Adapt (A Touch of Power Book 2)

by Jay Boyce

  “What?” Liam had stopped, staring at her. “Explain that, please.”

  Hooking her arm through his so she could continue to pull him towards Magnus, he reluctantly started walking again as she began to speak. “I told you one of my skills lets me see magic. I can see your magical aura. It tells me what magics you use the most because your aura will be predominantly those colors. However, more often than not, it’s edged in other colors. I’ve figured out that these are untapped affinities that can be developed. When I was looking at your magic earlier, I saw that you hadn’t tapped your blood or compulsion magic, and Duke Donnelly hasn’t tapped his dark, spiritual, or gravity magic.”

  “What’s gravity magic?” Donnelly’s voice cut in as he maintained his pace beside them.

  Pondering the easiest way to explain gravity, Jade shrugged. “It’s the amount of force that attracts you to the ground or other objects. For instance, if you lessen the gravity on things, they become lighter, and if you increase gravity, things become heavier. If you increase the gravitational pull of something, however, you could either attract or repulse other objects. So say I was to increase the gravitational force of that wall, for instance. It would draw in anything that got too close to it. So if I dropped a bag, it would go to the wall instead of the ground because the gravity was pulling it that direction. If you reverse that, then it would push things away.”

  She paused, then smiled at him. “Here, I’ll demonstrate.” Concentrating, she reduced all of their gravity slightly as they walked forward. Not enough to send them shooting into the sky, but now it was more like they were moonwalking, each step taking them slightly higher and further. It was easier to show them how it worked than to try and explain, especially because she wasn’t a hundred percent sure she was getting the science right.

  “This is amazing!” Duke Donnelly seemed enthralled as he started experimenting with the lower gravity. Laughing, she reduced it until they were back to normal, then increased gravity on them. Their pace slowed considerably as they felt the force of it, each step a trial. “Not so much anymore,” he said through gritted teeth until she released it.

  She laughed. “It can be very useful. You could make much larger jumps and make your enemies slow and sluggish. It does take some getting used to. I can technically use it to fly, but I use wind as a propulsion system to make things easier.”

  “Flight.” Donnely’s voice was filled with quiet awe as he stared at the sky, and she could practically guarantee he was imagining sailing through the sky. Absently, she also grabbed hold of his arm, dragging him forward while he was in a dreamlike daze.

  Liam seemed to have come back to earth as he asked his next question. “How did you learn to use compulsion magic without a teacher?”

  Jade grinned up at him. “That one is pretty easy. The first two times were born of desperation. I was about to die in both cases. The first time I couldn’t move my body, so I just was mentally screaming for help. The second time I was about to be attacked by a mesmer, so I told it to stay where it was in my fear.” She glanced at the giant building of Magnus that was now visible, considering her next words. “I think compulsion is born of your will. You’re imposing your will on others, so you have to have a strong enough mental fortitude to do that. When I stopped the mesmer, even though I did stop it, it was only for a few seconds at most. For people or creatures with a stronger will, it doesn’t work as easily.”

  “That makes sense.” He nodded as he muttered, opening the door to Magnus as they reached the building. She had to let go of them to climb the steps, their different strides making it more awkward than she cared for to ascend. As they reached her workshop, she quickly unlocked it, her babies flying free to go visit their cherry tree and her garden while the other two studied the room.

  “It looks like you dabble in everything.” Duke Donnelly had finally knocked himself out of his flying daydreams when they’d come inside.

  “That’s because I do,” she flippantly replied with a smirk. She glanced at her pocket watch to see that they only had about fifteen minutes before Queen Ashanna was set to arrive. “Okay, I’d like to try making my first bag, but I was wondering if you’d be able to show me a small one before I try? I realize you’re probably a bit out of energy.”

  “It’s fine. I’ve got enough to do a small bag,” Duke Liam responded easily, “Was there a particular bag you had in mind?”

