The following morning's lesson involves drilling caution into each and every child and the necessity of seeking the approval of an adult before attempting any extended use of magic, especially while not in class. Some uses may be permitted without direct supervision as those uses could presently be considered relatively benign and have been previously allowed. Others, however, could be quite dangerous or could precipitate an unwanted observation by someone who might not take too kindly to the child or children performing their magical feats.

"The ability to escape from someone who is also able to command magic and who could place you into a stasis preventing your escape or worse, must necessarily be considered. The world is not a benevolent place peopled with those who wish nothing but good for others. There are bandits and some of them do command magic. Many of them would not hesitate to take a child who is beginning their magical training and attempt to sway that child through threats or to hold that child for ransom. We all know what happens to those who have been captured even if the ransom has been paid. It is absolutely a necessity that you be accompanied by an adult who is capable of protecting you."

While the lesson has been offered without discussing the event which precipitated it, those who were directly involved know why the morning has been spent thoroughly grounding everyone in the dangers involved. Both Andrew and Alexandra as well as Missii and Kayla have each had their turn at attempting to convince the children of the folly of nighttime or out of class excursions without adult supervision. Many of the children show worried looks on their faces and all shake their heads up and down in agreement that they want an adult with them if they are going to travel anywhere away from the training centers.

The time remaining for training is now spent learning a new spell.

"This spell may be used to keep your milk cool for many hours or to make hot water for tea. It basically is the same spell, you simply decide which way you want it to go... Warmer or colder. For instance, if I wanted to be able to throw snowballs then I could make it cold enough above us to cause the water in the air to fall as snow, like this..."

Snowflakes begin to drop on everyone but the air where they are sitting is still warm so the snowflakes don't survive long. But still, snow falling in the garden makes for some laughter. Andrew takes a cup and fills it with water from the little fish pond. He begins to pour it back into the pond and suddenly it freezes solid so he is holding a cup with a long trail of frozen water leading down from it toward the pond.

"I don't want to freeze the poor fish, so I won't freeze the pond nor allow this to drop into it. I could also take this icicle and suddenly turn it to steam," the ice becomes a rapidly dissipating breath of warm moist atmosphere, " and then chill it again into a fog."

Now it is a fog which appears thickly between the children and himself. The moment he is out of their sight due to the fog, he links to a spot behind them and continues to talk, "which allows me to vanish and appear somewhere else without you even knowing I have done so."

The children pivot around quickly at the new location of his voice and begin laughing as they watch him walking back toward the front of the class. A morning which had been very somber has now become fun again although the point concerning caution was made and accepted.

"All right, who's first to give this a try? I need someone who is interested in making this new cup of water cold. I'd prefer it not to be frozen. Okay, who? You? You think you can do this? Okay, come on up and let's see it."

He spends the rest of the morning much as a carnival barker hyping his trade as he leads the children one at a time through the spell, converting water to ice, then ice to steam and steam to water again. By the end of the morning the children have forgotten the somber mood with which the day started but they have not forgotten the lesson that mood presented. During the next few days, Sorcerers and Sisters alike are beleaguered with requests by the children for permission to do the simplest of practice spells until Andrew and Alexandra once again explain the distinction between simple benign practice and the actual unprotected departure from small magical uses to those which require large amounts of energy.

"It is those larger energy uses which are more threatening as they are more easily targeted by someone who might wish to be a threat. A small vision link which one of you could hold for an hour uses very little energy and has a very small signature making it difficult to locate. A travel link or a healing or something of that sort, on the other hand, uses a great deal of energy and is a very bright spot for someone to target.

The energy which we have repeatedly used here in the garden has undoubtedly been noticed by others. The reason they have not come to investigate is likely due to the fact that we do it during the same hours each day and there are many large energy signatures which occur in the same place over a short period of time. That shows them this is likely a class of some kind and that there are a large number of people involved as well as some more senior practitioners of magic. Not a good place to try something if they want to survive the attempt.

The larger energy signature from just a few of you at a slightly different location and at another time of day or night would indicate someone who is learning or who is alone and, therefore, someone who is possibly a much easier target. That is the reason we don't want you to perform the more powerful spells without an adult accompanying you. They may protect you should something begin to occur."

"Andrew. Why hasn't someone come looking at this location during the night if they know where teaching is occurring?"

