An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka

Author:Benedict Jacka [Jacka, Benedict]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2023-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

I nearly fell over twice on the way home, waves of dizziness greying out my vision and forcing me to grab on to the nearest tree or wall. Maybe I really had been pushing myself too hard. But once I got indoors, a shower and a lie-down made me feel much better, and after an hour’s rest I felt well again.

It was time to see what my new sigl could do.

“All right,” I told Hobbes. “Motion sigl, mark one, test one.” I’d cleared my floor, then pushed my chair into the corner and balanced an empty Coke can, rescued from the rubbish bin, on the seat. “Ready?”

Hobbes, perched on the bed with his splinted legs sticking out to one side, gave me an affirmative “Mraaa.”

According to the catalogue, the slam effect used kinetic energy to compress air, which was then released explosively outwards, creating a blast of concussive force. The blast would start to spread and diffuse almost immediately, meaning that the range would be very short, but it still sounded useful.

“Let’s do it,” I said. I’d rigged up a crude ring out of wire and Blu Tack, out of which the Motion sigl gleamed like the world’s most mismatched piece of jewellery. I slid the ring onto my finger, clenched my fist, and aimed it at the Coke can. “Here we go.” I channelled a flow of essentia into the sigl.

Nothing happened.

Hobbes gave me a quizzical look. I tried again. No result.

“Mraow?”

“I don’t get it,” I told Hobbes. I held the ring up in front of me and channelled a third time. I could see my personal essentia flowing down my arm and into the sigl, and free essentia from the air around was being pulled in. It was doing something, I just couldn’t tell what.

Maybe Motion sigls activated differently from Light or Life ones. How would you activate a force attack, anyway?

Well, it wasn’t like there was anyone to see me embarrassing myself . . .

I held out my hand with the palm facing the Coke can, channelled essentia into the sigl, and shouted “Hadouken!”

Nothing.

“Expelliarmus!”

Nothing.

“Forzare!”

Nothing.

“Magic missile!”

Nothing.

“Kamehame . . . ha!”

The air stirred slightly.

I blinked. Wait, that actually worked?

“Mrrraaaaow,” Hobbes said with amusement.

“Stop acting like this is funny,” I told him. I channelled into the sigl again, trying to put more energy into it. “Kamehame . . . ha!”

Definitely a stir of air.

Okay, this was ridiculous. I’d barely even seen that show. Why would shouting that word do anything when . . . ?

Wait. With all the others, I’d attempted to use the sigl instantly. For this one, I’d instinctively tried to charge it up. I tried again, but this time, I channelled essentia in a steady build, trying to gather power.

I felt the difference instantly. Energy and pressure seemed to build at my palm, growing stronger and stronger. Eventually it seemed to reach a maximum, like an elastic band drawn back to its limit, and I aimed my palm at the Coke can and let go.

There was a whuff of displaced air and the curtains flapped.

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