Chapter 20 Lessons

"So tell me what in the world possesed you to come here princess?" Vossler said sternly over the campfire. The group had camped on top of the giant oil platform, partly because it was the quickest way to the other side and partly because the urutan didn't like to climb it. The princess scowled.

"And when is it my obligation to tell you anything Vossler." She said haughtily. Vossler rose up on his knees.

"When I was appointed your protector by your father, when you asked specifically for me to help you however I could, when my charge goes missing in the middle of the night in the hands of a pirate. That's when." He said dangerously. Ashe scoffed.

"It's not like you would have let me go." Vossler sighed.

"Princess how can you be sure the dawn shard is hidden here?"

"I just know."

"Hold yourself steady." Fran said calmly. Penelo took up an awkward positioning.

"Are you sure you need to do this?" She complained. "I've never seen you do any of this." Fran smiled wryly.

"Technically all you need to perform magick is strength of will and mind. For a beginner like yourself it will be nessisary to perform a motion to further stimulate your mind." Penelo sighed. This wasn't going to be easy was it. Fran paced around her as she spoke.

"Magicks are the concentration, transformation and manipulation of the energy and mist in the world. Those who have mastered it's mysteries are able to perform feats considered superhuman. However these abilities, amazing though they may be, come at a cost. There are rules, and if they are broken the results are not pleasant." Penelo gulped.

"You mean you could die?" Fran nodded.

"Sometimes. But that will not happen if you are sensible and know your limits." She strode up to one of the piles of wood she had assembled. "Flau." She said lazily with a flick of her wrist. At once the logs sprang into a roaring fire. Penelo watched in awe.

"Flau." She said eagerly to the second pile of kindling. Nothing happened, Fran scoffed.

"You can't just say the word and expect it to happen." She said. "You must first know how to cast magick." She cleared her throat. "Long ago there was a race of people who goverened this earth, it is said that they still do. But it is they that are said to have created the art of magick. They honed it, moulded it. Even created a language which perfectly suited it in the minds of every living being of the world." Penelo blinked.

"So these people created the magick language." She said.

"Not just any language." Fran hushed. "This language is written into the instinct of every living creature, to think of what the word means if it is said, even if you've no prior knowledge of the language. The universal language, spoken by the gods." She stood in a trance like state for a few seconds then came to her senses. "As your mind improved you will require fewer words to cast a spell, but in your case I would use the whole sentence." Penelo nodded.

"And what's the whole sentence?" Fran bent down to her.

"Sloverna den flau ordir seriaf. I wish for the wood to catch fire." Penelo nodded again and turned to face the wood.

"Sloverna den flau ordir seriaf!" She shouted and thrust her hand at the sticks. If there were any signs the sticks would burst into flames, Penelo didn't see it. Fran turned away.

"Magick requires three elements, The correct focus achieved with words, the nessisary energy and the mental concentration to bring your spell to reallity." She said simply. "You have only achieved the first." She squatted down beside her pupil. "You've never used your own magickal energy before have you?" She said gently. "You used the power within the nethicite last time." Penelo nodded, not knowing fully what she did back on the Leviathan but it sounded right. Fran stood her up. "Imagine a doorway in your mind, as dark as possible." She ordered. Penelo obeyed or tried to. "Then you walk through the doorway into the blackness." She continued, "It's a good way to get in touch with your energy." Penelo sighed and tried the technique. She drew the doorway, as black as possible and tried to walk through it. However, it was as if something was stopping her. Some kind of membrane. Frustrated she fought with this shield, she struck out at it and felt it give way slightly. Asserted by this she persisted, striking out at the wall in her mind until finally it gave way and she stumbled into the blackness. Oh, what energy! She felt it all around her. Had this reserve been in her all the time. What a waste to have never used it, with a single motion she leapt to her feet and pointed at the firewood.

"Sloverna den flau ordir seriaf!" She bellowed. The wood smoked, but didn't burn. Penelo looked crestfallen when Fran came to her side.

"That was only two of the requirements." She said kindly. "You need mental focus. You have to see clearly in your mind the wood catching fire." Penelo nodded, sniveling. "Now try that again." Fran encouraged. Penelo grimaced and turned back to the fire. She penetrated the mental barrier between herself and her magick and allowed the abundant energy to fill her up. Then she surveyed the fireplace, looked at the broken twigs and used every ounce of concentration she had to imagine it going up in flames.

"Sloverna den flau ordir seriaf." She said hesitantly. For a few seconds nothing happened, then through her scrunched up eyes Penelo smelt woodsmoke. She opened her eyes to see in the center of the twigs a small but unmistakable fire. Over joyed she ran to look at it but found for some reason she couldn't walk anymore and would have fallen flat on her face had Fran not caught her.

"I did it." She said dreamily as she shut her eyes. The vierra smiled at the girl in her lap and watched the rapidly growing fire.

Ashe and Vossler still sat round their own fire discussing various topics, the latest being Basch.

"Do you trust him?" Vossler asked honestly. Ashe sighed.

"I don't know, I don't know anything anymore." Vossler put a hand on her shoulder.

"Even if you don't trust him I do and we'll always be there for you. Just like the old days." Ashe smiled.

"If only it could be so."

"You don't think it can?"

"Not anymore." Vossler sat up.

"Then the world we have lived and fought for is ended." Ashe looked at him quizically. "The time has come to make our own world." She laughed loudly. "What's so funny." He snarled.

"It's just." She stammered. "When you get like this you sound like a bad fairly tale."

Vaan and Basch sparred on a bridge, every now and then the knight would direct Vaan on something he was doing wrong.

"Hey Basch." Vaan said, after hitting the dirt of the fourteenth time that night.

"What is it?" Basch panted. Vaan got up.

"Well, it's been bugging me for a while now but that style you use isn't from around here is it?" Basch seemed a little taken aback by the question. "Even that sword is custom made. "Vaan continued. "How about it Basch? Who are you?" Basch sighed.

"Vaan, have you ever heard of the republic of Landis. The boy shrugged.

"I think I heard of it somewhere."

"Well, about fifteen years ago the Empire attacked it in order to fight to the Rozarrian front line. That is my native land, the Landis swordmasters unmatched in skill but few in number were overwhelmed by Archadia and when the country collapsed I fled, I ran away. I was only a teenager at the time but that changes nothing. I ran away when I could have fought to the death in battle. For honour and glory.

"But instead of dying a pointless death you found something else worth protecting. You found Dalmasca." Vaan said cheerily. "Now think fast."

Balthier sat at the top of the scaffolding alone.

"Hmm," He pondered to no-one in particular. "I wonder what everyone else is doing?"