Slayers Magical School: Fireball!
A kind word and a fireball will get you more than just with a kind word!
--Lina Inverse, age 9
The explosion echoed through the forest like a peal of thunder as the earth trembled. Birds took flight to the skies in alarm. Squirrels, deer, and other wild game animals fled. Every living creature in the forest capable of movement rushed to get away from the source of the chaos.
All except one. A small child about nine years old with flame red hair and matching eyes.
"Victory!" the young Lina Inverse announced with unrestrained delight. The source of this delight came from the giant smoking crater before her—the results of the newest spell she had mastered. She allowed herself a great big smile of satisfaction. None of the other apprentices her age knew this spell. They wouldn't learn it for at least a couple of more years. And to think, she had learned this on her own! Well, not exactly. There were those handy set of notes she found just carelessly lying about...But that didn't matter. Lina Inverse had mastered her most powerful spell yet!
Once again she allowed her gaze to fall to the crater. She had to admit the clearing in the forest wasn't the best place to practice her spell casting. The mage guild had special rooms warded and reinforced for such occasions, but someone might discover her new abilities there. For now, it was best to keep everything a secret. Exams were coming up within a few weeks. What better way to impress everyone than to show them the powerful spells she could cast?
Besides, she still needed a little more practice. The crater was bigger than she expected. Caught up in the excitement of completing the spell, she had let her concentration slip at the last second. Still, this wasn't bad for her first attempt. But practice makes perfect so...
Lina held both hands before her and began to chant, "Source of all power...light which burns beyond crimson...let thy power gather in my hands..."
A ball of flame sparked to life between her hands. Maybe if she compressed its power this time the spell would have a smaller explosion...
"Excellent job," she heard a familiar voice praise. Not twenty feet behind her she found a young man with blue hair and reds eyes seated comfortably on a rock watching her. Those unfamiliar with him might simply dismiss him as a simple youth or dandy with his tailored clothes and fancy cape. She knew him better as her mentor, Rune Simbriant.
Lina cringed at being caught. How long had he been there? More importantly, how had he found her?
He gestured at the fireball in her hands. "Don't lose your concentration. You don't want that spell to blow up on you."
"Huh?" Lina blinked, before remembering the spell. "Oh, right!" She quickly tossed it into the crater. A second later another explosion rocked the forest.
"I have to admit, I'm impressed," Rune said as he hopped down from the rock and walked over. "It's not every day a person gets to see someone your age cast as powerful a spell as fireball."
She put on her best smile, puffing out her chest with the infallible pride only a child would know. "This is kid's stuff! I bet there isn't a spell you know that I can't learn to cast."
"I don't doubt that. And since we are on that subject," Rune said in suddenly serious tone, "I hadn't planned on teaching you that spell quite yet." He knelt down so they were eye to eye. "Where exactly did you learn to cast Fireball?"
Lina fidgeted uncomfortably as she thought of an answer. She couldn't really tell him where the notes had come from. "Oh, you know, I found it in one of the books I read." Yea, that was a good answer!
"Lina." It was odd how grownups could make a name sound so ominous. After a moment she finally met his gaze. Rune wore a gentle smile. That helped put her at ease. Somewhat. "I know that spell isn't written down in any of the books the guild uses. Every mage has to learn to channel that spell on their own. It's complicated and dangerous. That is why it is a requirement of the guild to learn it before being granted full magehood. I'm not going to chastise you. I just want to know how you learned the spell."
Drat! She was caught! Lina chewed on her lip as she thought. She had to tell him the truth now. Lying never solved anything.
"I...found some notes," she replied reluctantly. "They explained a lot."
"Notes, you say? Do you still have these notes?" She nodded. "May I see them?"
She pulled a handful of wrinkled papers from her pocket and gave them to him.
The seconds ticked by unbearably slow as Rune browsed the sheets. She knew he wasn't going to be happy once he realized where she got them from. All she could do was nervously wait for a punishment. Would he make her clean out the closet? Or maybe turn her into a frog? Lina shuddered at the thoughts. She didn't know which one was worse.
"Wait a minute," Rune's eyes widened in surprise. He peered over the top of the papers at her. "These are my notes! I was wondering where these went. How did you get them? I had them warded against prying eyes—not to mention they were in the cabinet, which was magically locked!"