"They may have. But what they find is a garden in one of the Sister's training centers. That would also indicate to them that the energies are highly likely classes practicing spells under instruction and that there also are a number of highly skilled Sisters nearby who could be a sudden threat if someone happened to desire to cause a problem. It also means that they would watch the area more closely for other magical occurrences at non-teaching times. Those occurrence are more likely to be the students. For this reason we want to keep the non-class hours energy uses low or under adult supervision if it is necessary to practice outside of class."

The children now understand better that which they have been told and the lives of the other users and teachers of magic begin to approach more near normal again. Grace has received permission to continue to vision link with her mother as the energy is low and unlikely to attract attention but even so she is asked to do it only when there are a number of people close by who could help if it is needed. Healing has been curtailed unless an adult is nearby as have the more complicated links and most especially the travel link.

Anything which requires more than about a quarter of the energy one child may produce must be supervised by an adult who is capable of high energy usage. Some of the lesser talents, although adults, may not have as much control of magic using the old method as do many of the specially trained children who are using the new. This is a little difficult both for those adults and for the children to understand. The differences in how the magic is controlled and the amount of magic which may be controlled is like the difference between asking a cat to pull a plow versus asking a large ox to do the same. The ox just wanders down the furrow dragging the plow behind it without great effort and the cat cannot even move the plow from one place to another. So great is the difference in the control of the magic.

The training days continue until finally the children are given their free week. The list of applicants from the ranks of existing Sorcerers and Sisters has been winnowed down to less than eighteen from each continent and that will be further reduced by testing. The four children have been brought to the garden in Scearnvale since it is much larger than the one in Percoin and the 34 prospective purveyors of magic have been presented the demonstrations by the "advanced and exceptional" talents of the four children, with a little hidden help from Andrew.

After the demonstrations, the children are released to return to their week of freedom and the new "talents" are sorted for testing. Alexandra and Missii take the Scearvale group to Percoin and Andrew and Kayla begin working with the Percoin group who are to test in Scearnvale. When told they are going to vision link back to their own centers they all look as though these upstart instructors are crazy.

"How do you suppose we brought you all here to Scearnvale in the first place? It was done through a magical link. A link which as the children demonstrated may be done over that unbelievable distance between Percoin and Scearnvale. You have been selected as the most likely capable of learning this new magical control. Are you now going to tell me that the children are able to do something which you cannot? I doubt that very seriously," as he crosses his fingers behind his back.

"Here, you! You who are so full of doubt even though you have traveled via a link created through the use of the new magic controls. You who feel you cannot possibly see so far as Percoin. Come over here and sit down. Just give it a try as I talk you through it. Don't try to think of the distance but only of the something or someone you know very well who is back in Percoin.

Even if you only do it for a few seconds today, by the end of the week you will be able to hold the link for many, many minutes. In a month you will be able to do far more than just vision links. Think about all you may do now with the magic you control. Now think of all you may do if you only need a thousandth of a thousandth of the energy to do the same thing. That's what this is all about. Not a new magic. Not a new spell or use, but a new way of controlling that which you do now.

This new way means you can reach out a thousand thousands times farther, produce a thousand thousands times more effect or use only a thousandth of a thousandth as much energy to accomplish things you are doing now. THAT is what this is all about. Making each of you a more powerful practitioner in your trade.

If you are able to heal someone now what could you do with a thousand thousands times the ability to heal? That one little girl who demonstrated before you today is the person who healed Lady Elijah. She did it when the other healers could not. Is she a more talented healer? Does she know more ways to heal than do any others? No! She can control a many thousands of times more magic than the other healers. How does she do this? By learning our new methods."

Turning to the Sorcerer sitting near him, Andrew asks, "Are you ready to try this vision link? Understanding it is the first step toward learning how to increase your control of all of the magic."

Now that he has their attention, he begins to talk the first through the control and technique just as he did with the children two months ago. It is more difficult since the old methods are getting in the way of the new, but the link opens and closes in spurts showing it is possible much to the astonishment of the Sorcerer who is attempting the link.

"I recognize that scene, it IS Percoin."

"Yes, it is. With a little practice you will be able to hold the link long enough for the others to recognize it as well. You will be doing this by the end of today or at worst tomorrow."

The time required for them to learn is much greater since these practitioners have been using the old way for so long, but the understanding comes much more rapidly as the effects materialize. Nearly five hours later each has had an opportunity to attempt the link and has been given a second opportunity after having had some time to consider how it seems to function and what they need to do to control the magic in this new way. The second time around discloses those who are more adept and those who are not and a ranking is established for the list of Percoin practitioners. A break is made for lunch and then they are back at it again. By the end of the eighth hour they are all producing a controlled link.

