The Necromancer Trilogy: Prophecy

Chapter Five - Are You Arrogant, Angry or Afraid?

Chrysanthemum and Celia had given Sophie some time in the library to look around. It wasn’t much; she had to get home before her parents started to worry.

“It’ll become easier,” Celia had promised, “to deal with that side of things.”

Sophie hadn’t been entirely sure what she meant but she was ready to accept it. How could she be a princess of prophecy if she had to go home for tea every day?

  Chrysanthemum had advised her to start learning magic.

“What if I can’t?” Sophie had wailed.

Chrysanthemum gave her a look. “For the prophecy to even consider you as a candidate, you must have at least a shred of magical blood. Try the different magical arts, all six quarters. I’m a Linguist. Celia is a Warrior. You could be anything. Try them.”

Sophie looked her right in the eye. “What if I’m a Necromancer?”

Chrysanthemum was silent for a long time. “We shall pray that isn’t the case.”

  Sophie heaved a book off the shelf and collapsed on a seat, brushing her hair out of her face.

“Oof,” she muttered. “Why do they have to be so heavy?”

The cover read, in flamboyant handwriting: The Art of Nomenclature.

“Forget it,” Sophie said, pushing it back onto the shelf. “Never read a book when you don’t understand the title.”

“Here,” a tall girl turned and held out a book to her. “This is good for beginners.”

Sophie looked at her. “Thanks…” she said, cautiously.

The book was heavy, but not as bad as the one before. It was entitled: The Basis of Elemental Magic. It didn’t look like much fun, but it was an ok place to start.

“Alright,” Sophie heaved a deep breath. “How to begin…”

 

It is essential that the elemental magician is fully aware of his own limitations. Elemental magic can be powerful or very weak, controllable or dangerously volatile. Elemental magicians are among the most dangerous, not least to themselves.

 Sophie put the book down. She’d been reading for half an hour and had so far only been lectured on how dangerous magic was in general, particularly elemental, and how difficult magic was, particularly elemental.

“Come on,” she grumbled. “Just tell me how.”

Magic is in the mind. Elemental magic works by forcing matter to obey your mind. If you can make an object listen to your thoughts, you can force it to do anything you wish.