Her First Mistake

Chapter Eight: Fair's Fair, I Guess

   Now that I was actually wanting to work harder, the lessons became easier. I threw myself into them, knowing I had to be prepared. This meeting would be my first exposure to people like me. Even if I didn't want anything to do with them didn't mean I was going to let myself get beaten up by them. And yes, a small part of me wanted to kick ass.

   Time flew past and before I knew it, the meeting was two weeks away. I climbed the stairs to the attic and halted right away. Leaning against the doorway stood a staff that wasn't Alexie's. The rune carved into the top was different. I'd learned that only a few different magicks used runes. The rune allowed the owner of the staff to be the person it would work best for. It was like a personalization.

   I eyed the staff warily and Alexie caught me. "It's a practice staff. All apprentices use it until it comes time to make their own. It is made of standard maple wood from the Ghost Realm. It's the generic staff for all apprentices."

   "Ghost Realm?"

   "Another matter for another day." He gestured at the staff. I looked at it, cautious. "Do I have to use one?" I'd been able to conjure my magic instantly now. Taking the staff felt more like a hamper than a help.

   "You won't be asking that in a moment. Take it."

   Squinting at him, I muttered something about 'this had better not be a trick' before I reached out. My fingers closed around the wood and I stiffened. The humming and vibrating invaded my limbs and blood the moment my skin connected to the staff. It felt stronger, too. My magic automatically appeared around my hands and swirled around the staff, as if it were examining it.

   It was all raw potential, right at my fingertips. "I didn't even have to work for it," I said in astonishment.

   "With your own personal staff, it will be even more so." 

   "How is that even possible?" How could I feel any more powerful than I already did? Pure power ran through my veins. It was intoxicating. I had to think through it. The urge to shape the magic to my will. 

   "You'll know when you make your own. For now, try a basic motion." He stepped back. I hefted the staff and eyed it warily. I moved to the center of the room so the arched ceiling wouldn't hamper my movements. A line of crimson trailed after the staff as I spun it slightly. "Are the movements the same?"

   "Somewhat." A knowing gaze crossed his face. My hackles went up. "I don't like the sound of that, dude."

   He only waited patiently. Resigned to figuring it out myself, I considered a simple movement. Maybe making a shield was simple enough. Normally, I held out my hands and pushed the magic into the air. If the moves were somewhat the same, then it should be around what I wanted.

   I'd learned that each action or use of the magic required a certain code. For instance, if I wanted to make a shield, I had to have my hands held out. For a rope or line of power, only my pointer and middle finger could be extended. The rest had to be into a fist. Apparently the motion helped meld the magic how it was desired to be. Though memorizing each motion was a pain.

   I inhaled and pushed out my hands with the staff between them. I willed the crimson to condense in front of me and braced my knees. There was a flash of red and gold and the desk across from me exploded as crimson slammed into it. I yelped and ducked, avoiding a leg as it sailed over my head. Alexie slashed his hand through the air and white appeared in front of him, preventing any debris from hitting him.

   "What the hell?" My head hit the rafters as I backed up and I rubbed the spot with a grumble. I glared at him accusingly.

   He wasn't worried. His head tilted. "Remember the staff amplifies your power. What is normally a localized action will do much more."

   No duh, Sherlock. I stared at the rubble of the desk. Then I snorted. Alexie waved his hand and his own magic lifted the pieces of wood and carried them out of the room. "Again."

   "You've seen me do this hundreds of times," said Alexie curiously. "What is happening?"

    I groaned. "Maybe because every time you do it, I'm trying not to get thrown across the room!"

   Today, he was finally showing me how he used that one trick to throw me across the room. Apparently it wasn't as simple as wrapping a rope around an ankle and heaving (though that was an option). It was an entire other movement. It was a lot harder than he made it look like.

   It involved spinning the staff in a complicated motion and using a tensed hand to shove the attack toward the target. He demonstrated and his hand pushed the white bullet free. It sank into the wall and disappeared. I sighed, wishing it was as easy as it looked.

   "For such a complicated movement," I remarked, "it sure doesn't do much. Shouldn't it do more than throw someone?" I'd discovered that too -- the more complicated the motion, the more the magic did. I picked up my staff from the floor. I was slowly getting used to using it.

   "You're right," he agreed. "It does much more. I hold back on its potential."

    "Well, what else can it do?"

   "It's a powerful offensive move," he explained quietly. "Aimed properly and delivered correctly, it will block any magick from using their power."

   I stared at him, reeling. The full realization of what he just said hit me. It can block magic?! "You're joking." I didn't think that was possible.

   He nodded.

   "So you're saying that, done correctly, I can take away someone's magic?"

   "Not take," he corrected. "Your magic comes from the barrier. This creates a new barrier with your own power, preventing a magick from accessing it. It can only be taken down by the caster or it will fade within a few hours."

   "You've never explained what the barrier is, either."

   He shook his head. "Another time. It is one of the most difficult concepts to grasp, even for magicks who have been aware of their nature their whole lives."

   I rubbed the side of my head. "That's insane." Something else occurred to me. "Wait. You've been hitting me with this thing for months? Willingly?!"

   "It can be toned down," he defended, but I'd already decided my next move. I spun on my heel, twisted the staff, and focused. Scarlet wrapped around the staff and lit up gold as it condensed into a bullet. I shoved it at Alexie with my hand and -- to my elation -- it flew off of the staff and sunk into his arm.

   He was thrown across the room. Without missing a beat, he caught his fall in a crouch and lifted his hand. His staff appeared and he caught it, eyes smoldering. I barely had time to throw myself to the side before the white bullet sank into my wrist. It caught my arm and I flew into the wall.

   Tumbling down, I groaned and saw him smirking. I rubbed my wrist and glared at him. He looked down at his hand and his eyebrow went up. "I'd say you did well," he said dryly. It was the one I'd hit. White swirled around his other arm and I realized he was unable to do the same with the first.

   I looked down at the arm he's used to throw me and conjured my power. It swirled around my other wrist, but stubbornly refused to seep free from the hit arm. I felt the humming of power everywhere but that one. 

   "Fair's fair, I guess," I grudgingly admitted. I had targeted him when he was distracted, so it was sorta fair that I got hit too. And to my utter shock, the cold, calm, collected Alexie finally chuckled.