Eltuthar stood,\nfacing the setting sun, his lined face struck by its bright rays. His eyes\nbored into its brilliance, alive and fierce, in contrast with the rest of his\nvisage. His muscular arms were folded across his chest, and he stood with his\nfeet planted slightly apart. It seemed as if a storm, had there been one, would\nsurely abate beneath his powerful posture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir watched\nhim silently. He once again wore the black leather of the Eth Aniliim, though\nhe carried only his one sword, strapped to his waist. As he watched Eltuthar,\nDilmir wondered. The council had driven him away, and even attacked him, and\nstill he sought only to give them the power he possessed. Eltuthar must be,\nsurely, a special kind of elf, to go so far, against such odds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar turned,\nblocking out the sun with his back, so that a glowing light surrounded him as\nhis eyes turned upon Dilmir. They scrutinized him for a moment, taking in his\nappearance, and then darted upwards, past him, to the columned balcony behind.\n\u201cCome, Ilrin,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin did not\nmove at first. She stood, closer to one column than the other, half in the\nshadows. Her gaze darted over the scene, her mouth forming a half frown. Her\neyes drifted to Dilmir, then to Eltuthar, and then came back to rest on Dilmir.\nSlowly, not removing her gaze from Eltuthar, to which she glanced back, she\ndescended the smooth steps and stood on the grass, her feet barely leaving indentations\nin the thin leaves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Dilmir\nwatched her, he could tell by her posture alone that she was not comfortable.\nShe was relaxed, but her arms and legs remained ever so slightly bent, as if\nshe were ready to spring away at any moment. Though her face was veiled to\nEltuthar, Dilmir could tell she distrusted him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI should be\ngoing back,\u201d she said, her eyes darting between Eltuthar and Dilmir, though it\nwas to the former that she spoke. \u201cMy parents will have already begun to worry.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will give you\nmy fastest horse in the morning,\u201d said Eltuthar, stepping towards her. \u201cBut\neven he would be caught in the Great Forest when night fell if you departed\nnow. I would not have you hunted down by wolves.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin nodded, giving\na smile that only Dilmir knew to be forced. He could see that she would much\nrather leave anyway. She did not fear Eltuthar, he knew that much; rather she\nfeared what he could do. The power that Eltuthar had wielded before Sonlen\ndefeated him was nearly beyond comprehension to the elves of Eld\u2019rin. It\nexisted only as a wordless force powerful enough to eradicate any opposition\nagainst it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar turned\nand faced Dilmir, though he still spoke to Ilrin. \u201cThe hour is late, Ilrin,\u201d he\nsaid. \u201cI would not send you to traverse the entirety of the wolves\u2019 territory\nat such a time.\u201d He glanced at her for a moment, a look which she returned,\nthough her expression was impossible to fathom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoubtless you\nhave heard many tales of me,\u201d said Eltuthar in a quieter voice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin nodded,\nher eyes briefly darting to Dilmir and then back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am sure many\nof them were exaggerations, but some were likely true. You have seen what I\nhave shown Dilmir. My power is not fictitious.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He watched Ilrin\nintently as he continued, choosing his words carefully. \u201cImagine trying to\nlearn the history of the elves with no previous idea of Feylund, its culture,\nor its peoples. You would be lost, learning facts without a basis with which to\nbuild on. If you are to study a thing, you must understand its full nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo it is with\nmagic. I have discovered the true ways of the power of Feylund, and I will\nshare them with you, if you let me. You have already seen what I have shown\nDilmir, and I can show you the same. You can learn how to accomplish every task\nset before you with a blade of grass, how to alter the workings of any plant,\nand how to heal a grievous wound in Eld\u2019rin from here. Let me show you the many\nsecrets magic holds.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin looked at\nEltuthar for a long while, doubt evident in her eyes, and then she turned to Dilmir,\nsilently asking a question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir gave an\nalmost imperceptible nod. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery well,\u201d\nsaid Ilrin, turning back to Eltuthar. \u201cShow me what it is you speak of \u2013 I will\nnot deny that it interests me \u2013 but I ride in the morning.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar nodded\nsolemnly. \u201cI will see it carried out,\u201d he promised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he spoke, the\nsun smote the horizon, sending horizontal rays across the trees of the forest\nfar below, and casting the grassy plateau upon which they stood in a golden\nlight. Ilrin had arrived near midday, but had woken from her respite too late\nto journey back to Eld\u2019rin. Instead, Eltuthar had brought her out to watch as\nhe taught Dilmir new ways of magic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet me ask\nyou,\u201d said Eltuthar, turning to face her, \u201cwhat is the rule of using magic?