‘Amelie,’ he said gently and crouched beside her. ‘I love you. I won’t pretend there isn’t a rocky road ahead of us, but I want us to travel it together, side by side.’ He met her unhappy eyes. ‘Do you believe me?’
‘You need my help to get through this place and home that’s all,’ she said miserably.
‘I’ve had enough of this,’ he said suddenly, took her hands and stared into her eyes. She gasped and barred his mental intrusion. He persisted however, clearly determined, so she reluctantly allowed their minds to meet. The depth of his love and the desperation he felt that having just found her love he might lose her this way staggered her. In turn he learned what she really feared. ‘You know we only feel this so strongly because we’re opening up more seriously to each other, don’t you?’ he told her mentally and felt she finally understood. The warmth she felt for him suddenly washed over his mind bathing him in love and desire. He reciprocated and they basked in each other’s regard. All their confusion, hurt and doubt was washed clean by new understanding, shared love and acceptance. Well this was a new way to make love!
Now when they packed up and continued on their journey they were not fighting each other’s misconceptions. Their understanding and regard for each other had deepened rapidly. They were young and in love, their natural optimism soon surfacing again.
Amelie changed her appearance and Jim darkened his hair again now they were passing through many little hamlets. Amelie thought initially they’d look less recognisable if she changed into a man. But she wanted to kiss Jim whenever they stopped and she couldn’t be gazing into his eyes either if she were meant to be a man! Jim thought it very funny indeed.
They didn’t realise that their preoccupation with each other and relaxed happy moods were what stopped observers thinking they could possibly be hunted fugitives. As it was, they cheerfully ambled along through little villages served by the narrow road with no hassle.
Three nights running they found a guesthouse or Inn to spend the night. It continued to rain part of each day and was growing increasingly chilly. Getting a good hot meal and a warm bed of an evening was not only very inviting indeed but becoming more critical. But on the fourth morning they saw a small troop of mounted soldiers pass by as they were saddling their horses in the Inn’s yard. Most roads crossing their route were headed for the local fortified town, now behind them. Carts travelled these roads taking provisions into the town. The soldiers were a timely reminder that they needed to hasten their pace. Time was passing; bringing winter ever closer and they had yet to find somewhere safe to spend it.
‘What’s the matter?’ she asked. Jim had jerked in the saddle, halted his horse and closed his eyes.
‘That owl bloke has just been asked about us again. Whoever’s asking now is trying to magically wake him. Oh. Now they’re trying to simply read his mind while he sleeps. Give me your hand,’ he added urgently. Not even having time to dismount he reached for the owl man’s mind. ‘There is nothing of interest in this mind,’ Jim implanted the suggestion gently, infusing it with boredom and apathy. Then he swiftly removed the triggers linking him to the owl man’s mind before the strange wizard could notice.
‘What happened?’ Amelie asked anxiously. He’d used her strength to augment his own and very quickly released her, shutting the spell down tightly.
‘Someone just tried to follow my link back to us!’ he said nervously.
‘I felt something slam against me. Was that it?’ she asked.
‘Yes. Your mind is naturally very well barricaded. I’m glad I listened to my gut and put you in as the lead. If I’d been in the front line they might have got through. But you’re so much stronger.’
‘What would have happened?’
‘That depends on the will and strength of that wizard. He might have been able to take control of me long enough to briefly search my mind. It takes a great deal of strength to do it over distance but once a link is established it’s possible. That’s why I had to destroy the link I made with the owl and stop the wizard getting a grip on either of us just now.’
‘Could he have taken control of me?’ she asked nervously.
‘Possibly, but not quickly. We’d probably have had time to shut down the link first. Your skill means your power is structured differently to an academy trained mage. He would initially assume you to merely be untrained, but would find it difficult to capture your mind. But given time to look further and realise what you are he could tailor an approach that would potentially capture you.’
‘But he was able to use that owl man easily. Surely I would look the same?’
‘No. Actually you feel like a very strong wizard rather than an animus. You have probably four times the power and resonance of that owl animus or Daniel for that matter. It’s why you can multi shape shift. It’s also why I think you can learn wizard spells. Come on, we’re starting to look odd standing here.’
‘Can he come after us in our minds?’ she asked anxiously.
‘No. Not unless he’s a very gifted Master. I shut down the connection too fast for him to get more than a suggestion of our presence.’
‘But if you stopped your spell on that owl, he’ll now be able to tell about us won’t he?’
‘Yes, but what did he really know about us anyway? I’m not going to worry about something I can do nothing about. Besides, it’s nearly a week since we left that owl. We’ve travelled a good distance since then. Even if they knew which direction we were headed they’ll be far behind.’
‘We’ll just have to make sure we don’t use any magic that they can sense,’ she told him with a raised brow.
‘I know, I’ve slipped up again,’ he said in guilty resignation. He’d almost over reached himself trying a new spell on that owl and then having a stranger leap in through gaps he should never have left in their defences. She trusted him to know what he was doing in these matters; not to put them both at risk.
‘You were going to teach me some magic,’ she reminded.