The second day the top twelve are selected for further training at this time and those remaining are given spelled coins so they may be quickly contacted in the future then they are placed on the standby list to be replacements should something prevent the continuation of training for one of those presently selected. If no replacements are necessary then all those given a spelled coin will be contacted for training in the next class commencing in two months time. Interestingly enough once again those who have less experience at the old way of control seem to be the most adept at the new way. Somehow the two methods seem to be mutually, or at least partially, exclusive.

The following three days are spent with the twelve applicants, Andrew, Alexandra, Missii and Kayla together in either the Percoin or Scearnvale gardens. The ability to perform the vision links is honed until everyone may do it well and the travel links have been touched upon. There are three healers in the group and they are very interested in the healing aspects of the new control.

"I'm afraid we must defer that usage to Alice when she returns next week. None of us are healers and she is now well experienced in that area. Apparently the manner in which she approaches a healing is quite different from that normally followed so I hope you will not be upset to be learning from a ten year old. She pretty much developed her own techniques as Kayla, there, may attest. She, too, is seeking training under Alice's tutelage."

"Is this Alice, of whom you speak, the young girl who healed Lady Elijah?"

"Yes, she is the one. She is able to use the energy from a half dozen people during the healing so a great deal is accomplished. I have had the good fortune to be present when she healed a dying boy who had been badly gored by a bull one day previous. She nearly drained my energy but she healed him. She may direct enormous amounts of energy far beyond her own reserves.

In many cases we have found this new control to be capable of accomplishing far beyond the that which the energy reserves the person doing the controlling may have to offer. During the course of the teaching we will also show you all how to offer energy to the one doing the controlling so more may be accomplished or for longer periods of time.

Now to partially diverge from the topic... Here is a new kind of light which we developed by spelling candles. There is also another light which is much different but far brighter which we will investigate later."

Andrew links to a candle holder and draws it near. Upon touching the base that strange bluish light which penetrates so well, appears. As he explains, he allows them to investigate the light, both the nature of it's colour and the absence of heat emanating from the candle. They also notice the absence of dripping wax and the strange way the flame burns away from the candle regardless of the position of the candle and it's holder, even if upside down.

"It does not seem to be so much during daylight but in a closed room or at night you would be surprised at the amount of light it produces and the long periods over which the candle is capable of burning."

"I believe I have seen some of those candles here in the library."

Alexandra agrees, "Yes. That is one of the first places we began to use them. We are planning soon to cease using the candles altogether and begin the use of the miniature ‘suns' which Andrew developed. My father has been testing some of these new suns for us at his home. They work so well that his headaches, from reading at all hours of the day and night, have nearly disappeared.

Providing a manner of control for those who have no magical background has been difficult and was only resolved just recently. A number of possible methods of control have been attempted but the best so far has been completely verbal. As the candles require no magical abilities of their user, we wanted the use of the ‘suns' to be such that one need not be magical to use them either. It does, however, require some magical aptitude to manufacture them."

"How exactly do these ‘suns' appear? Where could you put one and are they hot?"

"Perhaps a small demonstration would be in order. That I think would answer more questions in the quickest manner. Allow me to produce a small one. I wouldn't look directly at it though," Andrew suggests.

He concentrates for a moment and calls a glazed globe about five centimeters across from it's previous resting place in his room in Scearnvale. This he floats up until it is perhaps thirty meters or so above the Percoin garden before telling that speck of energy within it to illuminate. The light it produces is barely noticeable in the garden since the daylight is still flooding in but no one is able to look at the globe itself, which is glowing cheerfully.

The day continues and everyone goes to lunch then returns for the afternoon session. All this week there have been both morning and afternoon sessions. Beginning the next week the adults will continue to share the mornings and afternoons with two groups of children.

"By the way, any of you who wish to practice during the sessions with the children may do so. We also hope you will assist with their training. Alexandra and I have noticed that we learn more rapidly ourselves when we are also teaching. We are trying to provide the morning group with all encompassing training rather than specifics since we wish for them to learn the specifics while working with practitioners who have spent many years in their area of expertise. Just don't expect them to approach a problem in the same manner as do any of you. We have taught them to ‘think for themselves' for the most part."

