More and more mercenaries came to camp as day turned into night. Logan rested his back against a wagon as he watched them with a keen eye. They reminded him of his own friends, all laughing and joking as they walked into the camp. Logan forced himself to smile.

  He dearly missed his friends. Everything was so simple back when he was with the Crows. He always knew that they would be there for him. They had a mission and knew how to get it done, no matter what.

  He didn’t know what his mission was here, not really. All he had to do was go with Talan to Abfall. He wasn’t to do anything, just running. Running from his past, running from the knights, and running from the savod. He was getting tired of running.

  “Talan, I need to know something,” Logan whispered.

  ‘What is it?’ Talan asked.

  “What are the limits of the pact?” Logan asked. “As we are now, I can’t even hurt the savod. We can only run to stay safe. Is the pact actually useful for anything but fighting the savod?”

  ‘The limit is created by your own soul. The magic can do many things, but it cannot maintain its form without spending more of your soul,’ Talan said. ‘You have barely tapped its potential, but even that is enough to alert the savod of our presence.’

  “You’re saying that I could get stronger,” Logan said. “I just need to get the power.”

  ‘It will cost something of you,’ Talan said. ‘Right now, I control how much power you use. I can give you more, but if you fail to control the power, your soul will be consumed and you will be left as an empty husk.’

  “You can teach me,” Logan said. “You can show me how to control it so that I don’t.”

  ‘I never learned to teach magic,” Talan said. ‘My grandfather taught me how to control my own power, and how to make pacts. I’ve never taught anyone else before.’

  “Will you try?” Logan asked.

  ‘I will try,’ Talan said. ‘Find a quiet place and we will begin.’

  Logan looked around quickly, but only wagons and mercenaries surrounded him. He stepped away from the one he leaned on, and walked to the outside of the rough circle that the wagons made. He would need to find a place where not even the sounds of the camp could reach him.

  He found an alcove not far away in the trees. No one would be able to approach without making noise, and he would be out of sight.

  He sat down, breathing in the sharp scent of the cedar trees. He leaned his back against the rough bark of the nearest tree and closed his eyes. Only the muted sounds of the caravan and the soft whisper of the breeze reached his ears.

  “I’m ready, Talan,” Logan said.

  ‘You’re not ready, but we will begin anyway,’ Talan said.

  A lurching snake slithered through Logan. His body shook like every limb stretched under the force of another creature. Logan shook his head, trying to push away the feeling. It made him want to vomit.

  ‘Hold strong,’ Talan said.

  It rippled through him again. Logan tried to fight it, but there wasn’t any way he could. It was as if she was touching his soul. He shuddered again as it rippled across his cheek. In the corner of his eye, his skin expanded like a tube ran beneath it.

  There were tendrils running beneath his skin. He grimaced at the thought.

  ‘The magic has taken hold through almost all your body. You have the means to control it,’ Talan said. ‘Now you just need to learn.’

  “That’s it?” Logan asked, his hands shaking.

  Talan stepped out of his shadow, floating up to Logan until she could look him in the eyes. Logan flinched back, but the tree stopped him from moving far. He stared back into the emerald eyes and saw only darkness.

  “There is something that holds you back,” Talan said.

  “What do you mean?” Logan asked.

  “Magic relies on your belief in yourself,” Talan said, drawing wisps of darkness into a black and green orb in her hands. “There is something in your soul, a scar that will hold you back.”

  Logan narrowed his eyes.

  “You will need to discover it yourself before we can truly make progress,” Talan said, taking the orb and touching it against his chest. “But I can teach you some things with the power you have now.”

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  The magic welled through his arms and Logan felt a renewed sense of strength. Embers of power ran through his arms and legs, until all his strength was renewed. He didn’t even feel any fatigue from the battle.

  “The first use of magic is restoration,” Talan said. “You can take the power from your soul and use it to fuel your body. It will not last forever, and needs to be replenished, but it will push you through more than you should be capable of.”

  “We’ve used this before, twice now,” Logan said.

  It was the reason he was able to fight the savod, even if he couldn’t win with the little power that he did have. He thought it was just an effect of using the magic, something that happened when he held the power.

  “This is the most dangerous for you to use,” Talan said. “If you push your body too far, the pain that comes back will be enough to kill you. If you push too much you can burn out all the power entirely, and you will only be a husk.”

  The power faded. It wasn’t like after the fight with the savod, but it wasn’t as if he had used the power to fight this time. There was still a drain from his limbs, but it wasn’t enough to hurt him.

  “The second use of power is manipulation,” Talan said, drawing the shadow into her hands again. “You do not use the power to destroy, but to move.”

