Doubtful that it would work, but still willing to try, she closed her eyes and focused. She sought magic with her mind though didn’t focus on a source, simply willing the magic to come to her. Forcing her will, she tugged roughly and felt a surge of magic at the same time as she heard a gasp from Sovann. Eyes flashing open she found the mage kneeling one arm across his chest breathing heavily. “Are you OK?” she asked frantically, dropping down beside him and staring at his pale face in fear.
“Yes, just give me a minute,” he said coughing slightly. Looking up at her, he smiled ruefully. “I really didn’t expect that and you really don’t have a gentle touch for it. It was somewhat like being hit in the gut with a club,” he said, his voice weak yet amused.
“I really didn’t mean to. Are you sure you are OK? Should I get Neph?” she asked her eyes wide.
Sovann shook his head and smiled at her, bracing himself on her shoulder as he stood. “No, Neph would just laugh. Give me a minute to get a bit of my energy back and let’s try that again. If you can perfect it before classes you can use it on Neph tonight.” He said the last with a wicked smile and winked at her. Drawing on his Weaver talents she watched him pull a bit of energy from the trees, then the grass, and finally the mage stone. He was gentle with the pull taking care not to damage anything he touched.
Looking back at her he nodded. “OK, try it again, only this time focus on me and let’s see what happens. Don’t worry about hurting me. I have a larger reservoir that you do right now and even if you fill yourself completely off of my magic you can’t truly hurt me,” he said, shaking his head at her look of distress.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked with obvious hesitation.
“Quite sure, now do as your teacher tells you to,” he ordered and seemed to brace himself.
“I really wish you didn’t look like I was about to punch you,” she said dryly and focused herself again. With a frown she pulled from Sovann and felt magic rush into her like a tide. She reeled for a moment, her body euphoric with the sensation and barely noticed Sovann propped against a tree wheezing. “Normal magic doesn’t feel like this,” she said, her voice faint in her own ears. “Oh, Fortune this is wonderful.” Her words came out breathless as the tingles of the stolen magic washed over her, filling her with renewed energy.
“By the Aspects, Jala, I don’t think we will do that again, ever,” Sovann gasped, pulling himself upright once more for another round of weaving. “That wasn’t like a club that was like a damn wagon falling on me,” he said faintly.
“I’m sorry, Sovann, are you OK?” Jala asked with concern, though she knew the smile was still on her face and she doubted it was too reassuring to him.
“Will be fine in just a minute. That’s the plus side of being a Weaver, never out of energy for long,” he replied, his voice already regaining some of its former strength. “So now we have to figure out why you can draw on Barllen and people but apparently not items intended to have magic drained from them, though. That isn’t a bad trait, though. If you can draw energy off of your enemies you are a step ahead.”
“I’d like to drain Cassia down to a more humble level,” Jala muttered quietly, drawing a dark look from Sovann.
“If you do, she will have the Justicars down on you. It’s considered a magical assault and the penalty ranges from imprisonment to death,” he warned.
“As if anyone actually obeys laws here, Sovann. Just yesterday I saw Cassia and her brother beating the hell out of Madren and no one did anything about it. That is supposed to be a crime punishable by death, too, but no one does anything about it,” she said back, her voice filled with disgust.
“Not when it’s Cassia doing it, but I guarantee if it’s you doing it everyone will say something. They are looking for a reason to get you in trouble. Don’t give them one,” Sovann said, his voice firm and his look almost parental.
“I won’t. Besides, I don’t even know if it would work on anyone else,” she said with a sigh.
“That’s why you are going to try using it on Neph tonight, to find out if it works on others,” Sovann replied happily.
“You look far too pleased with that idea, Sovann. Should I make a memory crystal for you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Sovann smiled at her and nodded. “Please do. I will look forward to seeing it tomorrow. For now, though, you had best be off to your first hour. You arrived late so the session isn’t what it normally is.”
“I’m sorry about that. I just had a few things come up. I will be on time tomorrow, I promise,” she said and picked up her bag with a sigh. Walking over, she gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Sovann, you should go get some sleep. You look like you could use it.”
“I will very soon,” he assured her and moved to gather his books and crystals as she left the courtyard heading for class.
“You are going to be thrilled, Emily. My first hour is basic geography,” Jala said quietly once they were out of earshot of Sovann. She spoke partially to see if the Blight was still with her and partially because she expected the class to drive the child insane. Geography was a topic that interested her a great deal. Yet the teacher of the class had a way of speaking that made her nearly fall asleep every day.
“I could probably teach you more about geography than they can. My mother had been everywhere and I know everything she knew. Have they told you about the Crystal Spires yet?” Emily’s voice was a hushed whisper just off to her left.
“What are the Crystal Spires?” Jala asked. It wasn’t a term she had heard mentioned in any class or read about in her book. She was three chapters ahead in her reading of what they were talking about in class discussion.
“It’s in Nerathane. Hundreds of crystal columns that rise up out of the southern desert. They are every color - blue and yellow and red, and there is a river that runs through there that the whole bottom of is filled with little fragments of the spires that look like a rainbow stones,” Emily explained, her voice a bit louder than before.