"It took a while to figure it out," Lina admitted. She just knew she was going to get in big trouble for this. She shouldn't have peered into that cabinet, but her curiosity got the better of her. What had Rune expected, hiding things in a cabinet right in front of a kid? Secrets were meant to be discovered, right?
"Did Lazlore or Delly help you break the wards?"
"No, no one helped me," she honestly replied.
"No one?" he sounded more surprised than angry. "Really?"
"It's been almost two weeks since Laz and Delly left to go visit their families. There hasn't been anyone to help me!" She hoped he would hear the frustration in her voice. "I've had to do everything by myself!"
"Everything by yourself..." Rune mused over the thought. "That's really remarkable. I mean, not only did you break the magical lock on the cabinet, but you also dispelled the wards on these notes...my notes." A blue eyebrow arched towards her. "What were you doing in my cabinet?"
"Because you stopped teaching me magic!" she snapped. "You haven't taught me a new spell in three months!"
"You're keeping count of the time?" Rune cried in surprise.
"Yes," she nodded grudgingly. "You give Lazlore and Delly help with their studies when they need it. Every time I ask for help you keep telling me I should wait until I'm older!"
Rune's lips twisted in a frown. "Lina, you are already years ahead of the other apprentices your age. You shouldn't be in such a rush. Try to enjoy your childhood a bit more—"
"It's not fair!"
"What?" her mentor rocked back on his heels at the sudden explosion of temper.
"I said it's not fair!" Lina could feel the tears welling in her eyes. "You help Lazlore and Delly, but not me! Why? Did I do something wrong? Am I not good enough? Every time I ask a question about a new spell you push me away! What did I do? Please, whatever I did, I'm sorry! Just tell me what I did wrong! I promise I'll never do it again! I'll be good..." She broke down into heavy sobs. "I just wanna learn magic again..."
Rune pulled her into a tight hug, his hand running over her head in long soothing strokes. "Shhhh....Easy, Lina. Easy. It's okay. I'm sorry but...Look, Lina, you are a wonderful apprentice. I have never met a child as eager to learn as you but..." He paused a moment as if at a loss for words. "Why are you in such a rush to learn magic?"
"Because," she sniffed, "all the kids my age make fun of me cause I'm smaller than they are! I wanna prove I'm better! I'll show them and become the greatest sorceress ever!" For just a second she saw the saddest look on his face. She was about to ask what was wrong, but it was already gone.
"You shouldn't let what other people say bother you."
"Yea, that's what Luna says." She wiped a tear away on the back of her sleeve. "It still hurts though."
"I know it does," he said softly, then stepped back. "So you want to be the greatest sorceress ever?"
"Yes!"
"You know, that will take a lot of effort," he said carefully.
"I don't care! I'll do whatever it takes! I want to show them it doesn't matter how small I am!"
"Your mind is set to this?"
Lina nodded.
"All right," he smiled. "As long as you prove you can master the spells I will teach you everything I know."
Her mood brightened instantly. "Even the Dragon Slave?"
It was a very long moment before he finally replied, "When you are strong enough."
"Yes! Woohoo!" Lina cheered happily.
"Keep in mind I do expect you to use my teachings wisely." Lina's cheering abruptly stopped. At her confused expression he explained further, "Being powerful isn't so much about what spells you know as it is about how you use them."
"What do you mean?"
He squatted down next to her. "Here. I'll show you how to make a lighting spell look like a fireball."
"Why do that when I'm already learning Fireball?"
Rune smiled. "Little tricks like this do come in handy from time to time."
"But I want to finish learning Fireball!"
"This is exactly my point, Lina. Why use Fireball if a kind word will get you what you want?"
"Because a kind word and a fireball will get you more than with just a kind word!"
The Blue Mage burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "Oh gods...hahahah! Lina, your way of thinking....hahahahaha!"
"It's true, isn't it?" She didn't understand why he found it so funny. She didn't think it was funny.
"Yes," he replied once he had calmed down. "All right. Fireball, it is! Then I will teach you the trick with Lighting. Is that okay with you?"
She put on her biggest smile. "Absolutely!"
"Good. Now pay close attention..."
--Fin
*Author's Note:
I imagine there may be some confusion about a few things in this story, but this little fic is meant to fit in with some of the other stories I wrote about Lina. Check them out. They'll fill in the blanks for you. ^__^