The Gods have it out for me, Elies thought, pressing his lips into a thin line.

If magic was a divine gift, then he didn't want it, especially if it meant having Yarrow as a teacher. The old chode didn't even have the audacity to take him into the woods, again insisting on using Ashencrane's yard.

Hazelmere's crone of a grandmother growled at Elies when he knocked on her door, choking the life from her cane and cutting her eye at him like he had asked to be there. She only softened her gaze when Yarrow spoke.

"I bear a proposition," the old man said, placing a hand on Elies' shoulder.

"He wants to use you again," Elies interjected. He winced when Yarrow swatted the back of his head.

"I've come to bargain!" Yarrow argued, glaring at him. He stood in front of Elies, blocking his view of the unsightly woman. "Surely you know what little Haze has been up to?"

"Hmph!"

Elies felt the steaming puffing from her crow's beak of a nose.

"Ayko's poor judgment is contagious," Ashencrane said. "But what should I care? Hazelmere's old enough to make her own decisions, and I'm far too ripe to beat some brains into her."

"You don't mean that," Yarrow said sternly. "Surely you understand you'll have no one left." He turned to Elies. "And neither will he if we allow those two to come with."

"Mm." Another growl escaped Ashencrane's shriveled lips. She pushed past Yarrow and stood over Elies, the young man shifting uncomfortably when his eyes met hers. "And who will stop my fool of a loved one? You?"

Elies opened his mouth to speak, but Yarrow cut him off.

"He will. I will teach the boy everything within reason," the old man said. "And I ask that you assist me." He strutted to Ashencrane's side and smirked. "Surely you haven't forgotten everything?"

Ashencrane scoffed. "You're the only one who'd ask such a stupid question!" She looked down at Elies. "And you," she said, jabbing a finger at him. "If you're our last hope, you had better be worth our time."

The young man gulped and tailed behind the pair of decrepit souls, sitting atop his usual tree stump when they reached the yard. He tucked a cigarette between his lips, hoping to ease his churning gut as the duo looked down at him.

"Well?" Ashencrane placed a hand on her hip, staring expectantly.

Elies darted his eyes to Yarrow, who gave an amused chuckle. "Well, what?" the young man asked.

Ashencrane's face twisted into a frown, to which Yarrow patted her shoulder with his nub of a right arm.

"He's a novice, remember?" Yarrow said. "Elies, cast a spell if you will."

Elies yanked the unlit cigarette from his mouth. Embririere, he uttered, a speck of flame kindling the tip of his finger. He pressed it against the head of his cigarette and took a puff when it glowed orange.

Ashencrane sneered, her dark eyes following the rills of smoke rising into the air. "Boorish."

Elies' brow twitched. He had no idea what that word meant, but the gravel in her voice told him it was an insult. "Feel free to do better," he said coolly.

Yarrow shook his head. "No. There will be a time and a place for her, not to mention you've shown her what she wished to know. So, my dear, what do you think?"

Ashencrane held out her wrinkled hand, bringing a ghost-like strand of red alma to her face. It sizzled, turning a patch of her skin red. "The gods couldn't have given him worse magic to work with."

"Tch! Hurtful." Elies blew more smoke from his mouth. "But I guess this is the part where I ask you why."

The old crone held up three of her fingers. "Destruction, conjuration, and restoration," Ashencrane began. "Most mages can do all three of these things to some degree. But Pyromancers can only destroy." Disgust contorted her face. "I'm surprised Ayko isn't one, with how headstrong and witless most of you are."

Elies snorted. "So am I…But if I'm one, I guess I'm an exception."

Ashecrane clenched her jaw. "The gods don't make exceptions!" She snarled. "And you have the same lack of wit your brother does. Just look at that girl you're always drooling over."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Elies' face burned, and he stumbled over his words. "I–Ilta has nothing to do with this!" he sputtered, jumping up.

"Don't bark at me," Ashencrane demanded. She nudged him with her cane, forcing him to sit again.

Elies huffed and unclenched his fists.

"It wasn't an insult," Ashencrane continued, circling him. "Like traits can be found in mages of other elements, too—Zephys' are warm but timid, Cryomancers are snide and aloof, and Levis' are brash and unpredictable, to name a few."

Elies nodded understandingly. "Got you." He eyed Yarrow again. "And which are you?"

Yarrow chortled. "I am none of those."

