Chapter 25: The First Spark

  Julien

  Julien spent the rest of the day preparing for the morning. His father moved quickly summoning knights and telling them.to prepare for a journey. Many were confused not being privy to the chnages that had happened to their prince but they moved anyway, following their orders.

  Julien first went to find Altaya and the others.he was worried about their state of mind following the revelation they had all just recieved. He hoped they had done better than him at maintaining their thoughts. They weren't hard to find. They had all gone back to the old palace, as there weren't many places they could go with out being seen. By this point many of the guards around the palace and many of the servants had been asking questions of any knight they saw. That was another thing for him to worry about but he trusted his mother would take care if it. She thouroughly disapproved of gossiping servants. Still, It was the best policy to not be seen whenever they could.

  When he entered the old palace common room all his squad was gathered. He glanced around the room at the signs of repair that had begun to spring up a stack of boards in the corner and a box of nails.

  Aramin stood just behind the massive ornate sofa, they exchanged a nod when he entered but didn't say anything. He seemed to be observing the others. Altaya and Katrina sat on the ornate sofa speaking with animated gestures and Carlouse sat on the floor opposite them his legs crossed and eyes closed in concentration. Altaya and Katrina stopped talking as they noticed him.

  He didnt know how to even begin asking them what their thoughts were. After a brief moment of contemplation he decided to be direct.

  "So what are you're guys' thoughts?" He asked the group. It was obvious to all of them what he actually meant he could see it in the tightening of Katrina's jaw. Carlouse paid them no mind. Altaya and Katrina looked at each other tentatively. But, Aramin was the first to speak. His big bidy shifted as he stepped forward. All of them had grown more thin after their transformation. One could say they were even graceful, but the changes were far more evident in Aramin. He still had his broad shoulders but the bulk he'd spent the better part of three years cultivating had vanished. Well perhaps vanish wasn't the right word condensed was better.

  He shrugged his shoulders obviously feeling the difference.

  " I don't see that much has changed besides our bodies, honestly im twice as strong as I was, healthy, and fast. I've got a new body i can push to the limits." Julien smiled, it was just like friend to be thinking of working out.

  Altaya spoke next looking down at her thin, graceful golden skinned hands.

  " Honstly I don't know how I feel. The strength and speed is nice but I can't help myself I find myself asking questions that can't be easily answered." She was speaking absentminded now.her thoughts rushing out of her mouth as she stared vacant eyed at her arms.

  " What health problems are we subseptible to? How long are we gonna live? What diseases can we now easily catch? Do our bodies work the same they did? How will we handle pregnancy? Can we even get pregnant now?" At that last question everyone's eyes snapped to Altaya who was staring back at them with a horrified expression. Clearly that had been one thought shebhadnt meant to voice.

  Katrina also squirmed uncomfortably as she thought about his question and she seemed lost in thought.

  "All I mean is this transformation has more possible physical repercussions than it does for you men. Aramin grumbled at this stepping forward.

  "That's not necessarily true. There are many things we have to about. Like whether or not we even pass our blood down the same. What can we do to increase strength? Do we even still have waht makes us men. Are our minds affected? Will we still... perform." He said the last part with uncertain eyes and clearly burning cheeks. But Aramin wasn't done. "Can we even procreate with anyone that isn't a part of this group?"

  At this last comment even Julien felt.his cheeks burning and he couldn't bring himself to meet any of their games. Likewise he saw that every had cast their eyes away from each other. For several minutes the only sound was the crackling of the fire in the hearth. Until Carlouse broke the silence with a triumphant shout.

  They all turned to see the young man shoot to his feet an excited gleam in his eyes. He seemed completely oblivious to the conversation that had been taking place.

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  "Guys, I figured it out!" He said excitedly. Julien pushed down the mild annoyance he had begun to feel when he realized that Carlouse had been ignoring their entire conversation.

  "Figured what out?" He asked, and he was genuinely curious. What could've caused his studious and reserved friend to act so?

  "How to use our magic," he replied his tone hurried. Julien felt a thrill of energy tear through his chest and he had to take a moment to calm his raging heart.

  "Watch this." Carlouse pinched their air as if he was grabbing a small insect out of the air then he rolled his wrist until his pointer finger and middle finger were pointing skyward. At first nothing happened. Carlouse's eyes narrowed in concentration and there was a brief bright flash bright enough that it caused julien to look away. When he looked back he gaped at what he saw. Hover just above his middle fingertips Carlouse held a small flickering flame.