‘Yes, but it’s not safe to be using any in practice,’ he said. ‘That’s why I haven’t started.’
‘I know. But you could tell me what to do for common and useful things surely?’
‘Teach you the theory?’ He abruptly smiled. ‘That’s a good idea. At least then you’ll be better prepared. It’s the learning of what is and isn’t possible which takes time. I also hadn’t started this because the other very important thing to learn is not only to channel your gifts into a spell, but to learn your own strength limitations. That’s something you can be guided on but essentially you’ll have to discover for yourself.’
She noticed he frowned slightly considering that. ‘Did no one push you to find your limits at the Academy?’
‘No, I don’t think they can have done,’ he said pulling at his lip absently. ‘Since I’ve been with you I’ve tried and accomplished many things I never thought I could do. Ok, some of those were only possible to achieve because I was borrowing your strength. But still, only a few months ago I’d never have thought them remotely possible to anyone not a Master.’
‘We’re pushing ourselves every day to survive and coming across many situations where you have to act quickly to defend yourself. What better way to discover your abilities than under duress. I think your teachers will be surprised at your progress when you return. So, what are you going to teach me first? Is there anything I should already know?’
‘The laws of magic. Magic is bound by natural limitations just as the physical world is,’ he began with a small smile and she rolled her eyes at his classroom teacher attitude. But she listened, absorbing the information he recited from his own schooling. They would only pause in the lessons if other people were in earshot or long enough to decide any new journey direction. Surprisingly the day passed quickly.
‘Normally at this point I’d expect to see a demonstration of that spell to set it in my mind. But unfortunately we can’t.’
‘Let me see your memory of it,�
� she asked holding out her hand. ‘Or does that use magic as well?’
‘It’s not projecting magic so it barely counts,’ he assured and took her hand.
‘Ah, now I see,’ she said a moment later. Seeing his memory this way also meant she felt the sudden pull of strength it took from him at the time. She also felt exactly what he’d done to achieve and activate the spell. ‘It’s as though I actually experienced it,’ she enthused. She flicked her fingers trying to set it in her mind and a tiny flame blossomed on the end of her finger. ‘Oops,’ she said immediately releasing the flame. ‘Sorry, I didn’t think it would happen so easily.’
Jim glanced about them, but no-one could have seen that. ‘Well, that answers the fundamental question of whether you can do wizard magic, doesn’t it? Well done.’
She smiled happily, especially seeing how relived he was. ‘Could that wizard have felt such a tiny spell?’
‘Depends how far away he is. But you snuffed it very quickly. It’d be extremely difficult to trace us from that.’
‘Was that just light or actual fire?’ she asked noticing her finger wasn’t scorched.
‘You could make it either,’ Jim advised. ‘You’ve just passed the most important lesson and which can be the most difficult to accomplish for some people. Because once you’ve grasped the mechanics of channelling your magic into a spell, you’re almost there. For you anyway, the rest will be easy. You see, spells rely on the wizard being able to visualise a spell accurately and bring it to life. Their imagination and personal strength is what then defines them as a wizard. You are exceedingly accomplished at visualising something and turning it into reality or you wouldn’t be able to turn into an animal without having one standing beside you to copy. Your memory and attention to detail must be pretty exemplary too. These qualities are going to stand you in very good stead in learning the new skills available at the Academy. You could go far.’
‘So have you had any ideas on how to disguise my resonance? I’m not going to get very far in your world if they can all tell I’m not a wizard.’
‘I’m going to have to do a lot of experimenting, which of course I can’t do when every spell use could lead our enemies to us. I think whatever we come up with you’ll have to maintain. So until you’ve been able to have some practice using spells I wouldn’t like to suggest we try it. It’s likely to be a complicated spell.’
‘The sooner we get out of this country the better,’ she said and kicked her horse on to a better pace. Unfortunately the area they were now in was good farming country all the way to the sea and consequently well populated. They had another two weeks or so hard travel before they reached the coast.
After dinner that night they retired immediately to their room. Like many inns the rooms were small and ill furnished, but they were at least able to afford a private room. They didn’t have to make do with the big communal overflow and cheap attic room. Jim almost ritualistically said the swift spell that would rid the room of bed bugs and biting insects. They lay down side by side and she took his hand. She tried the merge this time and found it was easy to access his mind.
‘We’re going to have to work on your mental defences,’ she told him with concern and gathered he wasn’t entirely sure how. She also felt his emotion that he didn’t want to block her out; that he relished these moments sharing her every thought. ‘To business my dear,’ she said softly. She put her concern about his defences to one side and asked him to recall all the lessons he could. Since he naturally skipped past the majority of the background explanations and other non-essentials, it wasn’t boring. He got straight to the uses for each spell and the nugget of wisdom he’d learned. That meant she collected just that critical part of each lesson together with his practical experience creating the spell. She directed him away from lessons she had no interest in and led him to all those of a survival or military use. His natural sensitivity and empathy meant he was unhappy learning how to maim or kill an enemy. She however wanted to be able to defend herself and whilst he hadn’t wanted to learn these things he had watched the lesson and seen other students succeed in the tests.
