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Merevaika sat at the edge of the ashes that had been a campfire the night before and stared passively into it, wishing it to burst up with flames. Her eyes focused in, trained at the spot and trying to bring about a magic spell to do just that. She had seen someone, like that, just a few days before. He had pulled fire out of nowhere and they said it was magic. Now, she wanted to do just that, muttering the Pavi word under her breath as she tried to coax it out of herself.
“You’ll never get anywhere like that,” came a laugh from behind her. Merevaika turned quickly, cheeks rising up red and hiding her hands behind her back as if she had something to hide.
Shaking her head, she spoke quickly and urgently: “I wasn’t doing anything. Just… sitting. Yeah, I was just sitting, that’s all.” Her cheeks grew even brighter with her excuse, hoping her mother wouldn’t think she was actually trying magic. It was dangerous. And she knew she couldn’t do it.
Still, a girl could dream, couldn’t she?
“Just sitting?” came the reply, a short smile on Danika’s face flickering into sight as she waited for her daughter to admit to something she didn’t need to hide in the first place, “If you were just sitting, then I’m sure you’re not too busy to help out with the chores. The pots need washing again, we need to fetch more water and the twins need a wash too. What do you say?”
Chores? They were even worse than admitting that she was hoping to find the seed of magic inside herself that would spark a fire alight and show to everyone she was dangerous and powerful. Queen mage of the Drykas, that would be what they’d call her. Queen mage and superial ruler of the entire world, actually! “I’m going to do magic, like the man we saw, and I’m going to make fire from my fingers and it’s going to be awesome!”
The woman gave another laugh, settling beside Merevaika and staring at the ashes that she had been hoping to set alight. “Even he couldn’t make these burn. Ashes are ashes because everything in them has been burnt. Fire needs fuel, just as much as it needs air and heat. It’s alive, like me and you, and if it has nothing to eat? It won’t burn, at all, or for very long at least.”
Merevaika stared at the grey remains, pulling her finger through them and watching it smear against her hand. Even the pieces that looked solid, as if they were just coated in the fine dust, broke apart when she picked them up, disappearing in her hand. She pulled a handful up to her face and blew deeply, watching it swirl out in a large grey cloud and be caught by the wind.
“We need fuel then!” the girl called out, grin large on her face as she burst up, knowing what to do. Without waiting to see what her mother suggested, she hurried behind the tent, where they stored the dried manure and the branches they collected along their journey. With a bucket-full of the former and a small handful of the latter, she marched back determined, ready to bring her dream of burning things to life. The lot deposited over the previous fire pit in a rough, messy pile, she turned back to her mother, hand on her hip and full of pride. “Can he set fire to that, then?”
Merevaika sat at the edge of the ashes that had been a campfire the night before and stared passively into it, wishing it to burst up with flames. Her eyes focused in, trained at the spot and trying to bring about a magic spell to do just that. She had seen someone, like that, just a few days before. He had pulled fire out of nowhere and they said it was magic. Now, she wanted to do just that, muttering the Pavi word under her breath as she tried to coax it out of herself.
“You’ll never get anywhere like that,” came a laugh from behind her. Merevaika turned quickly, cheeks rising up red and hiding her hands behind her back as if she had something to hide.
Shaking her head, she spoke quickly and urgently: “I wasn’t doing anything. Just… sitting. Yeah, I was just sitting, that’s all.” Her cheeks grew even brighter with her excuse, hoping her mother wouldn’t think she was actually trying magic. It was dangerous. And she knew she couldn’t do it.
Still, a girl could dream, couldn’t she?
“Just sitting?” came the reply, a short smile on Danika’s face flickering into sight as she waited for her daughter to admit to something she didn’t need to hide in the first place, “If you were just sitting, then I’m sure you’re not too busy to help out with the chores. The pots need washing again, we need to fetch more water and the twins need a wash too. What do you say?”
Chores? They were even worse than admitting that she was hoping to find the seed of magic inside herself that would spark a fire alight and show to everyone she was dangerous and powerful. Queen mage of the Drykas, that would be what they’d call her. Queen mage and superial ruler of the entire world, actually! “I’m going to do magic, like the man we saw, and I’m going to make fire from my fingers and it’s going to be awesome!”
The woman gave another laugh, settling beside Merevaika and staring at the ashes that she had been hoping to set alight. “Even he couldn’t make these burn. Ashes are ashes because everything in them has been burnt. Fire needs fuel, just as much as it needs air and heat. It’s alive, like me and you, and if it has nothing to eat? It won’t burn, at all, or for very long at least.”
Merevaika stared at the grey remains, pulling her finger through them and watching it smear against her hand. Even the pieces that looked solid, as if they were just coated in the fine dust, broke apart when she picked them up, disappearing in her hand. She pulled a handful up to her face and blew deeply, watching it swirl out in a large grey cloud and be caught by the wind.
“We need fuel then!” the girl called out, grin large on her face as she burst up, knowing what to do. Without waiting to see what her mother suggested, she hurried behind the tent, where they stored the dried manure and the branches they collected along their journey. With a bucket-full of the former and a small handful of the latter, she marched back determined, ready to bring her dream of burning things to life. The lot deposited over the previous fire pit in a rough, messy pile, she turned back to her mother, hand on her hip and full of pride. “Can he set fire to that, then?”
