Resurrection of an Empire: The Magic Within (The Magic Within Series Book 2)

by Sharon Gibbs

  Christopher rubbed his palm again. ‘So what’s to stop anyone cutting the tree down and removing all magic from the realm?’

  ‘The tree cannot simply be cut down with anything other than magic, but Zute didn’t know this. He had abandoned our sect before he had achieved any knowledge of the tree, and the Sorcerers were only interested in their practise with the Dark Arts. Since that time, when the Keep took in students, only those who learnt our ways and worked diligently within our philosophies were allowed to develop any potential with their magic. Therefore, they were faithful to our ways and the tree remained safe.’

  Finch yawned. He tucked his legs up onto the seat as he snuggled down in front of the hearth and soaked in the warmth from the orb. The day’s events had taken their toll upon him. He’d been up at first light and had stayed all afternoon with Milly as she laboured to bring new life into the world. As he thought about the little foal his eyes began to close and sleep gradually enfolded its wings around the boy and took him to the place of dreams.

  ‘The boy’s fallen asleep,’ Clarence said as he gave Henry the book he’d searched for. ‘I’ll take him back to his room. You get started in the continuum and I’ll be back soon.’

  ‘Very well, Clarence, but if you should happen past the kitchen a morsel or two wouldn’t go astray,’ Henry said.

  ‘How can you be hungry already?’

  ‘What do you mean already? I haven’t eaten since dinner.’

  Clarence shook his head and walked over to the sleeping lad. He carefully picked him up and cocooned him in his arms and then headed for the door.

  ‘Where’s the continuum?’ Christopher asked as he looked around the room.

  Henry’s thoughts were still on his stomach and he looked up at his grandson. ‘The continuum? Oh yes, over here, lad,’ he said and walked over to the arched space to the left of the room. ‘Here, this section of the room was designed for wizards to practise their conjuring.’

  ‘I don’t understand? Wouldn’t the powers wielded within this room wreak havoc within this enclosed space?’

  ‘No, no, lad. The continuum was designed for such a thing. Once a wizard enters the circle and creates a field, it’s entirely safe. Look here, it states it in this book,’ Henry said as he flipped the pages to the one he sought. ‘Yes, here it is. One stands in the loop of the continuum and activates the spokes and a field is created.’

  ‘What spokes? I don’t see spokes anywhere,’ Christopher said as he scanned the alcove.

  ‘Here, son, on the floor.’

  Christopher looked down. He stood within a circle etched by magic. Lines dissected the circle into eight segments, and from each line an inner circle had been engraved to connect each spoke. ‘I still fail to see how to activate it.’

  ‘You simply stand in the middle and draw forth your essence. It will flood into the symbol and flow around the design. Like you did when you drew forth your inner self and let it float amongst the army of Solencia. Once the spokes are connected by your essence it will create a barrier to contain your magic. In this way you will be able to practise conjuring your flow without actually drawing any power from the Tree of Life. The shield forms a barrier. When your magic hits the shield it will reverberate and return to you where it will reabsorb into your body.’

  ‘So you’ve done this before?’

  ‘Well, only a few times but that was a long time ago. I concentrated my gift in the art of healing. Conjuring was never my strong point, but I’m sure I too will now have to practise the art. Come on, son, there’s no use standing around all night you need to just jump right in, lad.’

  Christopher frowned at his grandfather.

  ‘It’s all in the book, son. You can read it if you like,’ Henry said as he offered Christopher the book.

  Christopher moved into the middle of the circle where the spokes intersected. He took a few deep, cleansing breaths and closed his eyes. Searching deep inside himself, he sought the gift to draw forth and let it flow out of his body. His emerald essence emerged from his vessel and flowed out into the immediate vicinity and, when it touched the design etched into the stone, it compacted and followed the inner circle. With each spoke it touched in the loop on the floor, that line became illuminated and his essence continued around the ring until it had completed the circle. When all the lines were lit and the circle was complete, Christopher’s essence panned out around him to form a protective barrier which stemmed from the floor to the ceiling of the alcove.

