"That's… new." Barret stared at the half-wolf that approached the fire. Raine shuffled uneasily, and sat down a bit further away than normal, tucking her tail between her legs. Eyes had followed her the entire way through camp. She had used a lot of magic, but couldn't make herself shift one way or the other, no matter how hard she tried. A large cut of deer was sizzling on a flat iron above the open flame, and the seasoning reached her, and she noticed just how much she actually changed, as her sense of smell seemed to be decreased to what she had grown accustomed to.

"I feel like a monster."

"I never said it was bad, just that it is new." Barret smiled. "Honestly I've seen plenty of stranger things. A hollow mountain with a city of stone in it, thundersnowstorms, sand that reflects the sky like a mirror, plenty of strange things. Anyways, it looks like something good is happening for you. And if not, you probably used magic today. I'm glad."

"So did I!" Haelith jogged over to the fire, and sat down next to Raine, pulling her closer. "I actually did it!"

"How?" Barret asked excitedly.

"I'm not sure. I was asked to heat up a kettle, and I imagined the heat in the water growing, and the next thing I know, it's at a low boil! It took a lot though."

"Impressive!" Raine smiled. "For you to pick it up so quickly, you must be a natural." She hadn't even noticed that her tail started to wag.

"Agreed. Just one day, and you actually did it."

"I guess it just took someone properly explaining it to me to figure it out. Anyways, Raine! You shifted!"

Shuffling her feet, Raine looked down, bashfully. "Not on purpose. Or even on accident. It just… happened. I lit a candle, and then I was back to this. I'm glad I have my coat, but I really don't like looking like this. Everyone stares at me."

"But it's at least progress." Barret said, flipping over the meat to cook the other side. "Feels like I'm the only one not doing anything."

"You'll get it." Haelith tried to stay cheerful, but she there was a hint of sadness in her voice. "I know you will."

"Out of curiosity…" Raine asked suddenly "how long are we actually planning to stay? There's a war going on, and our friends might need us. We needed to do this, but when are we going to go back?"

Haelith frowned, and looked at Barret. "This is your quest. You lead."

He was quiet for a few minutes, staring into the fire. "Well… I don't think we should leave yet. You and I are still learning, and we've come so far. Staying for only a day or two doesn't seem worth it. But… you are right. We shouldn't get too comfortable with them. Our friends are counting on us coming back. But I don't know how long we will actually stick around."

"However long it ends up being, I'm glad we're here now." Raine said with a smile. She reached into her bag, pulling out the journal. "I hope everyone else is alright." The rest of the evening was spent in silence. They had learned much that day, and as they pondered the mysteries of magic, they went to their tents, and let sleep claim them.

…

Barret left the tent before dawn. He went back to where he had been working with Vehc, who was already sitting on the ground. The stars overhead gave a dim light to the world, partially blocked by several thick clouds. As he approached, Vehc turned to him. "Come, sit. We will start by quieting our minds of everything."

"Why?" Barret asked as he sat next to him.

"It will help you focus. No thoughts bouncing around in your mind, just exist here and now." Barret closed his eyes, and they sat in silence. It wouldn't be dawn for quite some time, but even as he sat, he could hear everything. The slow breathing of Vehc next to him, the crackling of several distant fires, the slow movements of an arctic fox prowling in the low grasses, the gentle howl of the wind over the plains. Try as he might, he could not block out the noise, so instead, he embraced it, building the world in his mind. He could picture everything he heard, the rustling of grass, the groaning of the nearby trees. Then, he felt it. The heat of the sun at his back. He could feel the frost on the ground turning into dew. And he heard Vehc shift beside him.

"I cannot empty my mind. But I can slow it, focus it on the world around me." Barret said, still listening to everything.

"Good. I did not expect you to empty your mind, just to quiet it." Vehc shifted and turned to face Barret more closely. "Are you ready? Because we are going to try something today that may be dangerous. It might work, it might not. But I have to know if you are ready, and willing to take risks."

"I have already risked everything by being here. I have magic in me, and have no control over it. I must take risks to learn. I am ready." Barret opened his eyes, but Vehc was not in front of him. There was a sudden rush of wind, and he turned just in time to get a kick to the side of the head. "Gah!"

"Defend yourself with magic! If you cannot do so, then you will return to camp with bruises, and we will do this again!" Vehc shouted, already moving for another kick to Barret's side. Barret scrambled out of the way, and fell into a defensive pose, hand flying for where his knife would have been. He didn't have it, and in that momentary pause, he earned a punch to the shoulder. "Call forth your magic! Shield yourself!"

Barret's blood pumped faster and faster. This was a test. And he was determined to win. He watched Vehc shift and bob, and tried to predict where his next blow would come from. He was taller than Vehc, but not as fast. A twitch on his left shoulder, and Barret made to move right, but realized too late that this was a mistake, as a right jab caught him in the jaw. Continuously backing up, Barret tried to put distance between them, but Vehc always closed the gap. Slowly, he was wearing down, as even the lightest blows started to add up. For half an hour, Vehc hounded him, blow after blow, punching and kicking, even leaping onto Barret twice and tossing him to the ground. Finally, Barret doubled over, and held out his hand. "Enough! Please!" he pleaded. Vehc stopped mid-blow. "What was this supposed to do?"

