Part Six

 Part Six

Shard was humming to herself as she cleaned up the lunch dishes. It was an old melody she remembered from her life on Earth. The fireplace was lit, emanating warmth and comfort. Nathalia sat on the couch knitting. Shard wasn’t sure how she did it. Nathalia looped the yarn between her needles and fingers without any trouble at all. The needles clicked occasionally as she worked. I guess if you do anything long enough you can get pretty good at it, Shard thought. Not much else to do in this boring house. Shard kept humming as she washed the dishes. She softly sang the words to herself. 

“Be Thou my vision, my sword, and my light.

Be Thou my shelter through day and through night.

Keep now Thy promise. Wisdom impart.

Be Thou my vision, Keeper of my heart.”

“You can forget your God,” Nathalia interrupted. “He doesn’t exist here.” 

“Are you sure?” Shard turned to look at her in surprise. “Then who created this world?” 

“A man,” Nathalia answered with disdain. She shrugged. “If He does exist, He’s the reason you’re here, isn’t He? You are the darkness that was cast out of your Original.” 

Shard’s shoulders sank as she lowered her blue eyes. “I guess so…” 

“Leave it behind you,” Nathalia said. “From now on, you rely on yourself alone.” 

“What about you?” Shard asked, scrubbing out a large pot. 

“Well, of course you rely on me too. That was a given.” Nathalia’s needles clicked along. 

“No, I mean…” Shard dried the last dish and put it away. “If you’ve lived as long as you say you have, surely you believe in something.” 

Nathalia scoffed. “With everything I’ve seen? All the cruelty and hatred?” She shook her head. “No. I only believe in myself.” 

Shard tilted her head. “But… it can’t be all bad. There’s still love and kindness in the world. At least on Earth, there is. That’s here too, right?” 

“Not here.” Nathalia’s answer was final and unswayed. “The world is cruel and cold and dark. Dangerous and evil. You won’t find anything here but entropy and pain. You think Someone so kind and loving would send you to a place like this?”

Shard glanced away. She frowned and stared at the wooden floor. No wonder she lives like this. All alone. Ready to draw a knife on anyone that comes close. How many years has she lived like this? Maybe it was a good thing she found me... Maybe I can make a difference... 

“Anyway, you shouldn’t sing while I’m knitting. It throws off my count.” Nathalia said, pulling the yarn out and starting over. 

“Oh, sorry.” Shard came over and sat on the chair across from Nathalia. She watched the woman knit for a moment. 

Nathalia stopped. “I can feel you staring. What do you want?” 

“Sorry, I was just wondering…” Shard muttered. 

“State your intentions clearly and without mumbling,” Nathalia said, sounding irritated. “Spit it out already. And stop apologizing.” 

“Can you explain magic to me?” Shard blurted out. “That’s what it is, right? Magic?” 

Nathalia let out a frustrated sigh and put her knitting project away. She folded her arms and settled back into the couch before starting. “Abilities. Powers. Control. Mana. Bending. Gifts. Magic. Elements. These are all words for the exact same thing: a connection to Thorae’s natural energy. Fire. Water. Wind. Earth. Ice. Lightning. Light. Shadow. These all make up the balance of the world. These elements are neither good nor evil, but a neutral tool with which to solve problems.”

“Can everyone use magic?” Shard asked. 

“No,” Nathalia answered. “Some people don’t use it at all. Some use more than their fair share. Some can use it without any training while some train for years only to use one or two. Others as a whole are more keenly attuned to it, since Thorae is their home, but Originals can learn it too. The most important rule about Thorae’s magic is this: energy costs energy. Energy put out is pulled from energy within.”

Shard frowned. “Can you explain that again? What does all that mean?” 

“Hmm.” Nathalia thought for a moment before answering. “Magic is like music. Think about each element as a different instrument. Some people play strings, other percussion, yet others woodwind. How one person uses an instrument can look and sound vastly different from the way another uses it. Some are skilled in many instruments. Some are skilled in only one. Some can repeat a melody note for note after only hearing it once. Some need to read the notes from a page and train every day to be able to play any melody at all. Most people who can use the elements fall somewhere between the ends of the spectrum. But some have no interest in music or instruments at all. All the elements combined created the world you’re standing in. A natural balance. A symphony of creation.”

“Wow. That’s beautiful,” Shard said in awe. “So, when it comes to my abilities… you said I’m naturally tuned to ice?” 

“So it would seem,” Nathalia answered. “You did conjure an ice shelter in a storm. Have you tried using your gift at all since then?”

Shard frowned. “Yes, but I can’t do anything with it. I can’t figure it out. I think I’m missing something.” 

“I see.” Nathalia nodded. “I’m not surprised you can’t control it yet. You’ve had a rough start as it is. Any combination of limitations can prevent you from using your gift, lack of training greatest of all.” 