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin looked at him\nfor a moment before replying. \u201cThat you can only enchant that which lives,\u201d she\nsaid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar nodded.\n\u201cYes, but there is more. How does magic adhere to living things?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin frowned.\n\u201cThat is its nature,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar smiled,\nbut shook his head. \u201cNo,\u201d he said, \u201cmagic adheres to only one thing: energy.\nThe two are merely different facets of the same thing, expressed separately.\nAll living things must have energy, for without it they would die, and\ntherefore, magic can dwell within life. Magic can exist by itself, of course,\nas unbound magic proves, but it will attach itself to energy if the pull is\nstrong enough. What we enchant: trees, animals, grass \u2013 all are merely\ncontainers for the true target of magic: energy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin remained frowning\nat him. \u201cWhy have the other elves not discovered this?\u201d she asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar\npondered before replying. \u201cI often find,\u201d he said, \u201cthat the things we overlook\nthe most are the ones most obvious to us; that which we are the most used to. If\nwe assume something to simply be, we rarely stop to consider why it is, or if\nthere is more to it than we need know. Such is the way with magic.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin continued\nto look at him, but remained silent. Eltuthar, taking her silence as permission\nto continue, went on. \u201cSince magic is naturally absorbed by energy, and thus\nlife, the older a being is, the more magic he will have. I have found this to\nbe true repeatedly within the forest. All animals and plants obey this one\nrule. The only exception is the elves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore Sonlen\u2026\ndealt with me, I had far more magic than any other single elf. I didn\u2019t know it\nat the time, but I remember it now in my studies. The Curse that Sonlen gave\nme, in addition to its other effects, drained my magic from me, a painful process,\nfor he was rending the energy within me in two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLong have I\nsearched for that Curse that he bound to me, that which alters me to refuse\nmagic. If I were ever to find it, I would isolate it, and form an enchantment\nto reverse its effects. I would then use that spell on all elves, not just\nmyself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor a reason I\nknow not, elves have been denied the ability to gather as much magic as they\nshould. When they become filled to a certain amount, they can absorb no more.\nSomehow, somewhere, a restriction has been placed on them, keeping their power\nlimited. This Curse resides even with you, Ilrin.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin quickly\nblanked her face before she betrayed herself, but her surprise could not be\nfully hidden. Eltuthar\u2019s words surprised Dilmir as well, for he had not heard\nthem until now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIndeed,\u201d\ncontinued Eltuthar, \u201cThis Curse is within all elves, all, that is, except for\nme and Dilmir. And as Sonlen saw fit to bestow upon me an amplified version of\nthe Curse, Dilmir is the most powerful elf in all of Feylund.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This, Dilmir had\ndefinitely not been expecting. He knew he possessed some strange power, but he\nhad always assumed that Alfimir at least could easily beat him, as had indeed\nhappened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin glanced at\nhim long enough to see his startled face, and then turned back to Eltuthar. \u201cWhy\ndid you not possess this\u2026 this Curse, then?\u201d she asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know not,\u201d\nsaid Eltuthar simply. \u201cIf I did know, my search would surely be made easier,\nbut the answer eludes me like the moon on a cloudy night. Long have I searched\nfor a release from this Curse, as much for the other elves as for myself, but\nall in vain.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you cannot\nlift the Curse, then,\u201d said Ilrin slowly, \u201chow can you still be able to\npractice such great power?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar smiled\nbriefly. \u201cIn my studies,\u201d he said, \u201cI discovered many truths of magic, one of\nwhich is its affinity to energy, as I told you. That alone allows me to still\ninfluence the magic about me, though I can absorb none myself. That makes\ncasting spells for me an arduous process, limited even more by Sonlen\u2019s curse,\nwhich strives to stop my use of magic, and pains me if I do not comply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince magic is\nso closely linked to energy, it is possible to control one with the other,\nwithout even casting a spell. All one need do is reach out and immerse themselves\nin the magic, exerting their will over it to bend it to their desire. Even you\ncan do this, with practice. Dilmir will always be faster than you, and able to\ncontrol more magic, but you can work the same changes that he would, if perhaps\non a smaller scale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor example, this\nmorning you saw Dilmir summon, control, and then dismiss a vast thunderstorm.