The White Werewolf || Season One: Ties That Bind

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"That's good to know," Triss confessed.

They walked in silence for a moment before she suggested, "Let's talk about your magic. Before anything else, I need to know everything. How it manifested, what you've learned, what you've done, whether on purpose or accidentally."

"Well, it's a good thing we have a while," Robin laughed, then started to tell her story.

****

Hours later, they sat in Triss' tower, drinking tea. "That's quite a tale," the sorceress observed.

Robin nodded. "I suppose it is," she agreed.

She had been completely honest with Triss, even though it was a huge risk. She'd decided that if she was going to have a mentor, she wanted the best experience possible, so she couldn't hold anything back.

Except for the fact that Geralt was a werewolf, of course. She hadn't told Triss that. That was his secret to tell, not hers.

"And what do you want out of your magical training?" Triss asked. "What's your goal?"

"I want to learn everything I can," Robin said slowly, trying to collect all of her thoughts. "I want to not need anyone to protect me. I want to be able to protect people instead. Particularly, I need to be able to cast more freely in a tense situation. Usually I can't manage very well unless necromancy is involved. And I'd like to master healing magic, considering how useful it is."

"All admirable goals," Triss acknowledged. "Sadly, the last one isn't possible."

"It isn't?" Robin's eyes widened. "Why?"

"The reason you haven't been able to master even the simplest of healing spells is because your natural power lies in necromancy," Triss explained. "Necromancy is death. Healing is life. While many mages can become proficient at both, the primary source of their power would lie somewhere else, such as in an element. That's not the case for you."

Robin sighed. "Lucky me."

Triss laughed. "It's not failure on your part, if that's what you were wondering. It's simply the way things are. And that's fine, Robin. There is plenty more for you to master, and as you've just learned, not all of the relevant details are in books. You've already started brewing healing potions, for instance. There's nothing stopping you from using those." She paused to take a sip of tea. "Are there any other questions you have?"

Robin hesitated. She had read many books about magic, but Triss was right. She had no way of knowing if the information was accurate, or if more existed that the author hadn't known or written down.

Finally, she spoke. "What determines where someone's natural magic comes from?"

Triss shrugged. "No one knows. It seems to be purely chance."

Robin nodded. "I expected that answer, though it's still frustrating," she admitted.

"I know," Triss agreed, laughing again.

"The... heat my body seems to generate when I don't want someone to touch me. Where does that come from?"

"Well, you seem to have some innate ability in fire magic as well. You said it's the easiest element for you to cast. But I also imagine it comes from your desire, much like the cloaking I mentioned does. You know what fuels the most powerful magic, don't you?"

"Creativity," Robin answered immediately. "It's a simplification, but essentially, if you can imagine it, you can make it real. With some restrictions, of course."

"Very good," Triss complimented her. "The cloak and the heat are you manifesting your desires creatively. If you break it down and figure it out, you could probably cast those effects on command."