Planeswalker Academy
Chapter VII: Spells
Artyriel found the worn and dusty tome packed in with some of her clothes. It was like he'd said: Jace would know it when he saw it. Running his fingers along the bent spine, Jace took a moment in inhale the lovely smell of the book. It reeked of ancient magic and lore. He loved it.
While Jace was scanning the book, Artyriel got a better look at the cover. It looked like someone had inscribed – with magic – a spell of some sort. It blended in with the designs that covered the tome's bindings.
"I can't read this?" Jace asked out loud. He'd turned to a page and had a confused expression across his brows.
"What is the matter, Mr Jace?" Artyriel asked.
"I could read this up to a certain point, then the language changed completely and I have no idea about anything its' trying to say. My translation spell isn't working either." Jace's eyes narrowed as he fished in his head for a spell that could help.
"What about the cover?" Artyriel asked. When Jace looked up at her, even move confused, she elaborated. "There appears to be a spell inscribed on the books' cover. I would suggest looking there."
Jace closed and turned the tome over, and noticed the words Artyriel spoke of. However, they didn't make any sense. It was gibberish.
"Just read it, as you see it," Artyriel said, breaking Jace out of his confused trance.
"Okay. But let's take this to the courtyard. I don't want to break anything," Jace answered.
"Sure." The elf followed the mage out of her room, down a few set of hallways and staircases and to the courtyard in the front of the school. There, Jace cleared his throat and began to read the letters as they appeared to him.
As he read, the letters began to glow, tracing his spoken words with the inscribed text. An arcane circle appeared below Jace, its blue glow blinding. It stopped expanding a few centimeters from where Artyriel stood. However, the elf didn't notice.
A black-ish green arcane circle had appeared below her, spreading out and interweaving with Jace's circle. The lettering within the circles melded and meshed, creating a new text.
Jace continued to read, but now focused all his attention to the words as they were becoming harder and more complex to verbally say. When he finished the final word, the lights brightened to the max and he had to shield his eyes. Then, in a flash of blue, green and black, with a bit of fire, Artyriel hung in the air as if suspended by cables. Her head lolled on her shoulder blades and her eyes were closed.
Jace stared, wide-eyed as Artyriel was slowly let down and slumped to the ground in a heap.
What… just happened…?
"What did you do!?"
Jace turned to see Kilya standing by a pillar, her hands on her hips and her eyes wider than his.
"What do you mean?"
"Is she dead?" Kilya responded.
Jace turned to see the elf's shoulders rising and falling. "No. She's not."
"Good. Let's move her so we don't attract any more attention. You get Art. I'll get the book."
Jace nodded and moved to pick Artyriel up and followed Kilya back to their room. He hadn't noticed he'd dropped the book.
They reached the room and Kilya keyed them in, then shut and locked it behind them.
"What did you do?" she asked, rounding on Jace who was placing Artyriel on her bed.
"I was…"
Wait.
How much about Artyriel did Kilya know? Jace didn't know, so he stayed quiet while Kilya tended to Artyriel.
Looking around, he noticed a few instruments and books on her desk that hadn't been there previously. Walking over, he picked up another book and turned it over in his hands. It was light, almost too light. Forcing the thought of opening from his head, Jace turned back to Artyriel and Kilya. The demoness lord was wiping sweat from the elf's forehead and speaking to her in a low and comforting voice.
When Artyriel looked like she'd calmed down a bit, Kilya turned back to Jace.
"That was an enormous amount of mana that you just let out. What were you doing?"
"I was reading," Jace said, but Kilya's glare told him to continue. "I was reading from a book that I 'would know when I saw it.' I have no idea what I was reading…"
"Why not try now." Kilya shrugged and gestured to the tome on the foot of her own bed. Jace picked it up and it felt light now too. Compared to previously, where he'd felt like he'd drop it, it was like a feather in his hands.
Cracking open the new spine, he read to where he'd left off and, to his surprise, could continue reading. And, it was reading it faster than before. He could skim letters, words and phrases and understand the whole picture. It was like putting a puzzle together.
He reached the final pages of text and had to reread the last few sentences. When he understood, he looked up to see Kilya staring at him intently.
"Well?" she asked.
"I can understand it." Jace admitted. "It doesn't make much sense though…"
"It shouldn't make sense."
Kilya and Jace jumped as Artyriel's voice, low and husky spoke from her levitating body.
"Interfering humans…" she growled, "you need to learn you place."
"Crymaret, stop."
Jace looked at Kilya, beyond bewildered. Kilya knew about the deity?!
"You cannot say anything to me, demoness. You are not the one who controls me."
Kilya looked expectantly at Jace, who sighed. "Crymaret, stop," he whispered.
Artyriel's body shuddered as the deity thought. Taking the sudden lapse in movement from the elf, Jace took the time to replicate what he'd done in his room. He reached into Artyriel's mind and pushed against the veil. He gave under his push, and he held Artyriel's mind once again in his hand.
He learned much. However, the deity soon pushed him back out. But that information was enough.
A knock on the room door followed by pounding woke Jace from his concentration.
"Kilya Idaruth! Artyriel Espelhart! Open this door at once!"
"Who asks?!" Kilya called in response.
"By the order of the Headmaster, Tezzeret!"
