SORCERER (The Elemental Magic Series Book 1) (23 page)

"We'll have to put yah through the test, up yah go." He pointed to the mainmast.

Alec looked to Jessica who was trying to cover a smile with a hand. "Go head, he's not joking," she said.

"That last one you brought was so full of himself he didn't even try. You like this one? Or could I just throw him over?"

"I think we're keeping him."

Alec lost the rest of the conversation. Looking up he saw a man sitting on the very top motioning him up. Can't be much different than climbing a tree, he thought.

He climbed rapidly about half way up then made the mistake of looking down at Allen and Jessica who were talking up a storm.

This is crazy. I don't even know why I'm climbing this thing. He looked up and shook his head trying to clear his mind to the task at hand. He finally made it to the top and the guy up there slid over so Alec could sit.

"Marten." He held out a hand.

"Alec," he took the hand and let it go just as quick.

Marten told him he had the best seat in the house motioning to the view around him. Alec looked up and could see over halfway across the city. The people looked like ants from way up there.

He started, clutching the mast between them when the mast moved beneath him. Marten laughed and held his shoulder to steady him. Marten told him to ride with the movement, not try to counter it, and just
follow it till it comes back. 

He could feel it pull him through the air then feel it come back under him. Marten tapped his arm and pointed down where Allen was motioning him to come down.

He spun his leg around while Marten held the back of his shirt. He started down calling thanks to Marten who just waved.

Alec got to the deck as Allen slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"How'd you like it up there?"

"I was a bit freaked out at first till Marten told me how to ride the movements of the mast, sir. Great view too. You can see everything up there," Alec told him.

"Talked to yah did he? Try riding it when we're at sea, now that's fun," he said laughing.

Alec had no idea what he was talking about but smiled anyway.

Alec and Jessica left, going to a little cafe and had lunch where Jessica introduced him to several more of Christi's friends and a few of Bill and Allan’s. They walked through the market where Alec picked out some pork
, three different types of beans and some vegetables as well as some cumin and hot pepper. 

They met with Steven and went back to the house. Jessica went to lie down for a while leaving Alec to himself.

He thought it would be a good idea to ask the cook if he minded Alec cooking in his kitchen and set off to find him.

"Excuse me sir." Alec got the attention of the large man chopping an onion.

"Yes my lord."

"You’re the cook right?"

"I am my lord."

"I'm Alec sir, and no lord. I was wondering if I might ask a favor of you." He held out his hand.

"Brian. What can I do for you, Alec?" He wiped his and took Alec's giving it a good shake.

"Lady Jessica said George and her like spicy foods and I wondered if you would mind if I made a spicy thick bean soup for them tomorrow in your kitchen, sir?"

"You can cook? The master likes his food as do I," he said grabbing his expanded waist line, a smile as large as his belly split his face.

"Yes sir, my Aunt taught me."

"Then you make your bean soup, I'll watch and make some desert. The master doesn't eat anything I can't vouch for in this house."

"Sounds like fun to me. Thank you for letting me use your kitchen. Is there anything I can do to help?" waving a hand at the other veggies that needed chopped.

"No thank you. I enjoy this part. Thanks." He said with a smile as chopped up another onion.

Alec sat in his room reading the book Peter gave him. It explained snap spells that used a portion of power removed from one’s well and running spells that one could pull a tether from the well and feed it in to the spell for as long as the caster was able to constantly push the spell into the power. The book gave detailed examples of holding fire above ones hand as a running spell in that it required a constant trickle of power to maintain its size or brightness.

Casting a snap spell like throwing a fireball required pushing the spell into the power as it left your hand and the size of the ball would decrease as it used up the power it was made of.

He sat on his bed to try holding the fire above his hand but then thought he should probably do it outside, he didn't want burn down the house.

He went out a back door to a small flower garden and sat on a bench. Pulling magic from his well was actually easier than he thought it would be. He directed the power to his right hand and out his up turned palm and pushing his thoughts of a cheery little fire in to the power above his hand.

A ball of flame appeared above his hand about the twice size of his head. It was bigger than he intended so he found where the power exited his well and squeezed the opening closed bit by bit till it was about the size of his hand. He could feel the heat from it still but not near as intense. He closed off the thread of power coming from his well and the flame died with it. He pulled a bit of power from his well about the size he’d used to heal his cut earlier in the day and held it in his hand. Looking around he saw an old bush that was dead with no leaves on it.

He pushed his hand forward and sent the picture of a ball of fire flying and hitting the dead bush into the power as he released it from his hand. The ball materialized a few feet in front on him flying as quickly as an arrow straight at the bush which burst into flame. The ball which was double the size of his hand had shrunk to about a fist as it continued on and into a small shed, catching it on fire too.

"Oh crap!" Alec yelled out loud. Looking around quickly he grabbed a bucket from the burning shed and scooped water from a decorative pond and splashed it on the side of the shed, then the bush putting out the fire. The shed had a large burn mark across the side and half the bush was gone.

"At least you didn't try it inside. George would have gone into shock seeing the house burnt to the ground," Jessica said from the back door, startling him.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea it would go through the bush. I'll pay for the shed." Alec looked down in embarrassment.

"It's OK Alec, the thing needed to be painted anyhow. We will need to find you a better place to practice though." She patted his arm.

She led him inside to the dining room where food was set ready to be eaten. He must have not heard the bell ring, being outside.

As they ate Jessica told him she had business she needed to sort through the next day so he'd be on his own. He could go anywhere he wanted in the city, just to be careful.