\nHe does this out of sheer force of magic, otherwise it may take as much as a\nyear to perfect the talent, and even then, the result would be but a single\ncloud, though no less powerful. You, too, can do this.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin looked at\nhim doubtfully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook at the\nfloor of Arath Imil,\u201d said Eltuthar, gesturing to the building before him. When\nI formed it, I wrought a great many flowing patterns into its floors. Such work\nis of the most precise kind, and likely only an archmage of old would have been\nable to replicate such a thing. However, all I needed to do was stretch forth\nmy magic, and bend the wood to my will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith the\nknowledge that I have discovered, the need for spells and enchantments passes\ninto the void. You no longer need to form magic within yourself to work a change;\nsuch methods can be imprecise and tedious. All you need do is simply influence\nthe magic itself. That is the only power that I possess.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ilrin looked at Eltuthar\nthoughtfully as he finished, though Dilmir thought some of her distrust had\ndeserted her face while he spoke. Finally, she said, in musing tones, \u201cI always\nthought of your power as a great secret of magic, but it always came to me used\nin a destructive way. You are right though,\u201d she added, \u201cI see now that your\nmagic can be used for far greater deeds. With it you could work wonders for the\nother elves.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar looked\nat her for a moment with a curious expression upon his face, until it cracked into\na wide grin. \u201cOf all the elves I showed my power to,\u201d he said, \u201cyou are the\nfirst to speak of using it for<\/em>\nothers, and not on<\/em> them. I believe\nyou would at last prove the council wrong if I could teach you, for no war or\nmisery would spring from your actions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilrin appeared\nmomentarily taken aback by Eltuthar\u2019s words, though pleased. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wish I could\nshow you more of my discoveries,\u201d said Eltuthar, \u201cfor each is as great as the\nnext, but I know you must soon return to your life in Eld\u2019rin. Indeed, I believe\nwe must all leave Arath Imil before the council\u2019s army arrives, as I have no\ndesire to fight them again.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilrin\u2019s smile\nfaded at Eltuthar\u2019s mention of the dire circumstances that had brought her\nhere. \u201cWhere will you go?\u201d she asked. \u201cThe council will still continue to hunt\nyou.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar smiled\nat her. \u201cThat I could not tell you,\u201d he said. \u201cNot for lack of trust, for I\nwould tell you if I could, but I myself do not know. North, South, perhaps even\nWest, any direction but East, where Eld\u2019rin lies. Perhaps it would be good to\nrid myself from the lives of others for a time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWill Dilmir go\nwith you?\u201d asked Ilrin, glancing quickly at Dilmir as she asked. Dilmir had the\nsudden impression that she had wanted to ask this for a long time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar cocked\nhis head, watching Dilmir. \u201cWhat say you?\u201d he said to him. \u201cYou are young yet,\nand still have much to learn at Eld\u2019rin. I could of course teach you myself,\nbut my training is also incomplete, you must remember. Still, you have little\nplace to go since you have been banished, save for perhaps the dwarves. Would\nyou flee the council with me?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir\u2019s\nimmediate reply would have been \u2018yes,\u2019 but his eyes flicked of their own accord\nto Ilrin, who was watching him, and his answer died on his tongue. \u201cI do not see\nthat I have much of a choice,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I would hate to be parted from\nthose that I\u2019ve known all my life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar smiled\nas the sun slipped below the horizon, bathing everything in a reddish orange\nglow which quickly began to fade to utter blackness. \u201cYou would see Eld\u2019rin\nagain,\u201d he assured Dilmir. \u201cMy Eth Aniliim go there nearly every day now.\nStill, you would doubtless need to use caution. If the council captured Felnir,\nthey wouldn\u2019t hesitate to try to capture you. Not that they would succeed,\u201d he added\nas an afterthought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut come,\u201d he\nsaid, stirring himself and turning towards Arath Imil. \u201cI would not have Ilrin\nfreeze while my hospitality goes lacking. It gets exceedingly cold this high\nup.\u201d With those words, he ushered Ilrin and Dilmir across the grass, even as\nthe last vestiges of light left the mountain, leaving it a block a chiseled\nshadows. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Eltuthar stood, facing the setting sun, his lined face struck by its bright rays. His eyes bored into its brilliance, alive and fierce, in contrast with the rest of his visage. His muscular arms were folded across his chest, and he stood with his feet planted slightly apart. It seemed as if a storm, had … Continue reading Chapter Twenty-Three – The Nature of Magic<\/span>