The next day, Amy expected Sheldon to return, but she didn't see him once the entire day. It was raining and she listened to the little pat pat pat noise of it hitting her roof while she just continued to read.
It was actually three days until Amy saw Sheldon again. His cottage was quiet, and Amy wondered if he went into town and left her alone. That was until he startled her while she was wandering the woods.
"I told you not to leave your shed until you finished reading. Did you finish?" He growled.
"No, sir. I was only on a trip to relieve myself," she explained. She never assumed that she wasn't allowed to leave the shed for that purpose. Besides, she always studied better after a little walk in the woods. Though she felt bad about being behind on the reading. Sheldon was being so generous with his time and food and space. She didn't want to anger him.
"You'll join me for dinner in my home tonight. I have business in town next week, so I want to start you on basic practice drills before I leave," he said stiffly. Amy wondered if she was in trouble for having not finished the reading yet. She was getting better at it, but it was still a struggle.
"Yes, sir," she told him.
"Well, go back about your business," he added awkwardly about where she was headed. Amy nodded and went on her way.
Later that night, Amy knocked on Sheldon's door. It was the first time she was in his cottage since that first day. Though she was careful not to take his place by the fire.
"Do you need any help with the food?" Amy asked.
Sheldon just grunted and nodded his head toward the full serving tray. Amy picked it up and took it to the table. She wondered if there were any servants, so she asked about it.
"A man comes to help me with the horses, but that is all. I don't like having strangers in my home, and I learned to cook and clean on my own long ago," he informed her. She wondered why she was the exception. He barely knew her, but this was the second time she had come into his home. Perhaps students were allowed every now and again.
"I'm happy to help out if you need anything," Amy said with a kind smile. She had never heard of a man doing the cooking and cleaning in his own home. Of course there were male servants in the castle, but only a man who couldn't afford servants would even attempt to do these things in his own home.
"I can handle it, and you have a job here." Sheldon joined her at the table and started helping himself to the food and gestured that Amy should do the same. "Are you implying that my house is not up to your standards?" he added in a growl.
"No. Of course not. You keep a beautiful home, but everyone needs help sometimes."
"I don't, and you can speak about helping me when you can manage to get your work done. I was through all of those books I gave you in four days. Have you even finished half?"
"No, sir," Amy admitted. She looked down while her face burned with shame.
"That's what I thought. Now, eat so we can get started on some spells," Sheldon commanded.
"We can start now," Amy offered. She wanted to prove to Sheldon that she was serious about this work. She was only here at his discretion, so Amy wanted to prove herself to him
"You have to eat," he told her firmly.
Amy nodded and ate her fill. She even had to turn down thirds when he offered, and she wondered if she might be too full to even work on magic. Then they went outside where there was only a hint of light left.
"We will attempt to start a small fire," he informed her. "I will give you some other spells to practice without me, but this one will only be attempted in my presence. Do you understand?" Sheldon thought of the strong magic that resided within the girl, and how dangerous even a simple fire spell could be in her untrained hands. Still, this was one that he often started new students out with because it was useful for a number of reasons.
"I hope you have read enough to understand how spells channel the magic inside you to manipulate the physical world around you," Sheldon said. "Normally, I would wait until you had finished the reading all the way through before I start you on any spell work, but since I am leaving you for a few days, I wanted you to have a little bit to practice with."
Amy nodded. His tone was a little softer now that they were outside than it had been inside the cottage.
"Close your eyes," he instructed. Amy looked unsure, but did after only the briefest hesitation. "Good. Now picture fire in the pit. Got it?" When Amy nodded, Sheldon walked close to Amy and quietly muttered the spell into her ear.
"Blaze," Amy said as she imagined the fire flaring up. The word would not work without the intent, so Amy focused on the flame in her mind's eye. Then she peeked her left eye open. There was no flame in the pit. Not even smoke.
"Try again," Sheldon ordered. No one ever managed it on their first attempt, and he expected nothing different from Amy. They would be lucky if the ground was even warm by the time they went to bed tonight.
Amy nodded and closed her eyes. Again she imagined the fire burning in the pit before she spoke the word that should bring it to life. Just as before, nothing happened. Sheldon only told her to try again.
"I'm tired," Amy complained after an hour of attempting to conjure flames that would not come.
"Do you want to quit?" Sheldon asked. It was a shock that she wanted to end this because he assumed that he would need to order her to bed if she was not successful.
"No. I only do not understand why it feels as if I have been washing linens all day when I have only been standing still and speaking the same word over and over again," Amy wondered out loud.
"You are still channelling your magic even if it is not focused enough to actually light the fire. If you do not wish to stop for the evening, close your eyes and try again. It is dark, and we need a fire."
Amy nodded and repeated the single word again. Then again. Then again. The flame in her mind felt weaker, so Amy took a cleansing breath before she pictured it even bigger and stronger. "Blaze," she repeated again in a yell when she felt a flame big and hot enough that she automatically took a step back. Her foot caught on a rock and she fell to the ground. She only sat there and watched Sheldon put out the fire that rose at least ten feet in the air.
"I see why you have to be around when I attempt that one," Amy joked weakly. Then she stood and dusted off her hands. The fire was now out. "May I try again?" Amy asked.
"I believe that's enough for tonight," Sheldon assured her. He worried that she might over exert herself. To produce a flame that big, she must have channeled a significant amount of magic. She needed sleep.
"I can do one more," Amy tried again.
"It's enough for tonight. We will try again tomorrow. Goodnight," Sheldon said cooly and then he walked into his cottage without another word.
Amy went back into her shed and lit a candle to try to read. She hoped that Sheldon was not angry with her for being so behind in her studies. She was going to make up the lost time for him if she had to read all night and do spell work with him all day.
That's exactly what Amy did for the next several days. She only made time to eat when Sheldon insisted, and otherwise, she studied her books at night on as little sleep as she could manage. Then she mastered the fire spell under Sheldon's tutelage even if every time she did it, it made her feel more and more weak. The massive headache she had maintained for several days did not matter because when she looked at Sheldon and he gave her an approving nod, she knew she was doing the right thing.
"This is one of the spells that I want you to practice when I leave tomorrow," Sheldon told her. "You can use it to water my plants, but do try to keep it away from the chickens." He worried with Amy's strong, unpracticed magic, she might flood his land. Still, this spell was unlikely to do much harm. Especially when she had a bit of experience with it.
"Close your eyes and imagine a light rain localized over that tree," Sheldon told her. Amy nodded, and Sheldon wondered if she was okay. The nod was slow as if she was already incased in water. Still, he decided to give her the spell.
"Aqua," Amy whispered. Nothing happened, but even if Amy had a better grasp on how to do one spell, that didn't mean that she could do another the first time. She weaved a little, but closed her eyes and said it again.
"Are you feeling alright? Did you eat breakfast this morning?" Sheldon asked. He had been packing for his trip into town, so he had not spent any time with Amy before they went out to practice spells.
Amy nodded even though she had only eaten a small apple while she kept her nose in a book. With all of the extra time she had put in, she was more than halfway through the pile of books Sheldon had left her with. She knew she would have them all done and all of these spells mastered by the time he came back. They would move on and Sheldon would be proud of her.
"It's of the utmost importance that you eat and sleep proper amounts," he warned her. Given how pale and weak she looked, he was going to tell her to take the afternoon off. One of the books explained how important it was to take care of oneself when performing magic, and he wondered for a moment if she had read that one yet.
She only nodded before she closed her eyes again. She said the word again, and collapsed into a heap on the ground as an entire storm opened suddenly from the previously cloudless sky.