by SK Benton
Draagh handed her a small, black dowel, 36 centimeters in length, and then said, "Very well, now Jennie, say graveincantatio liber, while pointing your device at the book." Jennie did that and whipped the book into the air, with it almost landing in the massive fireplace on the far wall.
"Oh dear me," exclaimed their teacher. "I believe we must use something a bit less valuable for these sessions. It appears that you are both hell-bent on destroying your lesson materials." The two giggled and looked at each other like impish, disobedient children.
Draagh's heart warmed as he watched the two, knowing that his plan was coming along nicely. They were no longer antagonistic toward each other, and were forming a bond that would be critical if they were to defeat the Vrol.
Before he could continue, Jennie asked, "Draagh, do I have to use this stick to perform a cantus because I am not a mage?"
"Yes, my dear, that is correct. You see, that stick, as you call it, was known as a wand in Earth's ancient past, and only certain wands enabled non-mages to perform limited amounts of magic. That, my dear, is yours. I wish for you to keep it."
"Aw, thankies, Gramps!" exclaimed Jennie, reverting to the cute voice she used when she wanted to get a man's attention, but this time being totally sincere and showing immense appreciation.
"Draagh, what's the difference between that wand and, say, for example, a stick? Couldn't Jennie grab a tree branch and recite a cantus?" asked Max.
Draagh got a surprised look on his face, but had fully expected that question from either of them, and responded by saying, "Oh, my goodness, no! You see, that wand is special, as someone of my ilk must create it. In fact, I made that one, but they were plentiful on Earth of the past, and fetched substantial coin for their purchase. They were also highly illegal in some places, as in some lands non-mages were prohibited from practicing magic. No, no, my boy. One cannot grab a shrub and wave it around while screaming out nonsensical cantuses."
Max and Jennie both laughed out loud again, imagining someone ripping a plant out of the ground and shaking it while muttering nonsense, hoping for things to go flying about.
Draagh continued telling them about the complexities of magic, and how Max would have a much more detailed and controlled sense via his extremities, as his body was attuned to magical energy. Jennie would need to exercise more caution, as she was limited to using a device. After an hour he got them to both lift a book (not their lesson manual, but a biography of the life and times of a particularly boring troglodyte who had invented a way of starting fire by rubbing two sticks together), and to move it to various places around the room. Once they had mastered that skill he moved onto an incantation for producing light, using the basic undacantus - a spell to manipulate various electromagnetic radiation wavelengths, and in that particular case, visible light.
Draagh continued, "Very well, my children. Now we shall create light. Max, you shall use your hands to control the light source in the air, while Jennie, you can only cause the light source to emanate from the tip of your wand. Now, both of you say undaincantatio lux."
They both followed his instructions, and Jennie was amazed that a small, visible light, bright enough to allow her passage in a darkened room came from the tip of her wand. Then she looked at Max, who was expertly juggling three different light sources as if he were a street performer, with each one being a different color.
"Excellent! Excellent!" exclaimed Draagh. "You are both coming along fine. Let us repair for lunch, and then continue once we have satisfied the growling in our empty stomachs."
After they had eaten a delicious lunch of roasted fowl and purple potatoes, they returned to the main hall to continue with their lessons. It was then that Draagh explained just how powerful and complex magic could be. A knowledgeable mage was able to break down the molecular structure of an object, causing it to melt or disappear. The same cantus could also cause a transmorphing effect. Mutatecantuses were used for changing things at the DNA-level, while a mage specializing in healing would often use salucantuses in order to heal the sick.
Draagh went over everything that he had previously detailed in the lesson book, which he had written some centuries prior. They discussed usage of movericantuses, used for simple, local teleportation, like when he had taken Bagatelle to his ship, and ignicantuses, which, at maximum intensity, enabled a mage to super-heat the atmosphere, causing anything in its range to burn in temperatures equal to that of a sun.
It saddened Jennie to learn that her wand was incapable of calling cantuses to melt peoples' faces or decimate entire cities, but she seemed quite satisfied with being able to knock someone into a coma with a concussive blast.
