MOTH: Chapter 35 (Patreon)

Darian woke up while the sky was still dark, too excited to go back to sleep. Today was the day he would finally begin practicing magic!

Careful not to disturb Talia, he quietly got dressed and tiptoed downstairs with the spellbook tucked under his arm. His mother and Thomas were still sleeping, so Darian slipped outside into the predawn chill.

The village was silent except for the crowing of a rooster in the distance. Darian hurried through the misty streets towards the forest. He knew the perfect place he could attempt his first spells without being seen.

By the time he reached the trees, the sky had lightened to a pale grey. Birds were starting to chirp and flutter in the branches as Darian made his way along through the forest.

Before long he arrived at the mossy glen, surrounded on all sides by thick trees and undergrowth. It was one of Darian's favourite hideaways for when he needed some time just to himself. Now it would serve as the setting for his first attempt at magic!

Darian settled down cross-legged amidst the ferns and opened the spellbook in his lap. According to the text, meditation was crucial for sensing one's inner magic. So, Darian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to clear his mind.

Okay, just empty all thoughts...focus inward...find my magical essence...

After a few moments of not sensing anything, Darian peeked one eye open. This was harder than he'd expected! His mind kept wandering no matter how much he tried to calm it.

Ugh, how am I supposed to quiet all these racing thoughts? I can't even sit still for five minutes!

Sighing he tried again but after nearly an hour of getting nowhere, Darian slumped back in frustration. Emptying his head of thoughts was like trying to still a swirling river.

I might not be able to feel my magical essence yet, but maybe actually attempting a spell will help me tap into it. The book mentioned that strong desire and willpower are key. If I focus hard enough on wanting to create a flame, then maybe my magic will awaken!

With that thought, he gave up on meditation for the moment and turned eagerly to the first spell in the book: conjuring a small fireball.

The instructions seemed straight forward. By gathering his internal magical energy into his palms and shaping it with the proper hand motions and words, he should be able to produce a minor flaming projectile.

The words of the incantation were in a language he didn’t recognized. But the pronunciation was spelled out phonetically below.

Darian sounded out the first few syllables hesitantly: "Ah-thama-KAH-ree fire-AHB-loom." The strange words felt clumsy on his tongue.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly worked his way through the entire cryptic phrase, stumbling over the alien pronunciations: "Ah-thama-kah-ree...fire-ahb-loom...is-KAHN-der-oose!"

Ending with a dramatic sweep of his arms towards a fallen log, Darian waited in anticipation for a burst of magical flame. But only silence and stillness answered. Not even a wisp of smoke appeared.

Furrowing his brow, Darian tried again, attempting to mimic the prescribed sounds as best he could. But the unfamiliar words seemed impossible for him to wrap his mouth around.

"Ah-tahma...kah-REE...fye-rahb-LOOM!" he called out, sweeping his arms again.

Over and over Darian attempted the mystical phrase, only to fail each time. The foreign syllables never grew any smoother on his tongue. After twenty failed attempts, Darian flopped down in dejection. Maybe the problem wasn't just the pronunciation - maybe Elias and Rondar were wrong and he didn't have a scrap of magical ability at all.

But Darian clenched his jaw stubbornly. This was only his first spell on his first day of practice. He wouldn't surrender so quickly. Grabbing the book again, he turned back to the beginning of the incantation. Sound by sound, he would master this fireball spell, no matter how long it took!

Just as he was about to try again, a slight rustling sound reached his ears.

Darian looked up sharply. The underbrush at the glen's edge shook slightly, as if something had passed.

"Hello?" Darian called warily. "Is someone there?"

For a long moment, only silence answered. Then the leaves trembled again, and a small figure tumbled out into the open.

"Talia!" Darian yelped.

His little sister gave him a guilty grin, leaves stuck in her hair. "Hi Dare."

Letting out an exasperated groan, Darian snapped the book shut and marched over to her. "What are you doing all the way out here? You're supposed to be home studying!"

Talia scuffed her shoe on the ground. "I already finished my reading lesson. I just wanted to see what you were doing. Are you really doing magic?" Her eyes went wide with fascination as she spotted the book.

Darian quickly hid it behind his back. "You shouldn't be spying on me. This is supposed to be private."

"But I want to see the magic! Please Dare?" Talia clasped her hands in a begging motion. "You can show me just one spell, and I'll go straight home after."

Darian hesitated. Rondar had made him promise that he won’t tell anyone but not a day later he had been found out. His expression turned serious. He knelt down to Talia's level and grasped her shoulders.

"Talia, listen to me. You must promise never to tell anyone about me practicing magic, all right? Not mother, not your friends, no one."

"Why not?" Talia's eyes widened.

"Because...because bad things would happen if the villagers found out," Darian said gravely. "They might hurt me, or make me go away. You don't want that, do you?"

“No…” Talia shook her head.

"So, you must keep this an absolute secret," Darian pressed. "Swear you won't breathe a word."

"I swear," Talia whispered. "I won't tell anyone, ever."

Darian held her gaze a moment longer, then released her with a nod, trusting her promise.

"Oh...I suppose one little spell won't hurt then," he conceded reluctantly though he didn't want to encourage his little sister’s naughty behaviour, coming to the forest by herself was extremely dangerous, what if something happened to her? "But after this you need to go back, understand?"

Talia nodded eagerly, practically bouncing with anticipation. Darian couldn't help smiling a bit at her enthusiasm. Clearing his throat, he opened to the page diagramming the ward spell. He didn’t want to embarrass himself again with the fireball, not to mention, this ward spell seemed the simplest of the three.

"All right, I'm going to make a magical shield," he announced, as much to bolster his own confidence as to explain.

Darian scanned the instructions and unfamiliar words. He muttered them under his breath, trying to get the pronunciation right.

"Ah-nay-rah-toe...dah-MOSS." The strange syllables felt clumsy on his tongue. Shutting his eyes, Darian attempted the full incantation as he tried to form the mental image described, visualizing a shimmering dome around himself and his sister.

"Ah-nay-rah-toe-dah-MOSS...fa-REE-toe-IS-sin...AHR-toe-MAH-toe!"

A faint warmth rushed through him, raising the hairs on his arms. Darian's eyes flew open. "I think it's working!"

But Talia looked around in confusion. "I don't see anything."

The warmth had already receded. Darian's shoulders slumped when he realised she was right, there really was no change. "Oh. I…I guess not."

Seeing his crestfallen face, Talia patted his hand. "That's all right! You just need more practice. I know you'll be doing amazing spells soon."

Despite his disappointment, Darian had to smile. "Thanks, Talia."

Her optimism lifted his spirits. Magic was bound to take time and dedication to master. He couldn't expect to unlock his abilities in one short day.

Talia lingered hopefully. "Want me to stay and help you practice more?"

Darian shook his head. "No, you need to get home like you promised."

He took her small hand and led her from the glen, picking their way through the trees. They soon reached the forest's edge where it opened onto rolling meadows. In the distance their village was visible.

At the tree line, Darian stopped. "Can you make it back safely from here?"

Talia nodded. "I know the way." She peered up at him pleadingly. "Tomorrow, can I watch you practice again?"

Darian chuckled and ruffled her hair. "We'll see. Now off you go, and no more sneaking about!"

With a grumble, Talia trotted off across the meadow. Darian watched until she disappeared inside their cottage, no doubt to face a scolding from their mother about wandering off.

Turning back towards the forest, Darian felt reinvigorated to continue practicing, Talia's encouragement echoing in his mind. So what if he hadn't succeeded yet? The day was still young. Magic couldn't master itself.