Chapter 29

Despite the dire end to my anecdote, Myta had no issues harvesting mana from the bonfire Tarun had his servants build in the yard for us. I hadn’t expected her to. As a spirit touched of fire, I would have been incredibly shocked if there had been any issue. Fire was a generous aspect, not quite as pervasive as air or earth, but it generated mana rapidly as long as it was burning. A large fire like this had Myta’s spirit nearly filled by the time we went to bed.

Her success was to be expected. What I didn’t expect was the way that my mana reserves had also risen greatly during that same time. My aspect was far more restrained than fire, I could take in almost any kind of mana, but normally it took me far more time and effort to make it usable. Now the fire aspected mana was practically dancing in my meridians, begging to be used. I wasn’t complaining, precisely, but the sudden shift to my capabilities was unnerving as much as it was exciting. I’d been stagnant for so long that I wasn’t sure how to handle the change.

We left on schedule, preparing in the predawn light, and then setting out as the sun crested the horizon. Not that we could see it for the trees. Hati chivvied the men into some kind of marching order, or traveling order? We weren’t exactly marching through the thick underbrush and Ket was pointing me far off the beaten paths. In any case, the men were dispersed by squad, with each squad responsible for keeping track of their own members, while squad leaders were responsible for keeping track of the core group. That core group being Myta, myself, Hati, and Cata. The hunters and Denu roamed ahead, scouting out clearer paths and keeping an eye out for convenient food.

Our entire unit was now outfitted with superb gear, although much of the armor had needed repair. The glaives weren’t ideal for fighting in the forest, but I hoped that, because so many of the enemy were outfitted with them, they would favor open spaces for their camps. If not, all of the men carried smaller weapons as well, though most were not of the same quality.

Our path led us north and east, nearer the foothills of Mount Ramana. That was mixed news, as Tarun and I had both assumed that any large incursion of troops would arrive by ship, coming from the Inner Sea to our south. This meant that the camp we were headed toward was farther from any reinforcements they might have, but there was no real reason for them to choose a more inconvenient location, unless it offered them some additional advantage. Not that we could do anything about that, if we wanted to keep the enemy occupied, we needed to hit them where they were.

At least the travel gave me time to continue Myta’s training. The movement of our group was far slower that either of us. Our mana enhanced bodies allowed us to push our pace far faster, for far longer than the men. Allowing us the time and attention for me to lecture.

“You are ready to begin shaping spells now, the lowest bar for what many think of as ‘real sorcery’.” Myta smirked at my derisive tone.

“I take it you don’t agree, master?”

“I think it’s just posturing. Most of those flame bursts you throw around with Sun’s Ray don’t qualify as spells. But you still wiped out the caravan ambush with ease. Let’s ask those dead men if your sorcery was ‘real enough’.” I paused to take a swig of water, freshened with crushed mint leaves. “Still, refined spells are far more powerful than throwing waves of mana about. You’ve seen the difference yourself. Even if you didn’t realize it at the time, you’ve already used a spell.”

“When you were under attack, I destroyed that man’s head.” She knew what I was referring to immediately.

“Precisely. You attacked with far more power and control, and though I’m sure you didn’t realize it at the time, it wouldn’t have taken any more mana than you other attacks. Possibly even less.”

“So what makes a spell? I was just angry and afraid. Are they formed through emotion?” She sounded skeptical, as well she should. Nevertheless, I nodded.

“In a sense,” I said. “Spells need three things to be spells. Mana, will, and intention. Mana is relatively simple, and it’s the part you already understand. You project mana just as you’ve been doing, preferably with an appropriate aspect, and a refined shape. Aspect is usually simple, you use fire to burn things, for example. And shape is part of what Inner Harmony has been teaching you. If you want to create a lance of fire, the closer is to being a lance when it leaves your presence the better.

“The second part, will, is where emotion can come into play. The stronger your desire and focus is, the better you mana will keep its form as it leaves your presence. If you don’t have enough will, you spell won’t travel far, and won’t be able to pierce the presence of another.” I stepped away from her, and then sent a small bolt of fire her way. Ita gave me an annoyed bleat, but the fire fizzled out more than a foot away from my vas, let alone the goat she was leading. Myta nodded, no doubt having felt the mana disperse in her presence.

“And the final part, intention, sounds like our lessons on refining and changing your aspect.” She said.

“Yes, very good.” She grinned at my praise. “Intention is almost exactly the same. Mana responds to your thoughts, so the more clearly you can visualize what you want the spell to do, the less mana you waste. All three elements of a spell reinforce one another, which is what makes them so much more effective. Power, efficiency, and control.”

Myta spent the remainder of our travel time practicing flame lances. She tossed them from her thrust fingers, until I **** her to stop. Many sorcerers became dependent on repetitive gestures like that to aid their concentration. Eventually they could become a requirement, the habit so ingrained that the sorcerer couldn’t cast the spell without it. I practiced alongside her, testing my newfound affinity for flame. I could convert my own aspect to fire much faster than I had been able to, and it occurred to me that this was true almost from the moment of accepting Myta’s bond. I just hadn’t really paid attention to or used it, beyond lighting a few cooking fires.

I insisted we stop early, so that Myta could spar with the men, and we both could regain mana from the campfire. Everyone was in good spirits, even the fighters that she had trounced. They wore their singed hair and minor burns like badges of pride, as she continued to practice during sparring. It took a great mastery of intention to not burn an opponent with a flame lance. The occasional hit they managed to land on her while she was splitting her focus gave them something to strive for. I don’t think my vas had been so challenged since she was discarded by the Pure.

Fortunately, all the fighters had trained with Myta previously. Their animas had been somewhat refined already. Polished, as it were, by the pressure of her presence. That meant they were unlikely to fall ill due to the sparring now. And a little more refinement of their spirits would be a good thing, in the longer term. The more their spirits were purified, the stronger their bodies would grow. Not just in brute ****; but in stamina, speed, agility, and innumerable other small ways. Small changes, that would make them superior fighters.

That thought stuck in my head, it lingered like a splinter in my thoughts. Many sorcerers had experimented with refining the spirits of their mundane subordinates or associates over the years. Most of the practices that would help that along were crude, and not much different that what Myta was doing right now. Expose the subject to the presence of a sorcerer. Either in some sort of conflict with a weaker sorcerer, such as sparring, or simply being around a more powerful one. Either way, the mundane’s spirit was put under pressure, and their anima would either strengthen or break in response.

But now, I potentially had another option. My own aspect was ideal for strengthening anima, but it had taken me decades to perfect. By the time it was ready, my will was far too strong for me to risk applying my presence to regular mortals. My internal mana could be used on them with relative safety, as long as I was careful. If I applied pressure however, I could supplant a person's anima with my own. If they weren’t compatble, and few were, that kind of spiritual intrusion could lead to madness, or ****. Not quite as severe a violation as direct soul damage, but not that far off. I kept my presence restrained at all times, partially for that very reason.

But my new facility with fire surely came to me from Myta. If I could call on her aspect, could she call on mine? That would be far safer. She was dedicated to me, and her will was growing stronger as her soul healed, but her will was still far less than mine. If I could walk her through using my aspect, it would be another path to training her spellcasting. While also potentially providing us with fighters to rival Ramana’s royal guard.