"I might give you a bit of warning," said Draagh, with a touch of concern on his face, "there are limitations to magic, especially where more advanced cantuses are concerned."
The two students look at their instructor as he continued, "As there is a finite amount of magic present at any time, and because you are both quite young, certain advanced cantuses will have a depleting effect and will require what one would call a cool-down period - that is, a necessary time-out while the magical energy regenerates."
Max suddenly spoke out, having pieced together the puzzle of the yellow fourth line on his HUD.
"Draagh! I have an extra line in my vitals meter, and Alea suggested it could be connected to my magic levels or something."
Jennie winced at hearing the lovely lycan trainer's name, but hid her reaction from her compatriots.
Draagh looked to be thinking for a few seconds, and then said, "Well, my boy, as one rarely encounters a magic-capable lycan, I find it likely that you are correct. With that said, we should test it."
Draagh then had Max perform three cantuses in rapid succession - the first one being a massive undacantus of spectacular lights, followed by an ignicantus (where he almost set the hall on fire) and a gravicantus, which he used to rearrange the sparse furniture in their training room. Finishing the quick and most deft display of his newly learned skills, he concentrated on his meter.
"What do you see, my boy?" asked Draagh, "Has this extra line of which you speak changed at all?"
"It went down to half, but it's slowly creeping back up as we speak," Max replied. Thus he had discovered what his extra readout was for - it simply gave him a visual on the timeout for using his magical abilities.
"But what about me? I don't have a cool-down meter, so how do I know when I'm drained?" asked Jennie.
Draagh took her wand into his hand and expertly twirled it around his fingers, saying, "My dear, you will have to do a bit of counting in your head, and also know your limitations. However, I may be able to add a little feature to your equipment - perhaps something to give you a sensory response, like a small vibration. Would this help you?"
"Yeah, that'd be great, Pops!" the young woman excitedly responded, not wanting to be at a disadvantage in battle.
"There is one thing you will be able to assist each other with in the future," continued Draagh. During the full moon, you are both aware that you will turn into raging, snarling beasts, am I correct?"
They both looked at him and nodded, but their expressions slightly unnerved him. It appeared that they were looking forward to the transformation.
"Well," he continued, "as you shall be required to go through the change in three weeks' time, we shall forgo any attempting to sidestep that particular bit of nastiness, but at a later date, you shall both be able to stop each other's transformation."
Max and Jennie looked at each other quizzically and then back at their teacher.
"You see, an electricantus of sufficient power can short-circuit a lycan's death form transformation, albeit with some limitations. That is why many lycan strongholds desire to have a mage in their employ. In fact, Krynos has a resident minor-mage, but he tends to stay well hidden whenever I am present."
"So Pops, tell me - Jennie and I will be able to perform a cantus on each other and avoid turning phase 3?" asked Max.
"That is possible, my son," responded Draagh. "You would need to hit each other with sufficient electrical force, and then hope that you did not die."
Max thought for a moment, unable to make the connection between an effected genetic process and an electrical shock.
"Well then, if successful, how does shocking work?" asked the young mage.
"Well, it can deactivate the particles in your system that are working in conjunction with your genetics, of course!" responded Draagh.
Particles. Genetics. Viruses. Magic. Cantuses. These things were new to Max and Jennie, but they absorbed it all quite well. In fact, better than Draagh would have imagined when he first encountered them near the banks of the Urubamba River. The ancient Primulus went on to explain that everything that had mass in the universe also had a combination of some form of particles. There was light matter, dark matter, dirt, water, oxygen, cannabis sativa (his favorite), and many quadrillions of other things.
"Draagh," asked Max, "exactly how does magic work? I mean, what is it, really?"
"Max, my boy," Draagh responded, "How old were you when you learned to drive a grav sled on your maternal grandparents' farm?"
"Um, I don't know, maybe 8 years old?" he shot back.
"And did you understand exactly how that grav sled worked?"
