it?”
“Yeah.” He glanced up. “I don’t have to call you ‘sir’ or anything, do I?”
“You do, and I will turn you into a frog,” Stone said. “Now, then. Sit back, stop thinking about levitating young ladies’ skirts up, and start listening.”
“I wasn’t—”
“You will.” Perching back on the edge of his desk, he asked, “So—do you know what the difference is between black magic and white magic?”
“I—uh—White magic is good, and black magic is evil, right?”
“Sort of. Though ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are pretty simplistic terms when it comes to magic. It’s entirely possible to do ‘good’ things with black magic, and ‘evil’ things with white magic.”
“It is?” Ethan was clearly confused.
“Very much so. This is an important distinction—probably one of the most important you’ll learn.” Almost unconsciously, he got up and began pacing around the room. “The difference between the two is how they’re powered. Tell me: if you wanted to zap someone with a lightning bolt, would you use black or white magic?”
“I’m gonna get to zap people with lightning bolts?”
“Stay focused,” Stone ordered. “Answer the question.”
“Uh—black magic, I guess.”
“Wrong answer. It was a trick question. You can zap someone with a lightning bolt using either type.”
“So—I’ll be able to do both?”
“You will—but you won’t want to. Not for long. Not unless you want to give yourself over to black magic in fairly short order, in which case tell me now so we can call this whole thing off before we get too far in.”
“Why won’t I want to?”
“Because,” Stone said, walking over to lean on his desk, “White magic is powered with your own energies, and with specially designed items that you construct to contain and store those energies. At its best, it’s more subtle than black magic, more permanent, and much more powerful in most areas. If you want to build a magical portal, or put a permanent enchantment on a place or a person, you’d use white magic.”
Ethan nodded, taking it in. “Should I be taking notes or something?”
“Not yet. I’ll drill this bit into your head so much that you won’t be able to forget it. This is fundamental stuff.”
“Okay, so—what about black magic?”
“Black magic is powered by the energy from others. It’s ultimately a very selfish, very visceral form of magic. Its power lies mostly in more transient sorts of spells, like those you would cast in a magical battle.”
“But—wouldn’t I want to—”
“Get into a magical battle?” Stone raised an eyebrow. “So—when was the last time you were in a physical fight?”
Ethan shrugged. “It’s been a while,” he mumbled. “And I didn’t start ’em.”
“Precisely. Ever shot someone with a gun? Stabbed anyone?”
“No!” He sounded shocked.
Stone nodded. “Well, there you go, then. Magic is dangerous, especially the kind designed to injure living things. You know how when you start to learn martial arts, they tell you all that rubbish about your body becoming a lethal weapon? That you should only use it in self-defense? Well, with magic, it’s true. And it’s damned important that you realize it as soon as possible. I’m not going to teach you those kinds of spells—not anytime soon, anyway. Certainly not during the first couple of years of your apprenticeship. By then you might well be back with Walter, and it’ll be up to him to decide whether he wants to. If you come along well in your studies, I might end up showing you something nonlethal that you can use to defend yourself should the need arise. But the point is, magic isn’t about hurting people. Not for white mages.”
“So, you’re a white mage, then?”
“I’m—sort of pale gray. It’s hard to actually practice magic and stay completely white. But that’s the other thing you’re going to need to know—black magic is addictive. It’s like smoking, or drugs,
“Yeah.” He glanced up. “I don’t have to call you ‘sir’ or anything, do I?”
“You do, and I will turn you into a frog,” Stone said. “Now, then. Sit back, stop thinking about levitating young ladies’ skirts up, and start listening.”
“I wasn’t—”
“You will.” Perching back on the edge of his desk, he asked, “So—do you know what the difference is between black magic and white magic?”
“I—uh—White magic is good, and black magic is evil, right?”
“Sort of. Though ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are pretty simplistic terms when it comes to magic. It’s entirely possible to do ‘good’ things with black magic, and ‘evil’ things with white magic.”
“It is?” Ethan was clearly confused.
“Very much so. This is an important distinction—probably one of the most important you’ll learn.” Almost unconsciously, he got up and began pacing around the room. “The difference between the two is how they’re powered. Tell me: if you wanted to zap someone with a lightning bolt, would you use black or white magic?”
“I’m gonna get to zap people with lightning bolts?”
“Stay focused,” Stone ordered. “Answer the question.”
“Uh—black magic, I guess.”
“Wrong answer. It was a trick question. You can zap someone with a lightning bolt using either type.”
“So—I’ll be able to do both?”
“You will—but you won’t want to. Not for long. Not unless you want to give yourself over to black magic in fairly short order, in which case tell me now so we can call this whole thing off before we get too far in.”
“Why won’t I want to?”
“Because,” Stone said, walking over to lean on his desk, “White magic is powered with your own energies, and with specially designed items that you construct to contain and store those energies. At its best, it’s more subtle than black magic, more permanent, and much more powerful in most areas. If you want to build a magical portal, or put a permanent enchantment on a place or a person, you’d use white magic.”
Ethan nodded, taking it in. “Should I be taking notes or something?”
“Not yet. I’ll drill this bit into your head so much that you won’t be able to forget it. This is fundamental stuff.”
“Okay, so—what about black magic?”
“Black magic is powered by the energy from others. It’s ultimately a very selfish, very visceral form of magic. Its power lies mostly in more transient sorts of spells, like those you would cast in a magical battle.”
“But—wouldn’t I want to—”
“Get into a magical battle?” Stone raised an eyebrow. “So—when was the last time you were in a physical fight?”
Ethan shrugged. “It’s been a while,” he mumbled. “And I didn’t start ’em.”
“Precisely. Ever shot someone with a gun? Stabbed anyone?”
“No!” He sounded shocked.
Stone nodded. “Well, there you go, then. Magic is dangerous, especially the kind designed to injure living things. You know how when you start to learn martial arts, they tell you all that rubbish about your body becoming a lethal weapon? That you should only use it in self-defense? Well, with magic, it’s true. And it’s damned important that you realize it as soon as possible. I’m not going to teach you those kinds of spells—not anytime soon, anyway. Certainly not during the first couple of years of your apprenticeship. By then you might well be back with Walter, and it’ll be up to him to decide whether he wants to. If you come along well in your studies, I might end up showing you something nonlethal that you can use to defend yourself should the need arise. But the point is, magic isn’t about hurting people. Not for white mages.”
“So, you’re a white mage, then?”
“I’m—sort of pale gray. It’s hard to actually practice magic and stay completely white. But that’s the other thing you’re going to need to know—black magic is addictive. It’s like smoking, or drugs,
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