The Burning Blue Mage

13

     I was worried how Rook was going to react to my magic show. I guess I never thought of how risky it would be to show it to him. You would think I would piece together that if I still freaked him out with my magic that he could still execute me whenever since he was still wary of me and magic but I really didn't think about that before I showed him the magic show.
     I remembered that as a kid those shows were so important to me. Not only did it help me learn magic but it made everyone smile. It made me feel like I was doing something good with my life. When I was young I wanted to perform shows for people all over the world when I was an adult. If only life was as simple as that.
     It was already a few days after. The castle seemed to settle down again and my arm was almost fully usable again. At least it wasn't completely limp like before.
     I haven't talked about magic with Rook since that night. Well, not heavily at least. I trust Rook but I realize that I'm treading in thin ice with my magic so I try not to mention anything about it. And if I do mention it, I try to coax it slowly. Magic was far too complicated to just get it dumped on you in one sitting.
     I think Rook doesn't really know how to approach the subject of magic either. He's brought up small things but he's always been cautious in what he says. I think he has a lot more questions but he just doesn't know how to ask. He knows nothing about magic so he doesn't know if his questions would be inappropriate or if what he has a question on actually exists.
     It's been a little awkward but we can deal with it. I mean, this is certainly better than any other options we had on this scenario of Rook finding out about my magic.
     I'm glad that Rook knows. It takes off so much stress to have someone to talk to about this. The temperature has gone up significantly ever since he found out. I do have to say, I like the warmth.
     It was about late morning or early afternoon. Rook had some princy stuff to do so I was hanging in my room.
     I was sitting at my desk, leaning back so that my feet were propped up on the table and the front two legs of the chair were off the ground.
     I had a single piece of paper in my hand. It was new with nothing written on it.
     I lit my hand on fire, focusing on not burning the paper. Fire was the hardest main elemental magic to master because of the precision you need to control it. The control of being able to burn specific things but not others is really amazing but takes so much practice.
     My control on fire was okay. I could keep it under control and a general precision, like not burning a piece of paper, but I lacked some of the smaller details.
     I thought of what Nirvana said about my fire magic. That it should be my strongest magic yet I was actually pretty weak at it. I know that my fire magic isn't strong but why would it be? Why should that be my best magic?
     I controlled the flames delicately so that it started to burn letters onto the paper.

     My magic is trained and strong. While my flames might not flicker brightly, my will doubles tenfold. I will-

     The door swung open, startling me. I tried to sit up quickly but my footing slipped and the chair fell backwards. My head and back hit the floor, making me cringe. My fire burned a whole through the center of the paper before it was extinguished.
     I looked at the door to see Rook, eyes wide. Thank God it was only him and no one else.
     "You know, there's this magical thing called knocking. You should try it," I mumbled, sitting up. My whole body was sore, bringing up pain from the wounds I got from Nirvana.
     "I... I'm sorry. W... What are you doing?" Rook asked, voice shaky from surprise.
     "Oh, I was trying to burn letters into this paper without burning the paper itself," I said. I looked at the paper with the burned hole in the middle. I laughed. "I wasn't very successful. You know, I probably can do it but every time I try you interrupt me."
     "Wait, when I knocked on the door last time? To ask you to spar? Your room looked like this. The tipped over chair, the burnt papers."
     "Ya, I was trying the same thing. Only got a few words in before you knocked," I said, standing up. "So what's up? Need something?"
     "Oh, I finished up my duties. I was wondering if... How does your gift work, exactly?" Rook asked.
     I was surprised by Rook's question, but ultimately pleased. "Want to go talk in the training grounds?"
     "The training grounds? Why there?" Rook asked.
     "Not many people go there, no windows overlook it, and it gives me space to show my gift without damaging anything," I explained.
     Rook hesitated before nodding. "Okay, sure."
     Rook and I walked to the training grounds silently. I started to think of how to explain magic to someone who grew up fearing and hating magic. I imagine Rook was thinking of what to ask me.
     We got to the empty training grounds. The sun was high in the air and made the clearing warm, a nice temperature.
     "So what do you want to know?" I asked.
     "Why did you come here of all places?" Rook asked.
     I shrugged. "I figured I would be safest here. Nirvana couldn't attack me with all the people here."
     "Umm... Well, what kind of magic we're you born with? Or would you born with everything?"
