Seth peered up at the mountain horizon while Gloria and Elias packed up camp. Dark grey clouds rolled from over the mountaintops towards them and Seth felt that same tugging in his chest; it urged him towards the mountains, towards the temple…towards her.
Seth gulped as the mountains towered over him and glared down at the ant that dared to challenge them. He trembled; his confidence was beginning to waver. Maybe he was fooling himself last night. Who did he think he was anyway? He was no hero, just a scared little boy far away from home. This was his final chance, if he took even one step forward there would be no turning back.
“You are the strongest, bravest man I know.” Gloria’s tender words drifted into his mind. “If anyone could defeat The Lady, it would be you.” Seth looked back at Gloria. She happened to look up from her work and meet his eyes. She gave him a soft smile. Something fluttered in his chest, but he couldn’t put a name to it.
Seth looked back at the mountains and took a deep breath. If she believes I can do it, Seth found himself thinking, then maybe I can. He had to do it! People were depending on him. If he didn’t step up, then who would?
No more running. he thought, glaring defiantly at the mountains. No more hiding; I need to face this head-on.
Gloria came up beside him, wearing both her and Seth’s coats. “Camp’s packed up and ready to go. Did you figure out the direction we need to go?”
Seth looked up at the dark clouds coming closer. “I think so? But I don’t like the look of those clouds,” he said, pointing ahead.
He heard Gloria suck in a breath. “Looks like a storm’s coming. What do you want to do?” She looked expectantly at him.
Seth felt a little panic and he stammered. “I-I’m not sure. I want to make some distance today, but I don’t want to get stuck in a blizzard.” He peered out at the horizon for anything that could give them cover, he thought he could see some trees in the distance, but it was a little far for his eyes to see clearly.
“Well, here for sure won’t provide much shelter,” Gloria furrowed her brow. “But maybe if we press forward, we’ll find shelter?” she added helpfully.
From behind him, Seth heard Elias speak up with some nervousness in his voice. “I like that idea. Can we go with that idea?” Seth looked at Gloria and the two couldn’t help but smile and chuckle.
“That makes sense to me,” Seth said loud enough for Elias to hear. Then he looked ahead and took a deep breath trying to calm the anxiety in his stomach. “Are we ready to go?” He asked.
“I am sir!” Elias declared. Seth groaned inwardly. He’s never going to stop calling me sir, is he?
Seth peeked at a glance at Gloria who narrowed her eyes at the mountains; a fierce fire burned within them. “Yes, I’m ready,” she answered.
Seth looked forward once more. It was the moment of truth. Once he took this step, there was no going back. Seth clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and took a step forward. He paused and looked back at Gloria. A huge grin spread across her face, and she pushed through the snow to join him. “You’re stuck with me.” He heard her voice in his mind.
“Wait for me!” Seth looked up and saw Elias bound over the snow and slid down the small hill they had stood on. Seth smiled and shook his head, then took another step forward and began to blaze a trail for Gloria behind him.
Within him, Seth felt The Lady smile. Even with these first few steps, he could feel her power beginning to grow. You think you’re safe because you’re bringing friends? she chuckled. By all means, bring them along. I don’t mind…
----------------------------------------
Traveling through the snow was hard work. Seth pushed through snow that was already at his calf. He looked up at the darkening sky and grimaced. How deep will it be after this blizzard hits? He wondered.
He slogged through the snow, trying to tamp it down for Gloria. Behind him, he heard footsteps hurrying to catch up to him. His heart skipped a beat, and his cheeks grew warm. Gloria? he hoped. Instead, it was Elias who came up beside him.
“Mister Seth, sir?” he asked breathlessly.
Seth felt embarrassed and inwardly groaned again. He looked at Elias. “You really don’t need to call me that,” he said
Elias smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, sir. Force of habit.”
“I can tell,” Seth answered dryly, sensing that Elias had given up all hope of calling him by his given name.
Seth looked behind him and saw Gloria following not too far behind with her arms crossed. She looked focused on following his trail. With a sense of disappointment, Seth shook his head and turned his attention back to Elias. “Did you need something?” he asked.
Elias nodded excitedly. “Well sir, you said that once I told you about The Lady, you would teach me magic. I’ve told you about The Lady, so…” Elias turned a bright beam on Seth.
Oh Crim, Seth thought as he stared into Elias’s sparkling grey eyes. Gloria was right…He is a puppy.
“I…did promise that,” Seth conceded, feeling suckered.
Elias put his hands up. “You don’t have to teach me anything right now, but maybe when we stop for lunch or something?”
Seth sighed; He looked up at the sky then out at the snowy ground. Then an idea came to him and he remembered his first lesson with Master Naboth. Seth smiled. “I think I can teach you a couple of things right now while we walk.”
“Really sir?” Seth was surprised that Elias’s eyes could get wider than they already were.
“Yes, really.” Seth answered.
Elias bounced with joy and Seth couldn’t help but laugh; Elias’s joy was contagious. He reminds me of when I was his age and learning magic for the first time. Seth hoped he’d do Master Naboth’s teachings justice.
