Centaur Love Ch. 05

Mathew was still laughing when Felicia walked in. Robert turned to Felicia, "Well I heard the marvelous news that you cast your first spell yesterday, congratulation's Felicia!"

"Thank you Uncle Robert, but I have to admit it was Mathew who cast the spell."

"No my dear, he only applied the Klatha for your spell, you did most of the work. You held it in the sapphire, and gave the point of Klatha its commands, and it responded to you creating the shield spell.

Felicia smiled, "Then I did it?"

"Yes, my dear you did, now tell me how many times did you try to the light spell last night?"

"Eight times, but I couldn't do it, and after the eighth time I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open."

Robert smiled and nodded yes, "Yes, dear, and did Mathew explain that we mages call that hitting the wall? Did he explain what it meant?"

"No, not really."

Robert turned towards Mathew, "Mathew!" He exclaimed, "Really." Then gave him a discreet wink. "Very disappointing my boy." Pointing at the scroll in front of him, "Don't you have a spell to throw? It is almost daybreak. Have you renewed the clairvoyance spell yet?" Seeing Mathew shake his head no. "Out, my poor excuse of an apprentice!" Pointing towards the front door, he barked, "Out!"

As Mathew put on his boots, he could hear his Uncle talking to Felicia, "Eight times Felicia, I have to say I am very impressed, most human mage manage five or six times, but you did eight...,"

Mathew stopped at the barn to feed the horses and open the door to the outside paddock for them. Then he made his way to the groves southern edge. Already this section was flooded with a few inches of water. He could smell the oaks and the bittersweet hints of Dragon Craw in the air. Reaching down, he touched the water and raised his finger, canting the clairvoyance spell to renew it for a day. As his mental picture of the grove and farm became clearer, he could feel all the little ley lines as the cairns split the single natural one that ran north, into hundreds of little ones that feed the spells that isolated the grove from the natural world.

Mathew brushed his thoughts along the leading cairns, finding the main cairn that split the primary ley line. Just brushing the primary ley line stung his senses, the power of the planets ley lines was immense. He mentally flinched away from it. Dropping several points of Klatha into his shields, he slowly tried again. Once he found it, again, he followed it to the node that split the ley line in hundreds of little ones. Marking its location, he followed one of the little ones until he found the northern node that reattached the little ones to the primary ley line.

With both locations firmly set in his mind, he gathered his Klatha and opened the scroll. He surrounded each node with his klatha and altered the spell that split and reattached the planets ley line power to the cairns. The old spells main functions were left intact, but all new commands to the little cairns and all masking spells now had to have specific signatures. The second stanza created a loop back to the ley line for those not named henceforth. Naming himself, then his heir Felicia, then open each bottle individually as he read the fourth stanza using a drop of their blood as a binder to the orchard.

The spell slowly took shape around each node, filling it with power from the ley lines. Magically, it felt like a small skin grew around each node. Slowly that skin grew on the southern node to flow up to each cairn and then worked its way north to the second node along the hundreds of smaller ley lines that flowed north. When it touched the northern node, the spell flared to life.

Mathew felt the orchard better through his clairvoyance spell. It felt like he was now part of it. A small bit of the flowing power had a bit of him laid over the orchard. Any mage who came up to the grove would now feel that someone owned it. He let his senses flow across the grove; he could feel the water flowing in the three terracotta pipes below the ground. He could feel the water coming up and flowing across the grove. He could tell where the water was and where it hasn't gotten too yet.

Mathew sat down and stuck his hand in the water, letting his senses roam. He was going to ride up to the gatehouse but now he could feel it through the spell. He got lost in the spell as he roamed across the grove.

(XXXXXXXX)

Robert watched Felicia mentally try to pull the trainer spark off the igniter tip without using her fingers. This was always the hardest part for new mages learning to mentally commanding it to separate from its source. Some mages whose parents had done this in front of their children hundreds of times have no problems learning this. Others have to be taught step by step. His son Derek had no problems learning this part; he just needed a finer control directing it. His eight-year-old mind gets too easily distracted, and he loses it sometimes. Beatrice was still too young to be playing with a trainer box yet, but he could already feel her power starting to grow. Maybe it is time to put one in her hands.