  ‘Well done, Christopher,’ Henry said, pleased with his grandson’s efforts.

  Just then Clarence re-entered the chamber. ‘Oh, I see you have it working then,’ he said.

  ‘Yes, he’s doing splendidly.’ Henry turned in Clarence’s direction and noticed the trencher that his friend had brought back with him and his mouth salivated at the sight.

  ‘Here’s your midnight snack,’ Clarence said as he placed it down on the table.

  Henry wandered over to the platter and eyed it with hunger, now that he could smell the food. ‘That’s a fine selection you’ve gathered. Thank you, Clarence.’

  ‘Wasn’t a problem. Elle was still up and after she helped me put the young lad to bed we went for a rummage in the kitchen.’

  Christopher opened his eyes and as he turned around he saw his essence had become a veil which skirted the perimeter of the alcove where he stood. ‘What now, grandfather?’

  ‘Start with something you’ve done before. Conjure your power into a ball that you would hurl at your enemy. Don’t worry, your own magic won’t injure you, it is a part of you.’

  Christopher held his palms opposite each other and let his essence flow. Between his hands green flashes dashed back and forth, and as his essence flowed he rolled the mass into a ball.

  ‘Maybe you should make it smaller than that,’ Clarence said. ‘The principle is the same no matter the size of the sphere.’

  Christopher reduced the mass by half and held the orb upon one hand.

  ‘Right, hurl it at the wall and it will bounce back from the shield,’ Henry said.

  The orb crackled and sizzled with power as it sat upon Christopher’s palm. He tossed it at the veil. His essence flew through the air and boomed as it bounced off his shield and with twice the speed rushed back to him. Woof! As the power ball returned it struck Christopher in the chest, but it wasn’t that it injured him, it was the fact that it had returned with such force that it knocked the wind out of him and he staggered back into the shield and slid heavily to the stone.

  ‘Oh yes, that first one can be a kicker, until you’re used to it,’ Henry said as Christopher gasped for breath.

  Christopher heaved the air into his lungs and as the impact lessened he made his way on to his knees. ‘Thanks for the warning,’ he said as he rose to his feet.

  ‘Try another one,’ Henry suggested.

  Christopher looked at his grandfather and huffed. This time he would take more care, and he created an orb a lot smaller than the last. He tossed it gently and the orb crackled as it returned. This time Christopher was ready and caught it in his hand. The impact still zapped through his arm, but because the orb was smaller and hadn’t impacted his airways he could control the reabsorption.

  ‘Keep it up, lad. You’re doing fine,’ Henry said as he devoured a piece of chicken.

  Christopher practised conjuring various sized orbs and concentrated as they rebounded. Many he managed to catch but those he missed were absorbed into his shield.

  ‘Enough of that, lad. You seem to have the theory of how it works,’ Clarence said. ‘Now this time, pull your energy into a long length and wield it as one would a whip.’

  ‘I’m not sure how.’

  ‘It’s the same as conjuring a ball of power, but instead of rolling it into an orb you pull your essence to elongate it. Then you can grasp it in the middle and stretch it into whatever shape you desire, and as long as you don’t release the end it will stay connected to your hand.’

>   Christopher held his palm out in front of him and called forth his essence. His emerald energy pulsed from his right hand. He imagined it growing longer and it responded and lengthened. He then placed his left hand adjacent and the energy flowed and connected his hands together. Pulling his arms wider, his essence crackled and sizzled as it flowed and stretched, but as he went to grab the glowing length in the middle with his left hand, it shrank. He pulled his hands apart again and the mass again stretched.

  ‘Now this time, lad, you need to use your mind to severe the connection to one hand before you can grasp it in the middle,’ Clarence instructed.

  Christopher concentrated, but both ends released at the same time and his essence reabsorbed into his body.

  ‘Try again, lad. It’s not as easy as one might think.’

