Chapter 33 - Ethereality

The sky outside is deepening with oranges and purples as the first few stars begin to prick their way through the twilight.

Clovis doesn’t seem to appreciate the sky in the same way that I do as she lets out a “Hey, pay attention. Enhancement incantations are slightly different from healing ones.”

“This is because you are lending a quality that isn’t already there. For this particular attribute you have to feel loose and weightless whilst you say the incantation. The faster your tempo whilst casting, the faster the effect.”

“That’s interesting! Does the same apply for other enhancement incantations, like for example if you were to tense your muscles for strength?” I ask as I feel my proficiency in magic growing.

“Yes that’s exactly it, I’ve never thought of doing that for that type of enhancement, that’s very inquisitive Shikara!” Clovis seems to finally let loose a compliment without making it slightly back-handed.

She positions herself in front of me. “I will cast it on you first, so you know the sensation. Brace yourself.”

She closes her eyes for a brief second, her shoulders drop to her sides and her features become plain. Her voice, when she speaks the incantation, is a slightly higher pitch and she says it so fast I can barely keep up. 

“Let stone be cloud, let tether be freed. 

Restraint unallowed and anchor to sea. 

Upon your feet, a whisper of wind, 

A fleeting dance where journeys begin.

Be the arrow’s flight, be the river’s haste, 

Leave sluggish earth and time to waste.”

A silken stream of silver ebbs and flows from her mouth and surrounds me in its glow. It doesn’t feel warm like healing magic; it’s cool and effervescent, like dipping my feet into a bubbling spring. 

A peculiar buoyancy spreads through my entire body, a weightlessness that feels both thrilling and disconcerting, as if the relentless pull of the earth has lessened its grip on me.

“Try moving.” Clovis instructs, opening her eyes.

I take a tentative step, and it feels completely wrong. My muscles, accustomed to a lifetime of normal resistance, put forth their usual effort and send me lurching forward three times as far as I intended. 

I stumble, catching my balance with a gasp.

A rare, genuine laugh escapes from Clovis. It’s a light, musical sound that takes me by surprise. “It takes a moment to adjust. Your body still thinks it’s heavy. Tell it that it’s not.”

I try again, this time consciously holding back. I take a few jogging steps across the small yard, and the sensation is incredible. Each stride covers an astonishing amount of ground with minimal effort. 

The air rushes past my ears, and the world seems to blur slightly at the edges. I feel swift, agile, and wonderfully, impossibly light. The spell fades after about a minute, and my normal weight returns with a sudden, clunky thud that makes my joints complain.

“That was so much fun!” The exhilaration hastens my breaths.

“Now you,” she says, a spark of excitement in her eyes. “You know what it feels like. Embody it and cast it on me.”

I nod, taking my position. I recall the feeling, the lightness, the rush of air. I recite her words, but they feel hollow, a clumsy imitation. The magic sputters, a faint glimmer of silver light appears for a second before vanishing.

“You’re just saying the words again.” Clovis critiques gently. “Find the emotion. Find the memory. When have you ever felt that free before?”

I close my eyes, searching past the fog of recent years. The image that comes to me is distant. I’m a child, running through a field of tall grass, my arms outstretched. The sun is on my face, and the wind is my playful companion. My parents are calling me over as it’s time to eat.

I hold onto that feeling, that pure, childish glee. I open my eyes and begin the incantation again, pouring that memory, that sensation of unburdened joy into the words.

This time, the silver light that flows from my mouth is bright and steady. It wraps around Clovis’s legs, and I feel a bright, clean spark of energy leaving me. It’s different, like sharing a burst of my own vitality. I take a deep breath in as I feel like I have been underwater. 

Clovis takes a single, fluid step that carries her halfway across the yard with the grace of a dancer before leaping eight feet into the air and landing directly in front of me. Her face lit with unrestrained pride. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

We practice for another hour as the sky darkens into a deep indigo. 

I cast the spell on her, she casts it on me, until the motions begin to feel natural and the cost of the spell familiar. 

Finally, exhausted but satisfied, we sit on the wooden steps of her cottage, catching our breath. 

Her jar of Caocio nuts is open between us, and we take one each, the sweet, creamy flavour is a welcomed reward.

The village lights are slowly coming on as people finally seem to be finishing work for the day.  The reality of our situation is never far from the surface.

Me and Clovis offer each other a quick goodbye as we both know how tired the other one is. 

I walk back to Orville’s home under a canopy of brilliant, unfamiliar stars, the night sky here is more beautiful than any I ever witnessed in my 22 years of living previously. 

The village is completely muted now. The sounds of hammering and construction have ceased, replaced by the lonely flicker of torches on the palisade. A tense sort of peace has cloaked everything.

I grab a glass of water from the main basin before slipping into my room. It seems Orville is either still out in town or already asleep. 

My body aches with a satisfying exhaustion. Lying in bed, I stare up at the wooden ceiling, tracing the patterns in the grain. I feel more solid, more present, than I have in years. 

I finally feel like my purpose here is being fulfilled successfully. I have a part to play, and for the first time, it’s a part I’ve chosen for myself.

The silence that follows is extensive, the kind of quiet that feels earned. The kind of quiet you pray will last through the night.