Spellcaster

The first few weeks of my training were dull, but I tried not to complain. I don’t know what I had expected from studying magic with Azara, but it was for sure not to be ignored or, at best, serve as her librarian. I spent hours in the library, finding books from the list she’d given me and bringing them to her study. They were heavy, and the chore left me exhausted, making me wonder how I was supposed to learn anything if she didn’t bother to show me even the simplest spells.

Although, to be honest, I already knew them. My family was wealthy, so I’d had a magic tutor since I was a child, and I already knew a lot for someone my age. But Azara didn’t seem to care. She may be the best spell caster this world had to offer, rarely taking students and instead preferring to withdraw from the world in her mountain mansion to study mysteries only a few would understand, but even so. If she didn’t want me, she could have just said so from the beginning.

I did everything I could to catch her attention. I spent countless hours practicing my spells in the courtyard, and when the weather forced me inside, I went to the library to study old books few spell casters bothered to read, but to no avail. Azara was as distant now as she had been when I first came here.

The hardest part was that, even though she ignored me, she was still around. I would have preferred if she had locked herself in her study for days, leaving me alone in the mansion. But no, we spent the days together, or to be more accurate, we spent them in the same space. That’s why I was surprised when, one evening, she told me,

“Tomorrow we will go for a hike. Be ready in the morning.”

I was so excited I barely slept that night. Would my lessons finally commence, and all these weeks had been a test of sorts that I’d passed?

The next morning, I was tired but eager as we set out along the stony path that led away from the mansion and took us higher into the mountains. After a few hours, though, my excitement was gone, and I was exhausted, dragging my feet behind. Azara didn’t slow down, though, or even look back, and kept walking until the sun started to go down. I knew we wouldn’t return home before sunset and would probably be forced to spend the night under the open sky. I didn’t look forward to it, but I was grateful when she finally stopped in a small grove and sat on the soft grass next to a stream.

I collapsed next to her, so tired and sore I couldn’t imagine walking back tomorrow. I looked at her, and to my surprise, she didn’t turn away and instead met my gaze with a smile.

“How do you want to master spell casting if a short walk leaves you exhausted?”, she asked softly, looking at my tired face.

“If you would bother to teach me, I could have teleported us here instead of walking”, I answered.

I was so tired, I didn’t care what she might do if I told her off.

“I see”, she chuckled. “So this is your idea of learning spell casting? Memorising countless spells and practicing them until you know them well enough to impress someone?”

I nodded. That’s exactly how you became a spell caster, but Azara just shook her head and continued.

“But you’re not able to use any of them when you are tired or hurt, and your life depends on them?”

She looked into my eyes and her gaze sent chills through my spine.

“Is that the kind of spell casting you wish to learn?”

I could feel her power flowing through the air and didn't dare say anything. She watched me for a few moments before she broke eye contact, and I took a deep breath, feeling free from a power I hadn’t even realised had captivated me.

“There is no right or wrong answer, Fiona”, she said softly. “Think about it and tell me tomorrow what kind of spell casting you want to learn, and I will teach you”

It was the first time she had used my name.

She lay down and turned her back to me, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I wanted to think about my answer carefully, but I must have been too tired and fallen asleep shortly after our conversation because when I opened my eyes the sun was high in the sky. My body was sore when I walked to the stream and washed my face in the water. Even during the day, it was cold in the mountains, and I shivered when I dipped my hands into the stream.

Azara was sitting underneath a tree, watching me with amusement on her face, and only then did I remember her question. I walked over to her, not knowing what answer I should give her. If only I’d had more time. I looked at her and my eyes pleaded for help. I didn’t know what kind of spell caster I wanted to be. I loved magic and all the wonders it brought, but I’d never had any other aim than to feel its flow and explore its wonders. All I wanted was to smile every time I cast a spell and bring smiles to people’s faces.

She took my hands in hers and looked deep into my eyes, but this time her gaze was soft and full of joy.

“If that’s what you want, then I will teach you to be that kind of spell caster”, she said softly.