  The wizards waited with patience and watched as Christopher learnt to develop his skills. It took him quite some time, but with each attempt that failed he learnt what not to do. Gradually he achieved his goal and had worked out the way it best suited him to pull a long lash of his magic that was still connected to one hand.

  ‘Well done!’ Henry was pleased to see Christopher had worked it out for himself. It was a gift to work at something and find a resolution. ‘Now all you need to do, son, is learn to control it.’

  Christopher flicked his hand to move the lash and it weaved unexpectedly and snapped him in the thigh. The pain that ensued made him aware of the care that was needed when harnessing such a weapon. He tested the length gently and when he felt sure of how the lash would respond, he wielded the weapon with confidence. It snapped at the air within the veil, and he was able to apply his will to make it do what he wanted.

  ‘I think you’ve had enough for one session,’ Clarence said. ‘It’s late and we all have work in the morning.’

  The time had flown and it was well past the middle of the night when the three wizards took to their beds. Christopher rubbed his palm where the splinter had impaled his skin. The area was still tender but there was no sign of infection. He felt drained and his arms were heavy as he lay in his bed and closed his eyes.

  Whilst he had removed the majority of the splinter which had lodged in his hand, a small shard still remained and with the constant impact of his magic’s return, the fragment had moved deeper in to his flesh. His essence had recognised this small object to be from the place where it drew its power from and enfolded and protected the fragment wherever it went. The small piece of wood from the Tree of life imbedded itself further with every impact of his power until it finally found its way to a vein and entered the narrow passage. As the wizard slept, the small fragment floated around his system until it reached his heart. Once there it entered the organ. The fast pumping blood that flowed through the organ forced the fragment into the fibrous muscle. Christopher felt no pain as the segment came to rest in his heart and the small wound was soon healed by his magic. He slept on unaware of what was happening inside his body.

  Chapter Eight

  ‘Here, Blacky.’ Finch stretched over the railing as he called out to the foal.

  ‘Is that the name you’ve chosen for him?’ Elle asked as she watched the colt nuzzle his mother for a drink.

  ‘I thought I’d try a few different ones to see what they felt like,’ Finch said as the foal finished his meal and trotted around in front of the mare. ‘Come here, boy,’ he cooed as he held his hand out and made clicking noises to entice the newborn forward.

  ‘What other names did you have in mind for him?’ Christopher asked. Finch’s eagerness stirred his own memories of the day Albert had given him his first horse.

  Finch pulled his head out from between the bars of the pen and leant against the wooden railings as he rattled off the names he had thought of. ‘Blacky, Midnight, Thunder—’

  Christopher laughed as the foal skittered sideways.

  ‘It’s alright, boy,’ Finch said to him.

  ‘He’s a fine horse, Finch, healthy and strong,’ Christopher said. ‘Everything’s new to him but it won’t take long for him to get used to his shadow.’

  ‘I like that name,’ Finch said. ‘Shadow. Shadow, come here little one.’

  The foal watched the boy and stretched his leg forward to take a step in the boy’s direction but quickly changed his mind, jumping back and bumping into his mother.

  ‘I think he likes that name,’ Elle said.

  ‘I think he does too. Did you see him almost take a step when I called him?’

  ‘Yes. He’s just shy but it won’t be long before he’s following you around for a titbit or two.’

  Finch watched his new friend as the sun disappeared behind the clouds. Elle and Christopher left the boy to get to know his new horse while they went to begin their tasks for the day.

  Chapter Nine

  It was well into the following week when Elle left the Keep with a wagon stocked with supplies. The chains rattled and the jars clinked as the horse made its way down the winding road from the mountain to the sleepy village below. Passing through the common, Elle, waved to the women who were already at work in their gardens and they returned a friendly wave.

  Henry would no longer have to travel the countryside treating the sick as tomorrow the wizards would open the doors to the infirmary. Once again the people could come to be healed. They had hired women from the village and begun their training so someone would be available in the building at all times. While these women couldn’t assist with spells, there was much that could be done with a poultice or herbal tonic.

