Control
I haven't posted anything in a long time, so here's something that burned its way into my brain just now - so being so raw as it is, it probably sucks - but oh well!
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"See it in your mind's eye," Rainlance said. "Lightning between your fingertips, rolled into a ball."
Mirra frowned as she concentrated, keeping her eyes closed as she visualized what the shaman asked of her. She drew the ether through her, pulling it from the air, through her arms and to her fingertips; telling the power to arc between them. She willed it into a circle, then a ball. A voltaic crackle and hum filled the air. She could feel the lick of tame lightning brushing over her palms and warming them as she willed it to coil tighter into itself.
"Good. Now pull your hands away, keep the ball focused in your mind - your physical hands are not needed."
Mirra lowered her hands, straining to keep the image of her hands fixed in her mind and separate the mental from the physical action. The ball wobbled and erupted in a flash that dazzled her through her closed eyelids. Lightning scorched the air and flashed against the wall of the protective circle she was sitting inside.
Mirra slumped as all the strength seemed to bleed out of her. She opened her eyes and looked at her teacher. Rainlance only raised an eyebrow at her as smoke coiled from one of his sleeves.
"It is time for a break, I think."
Mirra suppressed a groan. A "break" meant more of Talon's training; running, grappling, archery or riding. He might take pity on her and drill her in archery. Maybe.
She forced herself to stand up and walk out of the circle. The faint line of light in the dirt disappeared as she crossed it and she tried to ignore the blackened marks in the dirt so close to where she had been sitting.
Moonshadow watched the girl trudge away from her lesson in obvious exhaustion.
"How can you stay so calm?" she asked. "She's not even trained and capable of - of that!"
"That is why I have a healer here now," the shaman said. "In answer to your question; I cannot show fear, if I show fear of her powers, she will never gain control. Any show of doubt will only make her more unstable. To even suggest that such things are anything other than normal could be - damaging."
~
~
"See it in your mind's eye," Rainlance said. "Lightning between your fingertips, rolled into a ball."
Mirra frowned as she concentrated, keeping her eyes closed as she visualized what the shaman asked of her. She drew the ether through her, pulling it from the air, through her arms and to her fingertips; telling the power to arc between them. She willed it into a circle, then a ball. A voltaic crackle and hum filled the air. She could feel the lick of tame lightning brushing over her palms and warming them as she willed it to coil tighter into itself.
"Good. Now pull your hands away, keep the ball focused in your mind - your physical hands are not needed."
Mirra lowered her hands, straining to keep the image of her hands fixed in her mind and separate the mental from the physical action. The ball wobbled and erupted in a flash that dazzled her through her closed eyelids. Lightning scorched the air and flashed against the wall of the protective circle she was sitting inside.
Mirra slumped as all the strength seemed to bleed out of her. She opened her eyes and looked at her teacher. Rainlance only raised an eyebrow at her as smoke coiled from one of his sleeves.
"It is time for a break, I think."
Mirra suppressed a groan. A "break" meant more of Talon's training; running, grappling, archery or riding. He might take pity on her and drill her in archery. Maybe.
She forced herself to stand up and walk out of the circle. The faint line of light in the dirt disappeared as she crossed it and she tried to ignore the blackened marks in the dirt so close to where she had been sitting.
Moonshadow watched the girl trudge away from her lesson in obvious exhaustion.
"How can you stay so calm?" she asked. "She's not even trained and capable of - of that!"
"That is why I have a healer here now," the shaman said. "In answer to your question; I cannot show fear, if I show fear of her powers, she will never gain control. Any show of doubt will only make her more unstable. To even suggest that such things are anything other than normal could be - damaging."
~