I Fail at Magic

[00:00:01] Artifacts of the Arcane, by Jake Kerr, Season 1, The Staff of Light.

[00:00:13] Episode 8, I Fail at Magic.

[00:00:18] I awoke in so much pain, I was afraid to move. As I opened my eyes, Mr. Ali came forward.

[00:00:26] His shoulder was bandaged, his armor was still damaged but clean. All in all, he looked much better.

[00:00:33] Tommy, there is a lot we need to talk about, but we must heal you first, do you understand?

[00:00:39] Healing me would be good, I replied. I winced as I stretched my leg.

[00:00:44] Mr. Ali nodded.

[00:00:46] I want you to be quiet and relax as much as possible while I do a small healing spell.

[00:00:52] Will it hurt? No, but don't expect much. You will still be sore.

[00:00:57] I can live with sore. I smiled. I wanted to appear brave to Naomi, but when I glanced over she appeared to be asleep.

[00:01:06] Mr. Ali put his hand on my head again. He said a few words in Pharisee, and I felt a warmth flow from my head down to my toes.

[00:01:14] I felt more relaxed, and although the pain didn't go away, it felt more bearable.

[00:01:19] He repeated the process three times, and each time the pain felt slightly better.

[00:01:25] You have been very brave, Tommy.

[00:01:27] Mr. Ali whispered.

[00:01:29] He walked over and pulled a chair over to mine.

[00:01:32] He sat down, leaned forward, and folded his hands between his knees.

[00:01:36] Are you okay?

[00:01:38] I nodded, although I didn't feel okay at all.

[00:01:41] That's good. We are finally safe on this train, and there is a lot you should know.

[00:01:46] We have about two hours before we reach our destination, and I want to answer any questions you have and tell you about things that you need to know.

[00:01:54] Is now a good time, or would you like your healing to progress some more?

[00:01:59] As I focused on my hip, I realized that most of the pain was gone.

[00:02:04] It was replaced by a throbbing ache and even a slight numbness.

[00:02:09] Without looking up, I whispered, now is good.

[00:02:12] There was a pause, and then Mr. Ali sighed.

[00:02:16] Very well.

[00:02:17] His voice regained its former strength, if not its joyful lilt, and he continued.

[00:02:24] Before I begin, Tommy, is there anything you would like to ask me first?

[00:02:28] I looked up at him.

[00:02:29] And without thinking, and without knowing why the words came to my lips, I asked,

[00:02:34] Is grandfather dead?

[00:02:37] Mr. Ali's face looked pained, but he quickly regained his composure.

[00:02:42] I don't know the answer to that question, Tommy.

[00:02:45] I asked the engineer, who knew nothing, and I didn't have time to ask the waymaster to find out.

[00:02:50] At the mention of Naomi's mother, I quickly glanced at her.

[00:02:54] She was staring at us and clearly eavesdropping, but her face was blank.

[00:02:59] I'm glad you mentioned your grandfather, as that is as good a place to start as any.

[00:03:04] He may be alive.

[00:03:06] He is alive.

[00:03:08] I stated it with firmness, as a fact.

[00:03:12] I knew it was true.

[00:03:13] It had to be true.

[00:03:15] Mr. Ali paused and then nodded.

[00:03:18] Yes, he is a mighty warrior, and one of the greatest archmages in history.

[00:03:23] He very well may be alive.

[00:03:25] So let me tell you about him.

[00:03:27] We do not have time for me to tell you his entire history.

[00:03:30] But he was marked from his youth for greatness.

[00:03:35] My awareness of my surroundings started to fade as I focused on Mr. Ali, describing my grandfather

[00:03:42] in ways I would never have considered mere days before.

[00:03:45] The man who I defined by his gruff affection and the tapping of his cane as he hobbled along

[00:03:51] behind it was actually a mighty warrior.

[00:03:54] As you will find out as you progress in your learning, Tommy, each archmage wields the staff

[00:03:59] in different ways.