He couldn't remember if Mathew had this problem, but with Gunther a Junior class mage and Caroline a Master class mage, he developed early and started showing his powers when he was four. That was when she had asked Grand Master Dorthan to help. They worked in modifying the power banishment spell she placed on Mathew. If Mathew's powers were allowed to grow naturally, he would be sitting in Mortenson's spot right now. None of them would take the advice of a Grand Magnus so young. However, no one in the council would be powerful enough to challenge him for the second seat either.

Robert thought about Mortenson, he was ridged in views about noninterference, but he was a brilliant mage. He remembered one of his lectures...,

"Felicia I want you to try something different." She looked at him. "I want you to concentrate on the klatha ball. But this time think of it as a real ball. Not just thinking of it, like it is a spot on a piece of paper, but cover the little ball with your thoughts. Try to feel the round surface with your mind. Is it smooth? Rough? Don't move it, just feel it.

"Ok Uncle Robert." Felicia flicked the lever and the little ball appeared. Felicia stared at it for a few moments, then lifted her left hand and mimicked trying to touch it. "It..., it feels smooth."

"Good," Robert said, "now try to imagine your fingers going around that smooth ball, like if you were holding a small grape in the palm of your hand."

The little ball slightly faded as her mind took hold of it, but as soon as it did her mind released it and it went back into the storage stone.

"Try it again Felicia, but this time close your eyes, now when you try to feel it try to imagine what it would feel like in your palm."

Felicia nodded, then click the lever. The stone released the single point of Klatha. Felicia looked at it then closed her eyes, mentally feeling it with her hand. She could almost feel like something was in her palm. "It feels like I am holding something in my palm."

"Good, keep your eyes closed and keep thinking about that feeling of something is there, now slowly take your real hand and cup it like if you were holding a grape in the palm of your hand." Felicia turned her hand up as if she was holding something. "Now keep your eyes closed and keep your thoughts on the Klatha ball, imagine it in your real hand, push that feeling at the little ball Klatha."

Robert watched the blue ball lift off the igniter tip and float over to rest in her cupped hand. Nodding to himself, she was trying to move it with a single point of contact, not surrounding the klatha with her whole thoughts.

"Now Felicia, I want you to keep thinking about how the little ball of klatha feels in your palm. Now slowly open your eyes and look down at your hand."

Felicia opened her eyes and saw the little ball of klatha in her palm, "I can't believe it! I did it!"

"Yes dear you did, it just took a fresh approach, but you did it. Now lets us see if you can move it, think about mentally rolling the little ball to three of your fingers. As if you had a real one in your palm but use your mental hand to roll it to your thumb and middle and index finger."

Robert watched her move the klatha ball around. The enormous grin on her face said it all.

"Nowhere is, the hard part, without moving your hands I want you to try to mentally move the little blue ball back to the igniter tip, but don't close your eyes, just think about it. Surround the ball with your thoughts like you were holding it but just use your thoughts this time."

Felicia frowned and told the ball where to go. It left her fingers and raced back to the tip of the igniter.

"Now click it. It needs to recharge before we repeat this exercise."

(XXXXXXX)

Mathew felt a bit of wetness along his leg as he drifted, when the wetness moved a little higher along his leg he realized whatever it was it was cold too! Opening his eyes he looked down, the water level had grown in the last few minutes he thought. Scooting back, he tried to stand but his legs were stiff. As he slowly stood and stretched out his cramping legs he looked up, the sun was closer to noontime high, what the? He thought. He recharged the clairvoyance just before sunrise then started the spell on the nodes? Had he been sitting there all morning?

On shaky legs, he made his way down to the house. Walking in, he found his Uncle stirring up a batch of the green pea and ham seven-grain soup. Felicia was standing next to the table running the little trainer ball over her hand, then floating it back and forth from the trainer box. Over the better part of the morning she had mastered the removing the little ball from its source part.

"Good, you're here, I was about to come get you."

Felicia looked up, "Mathew look!"

Mathew walked over and watched Felicia float the ball between her hands, then back to the trainer. "That is wonderful Felicia, I am so proud of you!"

