He was not recognizable any more. Gould’s magic had twisted his mind and body into something else, something dark, a demon capable of wielding god magic.”
“What is the difference in god magic and mage magic?” asked Jonas.
“I’ll speak to that, good merchant,” interjected Allindrian. “God magic is magic freely given from a god or saint. The magic is given to a devout follower to further the cause of the god that grants the power. The elves call the energy of all things the Ru’Ach and we believe that everything you see is made from this energy. Human belief is different and I will not get into that now, but, in the case of Malbeck, he was fed magic from the most powerful of the Forsworn, which is Gould.” Again the men all made the warding mark of the High One. Allindrian noticed Jonas and Fil staring at the men when they made the four pointed mark on their chest. “It is believed by some that just mentioning Gould’s name, or Naz-reen, goddess of the dark and killing, or Dykreel, god of torture and pain, that you open your heart and soul to their powers. The three together are called the Forsworn.”
“Is that true? The opening your heart part?” asked Fil.
“It can be. You see, Fil, there are men of pure heart and soul that cannot be corrupted by the mere mentioning of a name, but these men are few. Airos was one, incorruptible by evil, but almost all men have a speck of darkness in them, a part of them that, under the right circumstances, can let in that evil…anger, jealousy, envy, greed; emotions that can slowly let in the vile filth until the dark poison has completely taken over. Everyone has to be on constant guard for this poison. Naz-reen is the best at this. She uses intrigue and plot over many years to slowly turn the hearts of men black, so they may come to serve her.”
“Airos told me that my soul was pure,” Jonas said softly as he remembered the conversation he had had with Airos.
Allindrian looked at him with wonder. She stared deeply into his eyes for a few moments as if she were searching for something. Jonas looked away; he could not stare at her without blushing. “That is indeed something, Jonas,” Allindrian finally said. “Airos would not be able to lie, and he did have the power to look into the hearts of men. You are indeed a special young man, for having a pure soul is rare, very rare indeed.”
There was a long pause before Fil interrupted the silence. “What is regular magic then, Allindrian?” he asked.
Allindrian broke her gaze from Jonas and looked at Fil before answering. “Mage magic comes from nature, from the Ru’Ach, which is everything around us. Everything you see has energy, the trees, grass, rocks, stars…..everything.” Allindrian held out her hand and murmured a few quick words. Blue fire leaped from her hand, flickering a foot in the air. Fil and Jonas jumped back in surprise. “This is mage magic.”
“You are a sorceress?” asked Jonas in awe. He had never before seen magic.
“Yes, I have some magical power, but not much. I have spent my life studying combat, and if you want to become powerful in magic you must devote your life to the study. Most cannot do it and that is why wizards are very rare. Kings may have court wizards but a powerful mage is rare indeed. My elven blood has made it easier to learn magic, for elves are more connected to nature than are humans. There are words of power that give magic users access to the energy of the Ru’Ach.” She closed her hand and the leaping blue flame disappeared. “Since elves are the oldest of the races, we have a stronger link to the Ru’Ach. Our ancient language gives us access to the river of power. Elven wizards, or ekahals, get their power from the Ru’Ach. The ancient elves created magic from the Ru’Ach and all forms of magic use come from the skills that they developed thousands of lifetimes ago. It is not the power that is good or evil, but the person that directs the magic. Certain words and careful study give magic users access to the source of power, which is the Ru’Ach. Elves use the true source, the ancient elven language that is heavily guarded and not taught to outsiders. The common elven tongue is a dialect that