Luther's Pride Part 32

Meditation seemed pleasant enough as the morning fog rolled over the dais, and Luther did his best to recall the manuals he’d read years ago on anatomy. He pictured his body, feeling out the bones in his fingers, hands, arms, shoulders, back, neck, and skull. Then his visualization descended along his spine to the ribs of his chest, his lower spine, hips, thighs, calves, and finally, his feet. He pictured magic flowing from his toes to his fingertips in that cycle, flowing through him. 

Eira and Rhosyn appeared minutes later, carrying three tomes with them. Wulfric followed behind them, annoyed but not protesting. 

“Sir, I understand that you are the master of this estate now and that you requested these books, but I feel I must state that Master Cerebrion would not allow such a thing. These manuals must remain in the library.” Wulfric said, standing at the edge of the stone circle and speaking directly to Luther. “They must be protected and–” 

“I understand, Wulfric.” Luther said. “I promise, I’m aware of my father’s rules regarding his library, and I do not seek to overturn them. But for now, an exception must be made.” 

“Please do not put them on the ground, sir.” Wulfric said. “In this fog–” 

Luther jumped from his meditation position to his feet, startling Wulfric into silence. 

“I promise.” Luther said, clapping the man on the shoulder. “Good man. Please bring me a table of some kind and a case where we might store the manuals when we’re not actively referencing them.” 

“Right away, sir.” Wulfric said. He stepped away so quickly that the others might have mistaken him for Criella. 

Luther examined the books that Eira and Rhosyn brought him, and he took the center one first. 

The human body was a complex organism consisting of many systems and materials. The fey form was even more complicated, with subtle differences in bone structure, muscular density, and internal systems. Luther’s demihuman body, a combination of half-fey and half-human, was a unique blend of the two. That fact might complicate matters, as every such specimen studied had its differences. Luther’s anatomy favored his fey ancestry, with his bone structure giving him a beautiful face, a tall skeleton, and preternatural speed and grace that he suspected were the consequences of fey tendons, slightly enhanced muscular density, and a more precise inner ear. 

The diagrams on the pages were helpful, but if Helena’s spell required him to picture his body, then he needed to ensure his spellcraft focused on his body and not someone else’s. He couldn’t risk the embarrassment of missing a bone in the reinforcement and breaking it by consequence. 

The others watched him as he studied, and they assisted the servants as they arrived to set up a table with a case for the books, as well as food and drink that Wulfric had sent for when they were ready to break their nightly fast. 

Luther closed the book and set it within its case. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. 

He repeated the spell in his mind without pushing magic into it: Bones of steel, tendons of many cords, and fibers of resilience. In his mind’s eye, he pictured the bones as his foundation. Then he layered in his joints and the tendons that connected his bones to his muscles. Lastly, he pictured the fibers of his muscles, letting his eyes roam his body as he pictured the muscles beneath his skin. 

“Think you have a solid foundation?” Helena asked, breaking the silence that had hung over the circle since Luther started reading. 

“Yes.” Luther decided. “Now I just need to figure out how to activate my arcana.” 

“Do you have a book on how to do that?” Rhosyn asked. 

Luther chuckled and shook his head. “No, not at all.” 

He moved to the center of the ring and took a fighting stance, his hands open in his preferred style. The others cleared the ring, giving him space but watching him with interest. Luther reached out with his senses, following the stream of his power to the collective pool. He repeated Helena’s spell, this time pouring magic into the recitation. 

The power within the pool flowed through the streams, but rather than filling the vessel of the spell and empowering it, the magic splashed against it, spilling and emptying itself into the aether. Luther stopped, grimaced, and tried again. 

He reached out to the magic and drew it toward him, trying to pull it into the spell, but the results were the same. 

Again and again, he tried. Again and again, he failed. No amount of meditation had any effect. Clearing his mind, picturing the spell, his body, and no amount of spellcraft could draw the magic into his flesh the way Helena could. 

“Perhaps if you try it at the same time.” Jo suggested, nodding to Helena after several minutes of Luther’s failure. 

Luther sighed, dejected, but Helena joined him in the ring without a word and stood beside him. She took up a different position, her fighting stance with her fists raised before her face. 

Helena’s eyes flashed red as she cast the spell. Luther felt the reservoir of energy churn as magic poured out into the stream connected to Helena. She drew the magic into herself just as before, and Luther did the same, attempting to mimic her. Yet when the magic poured into him, it splashed against his spell and fell aside once more. Was he not open to it? Was he not trying to pull it inside himself? Why did it work for her but not for him?

He followed the strand of power to its source, the churning reservoir, and felt its draw toward Helena as the power obeyed her command. Then, she cut it off and ended the spell. 

Luther frowned. “I can feel it.” He said. “I stand at the shore and can sense the magic flowing into you when you command it, but when I try, it refuses to enter me.” 

