10 Chapter 10: A Teacher

"In today's lecture, we will discuss the second grand wizard."

Veretta leaned forward with wide eager eyes as the master continued.

"He is often referred to as the black wizard for his terrible deeds, but today as we review his life's work, I think you will find there is more to him than meets the eye. Who has read his book?"

Veretta threw up her hand excitedly. She had not only read his book but every book written on him. The master wizard cast a gaze around the lecture theatre. Not many hands were raised aside from Veretta.

" You should read his book," Master Ruis went on stroking his long white beard," unlike the other grand masters, he only wrote one. You may find the complexity of the work to be off-putting, but truly it is a masterpiece,"

"Masterpiece?" A whisper came from behind Veretta," more like work of a madman,"

Veretta stared back angrily. They averted their eyes. They were just too stupid to understand. If they would just take the time, they would see his magic was something wondrous.

"Well, that isn't to say we should forget his mistakes either," Master Ruis added with a smile.

Veretta returned her eyes ahead, listening intently.

" The black wizard pushed the boundaries of magic as we know it. However, there are few accounts remaining of his life. All we have are his books and the reports from the Empire of Rotan which we know fell not long after his death. There are many parts missing or destroyed. There is bias and perhaps there have been disingenuous accounts added.

As such, we can see there are conflicting records of the second grand wizard's time in the Empire.

On one hand, we see that he reestablished the schools of magic on the continent. We also see, he served in the royal army and was considered a close confidant of the royal family. We even see he fought in the great wars and was an accomplished strategist.

Yet on the other hand, there are stories of his dealings with the underworld. Some say demons, but historians believe this may be a metaphor. We find he destroyed his own tower in a fit of rage. And his infamous crime, he assassinated the Emperor.

So what do you think? We as mages have a duty to accumulate knowledge for the ages, but that does not mean we ought not have discerning eyes. We have to understand the good and the bad and make our decisions accordingly. What is the truth? What is a lie?

It's up to you to decide..."

Veretta opened her eyes and sat up in bed. Was it a dream? Sitting in the old lecture theatre felt like a lifetime ago. It seemed like a memory, half forgotten but never fully leaving her mind. Veretta shivered in the cold, small room.

The little blue curtains were closed. Veretta opened them, coating the room in pale, white light. The room used to feel so lively. Her books still lined the shelves and her desk was covered in jars of herbs. Now they were all coated in dust. Other than those still at her bedside. Those were the ones she had used to research the necromancy spell. Now those large ominous tomes sat as a reminder of what she had done.

Veretta pushed them with her foot under the bed. She turned back to her dresser. Her eyes went from her own pale face down to the little painting tucked into the frame. Half the image was hidden but Veretta pulled it out.

She stared at the picture of the green mountain pass and turned it over. In her mother's elegant hand it wrote:

'We miss you my darling!

Your father and I will be reach your grandmother in two days.

I can't wait to see you.

I painted this for you.

We should come back in the summer for a picnic if you're not too busy at school.

We'll see you soon.

Love,

Mama and Papa.

And grandma too!'

Veretta tucked the painting back into the mirror and started to dress. All these memories hung in the air like a ghost. They haunted her so cruelly, but she couldn't let go. Afterall, they were all she had left...

Veretta made her way into the main room where she found Errik dressed and ready. He was sitting back on the seat by the fire with his eyes closed. Veretta stared down, sneaking a glimpse of his warm olive skin. His chestnut hair was curled over his brow. His eye lashes were so long. Without his piercing eyes laying into her, Veretta thought he almost looked like a painting, flawless and beautiful.

At that moment, Veretta recalled her dream. She had spent half her life lost in his legend. She hadn't even had the chance to enjoy his presence as any admirer might. She chose him not just because of wickedness but because his magic was the reason she became a mage in the first place. Not that she would ever tell him that.

Errik's light hazel eyes flickered open. The severity of his gaze was somewhat subdued as he met Veretta's gaze. She turned away at once.

