We headed out shortly after that. Edward didn’t have too much stuff with him, fortunately. And after looking at the stuff he did have, John just put all of it inside my bag of holding.

“You’ve got more space, and we don’t really want to put his stuff in with the girl’s anyway,” was the excuse I was given. Not that I really cared, but it was interesting to see how the group was really coming together as a group now.

“So,” I say, looking at our newest member, “What do you know about magic?”

Edward just shrugs his shoulders, “It can do stuff, like what you did to the Lake.”

I sigh, partially because he just clammed up again after that.

“Well,” I say, “Do you know how to meditate? Have you actually cast any spells?”

He frowns thoughtfully, “I’ve heard about meditation, but that was in books that my mom had from before the change. She was a Wiccan.”

I nod, understanding a little bit more now. He probably hadn’t done any meditation because he thought it was only from before the Change then.

“Meditation is actually fairly important for any person who practices magic,” I say, before waving at the rest of the group. “Right now, all of them are practicing a type of meditation, though I imagine theirs is going to be different from what you will do.”

“Now, meditation is a state of mind. It is when a person is able to become aware of the energy around them, and bring it to themselves to harness it. When you cast spells, you use this energy, and running out of it can be bad if you keep trying to cast spells after you’re out.”

“Why?” he asks me. Suddenly, I’m grateful that my teacher had the patience of a God.

“Because, if you run out of energy to use your magic, you’ll start using your life energy to do it. And if you run out of life energy, you die,” says Jessie, standing a bit behind us. She’s paying attention to the lesson as we walk along.

The kid pales at her no nonsense answer, and I nod my head, “Everyone falls under that rule. It’s part of why after the change so many people died. They were doing magic without understanding the actual consequences of said magic.”

“Wouldn’t that be spells?” he asks, looking very confused.

“No,” I reply, “There are two ways to use magic. The first, and simplest way, is to simply use it. Elemental mages are able to control things like fire or water, without a spell. Necromancers, likewise, are able to control blood, or bones, without spells as well.”

“Spells are a bit more unique than that. They are set forms for using magic that are structured and cheaper than just the control or manipulation that a mage can just do with magic. A fire mage for example, needs a spell to create fire, not to control it. When a fire mage casts fireball, he is using a spell that takes advantage of the correct method of influencing the world around him to create a ball of fire and propelling it in a direction. If he chose to manipulate that spell, he can steer the fireball as well.”

Eddy blinks at that. “Why doesn’t everyone do that?”

I smile, remembering when Anubis had this same lesson with me. “Well, that is for two reasons,” I bend over a pick up a stick.

Holding it in front of me, I say, “Picture the stick as the world. Now, also picture that my hand is magic.”

He nods his head, looking at me curiously. I can feel the interest from the others as well, and I smile as this is just too good.

Then I hit Eddy with the stick.

“That is a demonstration of someone using magic to manipulate the natural world,” I say, to the chuckles of everyone except Eddy, who’s glaring at me slightly.

Now I break the stick in half. “And this, is me using magic to cast a spell. How do you think it would go if I tried to use both of these to hit you at the same time?”

He thinks about it, still rubbing the spot on his head that I hit. “It would be harder, because both of them are smaller, and you’re…” I can actually see when it clicks for him.

“You’re trying to control both at the same time. Exactly. When you try to manipulate a spell, you have to not only manipulate the natural world, but also the magic of the spell that you just used to change the natural world.” I chuckle as I throw the stick away.

“For now though, focus on meditation. One step at a time.” I smile as he nods and goes, “Okay, how do I do that?”

“First, everything in the world has some energy. I’m a necromancer. I use the energy of Death, Blood, and Bones.”

His eyes widen, when I say that.

“You didn’t think blood scarabs were a regular Water Mage spell did you?” I ask.

He shakes his head, “I figured you were some kind of master or something.”

I chuckle. “No, I’m good with Blood and Bone magic, and a little with Death magic, but I am not a Master in any of them yet. That requires another test. Back to meditation.”