“That’s very poetic.” Jo said, approaching the pair. “But what does it mean, you stand at the shore?”

“The reservoir. The center of the streams that connect us to our shared power.” Luther said as if it were obvious. 

Jo and Helena looked at one another. 

“What?” Luther asked. 

“What exactly do you see when Helena activates her spell?” Jo asked. With her interest piqued, she gave Luther her full attention. 

“It’s not seeing, exactly, but more like a spiritual sense that I can envision in my imagination. I don’t know how to describe it exactly, but I can feel us connected through this web of streams with a central pool of power. Its streams connect each of us. Do you not feel that?” He asked. “Like we’ve multiplied our power together, and each borrows from it to produce our magic.” 

“That’s one way of describing the power of a union.” Jo said. “But I don’t think I can feel it or picture it the way you’re describing. For me, it’s a sense of simply having more magic to draw from. I don’t sense a reservoir or the powers of others when they use them. There’s just less power to draw on the next time I reach for it.” 

Luther frowned, checking the expressions of the others. “Okay.” He said, accepting her revelation. “So it’s different for me.” 

“Could that be connected to the arcana?” Helena asked. “Like, what was it like when you saw me use my spell?” 

“I saw you draw the power into yourself from our shared pool.” Luther said. “I tried to imitate it, but it didn’t work, so I stood at the pool and tried to push, but the result was the same. The magic washed over my spell and spilled away. It refused to fill me as it did you.” 

“So you picture these rivers and this lake, with magic being the water and us being the outlets.” Helena said. “Have you tried following one of the other rivers?” 

Luther rubbed his chin. He hadn’t. What would happen if he pushed his spirit beyond the edges of the pool of power and entered the stream of another? What if he stood within Helena’s vessel as she cast her spell? Would the power flow into him with her as she used her power? 

“Meditate with me?” Luther asked Helena. 

Helena nodded and dropped into a meditation form with Luther. Jo stood nearby, watching them. Eira and Rhosyn stood near the table, snacking quietly as they watched. 

Luther folded his legs beneath him and breathed deeply. He synchronized his breath to Helena’s. He wasn’t sure what this might require. Crafting a new spell wasn’t his expertise, but it made sense that he’d need to cast a spell to activate his arcana, as they did. Everyone did. The arcana was the natural ability, the manifestation of power. Spells directed it, shaped it, crafted it, and produced its effects. Magic was the power itself. To think of it as a blade: magic was the iron, spells were the tools that shaped it, and the arcana was its form, determining whether it was a sword, a dagger, a halberd, or some other weapon. 

So what spell did Luther need, assuming that his arcana was reproducing the arcanas of others? 

He focused on his spirit during meditation and cleared his mind once more. He sensed the presence of the reservoir and the stream of magic connecting him to it. Luther followed that stream into the pool as if walking alongside it, but found he couldn’t walk along the shore. A resistance, a void, hung between him. If he wanted to search the other streams, he had to swim. 

Luther entered the pool. The power churned at his touch, and the bottom dropped out beneath him. Magic swirled around him, pulling him under. He struggled against it, rushing back to the surface, his body panicking and his heartbeat spiking. 

He opened his eyes and fell out of his meditative stance, flung back into himself by the force of his exit from the pool. 

“What just happened?” Helena asked. “There’s less magic now. Not a lot, but you did something, right?” Helena asked, opening her eyes to look at Luther. 

Luther calmed himself, trying to breathe as if he’d just been underwater. Of course, he realized now in the waking world that this was a silly thing to do. He hadn’t been underwater. The magic couldn’t drown his spirit; it was part of his spirit. He had to embrace it. He had to swim. 

“Sorry.” Luther said. “I started something, but I panicked. This is new and kind of frightening.” 

“It’s okay.” Helena said, her voice soft. “We’re scared too, Luther, but we’re with you.” 

Luther smiled at her. “Here. Can we hold hands?”

“Of course, husband.” Helena said, adding the word as a reminder of their intimacy and partnership. She held his hand, and Luther imagined her grip was like a shield against all danger. 

His heart rate lowered, and his breathing stilled. He synchronized his breathing with Helena’s again, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind.

“Focus on Helena.” Jo suggested. “Listen to her calm and patient breathing if something dangerous happens again.”

Luther considered that good advice. He calmed his body and entered the meditative state once more. This time, he didn’t follow his stream to the pool; he swam through it. As soon as he entered the reservoir, the magic churned as if a storm had swirled its wrath. He dove rather than allow it to pull him, and he swam through its currents as his heart calmed at the sound of Helena’s breath. He reached Helena’s stream and swam into it. 

He followed her stream to its source, finding the water still and stagnant as it waited for her to pull it toward her. Despite its stillness, he swam beneath it, passing through it as though he were an ocean creature beneath a crystal lagoon. 