"Can I show him the other trick, Uncle Robert?"

"Just this once, as I told you we need to keep a running count of how much Klatha you use so we will know tomorrow morning how much you regain overnight."

Felicia grinned, "Ok just this time to show Mathew." She set the trainer down and held up two fingers and her thumb, concentrating, she slowly started canting the light spell. She pulled the klatha from herself and commanded it to produce light. A little ball of light appeared in her hand.

Mathew stepped back. In less than a week she learned how to call her klatha and throw a simple spell. "Amazing," he whispered. Stepping over, he first looked at the ball of light in her open hand then he looked into her face. Leaning in he kissed her, "You are amazing..., I cannot believe it Felicia!"

Looking over at his Uncle, Robert just grinned back. "I know Nephew, I had known several centaurs who were able to use powered cantrips, but she is the first I ever met who could power and cast their own spells."

Mathew just shook his head, then turned and watched Felicia's light spell go dark after a minute. The spell produced light for one minute for every point of klatha the mage put in. A Grand Master could keep the spell going for several days, some of the top ones for nearly a week!

Robert pulled the pot off the stove, "Lunch is ready, let's eat and let me pitch my plan."

Over lunch Robert purposed that he and several mages come and gather all the Dragon Claw roots that are drying and take then back to Kingsholm to finish drying. Thus relieving Mathew and Felicia from worrying about processing in it at the right time. Second, it gave the illusion that the Lindrose farm was doing its part in the war effort. He then would take twenty-four bottles for the potion shop, and deliver the ten they usually sold to the Elven potion makers, and any extra he would return to the farm for safekeeping. And if things took longer with goblin's Mathew could push fall's harvest back, a few months or get word to him so he could hire a small crew to harvest this fall's cuttings.

Mathew nodded yes, he liked not having to worry about processing this drying roots while trying to take care of the goblin's in Freetown. "But with you controlling the whole Dragon Claw root crop won't the council want you to make extra heal potions?

"They might Nephew, but they seemed to forget that our Staggerwort supplier, his farm was on the central plains, and was one of the first farms burnt down when the main horde came over the western pass."

"Will you have enough for this year's quote? I know mom only kept two or three jars of Staggerwort oil since it was readily available."

"That is good to know, I might have to borrow a couple of jars until we find a new source."

Mathew nodded, "If we weren't caught up in trying to eradicate the goblins in Freetown, I would most likely be brewing a few heal potions to replace the valleys stock. We used all that Mom and Dad kept on hand."

"I could trade you a dozen heals from the shops stores for two jars of your Staggerwort oil. I like to brew potions with fresh-pressed oil, but in this case essential oil will have to do. I think I will take Caroline's advice and start storing essential oils for later use." Finishing his bowl of soup, he turned towards Felicia, who was just finishing her larger bowl. "Felicia I want you to continue practicing with the igniter today. You need to learn to control the klatha ball with your mind only and not use any hand gestures. But no casting your spells today. We need to measure your klatha levels tomorrow. So casting any more spells today will give us a false reading tomorrow.

Have Mathew recharge the igniter if it needs it. Mathew, if you would check in your supplies of ingredients and write me tonight, I will stop by tomorrow to retest Felicia, and trade you for what you can spare. But only what you can spare, I have a feeling with a war on both the northern and southern continents, some potion making ingredients will become scarce."

"Yes, Uncle Robert, or should I call you Master or Professor?"

"Just Uncle my dear, we are family, or should I say herd now?"

Felicia laughed, "Herd is more appropriate."

Robert kissed her on the cheek. "I need to go, I have several more stops this afternoon."

Good Bye, Uncle Robert," Felicia said. Then motioned Mathew to walk his Uncle out. "Go, I will get the dishes."

Mathew followed his Uncle outside. "Mathew if I was you I would practice your Teleportation spells. It would cut your travel times down immensely. With a planned trip to the Elven Kingdom, then one to Midvale. That spell could save you months of boring travel and speed this process up."

"I never used those spell Uncle. Not sure I have the reserves to group teleport, let alone self teleport."

Robert took his hand, "Call all your Klatha."

