Moongrace

Part 11

"Okay, let's begin. How much do you know about Magic?" she asked.

"Not much actually. I know that it exists and that you, Nasca and the Queen have it. But that's about it.", he said and shrugged with his shoulders.

"So, I guess I should start with how magic comes to people, because there are two very different ways. There are very few people born with a gift for magic. I do not know why and how those are chosen, but it's the way it is. They can yield magic as if it was something natural. Obviously, it takes practice to get good at it, but every child must learn walking first as well. Usually their magic is limited, bound to their specific gift. There can be gifts only concerning food, or more powerful to an element like water. They can yield magic only in those areas else they are as powerless as normal people. No gift is like another, each magician is unique.
But then there are witches, like the Queen, using magic which does not belong to them. They are normal people until they kill a gifted person. With the right instructions, they can learn to call the magic of their victim upon. At first, they can only use it in the area of the gift, but eventually they can force magic to do all kind of stuff they want. I still cannot believe that somebody can force magic, but that's how it works. So, with time they get as good as a gifted person or even better, but this is a rare case."

She paused for a while, thinking of how to go on.

"So, you mean that the Queen as well as Nasca have killed somebody to become witches?" he was shocked.

"Yes, I actually know for sure that the Queen made Nasca kill a young gifted girl when she was only four! I met the mother of that child one day." she sounded nauseated

"How cruel!" he exclaimed.

They were lying there quiet for some time.

"You are a gifted girl? And so is your sister, right?" Evan took her hand.

"You are right. We both are. Esaala's gift is to give people back their true form, or change their bodies to symbolize their true nature. This is a powerful gift! You saw it that day in the hall, didn't you?" she asked.

"Well, yes. I thought it very impressing!"

"It is! Especially how she uses magic in form of light! Well, in my world, everyone is gifted with magic... or at least most. I am not quite sure." she frowned a bit.

"What is it?" Evan asked a bit surprised.

"I try to remember, but I can't. It's so frustrating! I was even made to forget my family!" she sounded angry.

"Wait!" Evan said, "You were made to forget? How is that possible?" He sounded shocked.

Her face had a sad expression, when she answered: "When I was expelled from the Otherworld, they erased my memories. They left no more than a few scratches and pictures. I have only a faint memory of my old life ... and almost no memory of the Otherworld."

He looked at her, shocked. He had never asked about her past, assuming she had had a good life or good reasons not to talk about it. Anyway, she had always changed the topic when they came talking about their past. Now he began to understand, why she never liked talking about it. Not remembering anything from her past and home must be hard for her.

"I... I am sorry for you!" he finally said.

"It was hard for me in the beginning. Being lost in this strange world and not even remembering my home and my past. But I got over it and at least I recognized Esalaa."

They were quiet for some time.

"But back to your questions... where did I stop? Yes, with the Gifted in the Otherworld. I do not know why, but for my people the moon is a spiritual power. The moonlight helps to focus and to call magic easily. It feels like the magic is closer to you and kind of fills you entirely... it is a wonderful feeling!" she paused her voice sounding dreamy.

"I know now that you are a gifted girl. But what is your gift?" he asked after a while.

"Have you not already figured? I have shown you my real self. You have seen my magic. Come on, I thought you more imaginative!" she teased.

He thought for a while: "Actually no, I have not figured it out. You can heal wounds and cure infections. Are you a healer?" She shook her head.

"No, well. Let me guess one more time. You... have wings, but your sister had them as well, so flying is out of the game. You shine in the moonlight, has that to do with it?" he asked.

"Well, a bit." she answered.

"That is not really helping! Eleeza, tell me! I really can't guess it."

"Weak, Evan, weak!" she teased laughing, "No, no. It is actually hard to guess. I mean, nobody would think it a gift, since it is almost completely useless!" she exclaimed. Then she turned to him, though not meeting his eyes with hers:

"Evan, my gift is beauty. Stupid, is it not? I could need anything but beauty!"

"Beauty?" he asked, "How is this to be understood?"

"I have the gift to make anything and anybody beautiful, from the outside as well as the inside, as in the mind. I use my magic usually only on long term bases, I can do it also quite quickly, but... well, beside that people might wonder, it costs a lot of strength. And the Queen might find out if that happens and you know that she would not hesitate a second to get my powers. Anyway, sometimes I could use my magic here, for example I healed your infection that way. The Queen meant to make you ugly, so I could change that easily with my magic. My wounds exposed me from the people, so I could cure them, though only with the help of the moon since I was so weak. It was more easily to close the ones on my arms and legs since those were exposed. I could not break Nasca's spell for it was meant to change me into a raspberry, which has got nothing to do with beauty. And the mask they made me wear, I left like this by purpose to turn attention from me." she explained.

"But I cannot always control my gift. You see, even when I do not focus on my magic, it does have an impact on the world around me. I usually cannot stop the progress, it just happens unconsciously..." her voice softened the further she explained.

"What does your magic do? Which impact do you mean?" he asked impatiently.

"People around me almost never fight, my presence calms them. But I also change people who are more frequently in contact with me, my gift makes them turn more beautiful. I just can't stop it. Evan, I also changed you!" she silently admitted.

He lay still for some minutes.

Eleeza got more and more inpatient: "How I wish I could see your face right now!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I do not really know what to say... it's a lot to take in and understand. It seems very complex." he said.

"Are you angry at me?" she whispered, "I mean, I would understand, but how could I have told you earlier? I really didn't want to use my magic on you without telling! I am so sorry. I should have told you..." she cried, tears falling from her eyes.

"No, no wait! I am not mad at you! You do not need to be sorry! I am just overwhelmed. Well, yes, I am a bit... shocked, but I would have never thought you used magic on me! You, in all worlds." He sighed: "I was thinking of why you didn't tell me, and well what you actually did and I figured... yeah, that all you did with your magic was good and positive. You helped me and I mean you are changing me in a way, but there is nothing wrong about it!"

She searched his face with her hand and when she found it, bent over and kissed him: "I love you! Evan, you are the best that has ever happened to me!"

He returned the kiss passionately. He loved her very much, and he finally told himself, that accepting this truth about her magic would not change a thing about their relationship. And anyway, what was there to lose? The only thing that her magic would do to him was to make him more pretty. Seriously, who on earth would say something against that?