Chapter 8 Restless Nights and Magic Lessons: Wendy's Observations of Selena's

Wendy had a restless night, plagued by disturbing thoughts and images. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the face of a dead man staring back at her, his eyes wide and lifeless. Despite her exhaustion, she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that clung to her. At some point in the early morning, Wendy woke up for the umpteenth time, just as the sky was beginning to lighten from black to grey. She tried to shake the vision from her head, but an unwelcome thought surfaced in her mind: "I killed a man.

How did that happen?" She quickly pushed the thought away, unwilling to dwell on it any longer. She reminded herself that the bandits had attacked first, and it was their fault, not hers. The group had emerged from the ravine the previous afternoon and camped in a clearing in the forest. Wendy would have gone back to sleep and let her nightmares consume her, but she noticed that Selena was already up and moving. Wendy watched with fascination as Selena went through a series of slow, deliberate stretches and movements. She couldn't resist taking out her notebook and jotting down her observations. This was typical behavior for shadow mages, but Wendy was eager to confirm it firsthand and ask Selena about it later. After half an hour of stretching, Selena picked up her sword and went through a series of quick, precise movements. As the sun began to rise, casting a golden light through the trees, Selena put down her sword and sat down with her back to Wendy, watching the sunrise in silence. Wendy continued to watch her, her pen poised above her notebook, eager to learn more. As the rest of the group began to stir, Selena stood up and stretched again. But when she spotted Wendy watching her, she froze, a look of suspicion on her face. Selena stood by Wendy and said, "I didn't realize you were awake." Wendy quickly replied, "I didn't sleep well." She didn't want to talk about her nightmares. Wendy then asked, "Do you do this every morning?" referring to Selena's stretching and sunrise routine. Selena nodded, and Wendy made a note in her book. As Selena opened her mouth to speak, Wendy cut in and asked about how Selena's routine assists her with her shadow magic. Selena was taken aback for a moment and asked, "Why so curious?" Wendy explained that she was familiar with the theories behind the behavior of shadow mages, but she had never had a chance to study one first hand. Selena reluctantly shared that watching the sunrise and doing her exercises helped her appreciate the beauty of the world and resist the pull of the shadow magic. However, she didn't like to talk about it. Wendy accepted Selena's reason as genuine and promised to observe her behavior. About an hour later, the wagon was on the road again, and Wendy sat in the front wagon while Grey took the middle one. Wendy couldn't bear to face Grey, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the thought of it. As Grey climbed up onto the seat next to Wendy, she struggled to hide her beet-red cheeks. The driver shuffled over amicably. 'Wendy, it's silly to try and avoid me, and there's no reason for it anyway,' Grey said, looking grumpy. 'I-I'm not,' she said stiffly, tilting her head back and looking down her nose at him. 'I can't imagine where you got that idea!' Grey snorted and shook his head. 'You've used magic next to me before, so I know you can do it, Wendy. It's normal to panic your first time, and no one thinks less of you for it.' Wendy looked away and said nothing. 'Besides, I wanted to discuss magic with you, and I know how you like telling people how to do things.' Wendy's head snapped back around, and she glared at him. Indignantly, she cried, 'Well, why shouldn't I help when I have a better way?! It's not my fault I know so much more than everyone else!' Grey laughed, and slowly Wendy couldn't help but let out a little embarrassed chuckle. 'Did you want my help with inscribing?' she asked politely, smoothing down her skirt. He shook his head. 'I'm surprised at how much magic you could draw.' 'I am an exceptionally skilled sorceress. Do you draw your magic from the world?' she asked carefully. She had not, in fact, checked how much raw energy he possessed in himself, partly because he would have noticed and partly because she didn't particularly care - the raw magic possessed within was only a minor detail for sorcerers. 'I draw from myself and from outside.' 'It's better to draw your magic from your surroundings,' Wendy said in a lecturing tone. 'It will not tire you so much as using your own energy, and it will make your magic far more effective. If you wish to spell an item, say, a sword, if you draw the power from within that item, the change will be much easier as the item will be reacting to something it recognizes as itself, not an intruder, as well as, after having its power drawn from it, it will have less resistance and be more malleable until its energy is returned.' 'I've noticed,' he said, his eyes flashing in irritation. "It's more complicated than that," Wendy said, her voice softening. "I was never seriously ill, but I was always weak and tired. When I was a child, I couldn't run or play for long without needing to rest. It wasn't until I started learning magic that I realized I could draw on the energy of the world to supplement my own. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head, and suddenly I had more energy than I ever had before. I still have a low level of energy within me, but with the help of magic, I can do things I never thought possible." Grey listened attentively, his expression thoughtful. "That's interesting," he said after a moment. "I've never heard of someone with such a low level of energy becoming a sorceress." "It's rare," Wendy admitted. "But it's not unheard of. And I've worked hard to develop my skills, even if I do still have a lot to learn." Grey nodded. "I can see that. You're quite skilled, Wendy." She blushed at the compliment, but her eyes sparkled with pleasure. "Thank you," she said softly. "That means a lot coming from you."