The Gates of Eldoria
Chapter 7
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“It’s amazing what your people have accomplished without magic,” Sera said as they crossed the Huey P. Long bridge. “Such a structure as this in Eldoria would require an enormous amount of runework to keep it stable.”
“Materials science,” Daniel said. “Knowing the load bearing capacity of metals and stone, things like that. I’ve no real idea how it all works.”
Maggie shuddered next to him, fear tingeing their bond. “The thought of crossing something like this without magical support structures is terrifying,” she said.
“Without proper maintenance it’ll collapse in a few decades, so you may wish to look into some bippity-boppity-boo for all the bridges around here,” Daniel said, wriggling his fingers.
“Bippity…?” Maggie asked, confused by the imagery shared over their bond.
“Magic,” Sera answered, her amusement leaking through the bond. “Although why Daniel associates magic with a plump grandmother is confusing.”
Daniel laughed and squeezed her hand. “I’ll introduce you to movies one day. I think you’ll enjoy them.”
Sera nodded. “I’ll look forward to it.” Pulling a small chest from under her seat, she placed it on her lap and removed a gold locket from around her neck, then touched it to the chest. The chest sprang open to reveal a glowing purple shard.
“Is that what I think it is?” Maggie gasped.
Sera nodded and pulled out a tiny silver knife, no bigger than her index finger. “Spill a drop of blood onto it and bind yourself,” She smiled, handing Maggie the knife.
Maggie pricked her finger and allowed a thick red drop of blood to fall on the stone. It pulsed three times and faded to a barely noticeable glimmer. She smiled so wide her face seemed like it would split in two. “I’m bonded to a fragment of the Greater Stelae,” She breathed in awe. The she suddenly grabbed Sera into a fierce hug, squeezing her until she squeaked. “Thank you so much!”
Daniel watched the event unfold with interest, holding his tongue until the two separated. “So what just happened?” He asked.
“I told you how magic is powered by converting excess divinity into a form that people can use, yes?” Sera asked. Seeing Daniel nod, she continued. “The Lesser Stelae have a limited range and lower amount of mana that can be accessed. The Greater Stelae have much, much more. It’s the difference between a stream and a river. Maggie has access to much more mana for the spells she has purchased.”
“How much of a range?” Daniel asked, curious about this strange form of magic.
“Maybe 40ish miles from the Greater Stelae. There’s at least one in every major city, so most of Eldoria is covered by their influence.” Her face turned grim. “Was. Was covered.”
Daniel could feel loss and despair along the bond, a longing for home and the security of familiar things. He pulled her into a tight hug with one arm, placing his head against hers. They remained like that for a long minute until her grief passed.
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“I have presents for you too,” Sera said, her face brightening with a smile. “Bond to the Stelae and I’ll get them for you.”
Daniel pricked his finger and allowed a drop of blood to fall on the glowing purple stone. Once again it pulsed three times before fading. He could feel new connections form in his brain, like a spider building a web. One strand lead to the Stelae fragment here, others lead to Stelae in distant locations, each thrumming with power. After a few moments, the sensation faded, leaving behind the sense of an untapped pool of power.
“Wow,” Daniel said, shaking his head. “That was trippy. I could feel links to every single one of them.”
Sera handed a small wooden case to Daniel. Inside were five large gold coins, each covered in elaborate runes. “Bond with these. They’re just utility cantrips, but they’re very useful. I’ll teach you the proper incantations and somatics so you can use them, okay?”
“What are they and what’s a somatic?” Daniel asked.
Sera pointed at each one. “Cleanse, Perfect fit, Psychic Compass, Acclimate, and Drinking Water. Each is self explanatory: Cleanse will clean you or a target, unlike Maggie’s ‘Cleanse Area’ spell which will cleanse a 100 cubic foot area. Perfect fit resizes fabric or leather garments on you or a target. Psychic Compass will guide you in a straight line to a location you’ve been before. Acclimate will raise or lower the temperature around you by up to ten degrees for a quarter hour, and Drinking Water will cleanse a single gallon of water. All useful for wilderness travel. And because they’re cantrips, you can use them as much as you like, more or less.”
Daniel allowed a single drop of blood to fall on the golden coins, shivering as the knowledge of each spell imprinted itself on his brain. He felt like he could bond with maybe two or three more and then his brain would be full. He tried to find words for the feeling, but failed. It was like he could only memorise a certain number of pop songs and then he would have to forget one to learn another.
“That was the easy part,” Sera said, grinning. “Now you need to learn how to trigger the spell. I’ll teach you cleanse first, since no one likes a smelly man about. Repeat after me: On numeni Aurelia, mynde huc ves.”
Daniel did his best to parrot her, with constant correction on his inflection and timing. After several dozen tries, his efforts were deemed good enough.
“Now for the tough part, the somantics,” Sera said. “You must gesture at precisely the proper time, otherwise the spell will fail to trigger.”
“Why?” Daniel asked.
“To prevent accidental discharge. Some of the higher level spells even require the sacrifice of a material component because they are so powerful,” She answered. “Now hold your hands like this, speak the first three words, then touch your thumbs together and speak the last three. If you want to cleanse someone else, you must touch the middle finger and thumb of your left hand for the last three words and then touch the target with your right hand while speaking the last three.”
What seemed like a simple process eluded Daniel. It was only six words and a simple gesture, but the timing, inflection, gestures, all had to be precise or they wouldn’t work. The magic stirred inside him once or twice as he practised, encouraging him to continue as the carriage travelled over the rough roads towards Boutte.
The spell ignited, causing his blood to heat. It was like he stepped into a sauna for a moment before stepping out. Golden light flared and wrapped around his body, then solidified and left behind a grey-black marble in his cupped palms. A marble of absolute yuck — dead skin, dirt, parasites, and other unclean things that had accumulated since his previous bath.
He opened the window and tossed the smelly thing out.
“What was that hot flash?” He asked. “It felt like I walked into a furnace for a moment.”
“That’s the magic being channeled through your blood,” Sera explained. “You have to be careful, if you overheat you can collapse or even die. Cantrips are mostly harmless, they only heat your blood for a few seconds but rapid use will accumulate. A higher ranked spell could heat it for several minutes, and quickly casting several of them is a good way to end up dead, or worse — crippled.”
Daniel looked at his hands in awe. He had done magic - actual magic - not just used some strange demonic superpower. It was both awesome, and disappointing.
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