"To teach you to rely on your magic. If there is no risk, no pain, then you will not learn. You could have blocked many of those blows if you had just created a shield. You have done it before. Do it again."

"I don't know how!" Barret shouted.

"And that is why you are here, and why I am trying to teach you. We are done for now. I believe the healers will relish the opportunity to help your wounds, though they will not help with all of them. Pain is a good reminder, and a good motivator. After lunch, return here, and we will go again."

Barret sulked through the camp. He had thankfully not been bloodied, but he was very sore as he walked over to where the healers were. "Hello. You must be Barret. I'm Loriel. Vehc told me I would be seeing you today." an Ishtaer said, smiling as she walked over. Haelith looked over from where she was sitting. She had been working on manipulating a number of small items, shaping and changing their properties with magic that morning, but she grimaced when Barret walked in. Though his scales didn't change color much, bruises appeared underneath the scales on the skin, just like anyone else.

"What happened? You look like you got run over by a wild boar." Haelith put down the cup she had been holding and walked over to him.

"Vehc decided to take a… more aggressive approach to trying to teach me." Barret sat down on the cot as Loriel began pulling out a number of salves and medicines. "How did you do this so easily?"

"I'm not sure."

"Have you considered that you may have mana burn?" Loriel asked as she put lotion on his arm.

"Mana burn?"

"When someone uses too much magic, they sometimes can cause temporary or even permanent damage to themselves. It's rare among our kind, since we can only draw our energy from our pool, but it is possible. Vehc told me last night how you had used magic the last two times. I don't think that it would cause permanent damage to you, but that is still a possibility."

"So how do I fix it?"

"Time and hope." Loriel sighed. "There's no way to fix mana burn if it affects you hard enough." Barret frowned, and Haelith sat down next to him.

"So I might not even be able to use magic anymore…"

"Unfortunately. There's no way to know, especially since you hadn't used magic before, and haven't since. But don't let that discourage you from trying." Loriel gently smiled, and handed the medicine to Haelith, who took over caring for his wounds. After lunch, Loriel gave Haelith some salve, and she followed Barret down to where he and Vehc had been practicing, south of the camp.

"Ah, good. I heard last night that you show promise." Vehc smiled as the two approached him.

"How do you two know each other?" Haelith asked as she sat down.

"This is a small tribe. Everyone knows everyone here. But… Loriel and I… we are close. She has been my friend for many years, and we have decided to commit ourselves to each other once we go south again. There is a place there that we love, where we realized just how much we care for each other, and we wish to fully commit ourselves there again. But enough of that. Defend yourself Barret, and focus your magic into a shield!" With that, they went back to sparring. Just like before, Vehc was fast, and landed blows constantly, but Barret was ready. Ducking under several swings, Barret threw a punch toward Vehc's chest, but was too slow. A shield of invisible force projected itself, and threw Barret backwards. Skidding on the ground, Barret rolled away as Vehc landed right where he had been less than a second ago. Scrambling back to his feet, he circled around, trying to find any opening he could, but he hadn't sparred with anyone like this since he left the estate.

Haelith sat and watched, wincing whenever Barret took a heavy hit, but didn't interfere. But as she watched, he was getting worn down, his body began moving slower, and even light blows caused him to stumble. Barret backpedaled blindly, and his foot caught a rock, causing him to trip and fall, just as Vehc went for a heavy overhead blow. Then, Barret's eyes began to glow, and as his hand went up to catch the punch, the air around him swirled. There was a flash of light, and Vehc was thrown backwards as though all the strength he was about to put in had come back at him twofold. As Barret his the ground, so did Vehc, who landed several feet away. Panting, they both stayed in place for several long seconds, but Barret's eyes continued to glow like fire.

"I can feel it." he murmured. "I can feel power. I… I can feel it." He blinked, and his eyes no longer glowed, but he left his arm outstretched.

"Not quite what I had expected you to do, but a satisfactory result nonetheless." Vehc got up, and walked over to Barret, and pulled him up. "That was quite the spell. How do you feel?"

Barret's legs shook as he stood, and he leaned heavily on Vehc as Haelith walked over. "I… I'm not sure. I can feel the power in my blood, but I don't know if I can call it again. It was instinct again, but this time, I don't think I overexerted myself."

"Then stand up, and try to do anything else with magic. Try creating a fire over your palm, or pulling water our of the air. You can feel it, now use it."

Barret held out his hand, and looked hard at it. His scales shifted, and above his palm, sparks began to form, creating a small, swirling orb. "It… I can feel it. It feels easy now. I don't feel drained at all. Why?"

Vehc took a step back and let Barret stand on his own feet. "You must have powerful magic in your blood. I want you to hold that as long as you can. We will continue tomorrow, but it will have to be while we walk. We are nomads, and spending time in one place is a hazard."