Alec went to his room after supper to read his book. He had an idea of where he could go to practice without hurting anyone or anything. The book detailed holding the power in parts of his body to strengthen blows, increase jumps or speed. Those he'd try tomorrow. When he got to the section on shielding he was excited. Here was something he could have used a while ago, he thought.

There were five categories of shielding - wards, external, internal, mental, and spiritual. Warding required the least maintenance on behalf of the magic user, but since they were used on building and such, required a large amount of power or to be done in sections. It explained that one enacted the shield needed, spreading it over the desired area then tied it to one’s own personal symbol by pushing it into the said symbol while it was drawn on the item being shielded.

External shielding was much the same but could be cast in front of a person or on one’s self for a period of time, being set by tracing the symbol in the air where the shield would be. The shield would only last as long as the amount of power used was still there and could be disabled by drawing it back within you, using enough force to cause it to disperse, or allowing it to naturally dissipate.

Internal was used to stop a projectile or blade from entering the body and doing harm and was easy to maintain.

Mental was simply the focusing of holding ones power. In doing this it stopped advanced users from influencing your mind with illusions. While easy to do it was rarely able to be held in place around the mind for long periods of time.

Spiritual was used to stop an advanced user with an affinity toward the spirit from pulling your power from you without permission. This can be done by forming a dome of your power over your well and is very easy to be held in place but most are unable to draw from it themselves when in place. It noted that with the aid of a power stone a person holding the other half of it can still draw away power.

The book went on to explain how a physical shield was normally visualized as a wall, flat and held in front of someone or thing, or circling what it was meant to protect. A magical shield was basically a wall of light. Color was not necessary but helped beginners know they had it in place. 

The next section was on healing, but Alec was so tired he decided to let it wait till the morning to read.

He was up with the sun and moved down to the dining room to read about healing. It didn't tell him much about self-healing that he hadn't already figured out on his own.

Healing someone else required contact and used more of the healer’s power to heal the same injury. When possible, in healing a magic user it was best if the healer could use the magic user's own power either through it being stored in a stone or drawing it from the user directly. It noted that when magic users were injured their magic was in turmoil and was unable to be used until they stabilized.

He had just finished the section when the bell rang and Jessica came around the corner to of the room and took a seat next to him. The cook brought out eggs over easy and toast with preserves. Jessica asked what he was reading and he told her it was a book detailing spells and how to form them.

She asked if he was planning on practicing today. He said he was but was leaving the city to do it. She seemed relieved at first then worried. She told him there were unsavory people rumored to be outside the city walls and maybe she should send Steven with him.

Alec laughed and said he'd be fine. If any of them attacked he'd get in some practice at throwing fireballs. She smiled at his confidence and bid him to be careful and left to take care of her business.

Alec slipped the book of spells and the one on etiquette in his pack with an extra shirt, just in case. He grabbed a handful of coppers and silver and tucked them into a pouch that he tied to his belt next to his knife. He then made his way down to the stable and saddled Erik's horse.

As Alec left the city he bought some food, mostly fruits from street venders and bread rolls at a bakery as he made his way out of the city. He mounted after leaving the gates and headed in the direction he thought might lead to the river, Malding.

He made the river after following a small track for half an hour. Tying the horse to a branch he sat on a log near the river to form his shields. He made a basic symbol using his initials laying one over the other. He threw a rock at a tree some three meters away then stacked some branches together to form a target. Pulling a fair chunk of power from his well he formed his shield visualizing a wall made of bricks. He built his wall in front his target and drew his symbol in the air pushing the power of his wall into the symbol. It really wasn't that hard, if it worked. He walked past his target or would have if he hadn't put his shield there. Apparently the physical shield worked both ways. The thought struck him and he wondered if it was possible to make it a one way shield.

He walked around his shield and sat on the log again. He threw stones at the target hitting the shield instead. After collecting the stones for the third time he started putting some muscle behind the throws. It didn't break with doing it that way either. He pulled his knife and threw it as hard as he could, it seem to stop in midair then fell to the ground on top of his stones. Walking over he tried pushing against it, nothing.

He hit it with an open hand, nothing, and then a fist, still nothing.

Guess I'll see if I can reabsorb it, he thought. Putting his hands against it he felt through his hands a connection with the wall. He tried grasping the power in it and felt it yield to him. He pulled it back in to him and just held it. Pushing his hand forward the wall was gone. He shaped a portion of the power in to a ball of flame held above his hand it burned for a few minutes then began shrinking so he added more from the wall letting it just trickle in to it. After a while it was gone.

He sat back down and knew if he didn't do this next part right it was going to hurt, really bad.

He drew power and spread it out to lie on top of his skin. He pictured it as steel like that of a sword and pushed the vision in to it. He felt a shiver run over his skin then sink into it. He felt OK and he could feel a very thin thread of his power going to the outside of his skin. Alec picked up his knife and with the expectation of feeling pain drew it across his arm. The knife seemed to just skitter off not parting his skin at all. The part he was really dreading was next. He braced he left arm against the log and stabbed down with the knife. It slid off and strait into the log. The moment the knife hit his arm he could feel the thread of power going to his skin turn to the thickness of straw then back again. It worked!

He pulled a small amount of power and put the shield back up in front of his target then tried it again but visualizing things being able to pass through from his side but not the other. He walked forward then struck backward at where the shield was and was stopped by it. He felt his way around it then threw his knife through the first shield and hit the second. He felt the second one dissipate.