  Jade grinned, then reached into her dress and pulled out the small wallet bag she’d been using. Taking everything she’d tucked in there out, she handed it over to him. “I’d love it if you could do this one.”

  Liam’s cheeks had taken on a reddish hue and Donnelly was chortling behind him, but he still accepted it with poise. “Of course, this will be fine.” He paused, then went on, “Perhaps it’d be better to keep a hold of it so you can feel what I’m doing.”

  “Ah, yes! I almost forgot.” She moved a step closer, keeping one hand on the bag as she activated mana sense as well. Between the two, she was able to follow as he used his magic to carve out a tiny pocket dimension, connecting it to the opening of her bag. She thought it was interesting that it didn’t actually utilize any of the space in the bag itself anymore. He didn’t make it very large, just a cubic foot, but it was way more room than she’d had before.

  He was sweating a little with exertion by the time she stopped, and she quickly led them over to her sitting area. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you after you just used so much energy!” Her voice was contrite as both men accepted seats and the food she offered, wolfing it down even as they tried to maintain some propriety. They must’ve used more energy than she thought.

  She ate a bit too, trying to replenish the magic she’d used that morning. She felt the light on her face from the windows and smiled softly, then thought of what she’d been meaning to try. She pulled on the light as she closed her eyes, absorbing its warmth and taking the energy in. She heard the shocked gasps of the dukes and opened her eyes to look at them. It was only then that she noticed that in the bright of day, the area around her had become dark for a few feet.

  She paused, then stopped absorbing and the light returned immediately. They didn’t call it the speed of light for nothing, after all. “What did you just do?” Duke Donnelly’s voice was both alarmed and curious. “I could feel you doing something with light, but what was it?”

  She smiled innocently at him. “I was absorbing the energy of light. I had a theory yesterday that if dark magic users could draw the light into them in order to hide, I could absorb the light to replenish my energy. I’m happy to say it worked, though the side effects seem to be a cloud of darkness until I stop absorbing.” She pondered this for a moment, then shrugged. “I guess I should probably avoid doing it without warning the people around me.”

  “That would be a good idea,” Donnelly spoke with feeling, obviously suppressing a shudder. She supposed she’d unnerved them a bit with her little display. With all she’d done in front of them today, and in front of everyone else she’d met, really, she was surprised that people were still treating her so normally. Or were they? Was she just too oblivious to notice if they were treating her differently? Did she even have a baseline to judge from? She went from creepy skeleton to glammed up in a matter of days.

  I’m going to be using illusions a lot just to see how people treat me as an average person, aren’t I… The thought was daunting, and it wouldn’t work for everyone. Still, it would be enlightening to see how people treated her if she wasn’t known as the traveler. She was going to have to try it.

  In the meantime, she wanted to try making her own bag while they were here. She emptied out her daily bag so she could work with it. Absently, she called on her magic, forming the image in her mind’s eye. The portal would move in conjunction with the opening of the bag. Inside the portal was a timeless space, an inventory where she could store things without fear of them being harmed or jostled. A small bubble formed, and she pushed at it, expa
nding the boundaries to become ever larger.

  She’d made it five cubic feet when she stopped pushing, bringing herself back to the present. She was trembling from the magical exertion. Donnelly was next to her, and she could feel him probing the bag with his magic. “This is…amazing! Are you sure this is your first time doing it?”

  Her laugh was brittle. “I’m sure. That was… I think I need to absorb more light.”

  He shook his head. “Of course you do. I’m amazed you made this as big as you did! It’s something only an intermediate spatial mage should be able to do.”

  Jade paused, staring at Duke Donnelly, then glancing at Duke Liam, who nodded in agreeance. “Why would you only be able to do it at intermediate?”

  Duke Liam smiled benignly. “While the skill levels are an indication of how experienced you are at that thing, the advancement between the beginner, intermediate, advanced and so on levels are different. They usually allow for a qualitative change in the skill, allowing you to do things you wouldn’t have previously, or in some cases, just making it easier. For example, with most magic, when you reach intermediate, the energy cost for the magic is halved as far as we can tell. We call this the attunement. You have learned to shape the energy of that magic, and thus it becomes easier.”

