The Gift of Magic (The Shadowmage Saga)

by Paul Sobol

  Stopping in front of what seemed a random door Enigma turned the doorknob and motioned for Alex to enter. The room wasn’t as large as he thought it would be – a decent size canopy bed dominating the middle of the room, a small bookshelf occupying one wall and on the other a small flat-screen television. The only thing lacking was a window.

  Enigma opened a side door to reveal a small on-suite. “I'll come back shortly with something to eat. Tomorrow we’ll see about getting you some better clothes. Silver’s taste in clothes doesn’t quite suit you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Enigma disappeared down the hallway and Alex closed the door after him. After a much-needed hot shower, he crawled into bed and was soon fast asleep, not even rousing when Enigma entered with a small tray of food.

  Upstairs the debate over Alex’s fate was still being decided.

  “I agree,” Silver began again, “In any other situation he would be taken to the Academy just like every potential student we’ve found before. But this case is different. He is different.”

  Silver shifted a little in his seat. “In the Brotherhood’s torture chamber, we were restrained with anti-magical devices. Alex suddenly got up off the table, eyes glowing, and took down a powerful necromancer and two bodyguards. It was as if something had taken control of him, because he broke the anti-magical shackles as though they were made of paper. I don’t know of any magician, dead or alive, who could have done the same.”

  “If what you say is true,” said Winter, “how did this powerful entity come to possess the young lad?

  “I don’t know,” answered Silver. “He was gone only a short time, but who knows what could have happened to him? Perhaps this entity has been there for a while, only to be disturbed by the necromancer’s mind probe. This entity is extremely powerful, and potentially dangerous. It may pose a threat to us later on. It should be removed, and the only person who can help is the Oracle.”

  The others around the table looked at each other silently, each weighing up the merits of Silver’s plan and trying to come up with an alternative solution.

  “In the meantime, the Brotherhood may want retribution for the destruction of their headquarters. I doubt Boris will be sitting idly by, he’ll most likely despatch another team to try and locate us. Everyone is to take the usual precautions, and if you sense any danger don’t hesitate to call for backup.

  Silver looked around the table, his eyes calculating. “Tomorrow, I want Alex to begin informal training. Enigma, give him the usual texts to read and begin with the basics. We need him to be prepared for what’s coming.”

  Chapter Seven

  The two magicians stood on the edge of the rooftop, peering across at a nearby building more than fifty feet away. A moonless night provided the perfect cover for their covert activities, although if any human did report what was going on, who would believe them? Only another magician, and that would draw unwanted attention to the area.

  Silver would kick his ass for such a novice mistake, which is why Enigma had chosen the night time to show Alex the ropes. For the past few weeks they had devoted time every night to practice, and from what Enigma could see, his pupil was learning in leaps and bounds. Like a super-absorbent sponge. He had already memorised the basic texts – mostly theory with a smattering of history, as well as a few books on beginner’s magic ‘borrowed’ from the Academy.

  Enigma hadn’t spent much time at the Meridian Academy. With little power he wasn’t considered a full magician, which had driven him to excel at the one thing he excelled at – illusions. But becoming a master illusionist only ranked you next to stage magicians like David Copperfield. The work he did with electronics required little energy, but manipulating it required a high degree of concentration and quite a bit of finesse. Too much power and circuit boards were likely to get destroyed.

  But tonight’s practice was far from illusions and electronics.

  Now was the time to fly.

  Literally.

  Judging the distance between buildings, Alex focused on the spell he was about to cast, and without hesitation ran towards the edge. With a single leap he jumped from the rooftop. Gravity attempted to pull him back to earth, to certain death, but the spell of Flight won that tug-of-war.

  For a heartbeat nothing happened, and Alex wondered if he had cast the spell correctly. There was a possibility he could have mixed it up with one of the hundreds of other spells he was trying to learn. But as he soared across the fifty foot gulf of empty space he finally allowed himself to breathe again.

  Landing on the opposite roof with a soft thud Alex felt nothing but elation. He had wanted to learn this ever since reading about it in one of the training manuals. Technically it wasn’t flying – more like extended levitation, and for the period of time he was jumping he had felt weightless. What happened if a strong wind was blowing? Would he fly away with it like a runaway kite? When asked, Enigma had taken the questions seriously and tried to answer them to the best of his ability. Although anything beyond levitation was above his level of power, but he knew enough of the theory behind the spells to know how they operated. It didn’t quite put Alex’s mind at ease, but accepted the explanations.

  Enigma landed next to his student, and together they crossed the roof towards the next ledge. Dressed completely in black, the two magicians blended in with their surroundings very well, and for a moment Alex couldn’t help but imagine themselves as stealthy ninjas. It made him wonder if they existed and if so, did they use magic? That one he would leave til later to ask, because right at this moment Alex was jumping off the building towards his next target.

  As the night wore on Alex was getting more comfortable with jumping. So far his personal best was about one hundred feet across and three storeys higher. It was a good distance, Enigma had confirmed, but far from Superman status. Leaping tall buildings would come later with practice.