“This will be easier if you close your eyes first, so I suppose now is a good time for a short break. Once you’ve got the hang of this down, we’ll probably move faster.”

“Why’s that,” Eddy says, almost before I’m done speaking.

“Because, meditation helps in a few different ways. One thing it helps is conservation of energy, so with all of us meditating at least partially while we’re walking, we’re actually using less energy then normal.”

We step off to the side of the road for a short break, with John and Alyssa grabbing our canteens and checking the small creek that we’re about to cross. The road here obviously fell a few years ago, probably during a spring flood or something, but thankfully, the water is good.

“Now, to properly meditate, close your eyes. Count, silently, up to ten, and then back down.” I wait, while he does this, and smile as I watch him relax into a beginner’s meditative state.

“Here’s the tricky part. Feel around using only your mind. Find the energy that you are closest to. Once you do, pull it slowly towards yourself, and set it to floating around you in a circle.”

He nods, and I can actually feel him reaching out with his mind. I’m rather impressed by that. Most new or aspiring mages start with nothing like that, and it takes them a while to reach a point where they are able to have a mental influence that strong.

But then he starts pulling energy, and I’m slightly concerned. Because the energy he’s pulling is two types that I haven’t heard of anyone except clerics using, and they get theirs from the Gods.

He’s pulling Light and Dark, in equal measures.

“Stop, stop!” I say quickly. Light and Dark energy are two of the most volatile energies, not because they are inherently dangerous, but because of what they can do.

He opens his eyes, after he’s fully stopped and says, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing at all with you. It’s you’re affinity that could be a problem.” I say, thinking quickly. Then I snap my fingers, of course!

“While we are traveling, I want you to focus on an energy that’s a bit outside of your affinity. I only want you to pull your affinity energy like you did just now, when we are camped for the night unless I tell you to. Okay?”

The problem is, Light Energy has a habit of attracting monsters. Dark Energy, as normal with opposites, makes monsters afraid. And the reverse is true for undead of course, for who knows what reason, other than the possible, ‘The Gods said so.’ I don’t put much faith with that one though, because even Anubis wasn’t forthcoming with a reason other than because that’s the way it is. But if he’s pulling in Light Energy for any length of time, he’s going to attract monsters, and we’ve got a ways to go still.

Thankfully, he nods his head, and I teach him the basics of sensing Death Energy. Which, also somewhat surprising, he takes in just as easily.

What is this kid?

*****

After teaching the basics of Death Magic we move on. We hit the former State Road Two after about another mile and a half of walking. We’d be following that down to De Motte before camping for the night, and finishing up our trip to Wheatfield in the morning.

De Motte used to be a bit bigger than Wheatfield, but it didn’t recover well in the aftermath of the Change. A rogue Earth Mage decided the town would look much better with rock spikes through everything he didn’t like, and did so until he died.

I plan on using that as an example for Eddy, because the cause of death for that mage was later determined as overuse of magic. Hopefully it will help him keep that always in mind.

The road is quiet as we move along, and after about three miles of that, I head forward to talk with John.

“I don’t like this quiet. Not even the birds are singing, which means there is something out there.”

“Or something,” he says, as he points towards some woods that are just ahead of us. And sure enough, there’s smoke coming from them. Black smoke, which means it isn’t just a brush fire, but something more. Black smoke normally comes from oils so, this could be really bad.

We wave for everyone to stop, and Alyssa steps up with us.

“I can go investigate. I don’t like this,” she says, looking at me.

I nod, “Go ahead, but be careful. John, let’s take a break here, and wait for her to get back and find out what’s going on. Either you or Erin find a sentry spot and keep an eye out for others.”

We relax for a little while before Alyssa comes back.

I’ve seen Alyssa mad before. Now she is even more pissed. And, I can tell, more than a little upset over what’s happening over at the source of the smoke.

“It’s what looks like a large group from the area. They can’t be a regular community, because they’ve shunned the Adventurer’s Guild here. But they’re burning elves up there behind a church. And they’ve got more in cages.”

Fuck.