  All of his previous questions and worries fled his mind and he saw that the others were staring at the small candlelight flame in the same amount of awe.

  "H...How!?" Altaya stammered.

  "Show us too," Katrina demanded.

  "Is it safe?" Aramin rumbled.

  "Can you show us?" He finally asked. Carlouse's eyes were alight with excitement and wonder. He was filled with more energy than Julien had ever seen him. Carlouse hoped from one foot to another his energy so infectious that even he was starting to feel restless. They just stood there staring at the flame until finally it winked out

  "Can you show us this as well?" He asked again. Carlouse's eyes seemed to focus I never him for the first time.

  "Oh, Julien when did you get here?" It was a simple question but it spoke volumes on how focused he had been.

  "Well I had originally come to let you guys know that we will be heading to the refuge with my father in the morning. He's having the guards and knights prepared now. He said he wanted to do it before the nobles arrive." Carlouse frowned distracted from his achievement.

  "You do realize there is no way they can hide that from the people there will be questions." Julien nodded his agreement. He had been wondering about that exact thing.

  "My father says that the nobles will already have spies everywhere and that hiding this from the higher nobles will be impossible." Carlouse thought for a moment before nodding.

  "His Majesty is correct. There are undoubtedly spies already reporting back to their traveling lords."

  "Yes but this is what I am curious about." Julien tried redirecting his thoughts and Carlouse's attention back to what they had just seen. "Can you show us?" Carlouse looked around at them before breaking out into a wide smile.

  "It's really quite easy. I had the most difficulty identifying the different strands and figuring out what they did. I've been working on this since we got back. First you need to reopen your sight. Uh... the best way i can describe it is imagine that you see the threads and then you will. then you need to locate the red threads. The one i used was connected to the candle over there," Carlouse paused and Julien followed his pointing finger to see a weak candle sitting on a decoratively carved dark wood side table in a metal dish. "Then you reach out and grab the thread with your actual hands. after that i held it and imagined what i wanted to do with it. You have to picture it in your mind very carefully. After I did that I was suddenly holding fire." Julien stepped back and immediately sat on the floor crossing his legs. he felt more than saw the others do the same. Magic... it was a thing out of legend. Every kid wondered once in their lives what it would feel like to hold such power. But unlike those kids he actually had a chance to. Despite all his misgivings about the change and the worries about the elves. This was fun! This was exciting! And although it didn't alleviate his worries his was able to push them aside as he closed eyes excited.

  In his mind he pictured the room he had waken up in that morning and the threads of thin energy that had connected everything. The moment he opened his eyes he let out an involuntary gasp. Once again spread out before him were thousands of threads. Each one glowed with an inner colored light. He immediately fought down the irrational panic that welled up in his chest as a silvery thread with flecks of green flowed through the air passed him. As he studied the air he saw that the majority of the threads were a dusty brown. They were attached to things like the stone floor, roofing and walls. Stone, that was what he guessed it stood for.

  The Second most prevalent was the red orange threads coming from the torches and candles that were the solitary sources of light in the spacious room. a lot of these red threads were paired with a light grey colored ones that looked like puffy clouds on a stormy day. each one of the threads pulsed with light. They moved through the air with no destination flexing and shifting aimlessly. It was... wonderous. There were simply no other words for it. shaking himself slightly he found the thread that Carlouse spoke. It was thin even compared to the other threads in the room and seemed a bit dimmer than the others as well. hesitantly, He reached out and pinched the thread between his fingers. Instantly, a warm kind of energy filled his limbs. Running down his fingers, arms and then across his chest. It was warm but not hot like he thought. He was reminded of the hearth in his parents study, where he had spent plenty of winter nights.

  The energy flowed back up his arm toward his extended finger as he pictured the exact same flame from earlier. At first it was hard to keep his mind focused on the image as he held it. But through pure will he was able to hold it in place picturing it just above his finger as Carlouse had done. The energy seemed lesser then not weaker, but like something vital had been sucked out of it. He didn't know the exact moment it happened but suddenly he felt heat warm up the tip of his finger. A feeling of refreshed energy that he hadn't even noticed until now left his body and his eyes shot open. He felt tired but never more awake at the same time. He examined the tiny flame dancing a single span from the top of his middle finger. It was no wider than his finger and no longer than his finger nail. It was however the first. The first spell he had ever cast. He knew then as a sense of accomplishment and excitement filled him, that he was going to love magic. And it all starts with this small flame. The first flame. The first Spark.