Firebrand
Chapter 465: Gaining Control

Gaining Control

When Martel woke the next morning, he felt like himself, physically speaking. Any lingering pain or unseen injury from Flora's spells was gone. His spellpower was fully restored.

Still, he decided to delay for another day, as much as he found it difficult to be patient. Today was Manday, which meant class with Master Alastair. He could make up excuses rather than attend, but it seemed an unnecessary risk, which might invite scrutiny. It also gave Regnar another day to gather useful information before he went to see him.

Lastly, given that Martel had been able to create lightning, it might be wise to confer with Master Alastair. Especially as casting the spell had drained Martel more than it should; he might depend on it again in the near future, so the faster he learned, the better.

However, all of that was for later in the day. First, he had some hours in the morning to pass. He usually did so on Mandays by practising enchanting, so he went to the workshops.

The small laboratory stood waiting for him, as did a faintly glowing lightstone. Martel picked it up, feeling only faint traces of warmth. Much better than Regnar's work, bursting with heat.

Holding the glowing orb brought Martel back to the underground city. Feeling trapped by the light, stuck inside that small house with archers and a hostile mage waiting for them.

He was not sure what angered him most, Ruby's death or the feeling of betrayal. In the moment, both cases had demanded the same outcome, killing Flora. Martel had done so, and it had felt right. It had even felt good; not simply because he got revenge, but because he proved himself the stronger mage. He had expected himself to be, he had even bet his life on the assertion, and he had shown it to be true.

At the same time, a whisper in his head told him this was not why he had come to Morcaster, why he wanted to learn magic. It was so easy to destroy, and Martel could not deny a sense of satisfaction in his superior ability to do so, when he needed it; but it seemed nobler, better, to use magic to build.

Perhaps Flora's death should serve as sufficient payment for what Martel had suffered, but it felt too early to stop. She had been a mercenary, a tool; at the very least, Martel had to burn the hand that had wielded her.

Placing his lightstone back on the table, Martel gave up on enchanting. It required focus and a disciplined mind, which he lacked this morning. Tomorrow, he would take action and hopefully dispel the disquiet that troubled him.

***

"Good afternoon," his teacher greeted Martel as he entered the Hall of Elements.

"Good afternoon." Unlike enchantment, it was easier for Martel to focus on elemental magic; he imagined that he would need it soon enough, which gave him all the motivation he required.

"How's the spell coming along?"

"I was able to cast it, but it left me completely worn out," Martel explained. "I didn't think it would task me to such a degree." It reminded him of the first time he had done so, calling a lightning bolt down from the sky to impress the nephew of the emperor. It was also the first time he had experienced magical exhaustion to make him vomit. But that was nearly a year ago, and Martel had assumed it would not affect him as much anymore.

"You may be a victim of your success," Master Alastair considered. "You learned it too quickly before you got familiar with casting it, so it strains you much more than it should."

"What's the solution?" Martel asked, keen to improve.

"Same as always. You must practise your control rather than simply cast the spell without inhibition." His teacher began channelling magic, and sparks appeared around his fingertips. "Don't let the power continue to expand. Don't let it become a full lightning bolt with the power to kill."

Martel blinked, feeling a little unsettled at Master Alastair's choice of words. "Alright." He closed his eyes and called upon the magic in him. He felt it travel around his body until it reached the tips of his fingers, and even without seeing, he knew a spark had appeared.

It grew in power; he heard the crackling of energy intensify. If this continued, it would be like in the Undercroft, becoming a thunderbolt in his hand that could maim a person. Martel clenched his teeth and tried to block the passing of magic that fed into the spell. It was an eerie sensation, similar to placing his hand in a stream of water and feeling the water flow between his fingers. At the same time, holding the spell in place without releasing it was starting to hurt his head.

Finally, Martel called his magic back rather than finishing the spell. The spark of energy stung his fingertips before it faded, and a sense of discomfort pervaded his being from channelling so much magic without directing it anywhere.

"A decent first attempt, I suppose." Master Alastair's voice broke through to make Martel open his eyes and look at him. "You've already learned good control over your magic thanks to enchanting, but this is more challenging. You are drawing on two elements at the same time, both which demand energy. That is one reason why this spell is so much more powerful than basic elemental magic, but also why it's harder to control."

Martel nodded a little as he listened. It made sense, but it did not daunt him. Learning to cast the spell in the first place had been a far greater challenge, he felt. "I'll keep practising."

"Yes. Just be careful if you do this outside this hall. You are keeping a lot of magic restrained. If you lose control and release it, it could seriously injure anybody caught in the path. Make sure you're alone," Master Alastair instructed him. "Ideally, in front of a window on an upper floor. At worst, you'll hit a bird."

Martel gave a half-hearted smile. "Understood."

"Good. Give it another try. Let's see how far you can come before our lesson is over."