“Alright,” Seth announced. “Let me see you cast your shielding spell.”
“Yes, master!” Elias beamed, standing a little taller and prepared to draw the sigils.
Seth froze. “What did you call me?”
Elias tilted his head. “Master Seth?”
Seth held out his hands and shook his head. “No, no. I’m not a master. I’m still an apprentice.”
“But you’re training me, right?” Elias pointed out.
“Yes?” Seth raised an eyebrow.
“Which makes me your apprentice.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Yeah…?” Seth didn’t like where this logic was going.
“So therefore,” Elias insisted, “you are my master.”
Seth began to protest, but he looked into Elias’s bright eyes again. He sighed. “Fine….”
Elias beamed. “Oh thank you, Master Seth!”
“Just cast the spell,” Seth groaned and waved Elias on.
Unaffected, Elias traced the sigil in the air and cast the spell. “Clypeus fidei,” he cried. The shield shimmered into existence.
Seth studied Elias’s shield. He walked around and analyzed it from all angles. Seth grimaced. He could see the problem. The magical energy was loosely woven together. Some areas were tightly knit together and in other places, there were holes so big they wouldn’t block anything. Seth was surprised Elias’s shield had blocked the rock that Gloria threw at him.
Seth picked up a handful of snow and formed a snowball.
“What are you doing, sir?” Elias asked nervously. Seth noticed Elias’s focus shift from his spell to the snowball.
“Testing your focus,” Seth answered, nonchalantly. Then he suddenly cocked his arm back and hurled the snowball as hard as he could. The snowball flew right through Elias’s shield and hit him square in the face. Elias stumbled backward and fell on his back, as he did, the shield shattered.
Ah, Seth thought. Now he knew Elias’s level. Elias sat up, his face red and he held his nose. “You hit me!” he cried.
Seth heard Gloria gasp and she came up beside him. “Seth!” she cried with shock on her face. “Why would you do that?”
Seth looked over at Gloria, “trust me,” he answered. Gloria frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but Seth interrupted. “I know what I’m doing,” he said firmly. Then he walked over to Elias.
“Magic is more than just sigils and words,” he said as he held a hand out to Elias. Seth’s gaze drifted up and he watched the magical energies from Elias’s spell weave back into their surroundings. “The sigil and casting word gather up and direct energy from the world around us,” Seth gripped Elias’s arm and pulled him up. “But the wielder needs to maintain focus in order to hold the spell together.” He met Elias’s eyes. “That’s why you can’t hold your shield – You don’t how to focus.”
“Oh,” Elias answered, he put a hand to his chin and soaked in Seth’s teachings.
Seth glanced back at Gloria who gazed at him in awe. He felt some pride rise in his chest. Seth smiled at her. He liked that he’d impressed her – It made him feel…Seth cleared his throat and looked back at Elias.
“Alright,” he said breathing out the tension in his chest. “I’m going to teach you the first lesson my teacher ever taught me.”
Elias inched close, eager to learn. “What is it?”
Seth took Elias’s hand and held it open. “I want you to see if you can sense the magical energy in this spell.” Seth traced a sigil into Elias’s hand and spoke, “Lux meridiana.” A little ball of light burst into existence in Elias’s hand.
The boy cried in surprise and pulled back, but Seth gripped Elias’s hand and held him still. “Focus on the light,” Seth urged, “can you sense the energy?”
Elias calmed and focused his eyes on the light. After a moment, Seth saw his eyes brighten. “Yes sir!” he cried. “I can feel it!”
“Good!” Seth let go of Elias’s hand and let the spell disperse. The ball of light flickered out, leaving empty air in Elias’s hand. “Now you try,” he said.
Seth stepped back and watched Elias write the sigil in the air. It was a bit clumsy, but he completed it. Elias’s eyes narrowed in concentration, and then a ball of light burst into his hand.
Elias laughed. “I did it!” He cried excitedly. He cradled the light in his hands and looked up at Seth.
Seth smiled. He’s a quick learner. Then he chuckled inwardly. He remembered the next part of his first lessons with Master Naboth. “Great job!” He said aloud. “Now, as we walk, continue to focus on the light and keep it from going out.” Seth and Elias walked forward a few steps with Gloria trailing along behind them.
Seth watched Elias as they went. The boy’s eyes were fixed on the little ball of light in his hands. The light waxed and waned as Elias struggled to concentrate, but after a few more steps, the light grew stronger and steadier.
“Excellent!” Seth clapped his hands. “You’re doing very well!” Elias looked up at him and grinned.
He’s going to hate this part. Seth thought. Memories of his own training came to his mind, and he swallowed a chuckle. Seth pointed ahead towards the snow. “Here’s your practice: I want you to walk fifty paces without losing your light. If it goes out, recast the spell and start the count over.”
Elias blinked and looked out at the deepening snow, “Fifty?” he asked.
Seth nodded. “Fifty,” he answered, “in a row.”
Elias looked from Seth to the untouched snow, then back to Seth. His mouth dropped open.
Seth raised an eyebrow at him. “You wanted to learn magic,” he said, “this is how.”
