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LB Diamond at Diamond – Yup, Like the Stone is hosting a blogfest about the Nature of Magic this weekend, even though she’s in the middle of a renovation and move! Yup, that’s crazy. But also fun, and I’m participating in the blogfest! Here’s the description:
Write or share something you’ve already written that, to you, shows the nature of magic (in 1000 words or less). It can be an excerpt from your WIP, something you’ve written especially, poetry, whatever strikes your fancy. It just needs to show the nature of magic as it exists for you or for those you write about.
I’m sure as a writer of fantasy that you all are expecting quite the show, but the magic in my books tends to be more of the mind-playing-tricks-on-you type, rather than the big explosions and throwing things across the room type. Even in Fie Eoin – so far the most magical universe I write about – the only bit of magic is the energy control of the priestesses. They can’t really do magic, they can just sense and modify the energy around them. But they are very tricksie about keeping everyone under the belief that they can do magic. For instance:
[Kaye] popped in to the High Priestess’ tent first, to check on the oil that would be used during the naming part of the ceremony later that evening. It was warming in a clay pot near the hearth and had almost reached the right consistency. She dipped a finger into the jug of wine next to it and tasted. Not enough wormwood. She found the small packet and added another pinch. The wormwood would put the chief in the state of mind to see a vision in the new warrior’s marks and give them their Eoin-blessed names. After all, a warrior with a weak name – or no name at all, Aleda forbid – was really not a warrior in the eyes of the god.
There’s no magic to finding a name in the warrior’s scars – it’s just a drugged up Chief who believes the “visions” are sent by a warrior god. In fact, the most magical thing that happens is probably when Kaye helps the pain in Gar’s broken hand go away long enough for him to use it.
“Can you do anything?” Kindra asked, still pressed against the wall, eyes wide open and focused on the broken hand.
“Maybe.” Kaye wasn’t sure she would be able to do energy control after the shock of the morning, but she had to try. She looked into Gar’s eyes, trying to hide her own fears. “You have to trust me. Focus on making the pain go away.”
He nodded and she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and fell into the place she had been taught for so many years to find when trying to control energy. It was inherent now – she need only call on the feeling of the silent place and it would come and envelope her, and in that place she could do whatever she needed to do. They could have pushed her off the ledge and she would not have known it her trance was so deep.
Her words were soft as warmth spread through the hand and into the areas that were most injured, easing the pain away slowly until Gar would feel it no more. As Kaye took her hands away and sat back, Gar flexed his fingers slowly, frowning at once as they throbbed and then settled back.
“They aren’t healed,” she explained, “but you should be able to use it to climb out of here.”
Even Kaye admits there was no magic in what she did, she was only spreading the painful energy out so it wasn’t focused in one place. I know people who can do this to themselves – it’s mind over matter. And that’s what I believe magic is – it’s not spells and hocus pocus, it’s being attuned to the energy in the world around you, and using that energy to your benefit.
Then again, Kaye has wings, and that’s pretty damn magical in itself 😉
Don’t forget to visit the rest of the bloggers in the Nature of Magic Blogfest and see what they think about magic!