Magic Weaver

Chapter Twenty Nine(v2)

Chapter 29

When Cedric awoke the next morning, he found a piece of paper on his pillow. He looked at sleeping Jack, then back at the paper. Jack had taught him a bit of reading, though he wouldn’t be reading any novels anytime soon. The note, as he could make out, said

Cedric,

            Meet me you-know-where if you please after desouling the scum and wise.

XOXO, The Reaper

            Cedric marveled at the letter’s interesting wording, then sighed at the meaning. He really didn’t want to train with Gabriel, but at the same time he had realized yesterday how much he had to learn. It would be stupid, and in the end his death. Therefore, as much as he detested training and more magic, it was necessary to learn.

            And that was why Cedric was now walking toward Gabriel’s cavern, where they had trained before, feeling as though he would surely get lost before ever finding it. To his surprise, however, the tunnel he was walking widened into a room, where the Reaper was standing.

            “You made it.” Gabriel said. “Fantastic. Come here and we’ll begin.”

            Cedric approached his teacher cautiously. If Gabriel had taught him one thing, it was suspicion.

            “I’m not going to attack you.” Gabriel laughed. “Come here.”

            Cedric, who still didn’t trust Gabriel, kept his pace steady.

            “I want you to bend this pipe at the top.” Gabriel said, touching a pipe that climbed up the wall. Cedric touched it with the tips of his fingers and took a breath, concentrating. As always, he could visualize the pipe’s structure. He focused at the top of the pipe, and willed it to bend. A creak confirmed that it did.

            “Good. Now take it down from the wall.”

            This was a great deal harder, as Cedric couldn’t reach the metal that connected the pipe to the wall. He kept his hand on the pipe, and expanded his vision to the metal that touched the pipe. It took longer, but eventually he took control of the connectors as well, and snapped them.

            After that, Gabriel instructed Cedric to mold he metal into several different shapes, and abandoned it in the shape of a star.

            “Have you watched other  magic weaver perform? One without abilities, I mean.”

            “Sometimes.” Cedric blushed, remembering all those things he thought down upon magic weavers. Even he was guilty of judging others as lower than he, and now felt nothing but shame for it.

            “I can do some, but not much.” Gabriel told him. “It takes a special hand, a hand I lack.” He flicked his wrist, and a rock flung itself into his hand. Then, curling his fingers, the stone rose in the air in his hand. “I can’t life anything larger than a stone, truthfully, my scythe the one exception. But the skill is useful, and you should learn it.”

            Cedric felt a wave of nerves crash over him. He hadn’t a clue how to move things through the air.

            “This is a different sort of magic. You’ll probably find it difficult.”

            Indeed, after an hour he still couldn’t convince a pebble to jump to his hand. Gabriel twirled several rocks in his hand as though he was juggling them, barking out advice. The stone didn’t even wiggle.