~ Excerpt~ From Spellbound by Fire, the second edition

A little taste of what the second edition of Spellbound by Fire will hold…

The days still came and went. Sunsets and sunrises passed in coloured streaks like nothing ever happened. With each one that passed, Janey felt emptier, her will drowned by a depression that seemed to draw her deeper into darkness. She awoke every morning never feeling alive. She survived every day to lie down every night feeling more worthless than before.

Jill was gradually teaching Janey more about the mysterious extents of her magickal powers. Together, they would wander into the dense forest through the waist-high grass, where the colourful butterflies would pop vibrantly from nowhere and flutter into the sky.

Jill explained to Janey the levels of magick; that each witch started off at the apprentice level. It was the level at which an apprentice learned the very basics of magick; its every day uses, and how to properly control it.

“There are four elements that come into account when it comes to magick,” Jill told her, opening her Book of Magick to show Janey some of the text. “Water, Earth, Air and Fire are all the basis of all life and all things in the world, and all magick. Every witch has a preference for which element she likes working with most, which corresponds to whether her magickal tools are gold or silver.”

Jill flipped to the page she wanted Janey to read and handed it to her. Janey held the Book of Magick in her hands, awe-struck at how ancient the book was, the tattered edges of the pages and the slight fading of the ink.

Jill smiled at the expression on Janey’s face. “It was my mother’s book. You are the only woman outside of my family to ever see this, besides Olivia.”

Janey let her eyes wander over the pages of the book, soaking in the sacred knowledge through the decades-old handwriting on yellowed pages.

Elements of Kawilaran Magick

Water: The liquid of life, a drink that keeps all things alive. Water is vital in brewing potions, harvests, and life in general. Water is symbolized by the west, the cup, the colour blue, the chalice and cauldron, female principle, nature’s rhythms, emotions, instability, indifference, and is associated with the metal silver.

Earth: The soil upon which living things walk and food of plants that feed living things. Earth is symbolized by the north, fertility, aquisition, darkness, practicality, boredom, patience, responsibility, the colour green and is associated with the metal gold.

Fire: A source of heat and light and the power of the sun. Fire is symbolized by the south, the sword, male principle, courage, defense against hostile forces, anger, jealousy, the colour orange and is associated with the metal gold.

Air: The very breath in all living things and a force that moves. Air is symbolized by the east, the sword, male principle, energy, intellect, endeavour and is associated with the metal silver.

 

Janey was somewhat familiar with the elements she was reading about; Olivia had taught her the basics of magick and not much more. Her aunt was always reluctant to teach Janey more magick because of how Tia Justace viewed witchcraft. While there was a witch population there, there were also rumours and vindictive women who looked down upon the way Janey and Olivia lived. The fact Olivia wasn’t there made it painfully obvious just how cruel even people not associated with the Black Guards could be. But suddenly, in spite of all that, Janey felt a small spark of excitement at the possibilities. She had this power, this talent not every girl had, and she had a High Sorceress’s daughter to teach her all these things.

“That’s just the basics?” she asked. Jill smiled.

“Just the very basics, my dear; there is still so, so much you can learn,” the red head stated, her eyes glimmering a little at Janey’s subtle enthusiasm.

Excerpt continued…

A continuation from the excerpt I posted earlier…

“That’s just the basics?” Janey asked. Jill smiled.

“Just the very basics, my dear; there is still so, so much you can learn,” the red head stated, her eyes glimmering a little at Janey’s subtle enthusiasm.

“The other part of that are metals. Gold and silver are the essential metals to Kawilaran magick. Each witch has her own preference,” Jill continued, drawing her glimmering sword from its sheath. “For me, it’s silver. My mother always carried this sword. She gave it to me shortly before the Black Guards attacked Kawilara and I have held it dear ever since.”

The sword shimmered gloriously in the sun, its handle a blinding glitter of silver jewels and diamonds. The blade was shining steel, and silver snaked in the middle of the blade dangerously. It was the most eloquent weapon Janey had ever seen.

“This is the centre of my personal magick powers. The silver embedded in the blade is what withholds magick and releases it when I need. With this, I can summon devastatingly destructive storms, herds of animals, wolf packs…” Jill stated, breathtaken by the sight of her own weapon, as if seeing it was something that never got old to her eyes.

“It takes that much power to summon a wolf pack?” Janey asked, still unable to comprehend the fact she had actually done such a thing.

Jill gave her a slow nod as she placed the sword back in its sheath at her small waist. “My dear, as I said, you have the potential to be a high-level witch. A mid-level witch in trouble like you were could summon perhaps one or two wolves out of desperation, but it takes a considerable amount of power to summon a pack. Given the magickal blood lines in your family, namely Olivia, I am not entirely surprised you did it.”

For more excerpts from Spellbound by Fire and the sequel, Spellbound by the Sword, visit the excerpt page: http://laviniathompsonauthor.wordpress.com/spellbound-excerpts/