Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Minor Side Effects and Carved Figurines

A little way into the forest behind Adam’s house was a clearing with a set of old, dead stumps. Anton had shown it to Adam, and he had been using it for target practice ever since. Sorcery was still new to him, and it worked mostly on instinct. He would want to do something, and his internal reserves would respond in kind. His current specialty was elemental magic, ‘evocation’, his father had said with pride. He could do a small number of things with it, including making his body lighter with wind or projecting heat from his hands, but right now, he needed something simple.

Adam reached for his magic and attempted to sling a bolt of ice at the stump.

Nothing happened.

…

He tried again. Nothing happened. Again, again, again-

Panic began to set in, his breath quickening – Had he broken his magic? Was this a punishment that came with the other curse? He attempted to conjure the shield again, asking for protection.

The shield appeared in front of him, shimmering in the air. Adam furrowed his brow and attempted to do the ice bolt again. Nothing happened.

Was it just… evocation that was broken, then?

He tried again and again, but his magic refused to respond. He grew more and more frustrated, anger swirling in his stomach. Something within him clicked once his emotions reached a boiling point.

It was not too dissimilar to when the halo had appeared and begun this whole mess, and he panicked as he searched for an aura of light. No halo, but Adam noticed something else,

The grass around him was beginning to freeze. He was suddenly aware that his body was colder, and as an experiment, he attempted to sling a bolt of ice.

A thick ball of energy the size of his fist rocketed from his fingertip, impacting the already pockmarked dead log in front of him. Adam looked down at his hand in shock – Previously, the bolts he had fired had been the size of finger joints, not his wrist. His anger and frustration leaked away, and the feeling of cold disappeared. He tried to send out another bolt. Nothing.

He grimaced, so his evocation magic was now linked to his emotions and affected his environment. Why?

It had to be some strange reaction between his sorcerer blood and his ill-begotten celestial traits. Azata are supposed to be emotional, after all, he thought bitterly. It seemed like every single time he tried to move on from this curse, it found another way to remind him of its existence. That made him pause; why was he so determined to hide this?

Well, that was obvious; he wasn’t allowed these things. That had been a fundamental understanding all his life – In his family, the aasimar heritage was limited to women. It was a rule like ‘One plus one is equal to two’. Therefore, him somehow having acquired these traits was a moral failing, a breaking of the natural laws – Like saying, ‘One plus one is actually equal to three’ – people would judge you. The thought of being judged scared Adam so much that he physically shook his head to dispel the idea.

He sighed, flexing his fingers and making an effort to move on. Might as well figure out what each emotion is linked to then, right?

Adam tried to make himself embarrassed.

 

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If he had to give one part of this rotten experience credit, it was the fact that these foreign, confusingly strong emotions made it far easier to get in touch with the new rules of his magic. Without them, he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to do evocation at all.

Comparing now to how he was before, Adam realised that his old emotional state had been very… Bleak. A narrow band of possibilities compared to the new flurry he had been feeling at even the slightest suggestion. It left him with some uncomfortable questions, however; Was having so few emotions normal? Was this new him the true normalcy?

Adam stopped thinking about it, instead focusing on following the trail into town. It was a pitiful thing, poorly maintained and hardly visible for long stretches, but Adam had his memory to compensate.

So far, he had discovered a few different reactions to his mood. Anger was related to ice, making him and the surrounding area far colder; Embarrassment was linked to heat and fire and worked on the same principles; Fear was wind, making his body light and quick – He presumed in order to make it easier to escape from whatever was scaring him.

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That was all he’d managed so far, but he would be lying if he didn’t find the concept of searching for more quite exciting. He approached the outskirts of the town, pausing at the edge to look into a murky puddle and adjust his cap, making sure none of the white hair showed. Revealing his curse to the wrong people here might be even more devastating than showing his family.

The streets were still a little muddy – few streets were paved in stone so far from the cities – and Adam was glad for his high hiking boots. The strong smells of spices and tanned leather drifted around the corner, and Adam grinned as he laid eyes upon the morning market, one of his favourite destinations in town.

Technically, he didn’t actually need to come into the market for a few more weeks, but he desperately needed a distraction and why not simply get everything done at once? Adam kept a hand on his coin purse, wary of young children who thought it hilarious to pinch goods from the ‘forest bumpkin’ who lived out of town. It wouldn’t be the first time.

He hummed happily to himself as he perused the stalls, greeting familiar faces and handling their wares. He paused for a longer time at the stall which sold the wooden figurines that he found so interesting. The vendor was an older woman, built sturdy and round in a way that gave you the impression she could lift a cow with little effort. Her greying hair was cut short and practical, and her face seemed hewn from stone. Eliza’s normally hard expression softened as she saw Adam, and she leaned forwards as he admired her newest works.

“Did you like the raven? Let me tell you, getting the details in the feathers was bloody tough on that one.”

Adam smiled, picking up a figurine that looked like a wolf. The carving was intricate, capturing the fierce expression of the animal near-perfectly – Adam would know.

“I loved it, Eliza, thank you. These are all wonderful; how long does each one take?”

She waved her hand dismissively, “Don’t thank me, twas your father that bought it as a gift. How long do they take?” She rubbed her chin, “The more complicated ones… Perhaps half a day, if I want to get em perfect. The smaller ones for children and the like? Maybe a few hours. I’ve got years of experience that helps quicken my hand.”

Adam’s looked at her wondrously, “A few hours for something like this?”

He picked up a toy soldier, one of Eliza’s ‘less complicated’ figurines. His clothing had clearly defined folds and creases, and you could practically feel the sharpness of his extended cutlass. Eliza chuckled,

“Experience, lad, experience. I could show you the basics if you want. The fundamentals are quite simple; it’s just the practice that takes a while.”

Adam’s eyes went wide, and he leaned forwards,

“Really?” He whispered like it was too good to be true. He’d love to be able to make things like this, though he had never thought himself capable.

Eliza let out a great guffaw at his expression, “It ain’t magic, lad! Nothing to get so excited about. Yes, I can teach you. You might be one of the only people in town that appreciates my work. Least I can do is show you how it’s done.”

Adam nodded, still a little bit giddy at the idea. A figurine caught his eye, and he picked it up and cradled it gently in his hands.

“This one’s gorgeous,”

It was a carved figure of a woman standing casually and confidently with her arms crossed, her flowing dress moving in some unseen breeze. The dress felt like it had weight; at first glance, it was difficult to believe it had come from a small chunk of wood. It felt more like it was actually made from silk. Adam held it with wide-eyed wonder, and Eliza nodded thoughtfully.

“Oh yes, you’ve got a good eye, lad. That one took me three days – Longest I’ve spent on a piece since I started,” She tapped the side of her nose, looking at him with a small grin, “I’ll give it to you for fifteen silver if you want it.”

Adam nodded excitedly, pulling out his purse and counting out the money. He had enough for this – The local lord gave his family a stipend to protect the land and use their magic in times of emergency.

Eliza wrapped the figurine in a light cloth, placing it gently in the box.

“Come to my stall after you’ve had lunch tomorrow, and I can show you the basics.” She said as she handed the box over, and Adam waved her goodbye as he moved to peruse the rest of the market. He had things to do, after all.

He had to go and see his big sister.