     "I was born with magic that react to my emotions. Each mage has different magical emotional reaction. Everything else I had to learn. Though you could say I was born with all magic but I have to physically develop the magic I don't know," I said.
     "What are your magical emotional reactions? I know fear is coldness, anger fire, but what else?" Rook asked.
     I had to think about that. I didn't really know all of my reactions off the top of my head. "Well, when I'm sad I make it rain, weather magic. If I'm ticked or annoyed I use electricity, elemental magic. Disgust is water. The list goes on but I'm pretty good at controlling my emotions."
     "You said you did loose control as a kid all the time. What happened to the kid? The one that nearly drowned in the river?" Rook asked.
     "When I was a kid my magic wasn't as consistent as today. It was unstable. I was confused and frustrated and my magic suddenly made the river overflow, the current get stronger. The kid with me was just a year or two younger than me. He was swept in the current. I started screaming and people from the village came over. A few tried to call me down while the rest fished the boy out of the river. He wasn't harmed, just a bit shaken up. When I finally calmed down, the river went back to normal. I was so upset that I put someone in danger. I went to their house everyday to apologise. I was always crying. A month after the incident I went over to apologise again and there was a box of tissues on the doorstep. The boys mother said i needed them more than they did since I was so guilt ridden, always crying. They were so understanding. I didn't apologise everyday after that but I would often check up on them. Say hi every once in a while. No one was angry at me."
     "Your magic didn't scare them?" Rook asked.
     "No. No, it didn't. They didn't think of my magic as a curse or a weapon. They thought of it as someone would think of someone's talent in painting or cooking or playing sports. I just had a knack for it, that's what everyone in the village would say." I laughed at the memory. You would think that the village should would be frightened by magic but they weren't in the least. I was more frightened by it than them.
     "How does stamina work?" Rook asked.
     "Stamina is just the magic term for energy. You need energy to do magic. If you're energy is too low it will hurt you. Different types of magic take different amounts of energy. When you're injured it lowers your stamina. It's kind of like running. You need energy to run. Once your energy is gone you start to trip and fall, hurting yourself in the process."
     "What types of magic take less stamina?"
     "Well, the more you practice a certain type of magic, the lower the stamina you need to use it. But generally, elemental magic uses least amount of stamina. Temperatures is easy too, along with weather magic. Healing magic I think uses the most stamina. You have to train it a lot to be able to use it without some kind of backfire. I've tried a bit of healing magic myself but it makes my head dizzy."
     Rook was quiet for a few seconds. "You don't have to try and understand magic or try and see it from my point of view if you don't want to."
     "I'm interested," Rook said suddenly. "Is it wrong that I'm so interested in magic? I've always been told about the dangers of magic, yet it interests me so much."
     "I don't think that's so wrong. Imagine growing up being born with something that everyone says is the root of all evil. So I don't think that's wrong at all," I said.
     I was about to say something else when I noticed the air felt different. It felt heavy and almost suffocating. It prickled my skin.
     My focus and attention immediately increased. I looked around, turning in circles. Rook immediately took notice to my shift in mood. "What's wrong?"
     "She's here," I said, voice cold.
     Rook's eyes widened. He knew what I meant by she without saying. His hand was already on his sword handle.
     I heard a two snap in the woods. I immediately turned to face that way and positioned myself in front of Rook. One are holding Rook back protectively and the other outstretched, ready to do any magic at a beck and call.
     Nirvana casually walked out of the woods. "What are you, Romeo and Juliet? I have to say, when you didn't show up I thought you'd been executed. But then, I didn't hear of any executions. So I thought you had just wimped out and ran away, something of the sorts. But to think you were still hanging out around your little prince? I must admit, you surprised me."
     My eyes narrowed. I knew I couldn't just attack. My stamina hadn't completely recovered yet and I knew I was hopeless at beating Nirvana wity the power I have now.
     "Leave him alone. He's got nothing to do with this," I hissed.
     Nirvana giggled. "You really are Romeo and Juliet. Forbidden from being together by the laws of their parents bit still they sneak out to be together, only to die for each other because they couldn't bare being separated and wanted to be together to the end. I wonder, will you two die for each other?"
     "We won't have to die," I said, voice steady. I just hoped that was true.
     Nirvana laughed. "How cute! I do love your tenacious spirit!"
     "So why are you here? Come back to beat me up again?" I said sharply.
     "What was that song your village would always sing?" Nirvana asked, ignoring my question. "That eerie one? It was about nymphs wasn't it?" Nirvana started to hum the song I had performed for Rook just days before.
