The Ballad of Adler Young, Canto 2.5

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"Well," I replied. "I am glad to see that you made a full recovery. If you think your co-called coven of witches would make a good batch of followers then of course, I'm willing to meet them. At the very least I can steer them onto a devout path of Seeliness in the service of Fuma. If my followers are Seelie, won't that prove that I too am Seelie?"

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"It was a rhetorical question," I blurted before either of the femmes could interrupt my train of thought. I turned and began musing aloud. "My only worry is that they will all be obsessed with wearing black and playing malicious pranks. I won't have time to tutor them all in the finer points of the art of being Seelie, but this could very well be the perfect way to put Rebecca's role as one of my apostles to the test. She can apply what she's learned about Seeliness and japery and teach them what she knows, become a teacher in her own right. Yes, yes, that's good. I should still have a meeting with them, if for no other reason than to impress and awe them with my elfly powers and ensure their loyalty. That could become a tedious chore, though. I have a lot to do. I should make them wait a while under Rebecca's coaching and maybe undergo a test of worthiness before being admitted into my presence. Yes, they will value my lessons more if they must earn them. I could use this as a way to refine my techniques for dealing with those who will come later, seeking an audience with me after hearing the legends my apostles will be spreading. But wait - would it be better to have them meet me first? Then I can tell them directly that Rebecca will be their teacher, thereby granting her a measure of authority. Perhaps the test of worthiness could be used later to be sure of their loyalty before they learn anything of - Waaaaaait a minute..."

>Adler: Your business focus breaks as what you just saw finally sinks in. Ask her to do that again, please.
>Rebecca: You oblige and snap your fingers with the same resulting sparks.

I spun around and faced Rebecca. "Do that thing again with your fingers and the sparks."

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She snapped her fingers and a cluster of tiny lights flickered in the air around her hand.

>Adler: . . . How did she learn to do that? Your lesson plan hasn't covered any magic yet.

"It's a simple schoolyard glamer," I stated with some surprise. "You're missing the audible component - there should be a crackle or a tinkling of tiny bells - but this is nevertheless a piece of magick. How did you learn this? Your lessons haven't covered any magick yet."

"Sorry to contradict you, My Lord," Rebecca grinned, "but there was a section in Saint Reynard's book that covered pranks, and a number of those pranks made use of Fell Magicks."

"There's nothing Fell about Reynard's japes," I scolded. "We've been over this! You've got to rid yourself of your obsession with darkness. Just because your weird rabbit religion frowns on something does not necessarily mean it's evil. Wait, so this means that you were able to read the full Panoply of Japes. Did the book actually explain how those spells were performed? Even though it's basic stuff, still I assumed the reader would need prior knowledge of magick to make use of any of it. I don't even remember if finger sparks were covered in the Foxspell. It's a very simple thing to do, but... you said you could do that after recovering from your attack. Did you have to practice or did you suddenly have the talent?"

>Rebecca: You take a deep breath and prepare to happily explain yourself.

"Oh my Dark, uh, I mean Seelie Lord and Master!" Rebecca declared excitedly. "When I was in my fit, I dreamed that Reynard was talking to me. 'Hudalaleigh' he kept saying, and telling me I was a 'foine figure of a garl, bedad.' But in between all of that, he recited to me the full text of the Foxspell. Vernier says I was feverish and delirious the whole time."

"She was," Vernier interjected. "I feared she would not pull through."

"At one point," Rebecca continued, "I dreamed that the demon, er, I mean goddess Fuma appeared. I tried to pledge her my soul but she said 'twas not meet and she did not require it of me, but did I wish to learn the magick of the elves? I said yes, of course, and Reynard recited to me over and over the last section of the Foxspell."

"Where is the book, by the way?" I asked, nervously remembering what Angela had told me about Ash.

"Gone, My Lord," Rebecca admitted glumly. "After I came to my senses, I asked for it but it was nowhere to be found."

"Raccoon Monst - pardon, I mean Miss Burnside and I searched the stone circle for it," Vernier declared. "But we could find no trace."

"I assume it melted back into the mist from whence you conjured it. But all of its contents are safe up here!" Rebecca tapped her forehead. "I have an excellent memory! In my dream, Reynard told me the key to magick. When I awoke, I tried snapping my fingers to make lights, and got a faint glow from my fingertips. I've been practicing constantly for the past week -"

"She really has been snapping her fingers all the time," Vernier verified.

"And now I can make four or five little sparks!" Rebecca finished triumphantly, with another finger snap to illustrate her point.