The First Spell

White spots

They flew in silence. With the rider's weight, Kira started to gain altitude at a considerable distance from the mountains to safely land in one of the camp-forts without any adventures. Out of necessity to lighten the load on taurran, Kirsth wore only a leather vest tightly covered with dragon scales, which had served him well under the Gray Wolf. He wore a warm hood lined with fur on his head, and warm bear skin gloves instead of armor on his hands. Two daggers were tucked behind a wide belt, and a family sword hung in a special sheath on his back. The prince's war bow and a quiver full of arrows were attached to the massive taurran's shoulders with a leather harness.

Kirsth cautiously looked down, holding onto the splendid black fur of Kira, which took on its natural color in the air. Far below, he saw a red-black spot on the trampled snow. Right next to it were two large mounds of frozen earth. These were the mass graves of the fallen men in battle. The goblin corpses were burned on a pyre. A stronger wind blew, squeezing tears from Kirsthan's reddened eyes due to the rushing air. Kira instantly took advantage of the strong gust, rising abruptly.

„You must do something to hide the camps," the prince heard the taurran's thought. „One stray maghor and your people will have Morath's hordes on their necks!"

Indeed, the well-camouflaged fortress was clearly visible from the air, and Morath would surely send dozens of maghors to search for the rebels.

„You can create an illusion of a peak," the dead wizard suggested. „The spell doesn't require much effort."

„Will Morath not detect the camp, locating my spell?"

„My brother senses the vibrations of the astral plane only when releasing the power needed to cast a spell. In other words, he detects active spells, and illusions belong to the canon of passive spells. If he doesn't notice the casting moment, he won't locate the place."

„Canon of passive spells?" Kirsth grimaced mercilessly.

„It means that once created, the illusion maintains itself without the mage's involvement."

Without hesitation, Kirsth pointed his hand at the nearest camp.

„Ingrunnd arak'khan muoni'tia!"

The air shimmered slightly, and then everything returned to normal. Almost. As Kira glided towards the camp, she desperately flapped her wings, trying to dodge the sharp rocks of a peak that suddenly appeared in her path. After a moment, she calmed down. Apparently.

„Have you lost your mind?!" Kira's thought exploded in Kirsth's head. „You could've warned me!"

„Did you consider how Kira would land now?" Shizar also didn't seem pleased.

„It's just an illusion," Kirsth defended himself, surprised. „She'll fly through it like it's air!"

„And impale herself on a stake in the process!" The spirit interrupted. „Let's head to the second camp. Next time you come up with something, warn us first!"

„You're in my head, you know my thoughts," Kirsth smirked maliciously.

„I only know those ideas you think about for at least a moment. That doesn't happen too often," Shizar retorted.

Silence fell, and they heard shouts of astonishment and terror from the other three forts, carried in the clear mountain air.

„See what happens when you act without thinking?" Kira asked calmly. „Now they probably think Morath crushed that camp with a mountain, and the same fate awaits them. Get rid of that cursed illusion before your army deserts you!"