"Shall I make us some breakfast? " Veretta stepped hastily over to the pantry and pulled out some bread. Then she paused.

"But you don't like to eat in the morning, do you?"

Errik smiled," If you make it, I will eat,"

"No," Veretta said in a low voice, " Don't do anything you don't want to do,"

"I'll eat it later then," Errik said sitting up.

Within the hour, they set off towards the woods. They reached the gate leading out of the village and met the same terrible sight as before. Veretta felt herself shake as they came face to face with the ice statues and their echoes of pain. Errik glanced at her and stepped forward. He placed his hand on the ice. It shattered at once. The shards were caught by the cutting wind and left nothing remaining.

"Come on," Errik marched on ahead.

For a moment Veretta stared mournfully but followed. The wind rushed through the quiet forest. It was not as strong or violent as the days preceding but it howled with a passion every time it passed. Errik kept walking like a black shadow through the white path or a phantom that might disappear at any moment. Veretta felt if he did, this creeping feeling of sadness might swallow her completely.

Finally, Errik stopped in the clearing. He knelt down rummaging in the white flesh of the earth and pulled out a stone. He held it up upon his palm showing it to Veretta. She stared at it then him uncomprehendingly. He pulled out a pocket knife from his cloak and began to etch something into it.

When it was done, he placed it between both hands and stared down.

"Do they teach you about vessels in your school?" Errik said at last.

"Magic vessels?" Veretta said thoughtfully," yes, they do teach us that. You can store magic in items but it is a difficult process,"

"Why is it a difficult process?"Errik smiled.

"The mana required has to be bound to the object through a contract which can be temperamental,"

"You are right. Contractual magic is difficult to form but the reason is because you are imposing your will on an object. However, even objects such as these are not without their own energy. Mana is the energy of life. It exists in everything. It's ever flowing and constant,"

Veretta nodded," but inanimate things do not control the magic that goes through them,"

"Don't they?"

Suddenly, Errik threw the rock into the air. The stone cracked in two. Ice formed in the crevice between the two shards and it fell to the ground. Veretta let out a gasp.

"You made a contract to hold the magic so quickly?" Veretta inspected the stone curiously.

"It's not a contract,"Errik answered, "I gave it my magic without condition,"

"But how?"Veretta stared intensely.

"Take a closer look,"Errik gestured.

Veretta picked up the stone. It was cold and wet with snow. She stared at it a moment, it started to vibrate in her hands. It sparked and tumbled out of her fingers. Her eyes came up to Errik excitedly.

"It respond to magic?" She rose thoughtfully," because the mana has been changed to magic?"

Errik grinned," correct,"

"It's so simple yet effective, "Veretta remarked.

" If anyone passes with magic, it will respond. The more magic ,the greater the reaction," Errik explained.

Veretta smiled, "So If we filled the forest with these, we could create a defence against mages?"

Errik nodded.

Veretta's green eyes sparkled," it's brilliant!"

Errik motioned, " Then we should prepare. I will show you how it is done,"

Once more, Errik explained the technique, just as he had with the sword. Veretta listened intently. When he had finished explaining, Veretta foraged another rock and tried it herself. Once more it sparked and flew from her hands.

" You learn very quickly, little necromancer, " Errik smiled.

"Because you teach well," Veretta replied, " I wish I could have been your student."

Errik' attention was once more drawn to birds flying overhead. " it is probably for the better that you weren't, "

"Why not?" Veretta frowned.

" Because all my students hated me,"Errik laughed.

It was the first time Veretta had ever heard him laugh genuinely. It was light and warm.

" Why would they hate you?" Veretta said quietly. The idea was incomprehensible at that moment.

" I think I had a very bad temper. I probably still do,"Errik grinned," it doesn't make for a good teacher, "

" it doesn't seem that way to me," Veretta's cheeks reddened.

Suddenly, Errik's expression changed. His gaze became sad. He turned his face from her and patted her on the back.

" We should get started,"

With that he set off. Veretta watched him go confused. Had she done something wrong?