[00:04:01] As I mentioned, some have been healers.

[00:04:03] Others have had power over nature.

[00:04:05] Still others have been great creators, building things like the Great Pyramids with little more

[00:04:11] than the movement of the staff.

[00:04:13] This process takes time, but your grandfather immediately knew his calling, which was to

[00:04:19] make peace within the magical realm by the force of his terrible power with the staff.

[00:04:24] Terrible power?

[00:04:26] I asked.

[00:04:26] This is difficult to describe to one so young, and it will sound like evil, but I assure you

[00:04:32] it is not.

[00:04:33] Your grandfather was a great master of destruction.

[00:04:36] When he was wielding the staff, whole armies would be torn asunder.

[00:04:41] It is forever to his credit that he always used his power to defeat evil and to bring peace.

[00:04:46] But he was never afraid to use his power to its greatest limits.

[00:04:51] In a very short time, through nothing more than his efforts, age-old rivalries and wars were stopped.

[00:04:59] The rivals too afraid of your grandfather's wrath to raise arms against each other.

[00:05:03] He defended the English from the Germans, and yet helped my people by forcing the English

[00:05:08] to leave Persia.

[00:05:10] Your grandfather aligned himself with no one.

[00:05:13] Mr. Ali paused, but I didn't say anything.

[00:05:16] I had nothing to say.

[00:05:18] All I wanted was to hear more.

[00:05:21] As if deciding on whether to go on, Mr. Ali stammered over the next few words.

[00:05:27] Except...

[00:05:28] Except for the shadows.

[00:05:30] The shadows that attacked us?

[00:05:32] I asked breathlessly.

[00:05:34] Yes, he answered.

[00:05:35] The shadows are creatures of pure magic.

[00:05:38] They are both incredibly weak and immensely powerful.

[00:05:41] They are weak because they can easily be stopped by magical or artificial light, as you saw.

[00:05:47] Despite that, they are strong because they can't absorb anything into their darkness.

[00:05:52] Living, dead, mineral, vegetable.

[00:05:54] Nothing can resist them.

[00:05:57] This led to great fear, as you might imagine.

[00:06:01] Every culture has stories about monsters waiting in the dark.

[00:06:04] And all these stories emanate from a fear of the shadows.

[00:06:08] I nodded.

[00:06:09] It all made sense.

[00:06:10] But the shadows are misunderstood, Tommy.

[00:06:13] They just want to be left alone.

[00:06:15] But they attacked Grandfather and me.

[00:06:18] I thought of the attack in the alley.

[00:06:20] Fear of the shadows didn't seem unreasonable.

[00:06:23] Ah, yes.

[00:06:25] That.

[00:06:26] Mr. Ali sighed.

[00:06:28] To understand that, let me point out one thing that has changed in the last 40 years or so.

[00:06:34] Electric light.

[00:06:35] The shadows are being hurt by the invention and spread of electric light?

[00:06:40] Very good, Tommy.

[00:06:42] Ali replied.

[00:06:43] Yes.

[00:06:44] The shadows have been driven from the cities due to Edison's creation of an efficient light bulb.

[00:06:49] He turned back to me.

[00:06:51] But that did not bother them.

[00:06:53] It was a concerted effort in Europe to destroy them.

[00:06:56] After millennia of powerlessness and irrational fear, the world now had a weapon to destroy the shadows.

[00:07:04] And they used that power relentlessly.

[00:07:07] Your grandfather saw the truth and used his own powers to stop the massacres.

[00:07:12] I looked at the staff and immediately saw the hole in Mr. Ali's story.

[00:07:17] But the world did have a weapon.

[00:07:19] Magical light.

[00:07:20] Chuckling, Mr. Ali replied.

[00:07:22] This may be hard to believe, Tommy, as it was the first skill you have learned.

[00:07:27] But magical light is immensely difficult to create.

