Chapter 10: Magic is the Funniest thing
Veran and Phineas galloped quickly through the night. The hooves of the horses pounding over the road was the only noise around. Vervada was somewhere above them, flying with the wind. Phineas was barely awake, adrenaline being the only thing that was keeping him from falling asleep in the saddle.
Dawn was just beginning to break when they finally stopped, many leagues north of Nerghain. They stopped along the Toark River still, allowing the horses to take a long drink, and giving Veran and Phineas a time to rest for a moment.
"Do you know what you did back in Nerghain?" Veran asked.
"I don't know. I just focused on my arrow, and I shouted something. I don't know what it meant though. It just came to me."
A shocked look ran across Veran. "What you did was extremely dangerous. You used magic to kill the urgal. Magic, is very dangerous for someone untrained like you to be using."
"Then train me!" Phineas blurted out. "Teach me! How am I to become a rider if I have no skill in magic?!""
Veran sighed. "The precedent goes that since you have discovered magic out on your own, I will train you on how to use, but only in the most basic until we reach Palancar Valley. Understood?"
"Yes Master Veran."
"Good. So, magic, just like life, has rules that guide. If you use too much energy in a spell, you die. No exceptions. No is why you felt so tired after you used the spell. If you don't know what you are doing, you could send a wrong spell that could kill others. Do you remember the words you said when you made the spell?"
"I think it was… Oro Deyja." Phineas shivered. The words felt powerful when he said them.
"Oro Deyja. It means Death Arrow. It's an incredibly simple spell, yet very powerful. For some reason you were smart. If you had just said Deyja, meaning death, it could've killed you, me, the Urgal, or everything around us, especially since you are untrained. Since you said Oro deyja, that spell basically has the arrow follow its path to instantly kill whatever was in its way. In this case the Urgal. We were very lucky indeed."
"Why did I have to speak those words when I made that spell?" Phineas asked, "And is that the way we were able to contact Eragon, and then when you put the invisibility spell on Vervada."
"Those words are part of the Ancient Language. When one wishes to use a spell, they use the words in the language to say what they want the spell to do. The words of this language represent the true aspects of objects, thoughts, perceptions, and ideas. The words they mean in this language we are speaking right now are basically only copies and representations of the true names in the Ancient Language."
"Sounds complicated."
"At first it seems that way. That's why we shall only learn the basics until we reach Palancar Valley." He reached into his saddlebags, pulling out a small smooth pebble, dark as night. He handed it to Phineas. "See this stone? I want you to use magic to try and lift it. Only with your mind. You're going to use the words 'Stenr Reisa.'"
Phineas rolled to stone in his fingers, thinking about what to do. He drove deep into his mind, trying to find the spot he had used before to kill the urgal. He closed his eyes, checking every corner of his consciousness until he found a strange spot. He pushed against with all his might, until it broke, flooding his mind with a strange and unique energy, making his palm itch where his gedwëy ignasia was.
He opened his eyes, focusing on the rock in his hand. His gedwëy ignasia was shining underneath of it. "Stenr Reisa!" he spoke. At first, nothing. Then, putting all his might into, the rock wobbled then started lifting upward. As soon as it was three inches off of his palm, it stalled. He grimaced as he started to lose focus and pain came through his mind. At last, he let go of the magic, and the stone dropped to his hand, and the light from his palm went out.
He sat there for a few moments, catching his breath. "Why did that make me tired?" he asked.
"You've barely used magic before. It will take some time before you get used to using it. A spell takes away your life energy. So, if you use up more energy in a spell than you have in your body. You will die. A good rule, is it takes about as much energy to do something with magic, than to do it without magic," Varen explained, "So don't go trying to move mountains or destroying towns. It will kill you."
"How can I get better than just being barely able to lift a small rock?"
"You will train constantly. You will do that spell every single day until we reach Palancar Valley until you can cause it to rise from the ground to eye level without problem."
Phineas grumbled, handing the stone back over to Veran. He had no want to try it again, but he knew he had to continue eventually.
"Master Veran, something quickly unrelated if I may. When I was working my way through towards where you were in Nerghain, Vervada noticed a column of soldiers marching into the Spine. Do you know why?"
Veran sighed. "I saw that as well. I believe that once they drove the Urgals back, they decided to press on into the Spine to finish off the rest of them. If they reach the Urgals' village, a great slaughter will take place I fear. It truly is sad. Twenty years ago, Men and Urgals fought and died together to fight Galbatorix. And now, they are back to their petty squabbles and hatred."
Phineas stared off toward Nerghain in the distance behind them, hoping it would not lead them all to a war with the Urgals. The both of them mounted up on the horses and continued on their way again, with Vervada circling overhead.
More coming your way very soon!