Page 139 of Huntress

“Not quite. Meditation is calming- the opposite of your mindset when it starts to leak out, which is starting to happen more frequently for less exciting situations. You weren’t chasing anything in Roz’s office, Mistress. What triggered it?”

“We were talking. I was annoyed with her, and the magic seeped out. I kept it under control, though, it wasn’t a big deal.” She shrugged.

“Not a big deal yet, because your fae hasn’t fully awakened. If you don’t figure out how to control your magic now, you’ll have a much harder time reigning that power back when it’s fully come in. Your fae likes to chase and hunt, so let’s play.” He backed away from her, a grin on his face.

“What, I’m hunting you?” she laughed.

“If you think yourself capable, you can try, but there’s a catch. If you let the magic out, you lose. Stuff it away, keep it contained. I won’t go easy on you, you’ll have to work for the win. The more frustrated and excited you are, the more chances to practice.”

“Okay.” Elsie grinned. “What are the rules?”

“Rules?” Saint looked around. “Stay within the track. We can expand the distance as you get better, and we need more space for the speed we’ll be moving at. If you must use magic, it had better be light moon magic. For now, all you have to do is touch me with the blade of whatever weapon you prefer.”

“We’re playing tag?”

“A pup learns through play, so too must the huntress.”

“Okay, but how do I keep the magic in? What do I contain it with?”

“That’s entirely up to you. Build a fortress, put it in a box, surround it with white moon magic, experiment. It’s your magic. Only you can decide what works best in your own mind.”

“The game is a fun idea, but trying to contain it won’t work.” Riven walked up.

“Why not?” Elsie asked. She kind of liked the idea of using brute force to make the magic behave. It was straightforward and simple.

“Each element has its own personality, tied directly to the spirit of that element. Kahna is the spirit of the dark moon, and she won’t accept attempts to hide her away in shame. She wants to be accepted, flaws and all. You have to accept your own flaws in the process. You cannot dominate your dark moon magic, you’re meant to seduce it, like a lover.” Riven blinked flirtily at Saint. “Maybe he can teach you how to do that instead?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but what would a water mage know about using dark magic?” Elsie blinked at her.

“Mages aren’t born with magic the way witches and demons are. We’re an empty vessel, waiting to be filled. We learn all of the elements, the knowledge passed down through generations, and then we choose which magic we’re most attuned to. Water is the element that called to me, and I pursued him.”

“Him?”

“Shoryo, the water spirit.”

“What kind of water spirit is he? A sprite? You shouldn’t mess with those—”

Riven’s laughter stopped her. She grabbed Elsie’s elbow and tugged, getting her to sit down. “What the hell do they even teach you here?”

Saint stared at her as though mystified. “I didn’t know you weren’t aware.”

“Aware of what?”

“History, and the origins of the world’s magic,” he said softly.

“You should have grown up learning these stories. Most children of magical creatures are told these tales starting early, they should be ingrained in your earliest memories,” Riven said.

“I didn’t grow up on Earth, and the hunters–” Elsie shook her head. “Explain, please.”

“In the beginning, there was only the mother. She was everything. The oceans and their tides came from her tears, the earth shakes with her laughter, the wind is her breath, and her womb the fire that sears away the old, bringing life anew. She was–and is–the embodiment of the earth itself,” Riven started.

“Oh, I’ve heard of her.” Elsie winced and sucked in her lower lip. “Some of the demons I’ve killed prayed to her as they were dying.”

Riven let out a heavy sigh and continued, “Over time she grew lonely and chose to birth her first child. Korshyo, the spirit of earth magic. The strongest of her children, Korshyo became the embodiment of healing, fertility, renewal, and rebirth. But there are others, like Muethdee, the fire element, and Shoryo, of the water. The earth mother has ten children in total, with some naturally becoming stronger than others. She even birthed triplet sisters to give the moons spirits of their own.”

“The dragons used eight magics to rip a hole into another dimension, though the spirit of the sun resisted, the only one of the eight they couldn’t permanently steal away. Their magic weakened, the seven spirits have gone dormant. Only three still walk the earth, the spirits of Soul, Sun, and the Ethereal. The dragons took the elves and the rakshas, and shattered the dark moon on their way out.”

“Wait.” Elsie smiled and held up a hand. “Are you trying to say that story is true? I thought it was an expression, a folk tale to explain an asteroid hitting the dark moon.”