[00:07:31] Your grandfather, who could conjure explosions that would level a city, could not create even a spark of light.

[00:07:38] Such is true for nearly everyone.

[00:07:40] And even those that can create a minor glow must work tremendously hard and spend years of study to do so.

[00:07:48] I turned in my chair and winced.

[00:07:49] How is your leg?

[00:07:51] Mr. Ali asked.

[00:07:53] I stretched my leg.

[00:07:54] It's sore.

[00:07:55] I made myself comfortable on the chair and then asked.

[00:07:59] So, grandfather defended the shadows?

[00:08:02] Indeed.

[00:08:03] The story is more complicated than that, of course.

[00:08:06] Thirty years ago, a great leader in Europe approached the shadows about joining his army to conquer the world.

[00:08:12] And when they refused, he swore to destroy them.

[00:08:16] As everyone hated the shadows, they had no one to help them.

[00:08:21] Declan, your grandfather, did what he always does.

[00:08:24] He defended the powerless, despite the fear that everyone had of them.

[00:08:29] In the end, he helped defeat the armies amassed against the world and the forces amassed against the shadows.

[00:08:36] Vingrosh, their leader, owes the existence of his people to your grandfather.

[00:08:42] But he is the one who attacked us.

[00:08:45] Yes, he is.

[00:08:47] Mr. Ali fell silent.

[00:08:49] But why?

[00:08:51] There was a long pause.

[00:08:53] I looked at Mr. Ali, his face lost in thought.

[00:08:56] There was no dawning comprehension, no sudden insight.

[00:08:59] He just looked at me and replied,

[00:09:02] I have an idea, but I am not sure.

[00:09:05] I didn't know what to say.

[00:09:06] It all sounded rather ominous.

[00:09:08] Friends of my grandfather attacking him and me.

[00:09:11] I was not stupid.

[00:09:13] I knew that Mr. Ali was talking about the Great War.

[00:09:16] But I was taught the war was about German aggression, not magical creatures.

[00:09:21] How much didn't I know?

[00:09:22] I had read the news about what was currently happening in Germany and Europe.

[00:09:26] Was it related to the shadows again?

[00:09:29] Was it more of the same or was it different?

[00:09:32] One thing I did know was that it was much more personal than I had ever known.

[00:09:37] My family was part of these horrific world events.

[00:09:40] I found it overwhelming.

[00:09:41] But I have to admit that I felt it thrilling as well.

[00:09:45] My grandfather had defeated armies and he did it with the staff that I now had in my hands.

[00:09:52] Perhaps someday I could defeat armies too.

[00:09:54] With another gap in the conversation, Naomi suddenly spoke up.

[00:09:59] So the Archmage is dead.

[00:10:02] Her voice was choked with emotion.

[00:10:04] I don't know what her connection was to my grandfather, but she was clearly distraught.

[00:10:09] Her blank face had turned into one twisted with incredulity and sadness.

[00:10:15] Certainly not, Miss Naomi.

[00:10:17] He stands here in front of you.

[00:10:19] Mr. Ali bowed his head in my direction.

[00:10:22] Him.

[00:10:23] She practically spat the words.

[00:10:26] He is hardly an Archmage.

[00:10:28] He couldn't even defeat a room full of Djinn.

[00:10:30] He's not a warrior.

[00:10:31] He's a...

[00:10:32] He's a streetlight.

[00:10:34] Mr. Ali looked shocked.

[00:10:36] I'm not sure he knew how to deal with the combination of a young lady of some magical skill and a voice of impudence and disrespect.

[00:10:44] She stood up and walked over to us.

[00:10:47] I straightened in my chair, not knowing what was going to happen.

[00:10:51] Naomi looked glorious and terrible as she stood, her hands shaking, facing me and Mr. Ali.

[00:10:59] The Archmage would have wiped the skies of Djinn in moments.

[00:11:04] He...

[00:11:05] She stabbed her finger in the direction of my face.

