From the Ashes

Chapter 24 ~ Magic, Mistress, Master

    Tarion thumbed mindlessly through the pages of a thick tome, one of the dozens the library had selected for them. He and Morana had been buried in books since dawn, just as they had been for the past several days, and they hadn't found anything of use yet. He hadn't found what he was looking for either.

    He'd made his request to the library on the first night of their stay after Morana had gone to bed. Only five books had appeared in his room, and the first two yielded nothing. He was going to try the other three later when he knew he wouldn't accidentally skip some details due to exhaustion.

    He looked up as Morana snapped a book shut and let her face fall onto the table beside it with a groan. "At this rate, we'll be here for weeks," she grumbled.

    "On the bright side, you could use the bathtub to your heart's content," Tarion offered. He closed his own book while she just groaned again. "Let's take a break."

    Morana sat up with a bright grin and pushed her books aside. "Thank the gods. I thought you'd never get the hint."

    Tarion rolled his eyes and stood. "We're still going to be productive. Come on. I have an idea for a lesson."

    "Anything is better than staring at words for another hour." She trailed him out of the sitting room and they made their way down a flight of stairs. Sunlight greeted them outside and Tarion tipped his head back, closing his eyes as he relished the warmth on his skin. "Will the autumn weather affect the library?" Morana asked. He could sense her gaze lingering on him.

    "Yes, but not as noticeably as the world outside of the enchantment. The leaves will change colors and the air will cool. There will be some mist and light rain, but no storms or true decay."

    "Because Drenusha is the goddess of nature and living things?" Morana guessed.

    Tarion nodded, not opening his eyes. "In the winter, there will be soft snow, but the trees and plants will look as they did in autumn and there won't be heavy blizzards."

    "It sounds beautiful. Now I'm tempted to live here forever."

    Tarion faced her with a chuckle. "Maybe you can return as a librarian someday." They moved further into the courtyard until they reached an open space in between the garden plots. Tarion took Morana by the arm gently and tugged her into the center of it. "I want you to try to feel the full extent of your power without unleashing it."

    Morana gawked at him, her eyes growing wide in disbelief. "And risk incinerating this entire area?"

    "You won't be able to harm anything. The enchantment will protect the library."

    "And what about you?"

    "I'm touched by your concern, but I'll shield myself."

    Morana's lips curled sideways with obvious doubt. "I've never attempted anything like this before."

    "Now is as good a time as any. If you're going to overcome your fears about your magic, you need to learn to trust yourself with it. Feel what you can do with it, and know that you are in control of it. See where your limits lie. The power belongs only to you."

    Her features remained apprehensive but her shoulders rose and fell as she drew a measured breath, then nodded. "All right. I'll try. What do I do?"

    "Use the same concept as when you woke your magic, but instead of letting it rise within you, let yourself sink into it. Follow it down to the depths of your soul and find wherever its bottom lies. Think of it like a well or a waterfall. Regardless of how far down it goes, you will find the bottom."