As the day wears on no one notices the sunlight beginning to fade nor the slow and cautious approach of evening, which is attempting to decide if it should flee from that strange little globe hovering above the Percoin Sisterhood's Conclave. The light in the garden has not diminished appreciably other than seemingly indicating that the evening may soon be approaching .

Finally a Sister comes by and asks if they are planning to eat supper, "It is half past the hour and most of us have finished our meals. They would like to know if you will be coming soon."

Everyone looks around in confusion, "Supper? The day is still bright."

"I am getting hungry, now that you mention it, but look at the light."

Other comments along the same or similar lines are uttered until suddenly everyone stops, looks at one another and then glances up to see a dark sky with a small glowing globe hanging over them producing enough light that the garden appears to still be lit by the day, even if late in the afternoon.

Andrew verbally commands the light to dim, and again until it is producing only about a third of it's previous light. Now the shadows are noticeable but not quite dark and much of the garden is beginning to be hidden in shadow unless one takes the time to look more closely. Andrew opens the link to Scearnvale as everyone begins laughing and joking at the realization of the truth of the ‘enlightenment' that small globe has offered to everyone, just before they file out to go to either the Percoin or Scearnvale meal halls. Andrew gives Alexandra a kiss and an embrace before he, too, goes to Scearnvale. They have decided to also train on Saturday so they will all be back at it again tomorrow. This time in Scearnvale.

With everyone gone and night finally claiming the regions around the Sisterhood's training center in Percoin, people in the ‘city' of Percoin are able to notice a strange dull light which appears to be hovering above the Conclave. Not so bright as to be a nearby candle, but perhaps a campfire in the distance which only appears to be above the Conclave due to it strange positioning somewhere in the hills beyond.

The few who are able to see that soft dull glow while traveling note that it does not move about as they slowly pass the area upon which the Conclave has been built. Perhaps some kind of beacon for travelers, to allow them know which way they are traveling. Indeed over the next few months there are those who are grateful to see that dull light softly illuminating the road on otherwise pitch black nights as it passes the Conclave before continuing on to enter Percoin itself.

A light just far enough above the ground that it may be seen from many kilometers away. It is as though offering the message, ‘Traveler, you have nearly reached Percoin. Just a little further and you may rest'. It eventually comes to be known as the ‘Percoin Beacon of the Sisterhood's Light'. Many, many decades will pass before that light finally dims and eventually goes out, long after it's designer and all those whom he has helped to teach have gone on to offer their services in yet another world and another way. For now, those services remain needed here on Tranquility so here they shall remain.

The following day after morning training and the noon meal, Andrew manages to talk with Gabriel, "I believe we should add four others to this training class. Two from Primary de Toraline's Sorcerers and two from President Elijah's Sorcerers. I think it might be prudent to offer them advanced training in an effort to afford greater protection to both families as a precaution against possible needs. Perhaps one general practitioner and one healing Sorcerer or Sorceress.

If Alexandra and I are able to understand and teach this improved and greater control, who is to say that there are not others as well. Others who may not have the best interests of either the Shambles or the Survivor in mind. We suspect the Bandits have Sorcerers but we don't know their training. "

"That is an excellent idea. We have never had a problem in the large towns but the Bandits are becoming embolden and might just decide to go against one which is larger than just a hundred people. You ask your Father and I'll ask President Elijah."

"Good. I'll venture to my parents this evening and see if they are interested. Here. Here is a coin which will allow me to link to it's location. If there are two who would learn from the President's house then give them this coin and I'll open a link to allow them passage in time for lessons."

"It may not be tomorrow, but if they agree then the coin will be given. How are the others doing?"

"Well. Slowly, but well. The old ways make learning the new difficult. Progress occurs and I have hopes that it will become more rapid with time but just now it is difficult. At least they are interested."

"Continue to let me know. If we need to make the class smaller in order to improve the speed of learning then that must be done and I shall tell them of the winnowing so they don't find discord with you which would further confound the teaching."

"Thank-you. It may be necessary but I would like one more week to determine who is most adept and if it is indeed necessary before crossing that bridge."

"Very good, Andrew. I'll look forward to the next report. How are the children?"

"They are children. We have had six travel links attempted, with the children accompanied by Sisters or Sorcerers who are untrained in the new controls. Fortunately no problems occurred.

