Ch 66: The Many Uses Of Magic

Compared to the meeting in the War Tent, the remainder of the day seemed quite calm, despite all that was required to be done.

Now protected by her own Captain, Calder felt comfortable enough to allow Astasha to go with the other sorcerers without him or Talib present, so long as Olander never left her side. Having met all of her fellow mages earlier, they all seemed eager to learn more about how it was she planned to trap the demons.

After explaining what it was she had done all that time ago in the clearing to free Calder and ensnare the demon within herself, they sat pondering for a moment. It wasn’t until the question was raised that Astasha realized she had inadvertently left out a key component of her story.

“How did you not drain yourself using your own blood? The energy that spell would have required, it should have killed you!”

The man who spoke was an older Water Sorcerer, one of the few Norelle had warned could keep a conversation going far past the point of normalcy.

Tasha couldn’t help the blush that came to her cheeks as she recalled herself, naked, atop the body of her Prince. Luckily, however, Helia saved her from the embarrassment of having to share that memory.

“By using a source of power that holds no bearing to our situation and therefor, is irrelevant.”

Since their arrival, the older fire witch had taken on the mantle of being somewhat a ringleader amongst the group, and to Astasha’s surprise, and relief, the subject was immediately dropped.

“So these volunteers you asked for,” spoke up Norelle. “Would it be their blood used for the traps?”

Astasha nodded. “Yes, the hope is that if the energy is dispersed, the drain on each will be lessened.”

“And how exactly are we to get these foul creatures to walk idly into our traps before they rip us to shreds?” Spoke up an extremely muscular and yet beautiful Earth Sorceress.

“Leave that to the Prince and me.” Tasha knew if she told them what she and Cal had discussed the previous night, Helia, Zephyr and Norelle, not to mention Talib and now Olander, would more than likely have something to say about it, so it was better kept to themselves until the absolute last moment.

There were looks exchanged, but she pretended she hadn’t seen them and continued on, explaining the specific runes, stones, and herbs she had used during her own ritual.

Hours later, it seemed their plan might actually work. A young knight had been sent to inform Astasha that Calder would meet her at their tent at sunset before heading to Kashor’s camp as they had promised. Having set each of her fellow mage’s a task to prepare for their coming battle, she headed off toward the Eastern base of the hill, her Captain in tow.

“So, tell me, Olander, why would you volunteer to sacrifice your life for someone so many others seem so quick to hang?” She glanced at the young man as they walked. It was a question she had been wishing to ask since he had first knelt before her in the War Tent. The energy she felt from him was a force of loyalty and kindness, albeit with a boyish naivety about it.

He cleared his throat. “My father was one of the village healers brought to see the Queen when she fell ill. He took me with him to the castle and I remember seeing the Prince sitting outside his mother’s room, stoic, unwavering in his devotion to being her guard. That was the day I decided I wanted to be a knight, and more specifically, part of *his* guard. I missed that chance, being too young when he left on his trials, but I wasn’t going to miss the chance to protect the only other woman he seems to hold dearer than Queen Callendra.”

Astasha’s eyebrows raised in shock.

It wasn’t often that Cal spoke of his mother, but he had shared pieces of his memories of her, including her passing. He had been but a boy, and it had left a hole in his heart, one that he had said finally felt as though it was beginning to mend when he was with Astasha. She knew though, it would be a scar he would carry forever, no matter how much she helped him heal.

“That is a very noble reason if ever I heard one. I didn’t know your father was a mage.”

Olander shook his head. “He isn’t. My mother was an Earth Witch, but she died when I was very young as well. She had taught him how to use different herbs and things to treat wounds and illnesses though. He is the only healer in the land not to carry magic.”

So much made sense now… this young man shared something so deep on such a personal level with Calder.

“I am sorry about your mother.”

“It hurts less, I suppose, when you don’t really remember them.” He said with a far off look. “I was only three at the time.”

She studied him for a moment before speaking. “All the same, it’s never easy growing up without a parent.”

“Did you lose your mother or father as well, my Lady?”

The question hit in a way she hadn’t expected. The darkness within her stirred at the thought of the man who had abandoned her to the fate his own mother had set for her. But she pushed it down, forcing a weak smile. “My father, though not in the same way as you and Calder. Though, I envy you somewhat. I think it would be easier to cope had the choice to leave not been his own.”

Olander stopped and bowed his head. “I’m so sorry, my Lady. I didn’t mean to pry.”