  “What he’s trying to say,” Duke Donnelly interrupted, “is that the amount of magic it would take to create the space you just did would be practically impossible unless you’d reached intermediate because the energy cost would be enormous.”

  “Ah.” Jade nodded slowly, considering the implications of this. If intermediate halved the effective mana cost, then what did advanced do? What had she gained when her skills combined and moved into advanced? Perhaps she should experiment with that. She had noticed her use of wind this morning felt like a breeze. She hadn’t tried healing since she got to advanced, either. It would be interesting to see what surprises the day brought.

  “Are you an intermediate spatial mage?” Duke Liam cut into her musings.

  Glancing at her skill sheet, she looked at the skill before shaking her head. “Beginner ten, so nope. Not yet. I imagine I will be by the end of the day.”

  “What? How?” Donnelly spluttered the words from beside her as she grinned at him.

  “I want this bag to be bigger, so of course I’m going to expand the space when I’ve got my energy back. This is going with me on the hunt, and I want us to be able to move quickly. That means we can’t be bogged down by a bunch of gear.”

  Dawning comprehension bloomed on their faces as she heard the distinct rap of someone knocking on the door. She stood a little wearily, still drained as they got up to follow her. It was time for her next lesson. She opened the door, smiling at her visitor.

  “Hello, Queen Ashanna. Please, come in.”

  Chapter Fifty-One – Auras

  “Jade, it’s lovely to see you again.” Ashanna smiled gently as she moved to come inside, stopping in surprise as she realized the two dukes were standing behind Jade. Quirking a brow, she asked, “Duke Liam, Duke Donnelly. What brings you here?”

  Both men bowed deeply over the hand of their queen in turn, Duke Liam taking the initiative to answer. “Jade paid us a visit this morning at the portals. We were discussing different magics with her and showing her how to create a holding bag.”

  “And did you succeed?” Her eyes twinkled with laughter.

  “I did!” Jade grinned at the older woman. “It was much harder than I anticipated.”

  Ashanna patted her arm, moving into the room even as Duke Donnelly and Liam moved to exit after her. They paused, and Duke Donnelly smiled boyishly at Jade. “We’ll see you Saturday?”

  She nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.” They nodded, dipping small bows to her as they walked down the hall. She closed the door after them, turning to find Ashanna had made her way over to the sitting area. Jade joined her, taking a seat as gracefully as she could. Feeling the sunlight on her face, she smiled and said apologetically, “Sorry, I need to recharge really quickly. Please don’t be alarmed.”

  Closing her eyes, she focused on drawing the sunlight in to recharge the magical energy thrumming through her body. She felt lighter, as if the heaviness of fatigue was leaving her. Once she felt she could take no more, she released the light, letting it shine normally. She felt the darkness around her dissipate, then looked at Ashanna with a smile. “Alright, that’s better. Where do we start?”

  Ashanna was studying her curiously, then shook her head. “That’s a good question, and something I’ve been considering for the last day. Spiritual magic is difficult for me to explain, and so few are blessed with it that we know very little about it, which in a way, is a blessing and a curse.” Jade didn’t say anything, unsure of what to make of Ashanna’s statement.

  Taking in a deep breath, she continued, “Spiritual magic is more or less what it sounds like, as far as I know. It’s a connection with the spirit, both of the living and the dead. When I focus my spiritual magic on my eyes, I’m able to see and control spirits.” Taking a deep breath, she was obviously picking her next words carefully. “Most spirits move on after they die, but there are some that linger, and they can be captured after death.”

  Ashanna pulled out a few empty glass orbs, which Jade looked at quizzically. They were nothing special, as far as she could tell. It wasn’t until she activated her mana sense that she could see the pale green energy pulsing inside the orbs, but that was the extent of what she could see. A thin line of energy stretched between Ashanna and the orbs, showing her control over them.

