With great focus, Daphe watched as the sand before her lifted from its bowl, dancing in a delicate pattern. It took all she had, every ounce of her focus, but somehow she managed it... for about five seconds. The focus was too much, her head ached and she had to release her powers. "That hurt." She whined, watching the sand return to the bowl. "Still, I am getting better."
"Yes, yes you are. Wordless magic is something that is immensely difficult even for those born with magic. For those like you, it is even harder, but you have managed it so easily. You have a rare skill in magic, had you been alive before the purge you would have easily been a candidate for Priestesshood."
Kilgarah's words were sweet, making Daphne flush a deep red. "You're a sweetheart, you know that, right? This is a good exercise. I have only been practicing it for a fortnight and I have noticed a significant difference in my skills."
"As you should, this was designed to help with focus and sensitivity to magic outside of the Old Tongue. If you want to practice in secret, as I know you do, this is the best way to master your skills. Once you have managed to hold the sand for ten minutes, we will move onto water which is actually far harder. Then we can work on summoning fire without a spell, reviving dead flowers, and a variety of other skills that will be needed to grant you the skills and mastery to make your dreams a reality and to save me one day."
"A thought that brings me nothing but joy, both of them in fact. You deserve freedom, Kilgarah, more than most do. I know what you will do, I am no fool to think you will not enact vengeance on Camelot. I have faith that you will direct your rage onto the nobles who had the means to help but did nothing. I can hope you will not attack those I protect, for they are as much victims as you are."
She didn't see it, she couldn't, but she felt a rush of fondness ooze from the Dragon as he nodded his head. "Had I not known you, I would have likely killed as many as possible... but you are right, they are as much victims as I am and it would be cruel to destroy them for Uther's evil." His tone was unusually soft, humble even. "As you know I can foresee the future, but I do believe there is a mistake I have made. Or will make... there is a woman, destined for great evil and power however I do believe that you may be able to lead her into a brighter future. It is rare for one to change destiny, but it can happen. I have seen it... she is a creature of the Old Religion blessed with tremendous potential,... can you help her?"
"Who?"
'The Lady Morgana. LeFay is a family name with a great history, they are legacies of Water spirits. Many hold the power of sight and all hold the power of magic. Morgana's potential is vast, she will become the greatest female magic user in Albion's history by a massive margin but she is destined for great evil. I foresaw this myself, however watching you change your own destiny and forging a path of greatness for yourself is making me see my mistakes. Too often have I made a future simply by believing in it too much, a self-fulfilling prophecy. I wish to see if I can help her before she comes the monster that tears this world apart."
Moved, Daphne smiled. "How can I help her?"
"She has horrible nightmares, visions of the future in fact, that will spark her truer magic when it surfaces. You can say you heard rumors and wish to help her. Uther knows of your skills now, it would not be unreasonable to assume you can help her. There is a spell you can cast to help her, but she will need to help you with it at your current skills."
"Then let's get to it, shall we?"
"Yes, we shall... you will need to soak one of your carvings in a potion for three days and nights, weaving spells over it three times a day to imbue it with enough power to help her. This is fair timing, for reinforcement of magical spells was something I was planning on teaching you soon. It allows one to cast spells of greater value even if they lack the raw power or means to do so.
The herbs you will need involve sage, and you will need to use Willow for this talisman. Willow is a powerful healing wood that facilities mystical energies in a positive direction..."
"""
Three Days Later
Uther's arrogance filled his very presence, making Daphne want to wretch. She held back, for her own safety, keeping her eyes low. The man had heard her request, to see if she could offer Morgan the security and healing that Gaius could not. To her shock, the beautiful girl actually seemed interested and looked at her with warmth and compassion.
"Do you truly believe you can help me with my countless nightmares?" Morgana asked, her tone soft and scared but deeply hopeful.
Daphne nodded. "Yes, My Lady, I truly do. If I am unable to, then at least you tried something different and made an effort to better your path. Tales of your kindness are almost as legendary as the tales of Prince Arthur's skills in combat."
Morgana smiled, a beautiful smile that filled the room with warmth. "Then I would love to have you help me. I have heard a great deal about your healings from Gwen, many of her friends among the common folk have been healed by your care."
"I am honored they have shared their knowledge of me."
To everyone's shock, Uther waved his hand at her passively. "If you think you can help her. then do so and be done with it. Share what you know with Gaius so he can continue this aspect of her care."
"I would be more than happy to do so." Standing up, Daphne nodded with her head. "If you would, Lady Morgana, this conversation is best to be done privately. Perhaps in your quarters? I assume you have guards that can listen in if you feel that I am a threat?"
Morgana nodded and hurried over to her, smiling. "I doubt I will need them."