Turning, Astasha tilted her head. “Please, don’t apologize for asking questions. I’m not royalty, not yet at least, and there’s a good chance I never will be. I’m more like you than the Prince, honestly; just a normal person, in service to the King… I just happened to fall in love with his son.”

The young Captain continued to stare at the ground. “Still, it isn’t a Captain’s place to—“

Astasha put her hand on his arm. “Olander, it's your place to know all you need to know in order to protect me. I think the best way to do that is to ask questions. So please, no more of this formality.”

Finally, he looked up at her. “If that is your wish, my Lady.”

“It is, and please, Astasha when it’s just us.”

He nodded once. “Alright then, Astasha.”

She smiled at him as they began to walk again. “Thank you. And if you’re ever in doubt, just watch how the Prince and his Captain interact. A little formality might actually be nice there sometimes.”

At last they arrived at her and Calder’s tent, just as the sun was beginning to fade, the conversation having been far more light hearted the remainder of the way there. Talib was standing guard out front and tilted his head slightly as they approached.

“Well, she’s still in one piece, so I’d say you did an alright job your first day.” He quipped at Olander, but cast a small wink at Astasha when the young Captain bowed his head. “He’s inside.” He added to the Fire Witch.

“Thank you.” She said with a small smirk. “Don’t be too hard on my Captain now. Can’t have you chasing him off.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on him.” He responded as Olander took his place on the other side of the entrance.

Astasha shook her head as she entered.

“You should know, his form of taking it easy on someone is about the equivalent of having to ride backwards on a horse at full gallop with a spoon full of water without spilling a drop.” Calder was stooped over a battle map laid out on a large stump of wood, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

“I heard that!” Came Talib’s voice from outside and Astasha couldn’t help but laugh.

Cal stood up as she approached him, wrapping his arms around her and greeting her with a kiss.

“How did it go with the sorcerers?” He asked after pulling away.

She took a deep breath. “I think it might actually work.”

“Good. And did they ask about…” He trailed off leaving her to fill in the blanks.

“They did, but I told them to leave it to us. I’m sure at least Helia will press me for details later, but everyone else seemed fine not having to worry about yet another thing.”

Cal nodded. “It’s the only way to ensure they go where we want them to.”

Astasha looked to his eyes and nodded in agreement before turning to the map. “Is this the plan so far?”

He sighed heavily as he put his hands on the stump, leaning over it again. “As far as we *can* plan. We have no idea where they’ll come from or what we’re walking into.”

Indeed, they were pretty much walking in blind. She knew how dangerous all of this was, but it was practically a death march not knowing what to expect. She thought for a moment about how they might be able to see without risking a scout when something she had long forgotten came to her mind. “Damnit. It’s a pity we don’t have another Air Sorcerer.” She said almost to herself.

Calder cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if we had three, they might be able to attempt to Wind Walk.” She looked up at her love to see a very confused look on his face. “Sorry, it was something I read once, actually, it was in the same book I read about the blood magic. It was a very complicated ritual from what I remember, but the parts all made sense with the purpose. Basically, an air sorcerer sends his sight along the wind, carried by two others. It allows their vision to travel somewhere else while their body stays here.”

A very pensive look came over Calder’s face. “Wait, are you telling me, if we had three Air Sorcerers, one of them could potentially see what is happening at the Stone of Balance, without ever going near it?”

“In theory, yes. With two Earth Sorcerers to keep them grounded. I’ve never seen a ritual done with the five being only two elements, but, as I said, everything I read seemed like it would work.”

A grin slowly spread across Cal’s face. “Tasha, do you think you could remember exactly how to do it?”

She tried to picture the pages, the inscriptions. It had fascinated her but since she was neither an Air nor Earth Witch, she had moved on from it. And it had been so long ago… But a lot of it was still there in her head. “Most of it yes, I would have to write it out to try to fill in the pieces I’m having trouble remembering. But Cal, I told you, it requires three and we only have Zephyr and the witch from Emera’s village.”

Cal shook his head. “Only until sunrise. The Sorcerers of the Moon Garden were supposed to be here tonight but were delayed. They’re the last of our supporters to arrive before we depart. All five of them.”

It clicked almost immediately. “One of each element.” Astasha whispered as she realized what that meant.

Calder took her face in his hands, looking into her eyes. “Once again, my love, I think you might have just saved us.”


**Author's Note:** *Hello Lovelies! Be on the lookout for updates every Wednesday for now! And don't forget to follow my social media Facebook.com/WrittenByBCole to stay up to date on other projects and info! Love & Light Everyone!*