The Outcast (Summoner #4)(16)
“Elaine, please explain to Arcturus how to create a wyrdlight,” Elizabeth asked, crouching in front of the young girl.
Elaine groaned and sent Valens fluttering into the air, then scrambled to her feet.
“Every demon has a source of ‘mana’ within them. Mana is the power source for all spells, and every demon has a different amount, depending on their species,” she said in a bored voice, as if reciting from a textbook. Arcturus stared in rapt attention, trying to memorize as much as he could. If King Alfric considered him a threat he might need to escape from Vocans and go on the run.
“A wyrdlight is just a ball of raw mana. The summoner must transfer mana from the demon to their own body via a mental link, then push the mana through their finger, like so,” Elaine continued, brandishing a finger in the air. For a moment, nothing happened, and Arcturus wondered whether she knew what she was doing. Then, in the blink of an eye, there was a blast of light that illuminated the ceiling above her, beaming from her finger.
“The summoner must then control the mana and make it into a ball. By concentrating, they will be able to manage the size, shape and movement of their spell, in this case, a wyrdlight. If they do not, the spell will come out in a blast, wasting a whole lot of mana, as I just showed you.”
“Very good, Elaine!” Elizabeth said, smiling at the girl and holding her hand up for a high five. Elaine rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Valens, who had settled on her shoulder.
Arcturus stood in awe, his fingers itching to attempt the same feat. He looked to Elizabeth hopefully.
“Well … uh … let’s move on to more advanced spellcraft,” Elizabeth said, dropping her hand with disappointment. “As Elaine said, a wyrdlight is just a ball of raw mana, which can be controlled with a bit of practice. Its only real use is as a light source, a flash to blind your opponent and occasionally, for target practice. It disappears as soon as you touch it.”
Elizabeth snuffed out her wyrdlight with a snap of her fingers, which also served to return Elaine’s attention back to her once again.
“The real power we summoners wield comes from etching. Please watch closely. I send the mana to my finger, rather than through it.” Elizabeth held up her hand. Her fingertip glowed a dull blue, growing steadily brighter until it burned almost white and Arcturus had to shield his eyes.
“When your finger is bright enough, you draw a symbol, like so!” Elizabeth sketched a strange, jagged triangle in the air, leaving glowing blue lines, like the afterglow of a cinder being waved in the air.
“This is the shield spell. It is one of the four battle spells that every summoner uses when fighting. The others are fire, lightning and telekinesis.” She demonstrated by drawing each in succession, the first a flamelike, curling symbol, the next a zigzagging bolt and the final a hypnotic swirl. Arcturus wished he had pen and paper to draw them, but instead focused on memorizing the shield spell. Better to be able to protect himself than hurt someone else.
“You must hold your finger in the very center of the symbol until it fixes,” Elizabeth continued, putting her finger in the middle of the shield symbol. It pulsed once, and as she waved her finger in the air, the symbol followed the tip. It was as if it were fixed there by an invisible frame. This time, Elaine watched closely, her eyes wide as she took it all in. Arcturus grinned, glad that this was all new to the younger girl too. It seemed he wasn’t so far behind her after all.
“You need to maintain a steady flow of mana to your finger; otherwise the spell will disappear,” Elizabeth said, nodding at the other symbols as they faded in the air. “The most difficult part is pushing mana both to and through your finger at the same time. Like so.”
Elizabeth frowned with effort, then a thread of opaque material streamed from the symbol, pooling in the air. Sacharissa growled at the strange material, but Arcturus hushed her with a ruffle of her ears.
“You then shape it as you wish, in this case, like a shield.” The pool shifted, then folded itself into an oval that floated in front of her. “This will protect you from projectiles and other spells, even a sword blow.”
The shield dissolved into a floating globule once again; then she drew it back in through the symbol.
“You can conserve mana by absorbing the spell once you’re done with it.”
“Why don’t you make it bigger?” Elaine asked, passing her hand through the space the shield had been in.
“The thicker your shield, the more punishment it will take before it cracks and eventually shatters,” Elizabeth replied. “If you make it too wide, you lose durability. Too thick and you waste mana.”
“Maybe I can practice with Sacha,” Arcturus murmured, rubbing the demon’s head fondly. Sacharissa was his most powerful weapon. He would make sure it was not just he who benefited from his training at the academy. He looked up to see Elizabeth shaking her head.
“Unfortunately, shields are useless against a demonic attack. Should you be attacked by an orc’s demon, or any other for that matter, you will be better off using that dirk I gave you than a shield spell.”
Elaine gave a horrified gasp, holding her hands up to her mouth.
“Not that this should happen anytime soon,” Elizabeth said swiftly, as even Arcturus’s face paled. “It will be years before you graduate as a battlemage and face the orc shamans on the frontier. Not to mention that most of their demons are low level. You and Sacha shouldn’t have much trouble fending one off, even now. You too, Elaine, although your Mite is quite young. I can see it hasn’t developed its stinger yet. When it does, you’ll be able to paralyze an opponent … although an orc takes a few stings before it goes down.”