The Unordinary Life of the Enchantress

Chapter Twenty-Five: Enactment

The boy watched in awe as the Enchantress uncovered her new mist-ball. The intricacy of the sphere reflected the gem's colours in a breathtaking sense, each layer of the spiral glowing a different hue as the mist danced through it.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, the boy returned his attention to the tool in his hand, focusing on the slight bubbles that formed on the surface of his melted gem. The puddle of shimmering, gel-like, liquid seemed to stare back at him, waiting for his act. He glanced back, meeting the eyes of the Master.

"Now, go on," she stated, waving her hand towards him. "There's no loss in trying – you will get something from it." A soft smile formed on her lips as she gave him an assuring nod.

The researcher gave the woman a responsive nod, his gaze travelling to Zel before giving her a smile. The child tilted her head, curving her attention to him before responding with a strange, toothy grin of her own. A laugh escaped the him at the sight, his nerves settling slightly as he returned to the tool in his hand.

Tightening his grip on the staff, he heaved a deep breath, taking a step closer to the edge of the plateau and looking into the dense, swarming mist. He thrust the tool down, over the edge and heaved it back, forcing the pick to dig into the earth on the side of the ledge. The tool teetered, telling it would not hold long. The boy hurriedly ripped the gloves from his hands and hovered trembling palms over the glossy puddle before him.

With his heart pounding, deafening his ears and threatening his concentration, his only attempt to calm it was to hold his breath, his cheeks puffing slightly as his eyes narrowed on the task at hand.

The puddle separated, rising from the platter in seven unequal blobs that began to spiral each other, flattening into sheets before curling into themselves. His shaky hands slowly advanced towards the cloud of mist, the seven bubbles between them.

Awe-stricken and just as nervous, the Enchantress watched him, gripping her own mist-ball to her chest – as if fearing she would drop it while mesmerised. Similarly, the Master stood, mouth agape, and eyes trained on the boy's dancing fingertips.

The suspended baubles curved further, each one trapping some electrified mist as they closed off into beads. The researcher's eyes widened, his lips releasing the breath he held and his hands clamping together to capture the marbles as they fell. Taking a weak step back, he pulled his hands from the mist. Turning to face his companions, he revealed the seven, small beads of mist in his cupped hands.

While varying in size, each ball of mist also glowed a new colour, radiating a rainbow of light that seemed to come from the shimmering mist dancing within. Nothing was too frivolous about them, simply a collection of slightly different almost-spheres, a few flat edges finding their way on each one. A giddy smile crept onto his lips as he took in his handiwork. He bobbed his head up, looking between the Enchantress and the Master, holding his hands higher.

"I did it!" he exclaimed. "I actually did it!"

The master gave a short laugh, walking over to give him a pat on the shoulder. "You sure did," she stated. "But," her expression became puzzled, "why are there seven small ones? What went into that?"

Smile widening, the boy began to ramble, "well, I wanted them each to be potent in something different – and I wanted to be able to use each one separately as well as together..." He moved the beads to one hand, shifting them around with the other. "Kind of like a puzzle, I wanted them to have different strengths that become something new when put together." One final nudge and the seven pieces came together as a hexagonal piece, the colourful mist almost bringing them to life with motion.

A huff and smile escaped the Master as she gave him an approving nod. The child released the Master's hand and reached out to touch the mist-balls in his palm, her eyes entranced by their light. As her fingertips neared the central piece, a static shock repelled her. She let out a sharp yelp and cowered, falling to her knees and gripping her pained hand.

Horror painted the boy's features, his free hand reaching out for the little girl. The Master's hand stopped his, gently lowering it as she placed her own around Zel's figure.

"She's okay," the woman muttered, her voice calm as she heaved the child into her arms. "It's no surprise the mist-balls reject her."

Puzzled, the boy looked at the woman. "Why? Zel should be linked to me, shouldn't she? I thought she'd be a part of me – since I gave her a name. Wouldn't her using it be the same as me using it?"

The woman shook her head. "She's not their user and her energy actually clashes with theirs," the woman tilted her head to the boy, "both the mist-balls and the child are like extensions of your spirit. But, they work with your soul in diverse ways. The mist-balls will take what you put into them – whatever you want them to do, they will.

"She generates her own energy with a spark of yours, so it would flow differently. There is no constant, flowing connection between you two. If she were to try and use yours, it would mean letting go of her own energy and latching onto what she can from you." She looked pitifully at the child in her arms. "That would be an awful lot of pain for a little one to bear."

The woman looked out to the horizon, the pinks and oranges from dawn's light saturated her features. "Time to go down now," she stated. "Ideally, you guys should be out of this village by sunrise tomorrow – to make sure of that, we'll need the entire day to prepare!" She settled the child back on the ground and nudged the boy towards the Enchantress.

With her grip on the little girl's hand, the woman flittered past them and began to make her way, hiking down the mountain. Her students, not willing to disappoint or defy her, hastily followed, carefully manoeuvring each step to avoid a slip, trip, fall, or tumble down the steep mountainous ledges.