  Waking up the next day, Alex found the headquarters deserted. Preparing a bowl of cereal from the kitchen, he sat at the round table and flipped through the day’s newspaper. The problems of the real world didn’t seem to be as significant, now that he was experiencing an entirely different life as a magician. Non-magicians, or ‘humans’ as they were referred to, might not be able to handle the added weirdness of the real world – vampires, werewolves, elves, dwarves, goblins, trolls, zombies and a whole host of other ‘undead’ monsters.

  And then there are magicians.

  If humans knew all these existed it might cause a global panic, or a witch hunt of epic proportions. Most ‘magical’ creatures can be killed with mundane weapons like fire, decapitation and extreme dismemberment. Explains why they all like to remain secret, Alex thought. Can’t be killed if no one knows you exist.

  Half an hour later Enigma appeared from downstairs. Looking slightly dishevelled, as though he hadn’t had enough sleep last night, the young magician perked up once caffeine was introduced to his system. Pouring a second cup of the steaming black brew he joined Alex at the round table.

  “Rough morning?”

  “Uhuh.” Was all that came out.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Nhuh.” It felt good to finally open a dialogue.

  After a while of silence, Enigma put down the empty coffee mug and sat back with a deep sigh. He looked like he really needed to sleep. “Order business. There’s been some unusual underworld activity recently and Silver needed me to generate a report for a High Council meeting today. Usually it wouldn’t be a problem, if it concerned only dark magicians, but I had to include some of the ‘undead’ to the equation, which made for a very tedious morning.

  “The day is yours, to do as you please. I need to grab some sleep soon. Things are afoot, and no doubt there’ll be more late nights to come.”

  Alex sat speechless. He hadn’t been alone since arriving at the Order’s HQ, but today everyone was either sleeping or busy with work. Not knowing what to do was a much larger problem than he first imagined, and Alex b
egan to consider his options.

  While not a prisoner he was discouraged from leaving unescorted, so shopping or a movie was out. There was always more studying, but for some unknown reason Alex didn’t quite feel like being stuck indoors when the weather promised to be good today.

  This meant only one thing – an excursion to the roof.

  The morning could only be described as crisp. There was a definite chill to the air that hopefully would disappear once the sun was fully up. The ‘roof’, like the rest of the top floors, was shrouded in a power invisibility spell. From Alex’s perspective he was standing on top of a tall building on the outskirts of the CBD, but if anyone could actually see him it would appear as though he floated in mid-air.

  In the middle of the roof was an open space several feet across. Someone had gone through a lot of trouble to make it resemble a small paved garden, complete with a low surrounding box hedge gave the illusion of isolation from the rest of the roof. Potted plants and dwarf trees added greenery, while carved stone benches made the space inviting. Alex could see himself enjoying summer days up here sunbathing whilst reading a good book.

  Sitting on one of the carved stone benches Alex was suddenly reminded of the day he arrived at the Order’s headquarters. Enigma had brought him up here, the morning had been just as cold and the heavens threatened a deluge. Alex had been given his first ‘unofficial’ lesson on magic by the young magician Enigma, and looking back on that day it seemed a lifetime ago. Closing his eyes Alex recalled that first day.

  “Clear your mind to the exclusion of everything else around us. Ignore the sound of the nearby city traffic. Ignore the coldness of the air or the stone beneath you. To control your power, to cast magic, you need to create calmness within. From that calmness you will be able to gather the necessary mana to power your spells.

  “Close your eyes and concentrate on slow breathing. Listen to my voice but don’t focus too hard on the words – let them wash over you and pass through you. Meditation is the best way to master this exercise, and eventually you won’t even be consciously aware of calming your mind - it will just happen.

  “This is also one reason why we do not tolerate substance abuse or excessive alcohol consumption. It clouds your mind and makes it impossible to effectively use magic. There can be terrible consequences when magic goes astray, especially if your concentration breaks whilst trying to cast a spell. All magic is fuelled by a power that we are able to control, and there are many ways which we can cast magic.

  “The simplest form is incantation. It is a set of words that when spoken provides a focus for your mind. The mana you summon is shaped by thoughts, or more correctly Will. Not only do you need the desire to cast the spell but the unwavering belief that you can. Like a smoker or alcoholic going cold turkey. Sheer willpower can do wonders. It is also where we get the saying ‘mind over matter’.

  “Another way to cast magic is through hand actions. When speaking is no longer necessary we can focus our minds through action. Sometimes it is as simple as twiddling a finger to light a candle, or waving our arms to create a howling tempest. You will be able to 'throw' or project magic as well as block it with a sweep of your hand. Telekinesis is easily done with hand gestures such as picking up, holding, crushing, pushing. It’s as though the magic becomes an extension of your physical self, resulting in many different ways to cast spells.

  “The greatest magicians are capable of wielding magic without the need for action or speaking. He, or she, can exist within the calmness of their own mind, and with thought alone control their power. Mind over matter indeed. Combining energy and Willpower you can accomplish great things. However, magic by thought alone is a difficult technique to master, and although a few magicians have succeeded these have mostly passed into myth and legend.”

