Firebrand

Chapter 360: Fingers in the Ground

Chapter 360: Fingers in the Ground

Fingers in the Ground

Training his fire ray spell felt weird to Martel. It simply consisted of him blasting a flame against the stone wall, but he had to avoid pouring his spellpower into it, or he would drain himself dry within minutes. So he was trying to strengthen the effect without actually using his strength. It was an odd equilibrium to strike, but if nothing else, it helped him get a better sense of when casting or strengthening a spell began to drain him, as opposed to the simpler magics such as the fire bolts, which he could throw around all day. Still, staring at a scorched wall for a full bell made him feel like he was going mad until the boredom finally numbed his mind. The other acolytes glanced at him, though not with the scorn he might have expected; perhaps held back by the knowledge that they might be in line to do the same exercise once they caught up to him.

While also characterised by routines most familiar, Martel enjoyed his spell in the apothecary a lot more. Mistress Rana gave him a new list of herbs to study, which meant that she felt he had done sufficiently well on his sleep potion to learn a new recipe.

In addition, matters between him and Nora finally seemed good again. The whole issue with Jasper extorting them, or her learning about Martel being fire-touched; any residual effects on their friendship was gone. Having alchemy in common helped, and now Martel had something else to discuss with her. "Nora, what's your favourite earth magic?"

"What a fun question!" Apparently, it intrigued her enough to stop her work, setting her tools aside to frown in contemplation. "This is perhaps an embarrassing answer, considering it's the simplest kind. But using magic to sense the earth itself, sticking my fingers into the dirt and feeling it in a way that my other senses can't – I enjoy it every time."

Seeing her hands still, Martel took the opportunity to take a break himself from washing used jars and bottles. "No, I understand. Sometimes, the simplest joys are the best." It held reason that the same way he could sense fire, Nora could feel the earth.

"That's true. And it's very useful too. I use it all the time in our herb garden. It tells me if the soil is rich enough or needs manure, if it's too dry or too wet, whether to be worried about frost and so on. It's one reason why Mistress Rana chose me as her apprentice."

"We have a herb garden?"

Nora laughed. "Of course! Lots of plants that are too rare to just go out and find in nature. Not to mention, it's a full day's journey just to leave the city to go somewhere that actually grows anything useful. It's a small courtyard to the southwest, but it’s closed off since students have no reason to go there. Other than me, of course."

Interesting, but not exactly something he could teach Sparrow. The copper lanes did not allow much room or opportunity for vegetable gardens. "What about actual spells? Just curious what an earthmage would find useful."

"Depends on the specialisation, I suppose, but we're a very different breed from you fire folks. It's not so much about casting spells, but more about adding spellwork to our craft. A metalmage uses his magic when forging, a stonemage makes perfect building materials, and so on. If I weren't apprenticed to Mistress Rana, I would probably have ended up as a fieldmage, ensuring good soil for a bountiful harvest."

All admirable pursuits, but perhaps rather too long-term for a young urchin to care about; plus, Sparrow would have to attend the Lyceum to work in any of these capacities, most likely. Abandoning the topic, Martel resumed washing jars.

***

While his time in the apothecary yielded nothing concerning one waif, it did give Martel an idea related to another. With Mistress Rana already prepared to move forward with a new potion for him to learn, he felt confident in his ability to make the sleeping draught. While Julia had not requested more, Martel figured she would need them sooner or later.

This in mind, he went to market and bought the necessary herbs. Some were expensive; he saw the wisdom of growing them in your own garden. Not an option for him, but thankfully, Mistress Rana paid him for his work, leaving him with plenty of coin for such pursuits.

Soon after, choosing to arrive just before sundown as last time, Martel knocked on Julia's door.

"You're back again soon." She spoke through the crack between door and frame, staring at him.

"I thought we might do a bit of alchemy together. Create another sleep potion for you to have."

"I don't need another yet."

"I know, you said you'd tell me. But how can you tell me anything unless I stop by?" Martel smiled at his own logic.

"I guess." She finally stepped back, allowing him inside.

The few tools and remedies for alchemy stood neatly in a corner. "Ready to be my apprentice?"

Julia nodded, and Martel told himself that he saw the hint of a smile on her face.

"Very good. We need the window open, the cauldron upon that slab of stone, and water. You got enough in your jar?"

She nodded again and began carrying out his orders, turning the small room into a laboratory. Meanwhile, Martel took out the ingredients and drew out their magic in the Sindhian tradition, preparing them for the brewing. "It's weird to see your magic," Julia suddenly remarked. "So different from how – my mum did alchemy."

"True, there's a big difference between Asterian and Sindhian magic. Thankfully, when it comes to making water hot, I don't need to know any southern spells. Bit of fire will do." He gave a wry smile and heated up the cauldron until the water slowly bubbled. And while he doubted that Julia knew or understood much about the different schools of magic, they had a few hours ahead of them to kill while taking turns to stir the brewing potion; letting Julia take the first shift, Martel began to explain Sindhian alchemy.