     My anger flared. "What do you want?!"
     Nirvana laughed. "I knew that was it. You know, how about this. I'll send you some nymphs since you're too stubborn to just come with me. Let's see, there's the naiads of water, the dryads of trees, and the maenads of madness," Nirvana said, counting the nymphs out on her fingers. "So that'll give you three chances to come back to me."
     I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion. "What?"
     "I'm going to send a nymph after you every week on Sunday. They have orders to kill anyone they want however they want. You only have two options to end the chaos on this poor town that you unwillingly dragged into your messes. You can try and kill the nymphs but with your weak magic you'll probably get torn to shreds before that happens or you can join me, anytime you want, and I'll immediately call them back. So how about I ask you once more, will you come join me?" Nirvana asked.
     My hands were shaking but I couldn't let Nirvana see her threats grt to me. I clenched my hands into fists. "Go find someone else to do your dirty work."
     Nirvana's lips slid into a twisted smile. "Oh, I did. The nymphs will do everything for me while I just sit and watch," Nirvana said before looking at Rook. "It was wonderful to see you again, your highness. I hope this isn't the last time we see each other."
     With that, Nirvana walked back into the woods and soon disappeared. I waited for a few minutes and for the air to go back to normal before I let my guard relax.
     "How did you know she was near?" Rook asked.
     I stayed quiet. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that for whatever reason Nirvana and I seemed to be connected. That I could feel her presence near, that I got nightmares whenever her she used larger amounts of magic.
     "Can she actually send nymphs here? Can she actually control them?" Rook asked, seeing that I wasn't going to answer his previous question.
     I shook my head slowly. "I... I don't know. As far as I know, you can't control mythical creatures and most of them have been hunted down anyway. But... Nirvana is so different. I'm just not sure what she can do."
     I wish I could be more helpful but I truly didn't know much about Nirvana. This is only the third time I've encountered her and I only know what she's told me which isn't very reliable.
     Nirvana apparently knows more about me than I do myself yet I don't know the first thing about her. How twisted is that?
     "So she's going to send a naiad, dryad, and a maenad. Why choose nymphs? I think dragons would be more fitting," Rook said.
     "It's probably just as she said. She choose nymphs because it had a significant value to me. Nirvana knows how I think and that's why she's been playing off my guilt, from the first time we met. I felt guilty for the destruction of my village. She wanted me to feel guilty for trusting you and having to kill you so I could survive, though that plan failed. She wants me to feel guilty for these attacks as well by making them personalized to me."
     Rook was quiet for a few seconds. He opened his mouth to say something but a guard came running up to us before he could say anything.
     "Your highness, there's been attacks reported on the outskirts villages. You're needed in the map room," the guard said, panicked.
     Rook and I glanced at each other before we started running back to the castle. We hurried to the map room as fast as we could.
     The map room had a large circular table in the center of the room, at which multiple higher ranked guards were sitting at, wearing golden uniforms. Maps we're pinned up to the walls. Maps of different kingdoms, large cities, even a few on the castle. A map of the kingdom laid out on the circular table.
     The map room was often used to strategize methods of attack or, in this case, look at attacks on the kingdom and find out how to counter it.
     I stayed near the door while Rook walked up to the table. "Tell me what's happening, I want every single detail," Rook commanded, his voice sounding strong and mature. He sounded more like a prince now than I've ever seen him before.
     "There have been 3 reported incidents today of attacks similar to flash floods on outskirts villages. There's been 10 reported deaths, 20 injured, and 7 still reported missing," one of the guards said.
     "And we're sure these aren't just flash floods? Are they near water? Have there been heavy rains?" Rook asked.
     "While it seems there have been light rains in all 3 villages, none of them are close to any rivers, lakes, or even ponds. There's no bodies of waters near them that could cause a flash flood."
     "These are the 3 villages that were hit," another guard said, pointing to three places on the map that were circled in blue. "They're all fairly close together and on the East side of the kingdom."
     "Have you talked to the ones who survived?" Rook asked.
     "Yes. A multitude of the witnesses claimed to see a woman walking away from the village after the flash flood."
     I could hear my heart pounding in my chest as the pieces clicked together. "Today's Sunday."
     Rook turned to look at me. "What?"
     "Today's Sunday," I repeated. "That wasn't a woman that those people saw. It was a naiad."