  Breathing slowly, barely listening to what Enigma was saying, Alex slowly blocked out the street noise coming from the awakening city. He even forgot about being cold, or how hard the stone bench was beneath him. The sun had finally revealed itself which brought a small smile to Alex’s face, but remembering to exclude even that welcoming sensation he went back to concentrating on nothingness.

  Several times he felt his mind slipping and wandering to stray thoughts. Thinking about nothing seemed impossible. But eventually he found the calm place where nothing intruded, and for a short while he sat there completely oblivious to everything around him.

  Suddenly something seemed out of place. Unable to describe the sensation he imagined it like warmth, but far away. Was he just feeling the sun once more, or perhaps his mind had wandered again and was playing tricks. The warmth felt like it radiated from beneath him, somewhere far underground, and unconsciously Alex was drawn towards the source.

  Using the mental equivalent of hands, he ‘reached’ down to touch whatever it was, and as he got closer marvelled that the increasing warmth was not actually hurting him. With mental fingers questing downwards, Alex suddenly imagined he was reaching for the molten core of the planet itself. In his mind’s eye, he was about to touch the blazing sphere of fire, and as he did so a small flame swirled upward to meet his imagined fingers.

  As though liquid fire coursed through every vein, Alex became aware of the physical sensation, but as quickly as it had registered it disappeared. The sudden void left behind was filling with a feeling like pins-and-needles. Enigma’s voice broke through his calmness and he opened his eyes.

  “Congratulations. That was your first contact with mana – the energy used to create magic. I should have warned you about the first experience it can feel a bit strange. However, I didn’t think you would get that far on your first go. Once the power is within you, focus your mind and create the spell, but without a focus or outlet for the stored energy it will hurt you. The experience is akin to being burned, but from inside out. I saw a young magician accidentally draw too much mana, more than he could normally handle, he panicked and lost concentration. Poor kid literally went up in flames. Heard of spontaneous combustion? Trust me it’s real.”

  “Is mana only in the ground?”

  “It’s everywhere,” Enigma said after a moment’s thought, “and in everything. But the greatest concentration is in the earth. Raw mana emanates from the sun to be collected by the earth and other planets. Over time the raw energy is refined as it passes through living things such as animals, trees and people. It is unknown if the stars create mana or merely the largest vessels for it, but we rely on it to power our magic. Once the spells are cast the re-ordered mana dissolves to eventually return back to the earth in its raw state.”

  The next few days were spent learning in this fashion, and when they weren’t on the rooftop Alex was in his room reading through the various books they had given him to study. Mostly it was theory of magic and several thousand years of history condensed into what seemed most relevant. Despite the immeasurable knowledge gained through reading, Alex found he was often looking forward to the time spent outside and actually practicing the art.

  Illusion was the easiest magic to learn, and Enigma had little trouble describing how it was done. “The key to creating convincing illusions is imagination. You need to visualise exactly what you want to create, right down to the smallest detail. That mental picture acts as a kind of template, and with a little mana you can project that image into the real world. One way to understand the concept is a television set – you are the cathode ray tube and the world around you is the glass screen. The illusion is made real by your thoughts and the mana. It’s also the only magic we can perform easily without relying on incantations or another type of focus. There is however one flaw with most illusions – they’re easy to see through by other magicians.

  “It’s the mana – the small amounts used for illusions leaves a faint imprint on the Aether that we are able to detect,” and casting his own spell of invisibility Enigma was able to show Alex exactly what he meant.

  For a moment Alex couldn’t see anything, but he had learnt of a way to
alter his perception, and as he employed the technique a soft reddish glow appeared in front of him. He was always amazed when using Mage Sight. “To the normal eye”, Enigma continued to explain, “The world looks just as it does, but magicians are able to see beyond, to the Aether. Trying to explain the Aether is like explaining colour to a blind person. Magic leaves an imprint on the Aether that can be felt as well as seen directly.”

  “Is it similar to the Invisible?”

  “No. What we call the Invisible is like a different dimension – it is the world beneath this one, coexisting on a slightly lower plane. One way to describe the cosmos as like an onion, with each layer being a different plane of existence, and we’re located somewhere in the middle.

  “You might have heard New Age thinkers describe higher planes of existence, of enlightenment, where matter transforms into light or other energy. They’re not far from the truth. We’re aware of at least a half dozen planes higher and lower, and if inclined you can actually visit them some day. There isn’t much point, in my opinion, other than saying ‘hi’ to the mightier beings. Don’t worry they won’t bother to acknowledge your existence since humans are considered ‘inferior’ to their kind.”

  “You’ve been to some of these other planes?”

  “Just once. Archer was kind enough to show me. We travelled from the Invisible through the Dreamscape, then past the Sea of Tranquillity – not the one on the moon – and onto the astral realm. We ended up visiting the Angelic realm. Nice place, but wouldn’t want to live there.”

  “You met angels?” Alex asked incredulously. While he had been brought up a Christian he hadn’t accepted the faith, or any other belief system for that matter, but he knew enough about religion to realise the importance behind what Enigma was saying. If angels existed then why not God, or the devil. Thinking back on his life, and all the things he had done. He wasn’t a bad person, but certainly no saint. Shit, I’m going to hell.