Numair grinned and said, "We start now."
"Now!" I yelped. I hadn't imagined we'd start immediately.
I'd finally come to an answer after much debating with my mind. I think they all knew I'd say yes anyway. Well there was nothing I could do about that now. I just had to start now.
"Which magic do I tame first?" I asked.
Numair turned to me and his face was grim. "All of it. You see I checked your aura while you were asleep and it worried me. Your magic is a jumble and a crazy maze, that if you don't learn to control will overwhelm you. Your Gift, Wild Magic, your magic for movbing things-"
"Telekinesis," I interrupted.
"Telekinsis," Numair stumbled over the unusual word. "-and the magic we can' t identify are all in a jumbled mass of white, copper, silver and gold. We don't now which is which yet I'm afraid. You have to learn control immediately."
I sighed. "This is going to be hard isn't it?"
"It is," Numair admitted. "But if you learn to control it, the magic won't be pulled out of you and you won't faint. You'll draw it out willingly and it should be all right."
"Whuich one is strongest?" I asked.
"The telekinesis is strong, but the magic we can't identify is strongest. You have seemingly equal and quite large amounts of the Wild Magic and the Gift. I suppose we should start with the telekinesis first."
"Oh joy," I muttered. "That's the one that's really out of control."
Numair winked at me. "Better reason to start with it!"
I gave him a really sarcastic smile. Then I turned my attention to the objects Numair was settling on the table.
We were in his chambers in the Palace that he shared with Daine. Right now she was helping Onua with the new Riders' mounts and was outside somewhere. Numair was putting a quill, apple, a large book with leather bindings and a metal box. "We'll start with lightest first," he decided. "You have to learn to pick things up the speed up want to pick them up and letting them float the speed you want them to float at. If you have no control and you picking something up at a speed you can't sontrol, it's going to crash into something - or worse someone. I don't think you'd like that would you?"
I shook my head hard. "So control is essential?" I asked.
Numair nodded. "Without control, you're nothing."
"Oh, ease the pressure," I snapped. Numair chuckled.
Then he turned serious. "Come on now. Quill first."
"What do I do?" I asked.
"You really have no idea of this do you?" Numair realized.
I shook my head. "None. Remember I've never had magic before."
"This is going to be hard. Often people who are born with magic are trained form birth." "Oh boy," I gulped.
Nuamir laughed. "Don't worry. Right now all I want you to know is the bare essentials. Now," he said briskly. "Just look at the quill and concentrate. Imagine it floating in the air, suspended just by your power. Eventually that image should become reality."
"When?" I asked.
"It depends on how gifted the person is and how easily they pick up things," he sighed.
"This reminds me of maths class," I muttered.
"You do mathematics?" Numair seemed surprised.
I nodded. "Not that I liked them though."
Numair laughed. "Alanna didn't either. Now come on. A little progress and we can talk afterwards."
I concentrated. I swear, I really did. I formed a picture in my mind of the quill floating in the air. Sweat formed on my brow. Nothing happened. I tried again. The same result.
"Nothing's happening," I said at last. "And I'm exhausted." I didn't mean to complain but my body felt like it was on fire with the pain. But I fought the pain back and said, "I'll try one more time."
This time it felt like I was ordering it to rise. I wasn't just willing it to rise, I was ordering it to. And then, slowly to my amazement, something started to happen.
"Mithros, Minoss and Shakith," Numair murmured, his eyes wide. It was clear he'd never seen anything like it.
The quill started to shift slightly, as if someone was nudging it with a finger. Then slowly - frustratingly slow, but I was getting somewhere, so I didn't complain - the quill started to rise. It took an amazing effirt to get it even to Numair's eye level, and after that I gave up, completely exhausted. The quill fell to the table, where it floated gently down. I slumped onto the table, utterly exhausted.
"Well done," Numair murmured. "Please," I whispered. "I need sleep, before I faint."
"Of course," Numair said. He tried to lead me but my legs colapsed. I'd never felt this exhausted before. In the end Numair had carry me out of his own rooms in his arms. Thankfully no gossips were around, or we'd have had real trouble on our hands.
He laid me gently on the bed and I just had enough energy to pull of my boots and I crawled into my bed.
"Sleep well, magelet," Numair murmured.
It was then I realized who that term had been used for and I croaked out, "Numair?"
"Yes?" He turned around.
"Don't call me that," I whispered. "I don't want Daine's name, it wouldn't be right. think up something else for me."
Nuamir smiled. "I'll try." He gently shut the door after him and I gave myself up to a good sleep, restoring my energy all the time.
