Chapter Thirty-Three

Team Svalinn woke up the next morning and prepared for another round of classes and such. It was a little strange for Amber, to go from being part of what was obviously some grand kerfuffle, to just returning to a normal schedule as if nothing had happened.

Their team was too green, too new to be left into the loop, but it was obvious that something was going on. They’d talked about it the night before while grabbing a late supper and before bed.

Amber spent the morning yawning and trying to reinvigorate herself before classes. There was the usual amount of trouble getting Cassy to wake up and get dressed, and then they were off for breakfast where Jade sat next to Cassy and kept adding food to the blonde’s plate whenever she was nearly done.

It sparked a little fight, but Jade shut it down by threatening to bully Cassy into eating healthy portions.

I don’t know if I should do anything about bullying others for their own good? Cassy seems miffed, but she did eat.

Their first class, which they arrived at early thanks to Morgan’s stern glare and Amber’s inability to not know how late they were, was Magical Theory.

Unlike their High School equivalency class, which was more of a normal room, or their Agarthan Studies, which had a lecture hall to work from, their Magical Theory class was built like a lab. Rows of waist-height tables with sinks built into them and hoods that could be lowered above. Cabins lined the sides and the front of the glass was taken up by a teacher’s desk, a small podium, and a large television screen with a screensaver playing over it.

Amber blinked at the Seelie currently sitting atop the podium. It was wearing a tall pointy hat made of purple cloth with yellow stars haphazardly sewn into it.

“What’s that hat supposed to mean?” Amber asked.

“It’s obviously a wizard’s hat,” Cassy said.

“Cassy has a witch’s hat, she’d know,” Jade agreed.

“Pick any seat!” Someone said from the front of the class. There was a ‘hup’ sound a few moments later, and Professor Ploof appeared just over the edge of the teacher’s desk.

Svalinn moved to a row of tables near the middle of the room and stood there rather awkwardly while the Seelie stared and the professor dragged some papers out onto the desk. “So, you the teacher for this class?” Cassy asked.

The girl looked up. “No. The Seelie is. I’m just here for the human touch. The Seelie can be great sources of knowledge, but they’re not the greatest at delivering that in a digestible manner.”

“We try our best,” the Seelie said, its voice somehow carrying perfectly across the room. “But there is sometimes a divide in what we understand, and what magicals do. We presume that this is due to perspective and naturally occurring differences in the way we–and you–think.”

“They don’t do metaphors and analogies well,” Ploof added.

Amber nodded long. “That’s cool. So what will we be learning? I mean, the class is called Magical Theory, but I don’t know enough to guess what that means.”

“We will explain shortly. We were even encouraged to give a demonstration today,” the Seelie said.

The class filled in, with team Helskor picking the row nearest Amber and her team with little waves, and soon enough the bell tolled, announcing the start of things.

Professor Ploof hopped off her bench and walked to the podium next to the Seelie, setting some girls in the class to ‘awwing.’ Amber could understand them, the girl was dressed in formal businesswear. A pencil skirt and blouse with a navy jacket, all sized for a preteen. “I’m Professor Ploof...” she waited for the titters to end. “One of your magical instructors today. The first one who pinches my cheek will discover the joys of teleportation magic, and will be tested for their ability to swim in the main gymnasium’s pool. Don’t worry, some upper years have a swimming club practice right now.”

“And we are the Seelie,” the Seelie said. “Shall we begin?”

There was a pause, then a few students murmured ‘yes,’ and the creature nodded.

“Magic is complicated. Even we who are born into it do not understand all of its aspects and methods and reasons. But there are ways of harnessing magic to bring it to use. These methods have been widely divided into broad categories. We do not always agree with these, but for ease of teaching, they seem best.”

The Seelie looked to Professor Ploof who pulled out a remote and flicked on the screen behind them.

“The first,” the Seelie said as a word appeared on the board. “Is ritual magic. Wherein an action is taken, and through that action a result is achieved that is beyond the abilities of the purely physical.”

“An example,” Professor Ploof said. “Would be casting a ritual in order to assure a certain result. Luck on a test, a better harvest, to ward away evil.”

The Seelie nodded. “Some rituals are simple. That generally means that they are quite weak. Yet in their repetition, they become stronger. Oaths sworn with the shake of a hand by two beings of magic are quite common.”

The screen filled with a description of ritualistic magic, a very dry description.

“Ceremonial magic is ritual magic on a more complex level,” the Seelie continued. “These magics expend reagents and items, using their potency in order to fuel a ritual and cast what is essentially a single powerful spell.”

“We get one magical every two or three years that focuses on ceremonial magic,” the professor said. “They’re elaborate and complex, often very expensive, and their effects are rarely very powerful in the moment. But, they can do things like encourage rainfall and clement weather, ward off storms, make an area inhospitable to creatures who have malicious intent and make it so that people participating in the ritual or living in a target area have better health,” Professor Ploof added. “What ceremonial magic lacks in immediate power, it makes up in strength over time and versatility.”