"No, no. Not at all."
"Yet, you were still able to operate it, am I not correct?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Exactly the same here, my boy!" he shouted, slapping Max on the back and causing the young man to cough as he did so. "You must practice more, and then the assorted titillating details will be revealed. It shall be quite enlightening, I can already say. Yes, indeed, I can."
The three finished the day, practicing calling glaciecantuses - freezing spells, and making ice cream. This was most probably due to the fact that Draagh had the munchies. They then ate a quick dinner, with Max and Jennie choosing elk and a delicious light honey mead. After they had all retired to their chambers, Max heard a light knock on his door. His heart jumped - he hoped it was Jennie coming to visit with him. He ran to the door, opening it, only to find Alea standing there in a semi-transparent nightgown, her attractive figure visible via the light coming from the partial moon, which also made it quite apparent that she was not wearing any undergarments.
"Max, I am sorry to bother you, but I do need to speak with you. May I come in?"
Max stepped back and shut the door behind her.
"Alea, it's late and I've been training all day. What is it?"
She looked at him, and stepped forward, putting her hands on the crisscross collar tie of his tunic, and saying, "I believe that a danger lurks in the castle. I have no idea what it is yet, but we have been betrayed before. I can feel its dark embrace. Please be careful. I am deathly afraid, and, as you have become so strong, I was wondering if I could pass the night - in your bedchambers?"
Max sighed and took her hands into his. "Alea," he said, "you are an immensely attractive woman, and if I were here alone and not going anywhere I can tell you that I would not only take you up on your offer, but I would seek to make you my mate. You are really that incredible - and to top it all off, you have a great right hook. But the reality of this whole situation is that I'm not staying here. I need to return to my home planet and prevent a disaster - the same type of disaster that befell this world. Can you understand that?"
Alea hummed softly and leaned up to kiss him, which he lightly reciprocated, and then reached over to open his door.
"If you would like, I can request protective guards for you. Would that work? I mean, I think I have some connections with the king," he said half-jokingly.
Alea smiled, her beautiful face glowing in the moonlight and said, "No, I am fine. I just wanted to warn you, and perhaps, well, you know. Goodnight, Max."
"Goodnight, Alea," said Max, as he shut the door, his heart beating, not out of lust, but out of anticipation. He wanted to get her out of his room before Jennie found out she was there. The last thing he needed was a jealous lycan female throwing down shots with soldiers - again. He turned to look out the window, and remembered what she had said - that there was danger in their midst. That was most disconcerting, and he paused, only to be scared half out of his wits, because there, in the window was a figure, crouched and waiting.
"Undaincantatio lux!" he cried out, illuminating his window, only to see Jennie crouching on the ledge with a huge smile on her face, wearing nothing more than some short-shorts and a tank top. She had her hair down over her shoulders, which was unusual, but her most striking feature were her huge, brown eyes that mesmerized Max as they glowed in the light of his cantus.
He walked over and opened the window, allowing her to drop down into his room, as he desperately tried to not stare at her perfect breasts poking out from her rather small shirt.
"Hmm, Mr. Mage is busy with his fan club tonight, eh?" she giggled, tapping him twice on the chest with her fingertips as she teasingly circled him.
"You were spying on us? What a brat! Anyway, I had to turn her down. I'm sure you saw that much. I have a lot more on my plate than I can handle, so the last thing I need is a relationship."
"Oh…" said Jennie, looking away, "so, I guess she's pretty much out of the picture then, right?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine, and will find a... hey! Do you hear that?" he exclaimed while dropping his voice to a low whisper. Max and Jennie both hushed themselves and dropped to crouching positions, listening intently. Then, looking at each other, they burst out laughing.
"Oh my God!" Jennie screeched quietly. "She's with Draagh!"
Max's jaw dropped, and the two fell to the floor, chortling like little children. After a few minutes they recouped themselves, and then started playing with the undacantuses, Max with his hands, making complex designs with balls of light, and Jennie using her wand, making impressive displays of sparkles. It was almost as if they were reliving lost days of their childhood, with Jennie enjoying it the more of the two, as her childhood was pretty uneventful compared to Max's.
