Aurnia perched uncomfortably atop a rocky outcropping and gazed at the Molten Seas below. Even when miles above its churning surface, she could comfortably make out the deep amber glow of fire and dust. Every now and again, the deep rumble of churning rock would reach her ears and she would watch the golden light flare, then dim to a dull orange. She sighed, then retreated further up into the barren wasteland that ringed the edges of the seas. Far above, the stars still shone brightly, undisturbed and untouched by the chaos below.
In her frustration, she let her tail trail freely behind her, not caring if it uprooted the tender green stalks that had managed to push their way through the ageing dust. After fleeing the cave, she had chosen to settle in the nearby crags to gather her energies and work through the headache that was currently forcing its way through her skull. The sheer force of the heaving waves of magma had carved rivulets in their wake, slowly etching out a pattern filled with pockmarks and hiding places.
With a small wince, she shifted back into a human and crawled beneath a stone that jutted out from the shattered land around her. The space beneath it was cosy but just large enough to fit her and Koa without either of them having to duck. She shuffled to the side, summoned another light filled orb and then leaned against the strangely warm stone with a sigh.
"You did well back there." Aurnia coaxed the Sinyo onto her lap before gently holding him up to check for injuries. He chittered, legs dangling awkwardly and let out a toothy grin.
It was hard to be brave, then all of a sudden, protecting you felt like the right thing to do.
Aurnia smiled and cast her gaze towards the narrow opening above them. In the final days before the accident, her mother had taught her to summon soul bound creatures to protect herself. She paused, protection was a strange concept when the women who taught it had died. And slowly her smile faltered until she was left listening to the sounds of her own breath.
Koa had been brave, but he could have also been killed. Her heart pinched when she realised what she had done. Summoning an attack dog was the last thing she had wanted to do. She had given him a fraction of her power and with some training, he could become more than her mother's spell had intended.
She turned to look at her Koa who had now busied himself by taking lazy swipes at his own tail. With every swipe he let out a tiny growl, and Aurnia gathered her resolve and fought to stifle the churning of her stomach. Her mother had her reasons for abandoning her training but that would not stop Aurnia from teaching Koa what she knew.
Aurnia placed Koa onto her lap and held his claw up to the light, carefully inspecting the threads of blue magic that now raced through his slender form. The glimmer pulsed evenly beneath his skin and she was relieved to find that her spell had taken root without any complications. Nonetheless, she flicked her tongue and uttered its final lines once again. Anything to ensure that the soul sickness would not dip its fangs into her friend.
They sat in comfortable silence, listening to the deep echoes of trembling stone and new life. Aurnia's fingers traced the edges of Koa's scales as she quietly leafed through her memories. When her mother had gifted Aurnia her powers, she had insisted on brewing a bitter tea made of knapweed and tangled roots. In her own words, it forced rejection to take a seat and opened the body to temporarily channel energy that wasn't its own.
Aurnia thought it was nonsense and yet the small nagging voice in her head told her that there would be no harm in venturing down that path. All it had given her was a mild stomach ache.
Using one hand, she pulled a coarse bundle of herbs from her bag and quickly snapped a few fading flowers from a particularly twisted branch. Then came time to melt a sphere of ice, something easily done in the stifling heat. She nudged the process along with a short spell, lowering her arm to allow Koa to peer wide eyed at the bubbling ball of water.
She guided it into a cup, another object she had thankfully remembered to stuff into her messy bag. Koa's ears twitched when she plunged the flowers deep into the liquid.
It smells too sweet.
Aurnia bit back a smile. When her mother had first given her the knapweed tea, she had said the exact same thing. "I know, but I am about to show you something and this will help you control your powers."
My powers?
Koa trilled and hopped around the tiny space before coming to a stop before her and flexing his toes. I can make footprints already.
"I saw."
She slowly pushed the cup across the ground until it was level with Koa's chest then motioned for him to drink it. He leaned in for a sniff, wrinkled his nose and then slowly curled his tail around its wooden surface. Gingerly, he dipped his tongue into the steaming liquid and winced.
I think my teeth are crying.
"Crying?"
Yes, the bitterness makes my mouth hurt.
Koa jumped two steps backwards, almost knocking the cup to the ground. Aurnia's hand lashed out to catch it and once she held it safely in the air, she stopped and glanced at the tea. The dim light had given the amber liquid a dull silver sheen making it look as unappetising as it tasted. But Koa's small sip had already stabilised his pulsing blue magic into a steady cyan glow, lacing his body with elegant swirls that resembled those on her elder sister's arm. Her mother would have called it the work of a child. But Aurnia saw no reason to hide the signs of raw magic melding with one's body.
But the swirls were quickly fading and it was clear that Koa needed more than a brief sip to ensure that his newfound abilities would fall smoothly into the natural rhythm of his body and spirit. Aurnia peered at the cup in her hands and took a deep breath, steeling her nerves and promising herself that this was for Koa's own good. She pushed aside echoes of her mother's disappointments and took a drink. The sharp tang coated her mouth, numbing her teeth and filling her nose with the acrid scent of boiled radish. It took all her willpower not to gag and she turned to Koa with a large smile on her face.