They said nothing as they moved towards her room, Daphne spent the entire trip gathering her courage and focusing her magic for the magic she was about to cast. She could hardly wait to help Morgana, if she could circumvent the terrible future she was destined for then that would be a great service to the world... and to Morgana, who she had indeed heard nothing ill about. She hadn't lied once about Morgana's reputation among the Common Folk. She was loved more than Arthur by far.
Once they entered Morgana's room, Daphne fingered that talisman blessed by Kilgarah and uttered a few simple words in the Old Tongue. The door locked behind her and a simple ward was cast, muting their words for all to hear. Morgana, having turned to see her, saw her eyes glow golden. She looked afraid, but not unreasonably so.
"Do you wish to harm me?"
"Not at all." Daphne assured her. "Your affliction is magical and requires a magical fix. Sit, please, and I will explain." Together they moved to sit on Morgana's incredibly comfortable bed. "My Benefactor, my teacher in all things magical, can also see the future and sense a great of things. He told me that you were a seer, that your nightmares are in fact the ability to see the future only without proper control, instruction and power they come in as painful, miserable nightmares. With proper help and guidance, you will have the means to control them and no longer be ruled by them."
To her pleasure, Morgana actually let out a sigh of relief. "I... I wondered, for so long... that my dreams, that they were real. No one ever believed me... you say that they are magical, does that make me magical?"
"It does, I can feel your power from here now that we are up close to each other. My master says your potential is vast, I have not heard of him being wrong yet... so I have no reason to doubt him. I can teach you, to harness your gifts, both in terms of magic and sight."
Morgana shivered. "Uther's fury would be untold if he found out."
"Then we will not let him find out. I have brought the means to mask the practice for you. The first is a talisman that will hide your magical artifacts, when and if you get them. The second is a tool that will block out the most simple of the visions, powerful ones will slip through of course, but it will also act to soothe your body and mind. Lastly, it will mask telepathic conversations, so that only those you desire to hear you can hear you."
"What?" Morgana asked. "Telepathic what?"
Daphne answered with her mind, reaching out to Morgana, making the girl flinch when their minds connected. "I mean this."
"This is incredible,... can you hear me?"
"Yes, I can... I will show you a great many things. Greater spells, potions, enchantments, martial magic, rituals and many other things. I was asked to help you, to guide you and so I will. If you accept my service."
Morgana threw herself at Daphne, holding her tight. "Of course I do, anything!"
From her bag, Daphne pulled out three artifacts and a new grimoire. One was a simple piece of wood, carved with runes that would mask her grimoire from others. The second was a necklace, a bird not unlike Daphne's own. "The Bird is spelled with layers of magic, designed to help protect your mind as I mentioned. It also will allow me to find you if you are ever in need. My master guided me through the spellwork, it was the most advanced piece of magic I have ever attempted. T
This book is special though. It contains all I know and many other things about mastering the Sight. My master had me write them down for you, in case I am ever killed or unable to help you. The board will ensure that if your room is ever broken into, your artifacts will never be discovered."
Morgana nodded, putting on the bird necklace. "What is that last thing?"
Smiling, Daphne lifted it. It was a circular piece of wood carved with several runes. "This is a unique spell, a clever one. It locks your door, masks your conversations and alerts you to anyone coming near so you can mask your work. My Master and I actually invented it, I suggested the idea and he used his knowledge of magic to make it. I tested out several failed varieties and this is what worked. I thought you'd like it."
"I love it... thank you, without you, I am not sure what I would have done had my powers surfaced. I cannot imagine the damage this would have caused me."
Daphne shuddered. "I'd rather not think about it myself... now, what we are going to tell Uther. He needs to know something. If he asks I am teaching you meditation, which is actually part of your magical training. It helps with focus and calm, vital assets in magic..."
"Thank you..." Morgana said again, her tone garbled with tears. "I... I thought I was losing my mind... to find out that I wasn't, that I am not alone... it means the world."
" I am glad it does... now... since we are here, I will teach you how to contact me with your mental powers. This way you can be taught without my entering the castle. I will teach you every other day. I expect you to read your Grimoire daily, it has things even my Grimoire lacked. Methods to control your powers, information on herbs and minerals and runes. It has the days of power and bits on history. It will help you round out your powers, your skills and keep you safe."
Morgana grabbed the book, holding it close to her chest. "I will guard it with my life."
"Good, since that is what I will lose if I am caught teaching you this. So... let's start your first lesson, shall we?"
"""
Kilgarah was nervous, never before had he gone again destiny. He was taking a serious risk, making choices that went against all he was... he could only hope it didn't blow up in his face. Compassion had never come easily to him, Daphne's must have been rubbing off on him... making him softer than he ought to be...
"Please, Morgana, do not make me regret helping you... please make this a good choice... "
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was a fun chapter, and I adored it.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.