[00:11:08] Allowed my mother to die.

[00:11:11] With the quickness of a cat, she swung her palm at my face.

[00:11:15] But Mr. Ali was quicker.

[00:11:17] His hand shot out and grabbed Naomi's arm, stopping it inches from my cheek.

[00:11:22] He gently, but forcefully, moved her hand down to her side.

[00:11:27] He stood up, put his arm around her shoulders, and gently turned her away from me.

[00:11:32] Your anger is justified, but misplaced.

[00:11:36] He squeezed her shoulder and led her back to her seat.

[00:11:40] We all owe you great apologies.

[00:11:42] You have been through a trauma even greater than Tommy's leg, and yet we left you all alone, ignoring your pain.

[00:11:49] Mr. Ali was going to say something else when Naomi violently pulled herself away from him.

[00:11:56] I don't need your pity or your calming spells.

[00:11:59] I'm used to being alone.

[00:12:00] I have my own spells.

[00:12:02] She sat down and glared at me.

[00:12:05] She started making movements with her hands that looked oddly familiar.

[00:12:10] Mr. Ali immediately raised his voice and moved between Naomi and me.

[00:12:16] Don't be foolish.

[00:12:17] I can only excuse so much.

[00:12:19] I couldn't see her, but her voice was bitter.

[00:12:22] I was just practicing.

[00:12:24] At least one of us should be useful if we are attacked.

[00:12:28] His head shaking, Mr. Ali turned and walked back to me.

[00:12:33] He pulled his chair closer, sat down, and put his head near mine.

[00:12:38] In clipped tones, he whispered,

[00:12:41] She is in shock.

[00:12:43] We must excuse her behavior.

[00:12:46] She doesn't mean it.

[00:12:47] I looked over at her.

[00:12:49] Her chest was heaving, her body barely containing her anger.

[00:12:53] She certainly looked like she hated me and that she meant it with every bit of her being.

[00:12:59] The thing is, I knew how she felt finding herself alone.

[00:13:03] I had lost my parents.

[00:13:04] My grandfather, for how much I loved him, kept me alone in his townhouse.

[00:13:10] Even boarding school was a lonely experience.

[00:13:14] Mr. Ali must have noticed me looking at Naomi as he raised his voice from his whisper.

[00:13:20] This is not the time for anger, but for learning.

[00:13:23] He left a meaningful pause and then continued.

[00:13:27] Tommy, we don't have much time, and we still need to discuss the staff.

[00:13:32] But I would like to answer any other questions you may have.

[00:13:35] My mind was a blank, but I knew that I had countless questions.

[00:13:39] My eyesight drifted out the window to the terrain zooming by.

[00:13:44] And the obvious question came to me.

[00:13:47] Where are we going?

[00:13:49] Ah, I forgot that you were asleep when we discussed our travels.

[00:13:53] We are going to London.

[00:13:55] Mr. Ali's voice was flat, as if he wasn't happy about our destination.

[00:14:00] It is a great center of magic, and we will be safe there.

[00:14:04] We can use the time to talk, train, and plan what to do next with the master magicians who are there.

[00:14:11] Can they help me find Grandfather?

[00:14:14] Mr. Ali paused, and then replied,

[00:14:17] Perhaps.

[00:14:19] Regardless, they will need to hear about the attack on the fortress in New York,

[00:14:23] and can perhaps give us information about what machinations are behind these strange events.

[00:14:29] I couldn't help but wonder why Mr. Ali wasn't excited about going to a center of magic.

[00:14:35] Wouldn't that be the best place for me to learn?

[00:14:38] Wouldn't those be the people who would best help me save my Grandfather?

[00:14:42] I looked out the window, thinking about the uncertain future that was ahead me.

[00:14:47] When it hit me, we were on a train.

[00:14:50] How can we be going to London?

[00:14:52] We are on a train, Mr. Ali.

[00:14:55] Mr. Ali smiled.

