Sorcery - 04

Nicole thought if not for the dress she wore, Nancey might just be some plain and simple country girl, out for a stroll.

"You've been pursuing me for three days. Through this poor weather, out here into the middle of nowhere, and you don't know what I am? Did you not think to inquire of your employer what you were chasing?" She paused for a moment and began to chew her lip in concentration.

Nancey continued, "Well, that would make sense." Nancey nodded to herself. "So not only do you lack apprenticeship, you lack some very basic education. I think I will take pity on you after all." Then she smiled again. "I guess our conversation is over. Either leave now or continue to try and kill me. If you succeed, you can take my necklace, as proof, back to your employer. If not, and you manage to live, I'll take you on as my servant and apprentice." Nancey seemed to ponder for a moment, then continued, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to subject yourself to some manual labor, would you?" Her eyebrows raised slightly as she asked. Nicole was left with the impression that she was actually trying to be pretentious.

What the hell was this woman doing? Nicole's only reply was, "You're not making any sense." Knowing how foolish hesitation could be, she followed up her response by reaching into the flame. She manipulated it and used the unburned wood beneath it to augment the force.

In the time it took for her gaze to flicker to the fire and back to Nancey, she had crafted a bolt of flame that was far more intense than the fire had been. So intense that it probably would have turned Nancey to ash if she were still standing where she had been before Nicole glanced away.

A voice from over her left shoulder proudly proclaimed, "I knew you weren't dense!" That occurred just before Nicole found herself floating above the evergreens and watching the ground advance towards her. She had no experience with flight which meant, unfortunately, that she had very little experience in falling from great distances.

Once she had managed to transport herself very rapidly from within Justin's house to his front lawn. The circumstances were vastly different; she was guided mostly by instinct at the time. As she approached a height of three yards she wished she hadn't become so adept at remaining calm and lucid and could just rely on reflexes to save her again. At two yards a thought occurred to her and she carefully, but quickly and loosely bound together the molecules of air that were beneath her. The bonds were loose enough that she ripped through many of them, but it was inexpertly done. Instead of gradually slowing herself down, it was more like being hit about the chest, ribs, and face by hail stones. She still crumpled to the ground at her landing, but at least she was alive.

She rolled to her back, chest heaving from exertion and adrenaline and saw Nancey standing over her. Nancey's smile was even wider now, showing teeth, and conveyed a genuine sense of being pleased with Nicole's performance. Nancey's smiles were beginning to grate on her nerves.

The trees were too far away to be useful, so she reached once again for the air that surrounded Nancey. Nancey reached out and caught her. The disadvantage to such a catch is that it leaves both sorcerers holding that one source until the original caster decides to drop it. Nicole reached again from behind Nancey, and again Nancey caught her. She reached again from off to the left, and again Nancey caught her. From the right, and slightly behind her, Nancey caught her again.

A sweat of intense effort began forming on Nicole's forehead. She had to start dropping sources to grab others. She reached again, and again. She had four independent channels all suspended by Nancey. Nancey had lost her smile and wore an expression of patiently waiting. Nancey was only beginning to glow, but she no longer looked like a plain country girl. The power flowed from the air into Nancey's channeling and Nicole realized that she was only getting warmed up, whereas Nicole was reaching her limit. She could feel each tendril of power where Nancey was holding off her attacks.

She saw Nancey's smile reappear, and then she felt why. Each tendril of air was curving back towards Nicole.

Nancey expected to see fear in her eyes, but Nicole looked on with intent. She reached out to each point and bound it; They were at a stalemate. Nancey's smile only broadened.

"Bravo! You are strong!" Her enthusiasm almost sounded genuine. "Now we're both stuck! That is," Nancey paused, "unless you can hold more than eight sources at once?"

Nicole's expression turned to contempt. She'd never held more than five before, holding the eight she had now was taking all she had, and she hadn't even known she could safley do that many.

"I didn't think so. But we're still stuck, aren't we?" In order for Nancey to withdraw, Nicole would have to let go of her initial sources, then Nancey would have to withdraw hers, and then Nicole would be free to withdraw her remaining sources. Aside from moving out of range physically, Nicole didn't know of a way to break the stalemate without giving Nancey the opportunity to strike at her.

Nancey appeared to be watching Nicole think this through, smiling all the while. And then, "I think you've lost anyway". Nicole then felt what she imagined it must feel like if the sources were a pond and someone had just dropped in a stone. There was a ripple, she lost control of her hold on the sources, and then she lost consciousness. She thought she heard a slightly wistful, "I probably should have warned her," just before the soft darkness enveloped her.