The Seelie spun around in a quick loop. “And finally there are more traditional spells. These are far less efficient than most other sorts of magic, but they are powerful, and can be cast in an instant. Magicals often use these as part of their gift-given power. Everything from manipulating space, to causing the air to combust. They are will, empowered by magic, forcing a new order upon the world.”

“That’s your bog-standard magical stuff,” Ploof said. “That includes a lot of the physical enhancing you’ll be doing to move, but also things like casting spells in a fight. Most magicals at least learn how to fling a fireball around, if only because it’s amusing.”

The screen behind them flashed with the final category of magic.

“There are more magics, as many as there are people willing to cast them. But an education into the depth of spellwork and magic would take more than the few years we have here, and for your task, you need only know the basics.”

Professor Ploof nodded. “You might have had science and chemistry classes before? The same rules apply here. Be careful, and keep in mind that what you’re using is more than just a tool, it’s a magical tool. One more thing, you are strongly encouraged to ask questions here.”

A brave soul in the front row raised his arm.

“Yes?”

“How old are you, professor?”

The girl at the front glared. “Questions about the class.”

No one raised their hand so the Professor nodded to the Seelie.

“Very well then, this year, after some deliberation, we have decided upon a very simple ritual, one that has been used by humanity for a long time. You should find everything you need beneath your tables.”

“We didn’t do a ritual last year,” Morgan muttered.

Amber looked at her, then shrugged. “Trying something new?”

“Miss Armstrong is correct,” Professor Ploof said. “Last year there was no ritual, the year before there... were some difficulties with the example ritual used.”

A hand raised. “What was it?”

The professor sighed. “The seelie decided to show everyone a fertility ritual.”

The class broke out into inappropriate titters and even Amber held back a surprised laugh.

“Did it work?” Cassy asked.

Professor Ploof ignored her. “You’ll find a small packet of seeds, a rock, a plastic container with some dirt, and a small measuring cup,” she said. “Please set everything onto the table before you, then use your sinks to fill the cup halfway with water.”

Morgan set the container down while Amber placed the other things on the table, then filled the measuring cup to exactly half, or as best she could tell. A glance to the side showed that Cassy had already poked at the dirt in her container, and that Jade was now covering it with her scarf to prevent further poking.

“This ritual,” the Seelie said. “Is one originating with the Trobriand people of Earth. It is one meant to assist in the growth of yams, a food that is and was important to their culture and diet. This is a modified ritual, one that profits from being cast by someone who is already magical.”

Amber nodded. This is actually kind of exciting.

“Right,” Professor Ploof said. “Pick a seed from your little bag and plant it in your manure-rich soil.”

“What!” Cassy shouted. “Ew!”

A few laughed as Cassy opened the tap and started washing her hands. Professor Ploof looked like someone stretching out their already-thin supply of patience as she watched Cassy wash off and then dry her hands using Jade’s scarf, only for the smaller girl to swipe the scarf away.

“Now, if you’re quite done, the actual ritual. The stone you have is a round, flat-sided stone, made smooth by the movement of an ocean shore. Using a piece of chalk–top right drawer–draw this symbol as best you can on the rock.”

A symbol appeared on the screen.

“Are you good at drawing?” Morgan asked.

“Not particularly, but I can manage,” Amber said. She was quickly given the chalk, and tried her best to draw the symbol she saw onto the rock. It was close enough, she figured.

“Now, take a seed and plant it in. Once it’s about two knuckles deep, take the rock, and with each of you holding to one side of it, circle around the dirt twice clockwise.”

Amber and Morgan did so, their fingertips warm as they touched over the stone.

Amber felt... something, in the pit of her stomach.

“The next step is to add the water. Pour it slowly, you want to avoid breaking the circle you’ve created.”

Amber took the measuring cup with her free hand, still not letting go of the rock she held with Morgan, and gently poured water over the hole which they’d placed a seed in.

“Another circle, counter-clockwise this time. If you feel your magic reacting, let it, though don’t push it.”

Morgan took the lead this time, and Amber felt her face flushing. “Weird magic, huh?” she said.

“Yeah.”

When their circle came to an end, both girls paused.

There was something green poking out from the tiny hole Morgan had made. As they watched, it sprouted up, slowly but surely. A leaf that grew and blossomed, and beneath it little leaves pushed into the dirt, growing from hair-thin to as big around as a pencil-lead.

“Does everyone have a sprout?” Professor Ploof asked.

Amber looked up. The other students had something similar before them, though some were smaller and others larger.

“Well done! You’ve cast your first successful ritual. A normal, magicless person doing this on Agartha would see a tiny sprout grow in a day or two. A normal person doing this on Earth would have an impact so small it would barely measure.”

“Who casts a ritual, and how they do so is one of the greatest determining factors in a ritual’s success,” the Seelie with the wizard hat said. “But you have all year to learn about that!”

Amber let out a long breath.

“Are you okay?” Morgan asked.

“I... yeah, that was somehow, hah, kind of magical?” She looked up and met Morgan’s eyes.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

***