SpellShocked (SpellShocked Saga: Book 1)

Chapter 9 - Focus

'Lunch' that day was extremely awkward. I say 'lunch' like that because it constituted Zac and I sitting next to each other on a log, with Mr Beck sitting across from us, and very little conversation occurring. It was extremely awkward. Every now and then Mr Beck would interject with generalised chitchat like 'Do you have any pets?' or 'What's your favourite subject at school?' I appreciated the effort but making casual conversation with near strangers was my personal idea of hell and I was extremely grateful when Mr Beck finally stood up and brushed crumbs off of his clothes. Zac audible sighed in relief next to me and I had to suppress a giggle.

"Right! Let's get back to work." Mr Beck wandered back into the Circle.

"I'm going to explain some more Magiphysiology to you," Mr Beck explained, "But this is more to do with what you'll be studying at Merlinian Prep."

"I'm guessing we won't be studying math, huh?" I joked.

"Not quite," he grinned, "Merlinian Prep, in general, teaches students the eight basic schools of magic." Mr Beck waved his hand through the air and strange black smoke began to flow from his hand and began to form eight different symbols contained within circles, in mid-air.

"Abjuration; protection magic," he said, as one of the symbols flashed brightly; it was a circle with a line vertically down the middle, dividing it into two semi-circle, with three horizontal lines contained in within one semi-circle.

"Evocation; energy manipulation magic." I recognised the symbol which then flashed as the circle with three lines in a funny W shape, the one I had noticed on the back of Mr Becks' right hand.

"Transmutation; magic which manipulates physical properties." This symbol was a circle, with a small square inside, and inside of that square was another smaller circle.

"Enchantment' magic use to infer an effect on a person or an object." The circle for enchantment magic looked a little like the head of a cuboidal snake with a forked tongue sticking out.

"Divination; the art of seeing the unseen and the unknown." This symbol looked like an eye with two semi-circles either side of it.

"Illusion; magic which alters perception." The circle had a straight vertical line through the middle with a squiggled line either side of the straight one.

"Conjuration; summoning magic." The flashing symbol looked almost like a rounded table contained in a circle.

"Necromancy; manipulation of life and death." This was simply a circle with a cross through the centre of it.

"There are other schools of magic, but these are either branches of the eight, fringe practises which not many have the proclivity for, or practical magics; things such as Apothecary – which is the study of potion making and the magical beasts the ingredients come from – or Rune and Circle magic, which require meticulous study of ancient symbology to use effectively."

"Why do you have the symbol for Evocation on your hand?" I asked. purpose of the weird tattoo.

"Ah, well spotted," he said, glancing down at his hand, "Yes, this is the symbol for Evocation. Do you remember I told you my job at Merlinian Prep was Master of Evocation?"

"Yeah? Does that symbol mean you teach Evocation at the school?"

"Not specifically," he explained, "It means that my Focus is Evocation magic."

"So, what, do you just really love Evocation magic?" Zac asked.

"Well yes, but I didn't mean focus as in 'I like to study it'. I meant focus as in a sorcerers Focus."