  “These captured souls can be used as extremely potent weapons, however, they are single use. Once the spirit has been freed, it’s generally angry. You can use it to cause irreparable damage to a soul, but then the spirit is allowed to move on. You can also speak to spirits that have not moved on. Now, I want you to concentrate first on being able to see spirits, since that is necessary before anything else. Concentrate your spiritual magic on your eyes.”

  She tried, she really did. She wanted to grasp the elusive pale green energy she could feel shimmering at the edge of her aura, but it kept seeming to slip away from her grasp. “Can you see the spirits?” Ashanna probed carefully.

  Jade frowned, shaking her head. “I can use mana sense to see the magic, but… I can’t get it to work.” Her frustration was obvious. She kept trying for several minutes to no avail. No matter how hard she tried to redirect the mana to her eyes, the green stuff wouldn’t budge.

  Disheartened, Ashanna sighed as she put one of the orbs down on the nearby table. “I’ll leave this here so you can keep trying, though you should stop for now. Spiritual magic is an attunement with the world around you. It’is tapping into the very essence of life. You must be at peace to align yourself with the energies around you.”

  Grumbling under her breath, Jade nodded. “I get it. Meditation, inner peace… I’ll work on it.” She glared absently at the glass ball. Her inner demons were her own, but until she could figure out how to tap it on her own, she was at a bit of a loss. With almost everything else, things had come naturally or she had a boost from someone else that made it easier. This, though… Inner peace wasn’t exactly something she was filled with right now. Guilt, frustration, anger, joy, wonder… She felt like she had so many different emotions cycling through her at a pace she could hardly keep up with.

  Brushing off her hands, Ashanna smiled at her. “Well, since we can’t work on spiritual magic, you said you were interested in learning life magic as well?”

  Perking up, Jade regained some of her enthusiasm. “Yes! I can at least work on that!” She was even at beginner ten, so she figured it would be way easier to start on once she figured out what it was exactly. She hadn’t gotten to the book on life magic yet. She needed to spend some more time in the library reading…when she had a chance.

  Going into lecture mode once more, Ashanna began. “Life magic is a bit of a misnomer. It’s an auxiliary magic that augment
s others. The most common use is personal buffs, with the ability to create an aura upon reaching intermediate. There are several kinds of buffs and auras. The most widely used aura is vitality, which is probably where the name came from. The vitality aura strengthens you in a myriad of ways. Your strength, speed, stamina, and ability to heal are all boosted in the vitality aura.” She paused, and Jade felt an intangible wave in the air emanating from Ashanna.

  She used her mana sense once again, seeing an orange sphere moving out away from her body until it swept past her. She felt more alert, and she could feel her muscles becoming stronger. It was an instant power boost, and she wondered if some people got power drunk on it, intoxicating as the surge was. As quickly as she felt it, Ashanna pulled it back in and she felt the power fading.

  “The downside of an aura versus a buff is that an aura is only active while others remain in your sphere of influence, while a personal buff can be given. The power and skill of the person giving the buff determines how long it will last and how much of a boost it will be. You also have to have fine control to buff your allies and not your enemies if they enter your aura. Thus, the aura of vitality is not usually used in battle, due to the limitations. It is, however, often used for long treks or manual labor such as harvesting.”

  Jade was pondering the implications of this. It would be useful for her group while moving to and through the forest, but she wondered if it was good to depend on it. She figured the mana expenditure was probably fairly hefty. It was likely better to do personal buffs beforehand.

  She was brought out of her musings as Ashanna moved on. “The next common buff we use is magical augmentation. This is most often used in groups of mages.” Jade watched as the power spread out from Ashanna once more, and she was glad the queen was giving her a hands on experience with what the different buffs felt like. Personally experiencing it was twice as effective as just talking about it for her.