"If you take a large enough mouthful, the bitterness isn't as jolting." She held it out before him.
Koa whined and circled the edges of their hideout, his scales flaring a familiar icy blue and Aurnia smiled. Good, it seemed that his powers had started to react with his emotions. With some training, he would be able to channel them as an alternate source of strength.
Do I really have to drink this?
Aurnia nodded and Koa gulped it down without another word. When he was finished, he shook his body with a little growl. She gave him a quick once over before nodding and setting her bag firmly behind her as a cushion of sorts. Within her mind's eye, she could easily make out the delicate layer of ice that now settled firmly over the threads of his soul, and in the faint light of the world beyond, they resembled the fine lace that her mother used to make.
She leaned back, slowly considering the spells she could teach. Koa's agility might work in his favour, but a strong blow to the side would send him flying. Aurnia crossed her legs, leaned forwards and traced a large circle around the edges of the enclosure. Then she funnelled her energies into the divot, slowly calibrating it until the circle was a touch cooler than the frost that now seeped from between Koa's toes. He saw her looking, glanced down and frantically waved his front legs in the air.
The tea made my toes go cold!
Aurnia giggled. "I know. Now that I've let your abilities freely meld with your soul, your toes are going to be cold for a little while and–"
Then I'll be all soggy when I sleep...and your bag will be squelchy too.
Aurnia paused and tilted her head before signalling for him to quiet down. "Then isn't it a good thing that I'll be teaching you how to make it stop? It won't be a permanent solution, but as you get better, you'll be able to choose when to let the frost out, and when to keep it in. And that–" She pointed at the now shimmering circle that enclosed the two of them. "Will absorb any stray bolts of power that may jump out as you practice."
Koa nodded, a quick movement that took Aurnia a moment to recognise. Then following her finger, he hopped into the centre.
"What does it feel like when the ice comes out from between your claws?" Aurnia flexed her wrist and tried to remember how her mother had initiated her training. If memory served her right, there were a lot of questions involved.
Feel?
"Yes. Experience with magic is grounded in sensations and memory. And by extension, emotion can be used to induce spells and reduce the pressure on the caster themselves."
Oh. Koa sat on his haunches, the glitter of crystallising ice dotted his forepaws like salt. It feels like I've stuck my feet in a river but the water keeps coming out from under my nails.
Aurnia blinked. The description was unusual, she and her sisters had usually compared their magic to holding a breath, yet rivers were physical and she could work with that. So she reached out and gently placed his paws onto her knees. Then with one hand, she channelled her own magic and let it meld freely with his, slowly guiding the frost into a calm ebb and flow that matched his breathing.
Koa sucked in a breath and Aurnia tilted her head. "You're not uncomfortable are you?"
He shook his head, amber eyes flashing with thinly veiled determination.
"Then imagine a dam–"
A dam?
"Yes, a dam." Aurnia trailed off, fumbling for a quick explanation. "They're barriers, often made from wood or stone and humans use them to control the flow of water and shape the land."
I don't understand...
"My mother taught me to think of my magic as a river whose flow only I could control. In order to do so, I imagined it locked behind a wall with a lock that only I could manipulate."
She released his claws and cast a thin haze of ice upon the ground, carefully outlining the mountains and ridges that had consumed the quietest of her thoughts. Images had carried lessons safely through the endless passages of time and after seeing the small creases on the sides of Koa's mouth, she concluded that he may require some visual assistance.
Koa's eyes flicked between her drawings and his own feet. Then, with a short hum of confusion, he lifted his left foot into the air and narrowed his eyes.
The air cooled, barely perceptible in the still warm air. But Aurnia let her mind's eye wander and cast a fleeting glance at Koa's heart.
"Hold it there. Keep it close to your chest." She nudged his chest with her index finger, correcting his stance and directing the flow of his breath. Aurnia watched as stray wisps of power returned to his form, gathering and growing until Koa was surrounded by a thin silver aura. She let him stand for several moments, giving him time to adapt to the sensation that as a child had driven her senseless.
What do I do after trapping it all inside me?
Aurnia stroked the top of his head. "You let out however much you need."
Koa frowned and flexed his claws, only to jump back yelping when a shard of ice leapt from his outstretched paw and towards Aurnia's face. Eyes wide, she ducked and gave him a reassuring smile. The shimmering circle that enclosed them hissed and specks of deep blue, Aurnia's magic, danced through the air before enveloping the stray shard.
I'm sorry!
"For what? I should have specified what you needed to do. I apologise for that, I've never had to teach anyone how to do this. And I've forgotten how hard it is to distinguish instinct from learned behaviour." Aurnia leaned back and sighed. "If we did that again, do you think you'd be able to hold it in front of you before letting go?"
Koa nodded and second later, a drop of ice, no larger than a copper coin materialised before him. He gazed at it crossed-eyed.
Did I do it right?
He looked over at Aurnia before flinching as the sharp sound of cracking sounded through the air. Koa groaned.
I broke it.
"It's alright, when newcomers begin casting their spells things often go wrong. And besides, considering that was your first time, you did well." Aurnia shrugged and patted his head. "Now do it again."