Dragonsoul

Chapter 24

Leonie expected that making a portal would entail a lot of hard work. She believed that they would all have to help out to achieve their goals together.

She anticipated it would be similar to the way her grandfather built his first house. Of course, she knew about it only from the tales told next to the fire by her father and mother. Yet, in her heart, she was right there, participating in his labor.

He built the whole house by himself, using mud and hay for walls, and rocks for the foundation. The story said that although it required a lot of hard work and dedication, the house's location did not suit her grandfather's needs, so he moved the entire house in a much more beautiful place.

It took a lot of sweat and blood, but he finally made a perfect house by the lake for his family to enjoy. His hard work paid off. Although the house has changed over the years, the place stays the same in honor of the person who taught them that hard work paid off.

Perhaps that was why disappointment trickled into both hers and Rim's hearts when with one theatrical motion of his hands, that Leonie was pretty sure was unnecessary, Toras created a swirling portal. It seemed too easy, and Leonie's family had a deep-seated distrust for everything that appeared too simple.

"Is that all?" Leonie asked, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"Yes, yes, I know. You thought that we would need to do many difficult tasks to accomplish it, and here I just waved my hands, and it was all done.

It's magic, my children. Magic is simple if used correctly. However, it's not only what meets the eye." Toras said.

"What do you mean?" Leonie asked.

"Well, nothing is infinite. When you are making bread, you can't just keep using flour you need to make it or buy it. Everything has its price, and I have to pay the price even for something as amazing as magic." Toras said.

Leonie never thought of it like that. She knew that the resources of the forest were limited. That was the reason they could not hunt only one animal, to avoid reducing its numbers too much, and yet she always saw magic as something boundless, albeit rare.

However, what Toras was saying made a lot more sense. If everyone could use magic all the time, more people would use it, especially during the winter's arctic weather, where all barely survived.

"How do you pay for magic?" Leonie asked, unable to curb her curiosity.

"Well, it depends. Doing a good deed even when you don't need anything. Planting magic seeds around the world also helps, as well as helping out a magical being in need or helping any living being." Toras said.

"Can I have magic? I've been good!" Nald, who was eavesdropping, said.

"I am afraid not, my boy. Some things are only found in the person's very essence, in their blood. It makes them who they are. I didn't choose to be a Mage I was born one.

I am not always happy with my fate, but I respect it. That is all we can do. Respect whoever you turn out to be, my boy." Toras said.

Although Nald did not understand the mysterious words spoken by his father's friend, he nodded his head solemnly, safe in the knowledge that he would understand when the time came. It often was the case with his father and his friends who were not Hunters.

"Anyway, Leonie, I've just made the portal. It's up to you and Rim how you want to adjust the cave and the other details that would make it more comfortable for a dragon," Toras said.

"Alright, I guess that makes a lot more sense than what I assumed would happen," Leonie said.

The swirling of the portal stopped, and it blended in so well with the surrounding area that if she had not known it was there, Leonie would not have been able to see it or recognize that it was a portal.