###
The next morning Draagh seemed pleased with himself at breakfast, but Max and Jennie acted like they knew nothing, not desiring to invite any voluntary information from the old mage's escapades the night before.
"So, my young ones, did we sleep well last night?"
"Oh yes, sir," said Jennie.
"Yup, like a rock," added Max.
All three enjoyed their breakfasts of meat, porridge, and yerba mate, with Draagh trying the beverage at Jennie's insistence.
"I find this a bit amargo (bitter), but pleasing."
Max and Jennie sucked their mate down through the homemade bombillas they had made the night before, using wood, a pocket knife, and a minor ignicantus to burn tiny filtration holes in the bulbous ends of the straws.
Going back to the main hall, all three sat down at the large, oaken table, where Draagh began his lesson plan.
"Today we shall go over some more advanced spells, specifically ones that Jennie can perform with the tools I have provided. We will also examine other things, but first I would like to show you visuals of magic in action."
Draagh stood up and waved his arm out in a great, swooping motion, conjuring a large three-dimensional hologram in the middle of the room, which showed demonstrations of various incantations. The two watched with rapt interest, as Draagh sat back and admired his two young pupils. They were learning quickly, and there was much hope for their world, but only if Bagatelle could convince the Security Council to retrofit the entire Azul military armada with SSCC technology. That being said, he wasn't so sure that would happen. There were those of traitorous mind on Azul, and they all carried the recessive vampire gene.
Max and Jennie noticed that with some cantuses there would be a flowing stream of particles, in different colors, depending on the incantation, such as a light blue for freezing spells, or red for heating spells. In some spells, the particles seemed to be ambie
nt, but in others they seemed to be the cause of the intended reaction.
After finishing the holo-vid, Max and Jennie, seated a little closer to each other than in previous days, looked at Draagh, almost to be saying, "Huh? Is that it?" when Draagh walked around his conjured hologram.
"Draagh, what are those particles? Are they magical particles? They seem to be everywhere," asked Jennie.
The ancient wizard nodded and said, "Yes, my dear. That would be correct. You see, in order to understand the technical mechanics of magic, one must see a magic particle itself, and as magic exists on worlds that have no technology, which in itself is a false statement, these worlds have no magnification because they have not advanced to that level of technical expertise, even though they have it, in a magical sense."
Max and Jennie stared at Draagh, trying to understand, as he contradicted himself while talking in circles. Before either could ask any further questions, he swung his arm at the hologram, wiping the vid out of existence.
"My children, technology is magic, and magic is technology, but on a scale not understandable by anyone from this world. As you both come from future-past, I am certain that you will absorb this very well. Yes, quite well I am certain."
The ancient mage again swept his hand around and conjured up a mass of planets, moons and suns, all rotating in a galaxy-like system. As the animation played, he cleared his throat and continued. |
"My kind has been in existence for eons, our creator being timeless. He has always been and shall always be - the Alpha and the Omega, if I remember my ancient Greek. Mankind, in his short existence, has always assigned vague mysticisms to the unknown. Sometimes for the good, such as the existence of what they call God, to whom we refer to as Jah. And sometimes for the bad, such as innocent women burned at the stake or drowned, having been accused of being witches. The sad part of it is that was when magic didn't even exist on Earth! Sad, quite sad, indeed. Mankind reacts with fear to that for which he has no knowledge. Galileo was brought before the Catholic Inquisition's Tribunal after he had correctly surmised that the sun is the center of Earth's solar system, and not Earth, as was stated in the Bible - the Church's belief being derived from a single passage that was written by a man with the hygienic habits of a chicken. In any case, it is not only mankind, but also other species throughout the ages. Man fears what he does not know, and it is for this reason that most people do not know the true nature of magic. We leave it be, we allow them to harness its wonders - to heal and defend, to protect and attack, and to create light in order to challenge the darkness."
