The Wizard's Daughters by Michael Dalton

Author:Michael Dalton [Dalton, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Michael Dalton
Published: 2014-11-11T05:00:00+00:00

19.

Before they set out the next morning, Erich relayed what he had learned the evening before.

“We will likely have two nights, maybe three, sleeping beside the road. I need you all to keep your wits about you and stay together. Keep the rest of us in sight at all times, even when conducting your personal business. Better a little embarrassment than to risk getting separated. Even without the ogres, there are wolves and other beasts in this forest. And there are worse things than ogres if you venture too far from the road.”

“Like what?” Ariel asked.

“I have not seen much beyond ogres, but I have heard stories. Things that have been here much longer than men. Things that should have died long ago, but did not. Things that have died, but have not gone to their graves. Things that may mean you no harm but that can lure you places you will never find your way out of, and things that can do far worse than just kill you.”

But despite Erich’s warning, the first day out of the town was uneventful. They saw nothing more exotic than jays and pine martens, and nothing more bewitching than the ever-deepening fall color.

Near nightfall, they pulled off the road and found a level spot to camp. Erich built a fire, which the girls lit with a few flicks of their fingers, and set about preparing dinner.

“Won’t the fire attract attention?” Astrid asked.

“It may, but it will also keep at bay things we need to deter. On the whole, better to have one than not.”

♦ ♦

Ariel sat down next to Erich while he watched their dinner cooking over the fire.

“Tell me something,” he asked. “What is the distinction between artificing and natural magic? Is it like fighting with different weapons? A sword versus a spear? Something of that nature?”

She turned toward him and then drew a circle in the dirt between them.

“There are four main schools of magic.” She divided the circle into quarters. “There is natural magic on one side, physical magic on the other.” She drew runes in two quarters she had indicated. “Between them are mysticism and divination.” Two more runes went into those quarters.

“Each school has different disciplines.” She pointed to the physical quarter. “Physical magic includes artificing, war wizardry, and alchemy. Natural magic includes healing, elementalism, and animalism.”

“Animalism?”

“Being able to speak to and influence animals. Powerful animalists can even take animal form.”

“And you and Astrid specialize in elementalism? Like the fire?”

She shook her head. “We have not yet settled on a discipline. We know a bit of everything right now. Not all mages even take a discipline, especially among naturalists. In naturalism, the disciplines are complementary, and there are benefits to being skilled in each.”

“All right. What of the others?”

“Divination is not divided as neatly as the other three schools. There are different means of divining secrets and the future, but they all do more or less the same thing.”

She took a deep breath and pointed to the last quarter.

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