He reached the end of her channel, and his spirit fell into hers. It wasn’t psychomancy, reading her thoughts or seeing her memories, but he felt her spirit embrace his. The touch of two fluids, not mixing but blanketing one another in the void, swirling together as though something stirred them.

“I feel…” Helena hesitated, her breath catching. “Weird.” 

Luther withdrew, falling away from her spirit and back into the pool of power. 

“No!” Helena gasped, but it was too late. Luther had fallen back into himself, and he opened his eyes to see that Helena was staring at him. “Why did you stop?” 

“You said you felt strange.” Luther said. “I didn’t want to hurt you.” 

“I didn’t say it hurt.” Helena said, exasperated. “Besides, even if it did, I can withstand a bit of pain! What kind of warrior would I be if I couldn’t?” 

“I didn’t mean to insult you, either.” Luther said, frowning. “I was just… exploring, trying to see what I could do with that spiritual place between us.” 

“I felt your… presence.” Helena said. “I think. I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s like the rush of a hug without the physical contact. Like the electricity of your naked body pressed against mine, even though you sat far away.” 

“Well… that’s certainly more erotic than I experienced, but it did feel… intimate.” Luther summarized. 

“I want to try!” Rhosyn said, running over. 

“We should all try.” Jo said, joining Luther and Helena as they sat in meditation. 

Helena and Luther scooted somewhat, clearing room so that the five of them could sit in an equidistant circle. 

“So what is the spell?” Helena asked. 

“My spirit, through the stream to the pool, through the pool to your stream, through your stream to your spirit.” Luther said. 

“And that connected us?” Helena asked. 

“Kind of?” Luther said. “It was like… pressing up against you like you said, but I think I need to be inside of you.” 

“Men really do have a one-track mind.” Rhosyn said, causing Eira and Jo to stifle their laughter. 

“You’re not going to kick her for cracking jokes?” Luther asked, almost offended as he matched gazes with Helena and nodded toward Rohysn. 

“We were all thinking it.” Helena said, not angry at Rhosyn. Perhaps that was because they were making more progress than they had when Luther made light of the situation. “So what would the next step in the spell be, our spirits becoming one?” 

“I don’t know if that’s possible.” Luther said. “But… I think when I’m in your place when our spirits wrap around one another, I might be able to shift the density of my spirit, if that makes sense, and activate your arcana.” 

“Whatever works for you.” Helena said. “It's your magical mindscape thing.” 

And so he tried it again. He knew the path now, and his progress was quicker against the tide. He reached Helena’s spirit, embracing it with his own, mingling and swirling with her energy. He prodded and caressed her spirit, sorting out which of the two fluids was heavier than the other.

Helena’s breathing shifted, and she shivered as if Luther had kissed the most sensitive portion of her skin.

He focused on pulling his spirit into itself, matching Helena's density so he could occupy the same space as her. Slowly, his spirit grew heavier. Darker thoughts flashed through his mind, bringing memories of battles and regrets. When he was ready and felt a resonance between them, he pushed forward and slid his spirit into hers, occupying the breach with her. 

Then Luther repeated the process of her spell. He pictured his body and built it as quickly as he could—bones of steel, tendons of many cords, and fibers of resilience. He summoned the magic, pulling it toward him once more. There was no flash in his eyes nor Helena’s, but he felt the magic pour into him as it had her. It filled him, fueled him, and empowered him, hardening his body and stilling his heart. 

He released the magic instantly, gasping and opening his eyes as he pounded his chest over his heart. It was beating, but the spell had nearly stopped it. 

“What happened?” Helena asked. “Did it work?” 

“I… I think I did it.” Luther said. “I copied your spell. But it nearly killed me. My heart nearly stopped.” 

“Your heart nearly stopped?” Helena asked, confused. “Didn’t you include it in your spell?” 

“Why would I include it in my spell?” Luther asked, surprised. 

“It’s a muscle!” Helena said. “You idiot! I told you how dangerous this was! You could have died!” 

“It’s not a muscle! It’s an organ!” Luther protested. “Gods above woman!” 

“No, it isn’t!” Helena argued. 

“Ye,s it is!” Luther spat back. 

“BOTH OF YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT!” Jo shouted, her voice thundering through the ring as she used a trick of magic to increase her volume. 

Helena and Luther stopped arguing and turned to stare at her as though she were the adult who caught two small children in their tussle. 

“You found your arcana!” Jo said, releasing the spell, pushing forward to her knees, and throwing herself over Luther in a hug. 

Helena laughed. “Holy shit! That’s right!” She said. “It worked!” 

“We might not die after all!” Rhosyn said, throwing herself onto the pile of Luther (now on his back) and Jo. She pulled Eira after her. 

Helena laughed and fell back to recline on her hands with her legs out before her, watching her spouses hug and kiss one another in their celebration. 

“Holy shit.” Helena said. “We married a living legend.”