"He's a special case," Ashencrane said. "Perhaps he'll show you if you train well enough."

"Ehh." Elies dismissively waved his hand. "I don't care about this shit enough for that, but I'll do whatever I can to stop Ayko and Haze." He flicked his half-finished cigarette aside. "So, what now?"

Yarrow glanced at Ashencrane, the one crone letting out a sigh. "Hold out your hands," she demanded.

Elies glanced at Yarrow, doing as asked when he nodded. He grimaced when Ashencrane hovered her hands over his own, his palms burning and his fingers tingling.

"Hmph." Ashencrane frowned and ripped her hands away. "His chassis is even less impressive."

Elies cocked an eyebrow at her. "My…what?"

"Think of it as an organ—a vestige resembling the veins in your hands," Yarrow interjected. "Everybody has one, the same as wisdom teeth, an appendix, and so on."

"So Ayko has one too, then?" Elies asked.

"Mhm." Yarrow nodded. "But it's useless to those I like to call…magically challenged."

"Those ribbons that float when you cast a spell?" Ashencrane chimed in.

Elies nodded understandingly. "Alma."

"The thinner the alma, the smaller the chassis," Yarrow said. "Or, in other words, the smaller the chassis, the lesser the potential."

"Potential?" Elies thought blankly. "What does that mean?"

"Simply put, it's a measurement," Yarrow replied.

"The smaller the measurement, the less you can learn," Ashencrane added.

"Learn what?" Elies asked, eyeing her.

The crone snarled when Yarrow's eyes twinkled. "Why, spells, of course!" The old man said.

Ashencrane thumped his shoulder. "Don't get too excited. He can only learn two for now. And including the magic he already knows, that only leaves room for—

"One, huh?" Yarrow looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "That more than dampens things…"

"Why?" Elies asked. "Just teach me everything. It's not like I'll use half this shit again, anyway."

Ashencrane shook her head. "Fool boy, it doesn't work that way!"

"Think of a chassis as a glass and spells as ale. If a glass overflows…"

"It spills, obviously," Elies said with a shrug. "But how does something overflow when you can't even see or feel it?"

Yarrow smirked. "Oh, the chassis doesn't overflow."

"It busts," Ashencrane said. Her eyes darkened. "And if that happens, you'll never use magic again."

"You also die," Yarrow said flatly.

Elies' face grew stale. "Neat. Another reason to rebuke the gods' gift."

"You can rebuke it after I'm done with you," Yarrow said. He extended his staff, yanking Elies to his feet when he grabbed it, his smirk further splitting his face. "Enough talk. It's time for a more hands-on approach."

Elies cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean by that?"

"I will say the name of a spell, and you will repeat after me," Yarrow continued. He tapped his staff. "Repellum."

"Re..pel…lum…" Elies said slowly. He scratched his head--such a daft word.

"Like you mean it," Yarrow said.

"Tch!" Elies grimaced, muttering the word before Ashencrane cut him off.

"Arms out," the crone said, rolling her eyes.

Elies threw his head back and held out his hands, his palms facing Yarrow, who stood across from him. "Repellum."

He winced as flames seeped from his palms and crawled down his hands, taking the shape of a saucer.

Yarrow flashed him a thin smile. "Good." He stepped closer and lifted his staff, thrusting it forward. The butt dispersed Elies' flames and struck his chest, sending him tumbling onto the snow. "But not good enough."

Elies wheezed and rose to his knees, looking up to meet the old man's gaze. "You could have warned me!" he rasped.

"It would have done you no good," Yarrow said, extending his staff. He helped Elies' to his feet. "That spell needs tuning if you're to fend off attacks."

Elies sighed. "My hands are enough to handle anything Ayko can throw at me, and Hazelmere isn't a fighter."

His brow twitched when Yarrow and Ashencrane traded looks.

"My granddaughter is a wizard," Ashencrane said.

Elies eyes swelled. He raised his eyebrows. "Excuse you?"

Ashencrane sneered at him. "Can you not…? By the gods, you're so naive it's gross!"

"Everyone starts somewhere," Yarrow argued. He looked her up and down. "Remember your roots."

Ashencrane looked away, her face contorting into a frown.

"Elies." Yarrow gently tapped him with his staff. "Steel yourself. You've got two days to learn that spell, and I've got two days to teach you." He shut his eyes and exhaled. "Stars help us both."