“What do you mean by limitations?” Shard asked. 

“Balance is maintained through rules,” Nathalia answered. “Your personal level of energy. Distance between yourself and your target. Your own imagination. All these can be limiting factors when controlling the elements. The more energy you spend, the longer it will take your body to recover. Like running. How long can you run before you need a break? How long of a break do you need before you can run again? Distance is simple - your elemental control will weaken the further it is from you. It is easier to blow out a candle directly in front of you than it is one across the room.”

“And imagination?” Shard asked. 

Nathalia shrugged. “You’re only going to create what you can come up with on the spot. If you have little imagination, you’re going to stick to basic solutions to your problems, though many solutions might exist.” 

“What about the weather?” Shard pressed. 

“What about the weather?” Nathalia repeated, sounding bored of the conversation already. 

“You said I might be able to make my own blizzard,” Shard answered. “If I can get to that point of control, can I make one whenever and wherever I want? Like in the middle of summer?” 

Nathalia sneered. “Use your head. That’s a lot of energy. If you want to end up passed out in the dirt, be my guest. But you’ll have a much easier time trying to pull it off if you’re already surrounded by snow and ice. Don’t be afraid to use the resources around you. The more resources you have at your disposal, the better.”

Shard nodded. “So I should practice the most now while there’s still snow on the ground.” 

Nathalia smiled. “There may be brains in that empty head yet.” 

Shard glared at the woman. “So what’s to stop me from freezing your internal organs?”

Nathalia suddenly burst into laughter. “Aside from the fact that you have no idea how to do so?” She snickered again before answering the question. “Autonomy. The body is off limits. You can’t steal the air from someone else’s lungs or control their actions through the water in their body. This doesn’t mean there aren’t ways around it. You just have to be creative.” She smiled again. “Don’t worry, darling. You’ll figure out soon enough what you can and can’t control.” 

Shard folded her arms, still glaring. “Seems like a vague excuse for an arbitrary rule.”

Nathalia chuckled. “Life is full of arbitrary rules. Art is figuring out which rules can be bent and which can be broken.” 

“I’m not sure I like all these rules,” Shard commented. 

“They will feel natural the more you train and practice,” Nathalia said with a wave of her hand. “You’ll get to a point where you won’t even have to think twice about it.”

“Can I learn to control all the elements?” Shard asked, tilting her head. 

Nathalia’s smile faded. “There is only one person in all of Thorae who can use every element. There used to be more, but…” she trailed off with a frown. “Ah, that’s a story for another time. The short answer is probably not.” 

“So which element can you control?” Shard asked. 

“None of them,” Nathalia said, standing up from the couch. 

“Really?” Shard asked. She watched Nathalia cross the room and pull down a small, four-string domra that was hanging on the wall. 

Nathalia returned to the couch, propped her feet up, and began picking the strings. “I’m not from this world,” Nathalia answered. “My magic is different, but it is not less costly.” She adjusted the tension of the strings a little. 

Shard tilted her head. “Wait, you told me you were from Earth, right? So it’s Earth’s magic?” 

“Correct,” Nathalia answered. She finally started to play a melody, but Shard didn’t recognize it. 

“Earth has no magic,” Shard stated, eyes narrow. 

“Sssshhh,” Nathalia hushed, focusing on the strings. The melody started off slow as Nathalia got into the rhythm, but picked up quickly. The notes were high-pitched and played in quick succession. The narrow fingers on Nathalia’s left hand moved across the strings like a spider. Her right hand barely moved at all, seeming more like it was twitching in place with how fast she played the instrument. Shard quietly listened, head bobbing lightly to the tune. If Nathalia played a note wrong, Shard couldn’t tell. When the melody was finished, Nathalia propped the domra upright on her knee. “My magic did indeed originate on Earth,” Nathalia finally answered. “But, as with many things, it has been lost over time. My magic is ancient. If my sister on Earth is still alive, she and I are the only ones who remember how to practice it. Our magic exists only in myths and legends now. And it does me very little good here.” 

“Kind of a weird thing to brag about, but whatever,” Shard said with a raised brow. “How do you know so much about Thorae’s magic system then?”

“I read,” Nathalia answered in a bored voice. She put the instrument back in her lap and resumed picking the strings.

Shard tilted her head. “You can read?” 

Nathalia stopped and raised her head in insult. “Yes.” 

Shard stared back at her for an awkward moment, but Nathalia did not elaborate. “Sorry,” Shard muttered. 

“Stop apologizing,” Nathalia said in exasperation. 

“So-” Shard stopped herself. “Fine. Keep your secrets.” 

Nathalia lowered her head and picked at the strings. “You should go fetch more firewood. It’ll be dark soon.” Shard sneered, but got up and went to the door to put on her cloak. “Enjoy this free time while you have it,” Nathalia called after her. “Training starts tomorrow.” Shard closed the door behind her with a slam.