  ‘Good morning, Thelia,’ Elle called as she entered the infirmary’s front door.

  ‘And a good morning to you, Elle.’ Thelia’s face shone with happiness and she smiled at the young woman. Today they would stock the building and Elle would again show her and the others how to mix salves and apply poultices.

  ‘I’m afraid Henry has sent me with too many supplies, Thelia. I’m not sure where we’ll put them all.’

  ‘There’s plenty of room out back. The carpenter delivered the shelves this morning, and my husband is already installing them. Would you care for some tea?’

  ‘I think tea is essential this morning,’ Elle said. Thelia nodded her agreement and placed the kettle over the coals of the fire.

  ‘Are the others coming?’

  ‘They should be here soon,’ Thelia said as she organised several cups on a tray.

  ‘Good. I’ll start bringing the supplies in then.’

  Within the hour, all five women had arrived and had helped carry various boxes and baskets into the building. ‘Well, we can’t put anything away until the back room is finished,’ Ella said as she made her way through the boxes stacked in the front room. ‘So let’s run through a few of the poultices.’

  Gathering in a treatment room, Elle picked up a jar of dried yellow leaves. ‘This is Derrien. Once mixed with powdered clay and boiling water, it will make a thick paste. Now you need to leave it until it has cooled before it is safe enough to be applied to the site.’ Elle slapped the mixture onto a log. ‘Make sure it is mounded well so when the area is bandaged,’ she said as she wrapped the piece of wood with a strip of linen, ‘the clay spreads well around the site of infection to provide sufficient coverage. It will then work to draw the infection from the wound. Once the clay is set it can be removed and the gunge underneath cleaned away.’

  ‘How will we know all the infection has gone, Miss?’ Gena asked as she mixed the water with the powdered clay.

  ‘Infection will turn the skin a dark red and the surrounding tissue will be inflamed and hot to the touch. When the site no longer burns with septicity the impurities will have been completely extracted. If any evidence of contamination remains, then another poultice will need to be applied and a tea made from Derrien leaves will need to be given to assist the process. Mind though, you use only a small pinch. To infuse too much into the brew will induce vomiting.’ Elle split the linen at the end and tied it in a knot to secure the cloth in place.
>
  ‘Is this the right consistency?’ Diorna asked as she handed Elle the bowl.

  ‘Yes, that’s good, and if it dries a little too much before you’ve had the chance to apply it, more water can be added to make it soft.’

  ‘Argh, I see you ladies are working hard,’ Henry said as he peered through the doorway. ‘My, I did send you with an awful lot of supplies,’ he said as he turned to stare at the stacked boxes and baskets which litter the floor of the front room.

  ‘Good morning, Henry. You’re just in time to watch the ladies apply a poultice.’

  Henry assisted the women with the practical part of the procedure.

  ‘Well done, ladies. In no time you will be healing all types of afflictions,’ he said.

  ‘We have learnt much over the last few months,’ Thelia, the head nurse, said. ‘But what about when the snow lies deep and blocks passage up the mountain and we are left to our own devices? What if someone’s illness is beyond our knowledge?’

  ‘You won’t be left on your own, ladies. Never fear, for Clarence will stay in the village when the snow piles high against the mountain slopes. You will not be left on your own.’

  The women were visibly relieved as they were sure the time would come when they had no idea how to treat the people’s ills without the help of the gifted.

  The rest of the day everyone worked to pack away the medicinal stores and set the building to right. Tomorrow the doors would open and Henry would return to the life he’d once known many years ago.

  Chapter Ten

  ‘I’d like to start by thanking all the candidates who ran for Governor,’ Henry said as he stood on the dais in the village square. A crowd had gathered in the market that afternoon to see who their first elected Governor would be. ‘But as you know there can only be one Governor. I’d like to announce the first elected Governor for Canistar is Ed Slatterly. Well done, Ed. Would you like to come up and say a few words?’