  She reached out with the shadow and flicked Logan’s nose. It hurt, but it didn’t cut. Logan tried to dodge the shadow as it came in again, but the single line split into many and grabbed hold of his face.

  “The third use of power is destruction,” Talan said, drawing one of the lines tight until it looked impossibly sharp.

  It pointed directly at Logan’s right eye. Logan’s eyes went wide, though he was certain that she wouldn’t harm him. It was hard to ignore sharp objects that close to his face. Logan blinked.

  “There are more uses than that, but those will be hard enough for you to master,” Talan whispered, drawing the energy back into her. “Until you fix your problem, these will have to be enough.”

  “How do we start?” Logan asked.

  “Focus on your breathing,” Talan said, descending back into his shadow. “That is the beginning of all magic.”

  Logan closed his eyes focusing on his breath. He breathed in and out, letting cool air of the coming night fill him with every breath. He didn’t feel any different. There wasn’t anything happening.

  “I don’t think I understand” Logan said.

  ‘It will take time, don’t rush it,’ Talan said.

  Logan sighed. He really didn’t understand it. Magic was in his breath. Magic was a power inside of him. Magic was his soul. It was also the elements, according to how the mages used it. Couldn’t she just decide what it was already?

  “I don’t think this is helping,” Logan said.

  ‘You need to look at it differently,’ Talan said. ‘Magic is all around you, in the air you breathe, in every body, in every rock, but it is dormant there. Through your will, you can influence it too do incredible things. You just need to believe in it.’

  Logan couldn’t deny it was there, he had seen the workings of mages and his own use of magic so far. He didn’t understand it. Perhaps he couldn’t understand it. What if it was just beyond him?

  He thought of the savod, of how much power it had and what it promised to do. He had to try.

  He reached out with his mind, searching for the invisible magic that Talan was sure was there. He called it to fill his body. There was a slight twitch in his body, like the warmth from the fading embers of a fire flared up inside of him.

  He followed the sensation, inhaling deeply.

  The fire flared again inside of him. Logan relished in the warmth and drew it inside of his chest with a deep breath. The magic flowed through his arms as he exhaled and his fingers tingled with ready energy.

  It felt very good.

  'You're doing well,' Talan said.

  "Just the first step, right?" Logan asked.

  'Very true,' Talan said. 'Keep practicing it.'

  Logan did as she told him, breathing in and out and concentrating on the magic's flow. Very soon, he could sense the magic that flowed around him, and when he opened his eyes, the world was impossibly bright.

  Eventually, Talan called an end to the practice, and sent him walking back to camp. The delicious smoke of cooking stew greeted his nose and Logan turned his feet toward the cooking fires.

  He was starving.

  It was an effect of the magic, Logan guessed. It made sense. After the battle with the savod, he had to eat a good three days’ worth of meals to feel full again. Practicing magic seemed to take a heavy toll, even if it could give him a short boost.

  He took the soup in a wooden bowl and found a place to sit and eat. The taste made him smile, the taste of the onions, potatoes and meat all mixed in his mouth. Perhaps it was the experience with the magic, but it tasted brand new.

  He barely noticed as Elaine approached. Her face was bright red. Her hand was on the hilt of her sword, but she had apparently not drawn the blade. She stomped up to him, and Logan could feel the fire in her eyes.

  "Those...men," Elaine said slowly, as if she was carefully choosing her words. "No, not men, those beasts..."

  "What happened?" Logan asked, raising his eyebrow.

  "One of those disgusting slobs touched my ass!" Elaine yelled.

  Logan leaned around her and saw the group of mercenaries standing in a close circle. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a man lying on the dusty ground in a forest of legs, clutching at his face.

  "Is he still alive?" Logan asked, doing his best to keep his face straight.

  She deflated at the question. The anger drained out of her cheeks, making them seem almost ghostly pale. She shuttered for a moment, and Logan waited patiently for the anger to pass.

  "I only broke his nose," Elaine said, averting her eyes.

  "That's better than I thought," Logan said, suppressing a laugh.

  "That's not funny," Elaine said, but a smile cracked her face.

  "I think it’s very funny," Logan said, shaking his head.

  "There's something I've wanted to ask you," Elaine said.

  "What's that?" Logan asked.

  "You always run away when you can, right? At least, that's what you said before." She looked directly in the eyes. "Twice now, you've jumped right into the fight without hesitation. It seems like you're at war with yourself."

  "It might be a good way to describe it," Logan said. "What, are you worried you can't trust me?"

  "You have saved my life twice now," Elaine said, smiling. "That does earn you some trust."

  Logan smiled at that. At least he had some support in this. Even if mastering the magic was dangerous. He might not have the most courage of the three of them, but at least, more often than not, he took the right path.

  That would have to be enough.