Chapter 2-14

I stared at the apsara in shock for several long seconds, my mind frozen and blank. I knew that there was a tension with Sati, and a sexual edge to our interactions, but this felt disjointed. It was far too much, too fast. Then, rational thought finally kicked in.

“You wish for me to become your teacher, to teach you sorcery.” I clarified.

“Please, master.” The words fell from her lips far more casually than I would have expected. Her desire was genuine, but I didn’t feel any particular weight of respect or commitment in the request.

“It has become clear that you are far more skilled in sorcery than the masters I trained under,” she continued. “And equally clear that my own sorcery is weak. I cannot afford to be, do not wish to be, helpless here. It would be my honor to be trained by such a prodigy as you.”

“Prodigy,” I laughed. “In my youth I was considered the least talented of my peers. Quick to question, but slow to learn. If you are willing to dedicate yourself, I will teach you, but already I can see the weakness in your logic and your will.”

Sati’s shoulders shook with suppressed rage, and I thought she would storm off right at that moment. But, to my pleasant surprise, she remained in a partial bow. Though her hands were clenched in fists now, rather than pressed flat to the ground.

“Then please instruct me.” She ground out the words. “Ask of me what you will for that instruction, but do not leave me in ignorance if you have the knowledge to share.”

“Your sorcery isn’t weak,” I replied. I thought about waiting, seeing how much patience she had but I wondered how much practical value such a test would have. Sati had no real reason to trust me, and so that sliver of trust she had invested in this request was far more likely to simply break.

“The aspect you inherited from Ramana has incredible potential.” I continued. “His ascent to power shows that. And I can feel that you have another aspect as well. Dual aspects likewise have great potential. In fact, not a week gone I saw you convert a hated enemy into a loyal ally within the span of a few minutes. A level of power that terrifies even me. So tell me, where do you feel you are lacking?”

“My aspect of dreams is limited,” she replied. “I can only convince others to do what they already want to do. And both of my aspects are useless in combat. Without others to shield me, I’m helpless.”

Her voice nearly broke on the final word as she physically flinched. If I needed an indication of her resolve, that was it. Exposing your weaknesses when you were already feeling **** required a tremendous level of resolve.

“People and nothing but bundles of desire. Of wants and needs that are often contradictory, and that they barely understand. If you can tease out those desires, there will be no limit to your influence. And I guarantee that we can find ways for you to defend yourself.

“As for what I ask of you, there will be much. I think your upbringing has weakened you. But I will not ask, without offering something in return. Give me a little time. I must think on what I can do, to show you my good intentions.”

Her face turned up towards me, and her brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand. I am the one seeking instruction from you.”

“How many masters have you trained under?” I asked her. “You don’t need to answer that, I just want you to think about it. How many have you had, and of those, how many did you trust? How many had your respect? True respect is never simply given away, it can only be earned. If I cannot show you that I and my teachings are worth your time and attention, then you will learn little from me. In fact, I would prefer that you not call me master.

“The word has many uses. But I think for you it has probably become meaningless. The title assigned to every expert and teacher who failed you. Call me Esur, or if you want to give me a title, then come up with something that you prefer. For your first lesson, you can join my instruction on aspects, which will happen after we finish moving camp.”

“Yes… sir.” Satu sounded uncertain, but not distrustful or resentful. That was all I could really hope for. She hadn’t asked for this situation any more than I had, even if it was the result of her own actions.

Packing up and moving the camp took a few hours. The servants distributed a breakfast of leftover roasted meat and hard cheese to tide us over to lunch, served with a chewy bread. I wondered idly how they’d managed to bake fresh bread anyway. It was hardly the easiest thing, without a real oven. But no matter the method, I couldn’t question the results. After we were encamped again, I gave my lesson.

I had already explained to them the basics of mana and its aspects, so this was of a more practical nature. How to choose, and gain the most use from, their own aspects.

“Most aspects can be used to attack with, for example” I noted. “Earth will obviously allow you to lob sharp objects at people, but creating a cutting blade of wind with air is a common spell. More than that, air can be used to suffocate an opponent. It requires a great deal of mana and control, but is hard to defend against. Nearly impossible, for a victim without sorcery.

