a constant drain on our source magic and constantly trains our source to be stronger, more potent.” Her smile turns a little mischievous. “Many underestimate the skill since it is a non-runic skill which everyone in the clergy constantly uses, but it shows its worth over time and our source becomes stronger as it is used.”
Daffodil listens intently. “The more flowers you are able to keep on your robes, the higher your status in the clergy, as it means that your magic is potent and powerful due to the strain.”
She demonstrated by bringing enough magic to her fingertips that they glowed gold. “You won’t need nearly this much magic, it is just easier to visualize- to see- this way.” Daffodil looked at her own hand then paused. She looked at the Priestess. “I try?”
Tulip covered a smile with her hand. “Thank you for asking! First, take my hand.” Daffodil quickly grasped the outstretched hand. She quickly felt a stream of warmth enter where their hands touched and her eyes widened. The energy was calm and she could feel its intention to revitalize and restore. She quickly stirred her own source magic and filled it with her own intent. It flowed down her arm and entangled with Tulip’s and her smile widened, her eyes forming crescents.
She quickly shifted her focus and funneled the warmth into her flower, she didn’t remove her hand from Tulip’s grasp, instead channeling the magic through the skin nearest to the flower.
It visibly seemed to bloom into an even brighter radiance. She looked up to see Tulip’s flowers had grown and shifted, covering a larger portion of her robes.
Their eyes met and glowed with an identical golden sheen.
Tulip’s grin was just as wide as her own. “I’d call that a success.”