Elias looked back out to the snow. He screwed up his face then let out a little grumble. But he obediently recast the spell. A ball of light blossomed in his hands, then Elias cradled the light and marched out into the snow while counting his steps under his breath.
Seth watched Elias, then, when he was far enough away, a little laugh snorted from his nose. He felt a little bad – he remembered what it was like to be in his shoes. But this will be good for you. Seth thought, crossing his arms.
“Don’t you think that might be a bit much?” Gloria asked, coming up beside him.
Seth shook his head, smiling. “No, Master Naboth had me do a hundred paces.”
“A hundred?” Gloria cried.
“With a book on my head,” Seth added laughing.
“That must’ve been awful!” Gloria cried.
Seth shrugged and laughed at the memory. “It was miserable,” he said. “It took a couple of weeks for me to perfect,” Then his face grew grim, “but it’s a vital skill Elias needs to learn if he’s going to learn magic and survive out here.”
Seth watched the boy clamber over the snow and Master Naboth’s teachings floated through his mind. "A wizard must be disciplined and focused,” he continued. “If you have no focus, you cannot maintain your spell. And that can be the difference between life…” Elias’s little light flickered out, “…and death.” Seth grimaced as one of his stab wounds ached.
A groan of frustration from Elias echoed back to Seth and Gloria. Seth watched with some pride as the boy recast the spell and tried again. Seth smiled and looked back at Gloria. “He’ll get it though,” he said, “he’s a quick study.”
Seth followed the trail Elias left and shuffled through the snow in an effort to make it more even for Gloria. “So tell me,” Seth beamed back at Gloria. “Where did you learn your magic from?”
Gloria stammered. “Ah, well…”
Seth grinned and teased. “Hey now, I let you back out last night, but I did reveal a huge chunk of my past, so I think it’s your turn to share something.” He chuckled and stomped through more snow.
There was no response from Gloria. Seth furrowed his brow and glanced back. Gloria had stopped cold in the snow and her face went pale.
Seth hurried back to her. “Gloria? Are you okay?” he asked, trying to meet her eyes. She looked away. “Did I tease you too much?” Gloria shook her head and quickly wiped a tear from her eyes.
Gloria bit her lip, then nodded to herself. “No…” she said, “you’re right. You deserve to know more about me.” She strode forward.
The words stung a bit. “Gloria, that’s not what I-” Seth started and bounded a few steps to catch up to her.
“My father didn’t want me to learn magic at first,” Gloria interrupted keeping her eyes focused ahead, "it reminded him too much of Mom…” Gloria paused and gritted her teeth.
Does she have a wizarding heritage? Seth wondered. No…that wouldn’t make sense with her magic… Seth felt confused.
Gloria began walking again and she still refused to meet his eyes. “But Shareen convinced him that it would be helpful to have talents like mine around the house.” Gloria gave a long sigh. “So…he relented, and they found someone to teach me.”
Seth was afraid to ask. “What did they use your magic for?” Gloria’s lips trembled and Seth was sorry he asked. “You don’t-” he began.
“Every cut and scrape, I healed." Gloria spat. "Every nightmare, I soothed. And every night, I would use my magic to force my siblings to fall asleep, so Shareen and Father wouldn’t have to be bothered.”
Seth felt sick to his stomach. “That’s horrible…” he said. “No one should have their magical abilities abused that way.” Then he looked up in worry. “I haven’t made you feel that way, have I? Like when I asked you to move the grass?”
A smile came to Gloria’s face, and she shook her head. “No, I wanted to help you.” She looked up at the sky. “I used to hate my gifts, but I began to see that they can be used to help those I care about. I could choose to use my powers to heal my siblings’ wounds. I could be the one to comfort them when their dreams turned sour…” Gloria gazed out at the horizon. “Thinking that way helped a great deal.”
Seth smiled and felt relieved. “I’m glad, I can’t imagine having a complicated relationship with my magic. It’s a part of who I am…” he frowned, “does that make sense?” he asked, glancing up at Gloria.
She grimaced and muttered so quietly Seth almost didn’t catch it. “More than you could ever know…” Seth was going to question the remark, but something held him back.
Seth and Gloria continued to follow Elias’s through the snow. Seth peered ahead and saw Elias’s light flickered out again. There was a little figure that heaved its shoulders in a heavy sigh, then it recast the spell and continued to march.
Seth chuckled, and then one final question came into his mind. He glanced at Gloria, “Why do you fall asleep whenever you cast your magic? That’s not normal, would you like me to take a look-?”
Gloria drew back from Seth. “No!” she cried; her eyes wide with fear. Her fierce response startled Seth. Gloria collected herself and tried again, “No thank you, you wouldn’t be able to help…My magic…it’s…”
Before Gloria could finish, Seth heard a faint howl in the distance. Wolves! Seth whipped around trying to determine where the sound came from. It sounded like it came from near…Elias!
Seth was about to race towards Elias when a second, closer howl answered it. Seth turned back towards the second howl, his eyes snapped to the ridge behind Gloria, and over the tip of the ridge, came a huge grey wolf.