“The more creative your use of an aspect is, the less likely it is that you enemies will have some kind of counter. Just try not to let your best tricks become widely known.

“Now who here already knows what aspect they wish to develop?”

It turned out that most of them did. An unsurprisingly large number of them chose fire. They idolized Myta, and I knew that they saw it as a form of homage to her. A fair number also chose air or earth, having seen the effectiveness of Denu and Hati in either sparring or real combat.

A couple of the company also wanted to develop a wood aspect, which pleased me. They were going to be joining Denu’s rangers, and Cato had convinced them of its utility. I couldn’t agree more. An air aspect sorcerer might be faster, but nothing beat wood in terms of navigation, and utilizing the terrain.

I selected one of my students to come forward. I wasn’t sure how long this would take, but time was clearly not on our side. And sooner started was sooner done. This man was an especially light-skinned native of Ramana. Half a foot taller than me, and carrying himself with the easy grace of a practiced fighter.he was one of the squad leaders, and among the earliest to complete his spirit tempering.

“You wish to adopt the fire aspect, yes?” At his nod, I continued. “Fire consumes and is fierce, but it can also be nurturing and warm. Fire is direct in its needs and nature.”

He stared at me through my review with intensity, and obvious desire. At least superficially, fire seemed to be the perfect choice for him. I reached into the chest that Ramana had figured to me, withdrawing a folded packet of waxed paper. The flower I withdrew was pressed and dried, but it’s wide petals were still a brilliant, shifting corona of crimson and orange. Reminiscent of Myta’s hair.

“The flame poppy is considered a menace to farmers everywhere, despite its beauty. Given the chance, the plant will overrun entire farms, killing all other plants and waiting for a single spark to set the entire place ablaze. If a field is allowed to flourish, the pollen from the flowers incites a frenzy in those who breathe it in. Sometimes of anger, other times of passion.

“When you consume the flower, it’s mana will enter your spirit body. You must first align yourself to it, find the commonalities between its aspect, and your own. Remember, you must be honest and know your own desires. If you cannot align with it, your best result is that you reject the aspect, and the herb is wasted.” I stared at him with hard eyes, until he nodded in acceptance.

“Good. If you are able to align yourself with the mana, then spread it through your body as evenly as you can. Then press it, infuse it, into your anima. The more evenly you can spread it out, the easier the side effects will be to manage.” He nodded again, this time more perfunctorily. I had given this speech many times, as we’d practiced mana manipulation.

I handed him the infused herb, and he nearly dropped it in shock. I understood the reaction. Although the flame poppy wasn’t actually hot to the touch, it somehow gave the impression of sticking your hand into a bonfire. Of heat and burning air. And its perfume was reminiscent of incense. Still, the squad leader controlled his reaction, popping the brilliant herb into his mouth and swallowing.

I watched with my spiritual eye as the fiery mana dissolved into him. Infiltrating his core node, and diffusing from there. It traveled in streamers through his meridians, ribbons of crimson light carried through the streams of his nearly colorless personal mana. Like a trickle of blood spilled into a river. Then, as I’d instructed I felt a he mana press into his anima, blending into his meridians and nodes.

It wasn’t the smoothest dispersal I’d ever seen, the man was liable to experience wild mood swings and physical reactions for weeks to come as the aspect spread more evenly through his spirit, but it was successful. I couldn’t see any signs of outright conflict or rejection.

“Take Fetu to the recovery pavilion,” Myta ordered. Two servants who had been standing by rushed to do so. Bundling the man up and carting him away with both care and efficiency. The whole affair hadn’t taken more than a quarter of an hour, and I called up another warrior.

I had expected the squad leader to take to his chosen aspect well. Both he, and the second were chosen so that the company could observe such relatively smooth integrations. But the third I had chosen for the opposite reason. He had consistently lagged behind in every aspect of training and advancing his spirit, and had chosen an aspect that didn’t match his personality at all.

If anyone were to fail this process catastrophically, I wanted it to be someone the company could afford to lose. Someone that our other warriors wouldn’t grieve too much. So when it came time for the third person to adopt an aspect, I called forward Guta.