Break of Dawne: Excerpt #1
Joye
I etch a chalk circle around myself as best as I can on the forest floor and fill it with arcane runes while muttering a string of smooth syllables. Magical rituals require tedious work, but spending a few minutes reciting words from rote memory is better than the more strenuous task of casting at-will. And it gives me an excuse to think about magic. It’s a win-win for me! Less stress on my body and less stress on my mind. The brutes will surely require more of my magic before we retire for the day, so it’s best to take things easy while I can.
A mixture of red and blue light fills the arcane runes. My mutterings shift to loud chants, and my eyes glow with a fiery sparkle. The dirt of the forest floor shifts and swirls around me. Power wells up inside me. The ritual is almost complete. Just another minute now.
It’s in moments like these that I sometimes forget I’m in captivity. Casting spells is the one thing that makes me feel truly free. I pity the brutes. Despite their overwhelming strength and brutal ferocity, they lack the ability to cast even the simplest spells. If I could trade my magic for my freedom, I honestly don’t know what I would choose.
As my ritual completes and the spell takes full effect, I no longer see the physical world around me. I see the flow of magic. It winds across fallen leaves, around trees, soaring through the canopy, interacting with each part of the world that was just before me. So much to see, so much to explore. Oh, how I would love to stay, but I must be about my business. The brutes won’t like it if I dawdle.
I direct my gaze toward the crumbled ruins ahead. I see no magic flowing in any of the stones. It flows right up to it but stops right before crossing the threshold of stone. Could it be that the creature we seek repels magic? Is that why the brutes can’t cast spells? The brutes told me we are searching for their champion. I assumed it casts magic for them since they cannot. I never considered it might reject magic altogether.
“There!” I point my finger toward the ruins. “That place is void of magic. If you are seeking the champion of your magic-less people, perhaps it is there.”
To Be Continued…
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