Oracle (Book I)

Gleddy & Oris

Discovering that she had to see Karrigan Whitehare every day in one lesson or another presented yet another challenge for Caprice.

In the next lesson on her schedule, Basics with Professor Skyla, Caprice saw Karrigan come in and made sure to sit as far away from her possible. All the way on the other side of the room seemed reasonable enough.

"Good afternoon, class," Professor Skyla said as she breezed in dressed in billowing, pale blue robes. She stopped in the center of a sun symbol painted on the floor. Doing a silent count of her students, she clapped her hands together and continued. "I am thrilled to see all of our first-years in one piece and with us today. I am Skyla Nobles. You may call me Professor Skyla. This is Basics, also known as Practical Magic. It is a continuation of whatever theory of magic course you are taking only with less talking." A few laughs rippled across the room at that. "Without further ado, let us quickly introduce ourselves, then we shall continue your earlier lessons."

Everyone continued practicing the Tides Spell. Using a similar style of wand movement to Professor Earithean though she provided no sans wand examples, Skyla demonstrated a gentle wrist motion towards herself with her wand and a slightly sharper motion away from herself. She repeated both motions on a stained glass vase on her desk. "Push. Pull." The vase smoothly slid towards her then away back to its original position.

"Don't sway your wrist too hard or you'll throw your object across the room. Or hit someone and we don't want that, now do we." More laughter. "Now: Separate into groups!"

Caprice found herself sitting with Danielle Quicksilver and Avin Taymore from Professor Su's class who had answered the teacher's question about blettles and bittles.

Stealing a glance at the page numbers of the their textbooks, Caprice hastily opened her own. Skyla gave each group an ornament, a crystal orb that was partially flat on one of its faces; several of which would undoubtedly and nosily be shattered on the walls before the end of their lesson.

Avin got their ornament to inch towards him. Danielle managed to pull it away from him and towards her. Caprice, having studied Bossa closely in Magikorigyn practice, had an idea of what to do. She swayed and flicked her wrist then swayed it once more. The ornament slid smoothly over their books from Danielle to Avin to her in straight, quick lines over their joined desks.

"Whoa!" Avin laughed. "Watch out for that one. How did you learn how to do magic without a wand?"

"I don't know. I guess I've always known how." Not realizing she'd been holding her breath, Caprice exhaled shakily but was rather impressed herself. She couldn't wait to show Bossa and Thierry (doubting that magic of this level would impress Nezzle).

"I've hardly ever managed it," Danielle said. A determined glint in her eyes, she set the paperweight back in front of herself. "Do it again. Slow this time."

Karrigan was at a nearby desk and she turned in time to see the paperweight slide home in front of Caprice again.

"She didn't move that. Hasn't even got a wand, now has she."

She proclaimed this with such a haughty air that Avin, Danielle, and Caprice shared incredulous looks. They broke into grins and stifled their snickers.

"What is so funny?" Karrigan glared when she notice Caprice laughing too.

Thankfully, Professor Nobles approached Karrigan's group, saving any of them from answering.

"Miss Whitehare, a demonstration, please."

Karrigan didn't turn around again and Caprice practiced with her classmates in peace.