‘Magic used to kill takes more power from a wizard than almost anything else,’ Jim warned her. ‘It is a last resort. It can also twist someone’s nature,’ he added.
She watched his memory of a wizard changing and becoming dark and cruel after a battle, actively seeking to cause pain and suffering to helpless creatures.
‘Of course,’ she told him, unsurprised. ‘Taking a life unnecessarily and without respecting that life puts you out of balance with nature. It’s not nature’s way. We all die but if it is early then we expect our sacrifice to be for a real reason. When the wolf kills something he does it because he’s hungry or his life is threatened. He knows that without other creatures living successfully, he would starve and die. He has respect for the importance of all life. He doesn’t kill when he doesn’t need to so that the prey is still there when he is hungry. His prey instinctively knows that without a predator to thin their ranks they would become too many and starve. Again balance. People can easily forget this basic law and kill indiscriminately and without worrying about the consequences. But nature punishes the conscience of those that do. You said that person became dark and unhappy. He was being punished. Until he accepts what he did was wrong and therefore also accepts responsibility for it, he will always be out of balance with nature and life itself. He will continue to blame the world for his unhappiness when all he needs to do is take responsibility.’
‘How did you become so wise?’ Jim murmured. ‘I’ve never heard an explanation for cruelty and depression put like that. But it makes sense. You mean he’s stuck in that moment forever until he accepts he alone is to blame?’
‘Exactly. Only then can he receive penance, forgive and move on. Everyone makes mistakes, but it is how we handle our feelings of guilt that are important. My family have always had animus in each generation. We have a closer tie to animals and nature than most people I suppose. But I learned that from my mother. She was a powerful wizard but preferred animus people to other wizards. She married an animus and was slated for it. She worked as an animus teacher for the wealthy. Father took over for a time after she left, but I guess they were both too well known to escape the inquisition. Now show me how you put up that shield around us,’ she said taking his hand and going into his mind again.
She quickly felt weary; the amount of critical information transmitted from his mind had been difficult to comprehend and the speed at which it was delivered took considerable concentration.
‘That’s enough for today love. I’m tired.’
‘We got through far more than I thought we would in one session. You did well,’ he added.
Still linked as she was with his mind, she felt his pride in her ability. He courteously left her mind and she felt a sudden gap where he’d been. She swiftly reduced her presence to just a wisp of shadow as though she’d left his mind too and passively listened to him. He was mulling over what other lessons he should teach her next time. Then he glanced at her. Her head rested in the hollow of his shoulder and her eyes were closed. Thus she kept the physical contact needed for this snooping. He was still a mystery to her, although every time they merged it became easier to link and she gathered more insights into the way he thought. But generally he was shy and simply kept trying to please her. Something was holding him back from letting her please him and she was determined to find out what it was. She felt his absorption as he stared at her, his gaze on each aspect of her face. She felt his need to kiss her but his hesitation that she’d said she was tired. Keeping contact she reached up and kissed him. She felt just what he wanted and complied. Suddenly powerfully sensual thoughts swirled in his mind. She hid her smile, struggling not to reveal her presence in his mind. She straddled his thighs and stroked his chest, feeling his heat through the thin shirt and using the material itself to caress him. Experiencing just how hot and aroused she was making him fired her
more than she could ever have imagined. She slipped her fingers through the gap between the buttons to his soft warm skin. Quickly all the buttons were undone and she pushed it back. She knew he was amused that she liked looking at his body. She reached for his chest and felt his amusement dissolve into hot appreciation as she tailored her touch and began kissing his skin just as he wanted. She felt his need to do the same on her and she sat up more to give him room. His hands pulled her hips closer and he unbuttoned her shirt, his fingers caressing before pushing it wide. His lips followed his hands and she tipped her head back feeling the passion in his mind and the hot dampness of his mouth. Then she felt his wavering between kissing her breast and her mouth. She kissed him settling that question and pressing her bare chest against his.
‘Are you in my mind?’ he suddenly asked suspiciously, letting the question sit in his head rather than projecting it. What she was doing was just what he wanted, just what he’d imagined, but even better than he’d hoped for. She didn’t answer but he saw her lips tighten momentarily in amusement. ‘You are in my head!’ he gasped, embarrassment flooding his mind. She had witnessed some of his deepest desires.
‘Jim, merge with me,’ she urged. ‘Feel what I’m feeling.’ She sensed his immediate temptation to truly know what it was like for her. But again he hesitated.
‘Why didn’t you tell me you were watching me? This is humiliating,’ he added.
She could even feel his toes curling. ‘You are beautiful from the inside out. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You never ask for what you want or even hint at what would make you happy. I had to do this for you. Merge with me. Feel how good this is for me. Being in your mind and feeling your pleasure makes this twice as good. Please.’ She unfastened his trousers and slipped her hand inside to the source of his warmth. She felt the fires leap inside him and caught his not quite hidden wish.
Amelie: Wizards of White Haven Page 20