Mathew closed his eyes and reached inside, gathering his klatha and brought it all to his hand.

Robert muttered the spell, as his klatha sought to encompass and count Mathew's. He mentally flinched. His power was growing exponentially. Within just a week his reserves were growing back, bigger than some Grand Masters. And the dark pool of potential power, that pool felt deep. He and Grand Master Dorian would have to revise their estimates. It would not be three to four months until every mage who cared to look would know an unfretted Grand Magnus was out west. It would be mere weeks!

"Mathew you have more than enough to practice blipping around the farm here. I recommend you start doing that today, to practice your teleportation spells. But use a chalk circle to measure your planes until you are confident to try without it. I also suggest you practice group blipping to prepare for group teleportation. Judging group size is a skill most Magnus Elites lack. With that said, I will see you tomorrow morning, early, your time. I will have to make up the time tomorrow that I spent here today."

Without waiting for Mathew to reply, he held out his hand to fix his plane and imagined the Benson's willow tree farm and teleported. Mathew saw his Uncles look before he teleported. He felt the spell his Uncle cast, and how big was his reserves. He knew something was off. His spell shouldn't have needed to be that big. Was his power that big? A mage could not measure his power, since a mage's klatha couldn't read itself, it took another mage to read someone's powers. This worried him.

Trying not to think of it, he headed over to the drying barn. Opening the drying room, he made his way to the back of the cave. At one time, one of his ancestors had carved out a deep hole in the rock and put a false rock door over it. Looking at the spot, he found the little white pebble and put a single point of klatha into it to open it. Here the family had its secret stores of potions and potion-making ingredients.

He pulled the long shelf out along its wooden rollers. There were several dozen different bottles of hard to find herbs and oils that were needed to make potions. In the back was the family's reserves, everything from heals to heal fasts. Cure diseases to cure poisons. There were even two stone to flesh potions for those that were unlucky enough to get caught in a basilisk's stare. Moving back forward, he went looking for the dark green oil from the Staggerwort leaf.

He lied to his Uncle. There were four bottles of pure Staggerwort oil. Each quart bottle could yield enough essential oil for over two thousand top tier heal potions. More if you wanted or needed a less powerful heal. He could sense his late mothers spell on two of the jar lids that were used to seal them. It seemed that she was stocking up on every ingredient needed to make potions. He pulled the two older ones, the spells on them he didn't recognize, he thought maybe his grandfather or great grandfather's work? He would have to replace them when Staggerwort becomes available again.

He closed up the hidden potion safe, then checked the stringers and drying Dragon Claw root. He counted the strings and roots per. They should process out forty to forty-five jars this year. Next year should be better, as should the following years since they were rotating the older plants out for clones of better-producing ones that had been, cultivated on rows one through fifteen.

He would have to read his mother's journal again to make sure they have replaced the whole grove of old-growth. With the two jars in hand, he shut the drying room's door and walked to the horse's pen. The war horse was still a little stiff with him, but the cart pony came over for a scratch. As he was giving her ears a scratch, he noticed that she was shedding her coat. The abrupt change in temperatures from the cooler northeast port city to a warmer western side made her start her summer shed early.

Setting the jars on the shelf, he located the metal curry comb and hopped the fence to give her a good brushing. As he worked on the pony, the warhorse walked over and rubbed his side letting him know she wanted a brushing too. Mathew laughed, "Yes, my dear. I sort of guessed you would want one too, but her royal pain in pony-ness gets hers first."

(XXXXXXXX)

Felicia finished the dishes, then made dough after finding some sourdough starter. With two loafs baking she started playing with the igniter, she got lost in it till the smell of burning bread got her attention. Thankfully, it was a little dough splatter on the cooking sheet that burned. Pulling the two loaves out, she set them in the bread box to cool. It was already late afternoon, and she wondered where Mathew got off to?

Felicia trotted over to the barn to see if he was there. If he was up in the grove, she couldn't go look for him since she promised Uncle Robert she wouldn't cast any more spells today. When she got to the barn, she found him. He had his shirt off and was brushing the warhorse. He was brushing her croup and butt at the moment. She had a well-rounded croup and a full butt for a horse.