“Come on,” Vayner hissed at the tablet at his feet, “take Gods damn you.”
The tablet, a piece of slate fifteen inches by fifteen inches, stayed stubbornly still at his feet. At the centre of the tablet was a small circular hole two inches across.
Vayner groaned, looking over at his notes. According to the transcription, the spell should take by now, creating a light at the centre of the tablet. The light would then reverse gravity, forcing the tablet to hover in the air. Not much, but it was something. If he could do this, he could demonstrate that the Ancient Words were more than just a religious chant from ages gone by, they did something.
Vayner sighed, calming his mind once more. Magic in the modern day was a natural thing, like breathing. Anyone could do it, to varying degrees, and if you went to the right School you could learn to harness the power even further.
But the Ancient’s didn’t have the luxury of Traana’s gift. They lived in a time before the Gods ascended to the mountains, before everyone was gifted natural magics-
One more try, Vayner thought. He had to give it a go it should work.
He hummed the start of the chant, placing his finger over the edge of the tablet and drawing it from one corner to the other, following the tablet’s outer edge. He could feel the magic travel through the air to his finger, following the pattern around the edge of the tablet-
There, Vayner thought. A small break in the flow, where the magic got tugged into the tablet by something else.
“Aeshv,” Vayner whispered.
This time the magic followed his command. Instead of dissipating, it flowed into the tablet, running down the grooves he had carefully carved out into slate. The slate began to shudder gently, vibrations running through it.
The magic slowly slipped out of the edges of the grooves, pooling in the hole in the centre. This time, the magic began to swirl around itself, forming a small yellow ball in the centre of the slate.
The slate itself began to lift, ever so slightly off the floor. It wobbled upwards until it was almost half a foot in the air.
It’s true, Vayner thought, the stories a real.
In a flash, the magic vanished. Vayner snatched the slate from the air as it tumbled back to the floor, lest it get damaged. It was warm to the touch, something that he’d not recorded before.
Let’s make some notes, Vayner thought, then we go for experiment number two – working out how the Ancients flew.
Stories on a Theme is a writing challenge to write flashfictions set on a particular Weekly Theme. It’s running from 6th July to 30th August – Check out my IG for more info on how to join in!
- The Document (A Teacup Story)“You got it?” Fethna asked as Nattali got into the car. “Ye of little faith,” Nattali said, pulling out the folder from under her jacket. It hadn’t been a particularly hard … More The Document (A Teacup Story)
- New Love (A Teacup Story)“So,” Iuen asked, “what do you think?” Ealia looked over at Iuen. Part of her wondered absently if he would ever get the grass stains out of his grey officers robes. … More New Love (A Teacup Story)
- After the Battle (A Teacup Story)“How are you doing, now?” Yinla asked. Oaleth poked the fire with the end of a stick. The smoke curled upwards into the night sky. “That’s a loaded question,” he replied, … More After the Battle (A Teacup Story)
- Daylight (100 Words)Minria peered out of the crack in the door. She could see the daylight streaming through the gap, illuminating the dust motes of their hide out. Three months Below had been … More Daylight (100 Words)
- Peace (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)“What do you think?” Ilyen asked, taking another bite out of his dinner. The burrito juice dribbled out of the end of the paper wrapping, spilling onto the metal of the … More Peace (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)
- A Green World (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)Nadine woke to the sound of birds singing. It was still weird, to hear that instead of the constant hum of the city traffic. Even after fifty years of the banning … More A Green World (Stories on a Theme – “Hope”)
