consume large quantities of magic. And some of whatever the opposing witch threw at you will become absorbed into the shield, which means it will also be absorbed into you. When it’s just us sparring like this, it’s relatively harmless. I don’t mind absorbing a tiny bit of your magic into my body, because you’re like me. A good witch with good energy. On the other hand, however, when you’re fighting an evil witch, like the crow, absorbing some of her energy means taking in some of her hatred and bitterness.”
“Would your hands still look glittery?”
“No.” Zara smiled. “Good question, though. Most witches are different in what their true essence looks like. The darker the witch, the darker their magic will appear even outside of their bodies. With a witch like the crow, my hands would possibly look charred and blackened.”
“So what does glitter tell you about me?”
“That you’re pure and good,” she said. “And very powerful.”
Zara stepped toward me and showed me the correct stance for casting a shield spell. She placed her feet firmly on the ground, one foot slightly in front of the other to give her stability and strength. Her hands came up in front of her body, one hand placed above the other in a straight line. I copied her movements, palms out.
“Your shield is an extension of yourself,” she said. “So in order to create a strong shield, you must feel the core of your magic deep within, then let it travel out through your arms, to your palms and out. When you’ve properly got a shield up, you’ll be able to see it glittering in the air in front of you.”
“I couldn’t see a shield in front of you earlier,” I said.
“That’s because every witch can only see her own essence when it takes the form of a shield. You can see your own shield, but no one else will be able to see it.” She stepped back to her spot across the clearing. “The key is to create a shield just big enough to deflect whatever is coming your way. If it’s a fireball, then your shield should be just bigger than the fireball is. That way, you conserve power instead of creating a huge shield that’s much larger than the item you’re defending against.”
“Does this mean you’re going to throw a fireball at me now?”
Zara laughed. “I’ll let you practice your shield a couple of times first,” she said. “Let me know when you think you’ve got it.”
Both nervous and excited, I took my stance. I connected to my core power deep inside, then imagined it flowing down through my arms and out into my palms. I thrust my hands forward, then felt a cool rush of energy as a small shield extended out in front of me.
I laughed and pulled back, staring at my hands. The shield had been completely transparent, but shimmery. It looked like a type of flat force-field that formed a perfect circle around my hands.
I took my stance again, and concentrated more power through my hands, creating a larger shield in front of my body. I could tell what Zara meant about it being an energy drain. To hold a shield like that for a long time would take enormous power and concentration.
Just when I thought I couldn’t hold it much longer, I saw Zara conjure a white ball of bright light. I had no idea whether the light would hurt or even what it was made of, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I kept the shield up with everything I had as she threw the light toward me. I flinched as the light zoomed toward my head, but watched in amazement as it struck my shield and dissipated.
What Zara had said about the energy of the other person’s spell being absorbed into your own body made more sense now. A pulsing adrenaline rushed through my hands and into my body. I could feel the impact of the ball of light long after it had disappeared.
I let the shield drop and took a deep breath. I felt like I needed to sit down for a minute. It wasn’t so much that I was physically tired. It was just that I felt drained and slightly
“Would your hands still look glittery?”
“No.” Zara smiled. “Good question, though. Most witches are different in what their true essence looks like. The darker the witch, the darker their magic will appear even outside of their bodies. With a witch like the crow, my hands would possibly look charred and blackened.”
“So what does glitter tell you about me?”
“That you’re pure and good,” she said. “And very powerful.”
Zara stepped toward me and showed me the correct stance for casting a shield spell. She placed her feet firmly on the ground, one foot slightly in front of the other to give her stability and strength. Her hands came up in front of her body, one hand placed above the other in a straight line. I copied her movements, palms out.
“Your shield is an extension of yourself,” she said. “So in order to create a strong shield, you must feel the core of your magic deep within, then let it travel out through your arms, to your palms and out. When you’ve properly got a shield up, you’ll be able to see it glittering in the air in front of you.”
“I couldn’t see a shield in front of you earlier,” I said.
“That’s because every witch can only see her own essence when it takes the form of a shield. You can see your own shield, but no one else will be able to see it.” She stepped back to her spot across the clearing. “The key is to create a shield just big enough to deflect whatever is coming your way. If it’s a fireball, then your shield should be just bigger than the fireball is. That way, you conserve power instead of creating a huge shield that’s much larger than the item you’re defending against.”
“Does this mean you’re going to throw a fireball at me now?”
Zara laughed. “I’ll let you practice your shield a couple of times first,” she said. “Let me know when you think you’ve got it.”
Both nervous and excited, I took my stance. I connected to my core power deep inside, then imagined it flowing down through my arms and out into my palms. I thrust my hands forward, then felt a cool rush of energy as a small shield extended out in front of me.
I laughed and pulled back, staring at my hands. The shield had been completely transparent, but shimmery. It looked like a type of flat force-field that formed a perfect circle around my hands.
I took my stance again, and concentrated more power through my hands, creating a larger shield in front of my body. I could tell what Zara meant about it being an energy drain. To hold a shield like that for a long time would take enormous power and concentration.
Just when I thought I couldn’t hold it much longer, I saw Zara conjure a white ball of bright light. I had no idea whether the light would hurt or even what it was made of, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I kept the shield up with everything I had as she threw the light toward me. I flinched as the light zoomed toward my head, but watched in amazement as it struck my shield and dissipated.
What Zara had said about the energy of the other person’s spell being absorbed into your own body made more sense now. A pulsing adrenaline rushed through my hands and into my body. I could feel the impact of the ball of light long after it had disappeared.
I let the shield drop and took a deep breath. I felt like I needed to sit down for a minute. It wasn’t so much that I was physically tired. It was just that I felt drained and slightly
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