Many vision links continue to occur. We have found it necessary to allow blanket permission to the children to do these. I'm afraid that if we did not allow it they would do it anyway. Then there have be little spells of a multitude of classes. Some candle spells, some weather, some heat or cooling, assorted attempts to move small objects (far too many to count), and there have been three ‘healings'.

These required Alice to put them right afterward. Two of them actually healed that which they wished to heal but caused another problem in doing so and one became a worsening rather than a healing. As I said they are children and get into children's mischief."

Gabriel smiles at this account of the out-of-classroom attempts by the children at control of various spells.

"So they are keeping you and Alexandra very busy then, I take it."

Andrew rolls his eyes, "If nothing else we are becoming far more adept ourselves and we are slowly coming to know the children's magical signatures. We know when they do something al... Excuse me, Jeremy has just created another problem. We may wind up purchasing a frozen cow."

Andrew vanishes into a link as Gabriel nods his head thinking back to the many times he has been teaching and found it necessary to extract one or more students from spells which either backfired or precipitated unexpected additional results. This new control allows those backfires or unwanted results to be much greater than the ones which he himself needed to correct. He does not envy Andrew and Alexandra their problems with the children. At least they know when something goes awry almost at the time it does so. That places them into the thick of it very quickly.

The children have learned if they make a mistake they are likely to have either or both Andrew and Alexandra appearing within moments so they are much more careful in their attempts. So far no one has been suspended from the classes, but there have been some magical reprimands which have prevented the children from performing spells on their own outside class hours. These began to be handed out shortly after the day they all received notice by Andrew, Alexandra and the SaVannah Sisters concerning caution and magic usage outside class hours.

With the appearance of Andrew only seconds after he cast his spell on the cow, Jeremy knows that this time he has really blundered. He looks up cautiously to see Andrew standing there scowling at him. Only a few seconds after that Alexandra and Missii also appear. This time he knows his mistake is going to cost him.

As Andrew pays restitution to the farmer, Alexandra places the spell which will prevent Jeremy from performing any magic outside of class during the next two weeks. This is the second time he has earned a reprimand. All the children have been told that there will be no third time. In that event the magic will be sealed and they will be just like everyone else who has no magic.

The cow is magically transported to the Sisterhood's facility in Percoin where it will be checked by Alice and if nothing may be done then it will be prepared by others. Andrew returns from the irate farmer and takes Jeremy back to his center while Alexandra and Missii return to Percoin.

Sometimes lessons come hard.

"Whatever prompted you to freeze the cow, Jeremy?"

"I thought if the cow was cold then it could produce cold milk and that way the milk wouldn't spoil before it could be made cold to help preserve it. I couldn't put a spell on the milk because it needs to become warm again when someone or a calf drinks it."

"Why didn't you just spell the buckets so when the milk was collected into the bucket it would cool. That way the calf would still have warm milk but any that we collected would cool. That would be similar to how I have the milk remain cool only while it is in a drinking glass."

"Oh... I didn't think of that."

"You need to discuss your ideas with an adult before you place them into practice, Jeremy. You have good ideas but decide upon the wrong paths to accomplish them. That is dangerous for others, especially cows."

"I have lots of ideas, we could make..."

"Not for two weeks, Jeremy. From now on you need to learn to control yourself more than the magic. An idea may be a good thing, but how to achieve it requires much thought before experimentation begins. Thought which must be shared with adults to see if it holds up to scrutiny before it is applied to the magic. Now you have two weeks to think about this."

Andrew allows Jeremy to return to the room he shares with three other apprentices, watching as the young man dejectedly walks away. His magic has been sealed when out of class and eventually others will notice he is not practicing his lessons. An idea suddenly comes to the boy and he rushes to his room to obtain his lesson sheets before hurrying out again on his way to the garden.

Andrew shakes his head having seen Jeremy slowly walking toward his room and then suddenly running as though pursued by some demon. Andrew turns and opens a link to his family's home so he may speak with his Father about testing four who presently control magic.

 © 2010 by Rénae Dáºmas. This work may not be replicated or presented in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the work’s Owner (copyright holder), with the exception of the private and non-commercial viewing by the reader who is also the end purchaser. ALL Rights Reserved, including but not limited to ownership of Characters, final content decision, and more. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this story are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental. Any and all images shown within this work are taken by license under Corel. Sketches are a product originated through the efforts of Terry Volkirch.. No affiliations, involvement or gender assignations through the use of the images provided by Corel, Terry Volkirch or the subjects contained within those posted images or sketches is implied or intended.
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