[00:14:57] I'm glad you asked, Tommy.

[00:14:58] This brings our lesson full circle.

[00:15:01] You understand about technology and science.

[00:15:04] I nodded.

[00:15:06] Yes.

[00:15:06] And you understand about magic?

[00:15:08] I didn't know much about magic, but I didn't want to interrupt Mr. Ali, so I nodded yes again.

[00:15:14] Well, the two disciplines are nearly always in conflict.

[00:15:19] Yet, sometimes, rarely, the two can be combined to create something amazing that independently can't be done by one or the other.

[00:15:27] The modern locomotive is a great example of that.

[00:15:30] Delivering such a great vehicle with magic alone would be near impossible.

[00:15:35] Similarly, reaching the speeds this train does and its ability to skim over water is an impossibility for technology.

[00:15:42] Isn't it wonderful?

[00:15:44] It's amazing.

[00:15:46] Mr. Ali shook his head.

[00:15:48] But here's the thing, Tommy.

[00:15:50] This train is a rarity.

[00:15:52] Magic is dying in the world because technology has proven more powerful.

[00:15:57] This magical locomotive is even now barely better than an airplane.

[00:16:02] Someday, it will not be.

[00:16:04] Remember our discussion of the shadows.

[00:16:07] They see this.

[00:16:08] All magical creatures see this.

[00:16:10] I neglected to say it earlier, but this is why I believe the shadows attack you and your grandfather.

[00:16:16] They want magic to leave the world, for the world to forget them.

[00:16:20] To forget magic.

[00:16:21] To allow them their own valleys, their own lands.

[00:16:25] It will provide them peace.

[00:16:28] I thought back to the conversation grandfather had with Mr. Ali in the restaurant.

[00:16:32] So getting rid of the staff will accelerate the disappearance of magic?

[00:16:37] I thought back to the newsreels and the motion pictures at the Ziegfeld Theater.

[00:16:43] Magic was nowhere to be seen.

[00:16:45] I knew of magic being used in the war.

[00:16:47] But it was considered a small part.

[00:16:49] An important part, but a small part.

[00:16:51] Like cryptography and spying.

[00:16:54] Yes, and if we are honest with ourselves, this is a good thing.

[00:16:58] Magic has rarely been used for good in our history.

[00:17:01] Mr. Ali was about to continue his thought, but Naomi interrupted.

[00:17:06] That is a lie.

[00:17:07] She leaned forward in her chair.

[00:17:10] Magic has been an undeniable force for good.

[00:17:13] It has saved millions of lives.

[00:17:15] It has defeated tyrants.

[00:17:17] It has united countries.

[00:17:18] It sounded like she was reciting some pledge from school, but I found the passion and the words powerful.

[00:17:24] I couldn't help but agree with her.

[00:17:27] I didn't want to disagree openly with Mr. Ali.

[00:17:30] But I thought that maybe Naomi would think better of me for doing so.

[00:17:35] And after all, I did actually agree with her.

[00:17:38] Naomi is right.

[00:17:39] How can a force be evil or good?

[00:17:42] You could say the same of technology.

[00:17:44] Is electricity evil or good?

[00:17:45] You are too young to understand, Mr. Ali replied calmly.

[00:17:51] And you are old and cynical.

[00:17:53] Naomi squinted her eyes at Mr. Ali.

[00:17:56] Part of me admired her ability to just confront anyone.

[00:18:00] I doubted I could ever be like that.

[00:18:03] I glanced at Mr. Ali.

[00:18:05] His face was turning red and he was clenching his teeth.

[00:18:09] I wanted to stop her from fighting with Mr. Ali.

[00:18:12] So I interjected.

[00:18:14] Mr. Ali.

[00:18:15] You said you would teach me about the staff.

[00:18:17] The words came out awkward and I felt stupid.

[00:18:20] But Mr. Ali turned to me and smiled.

[00:18:24] Yes, Tommy.

[00:18:25] I am not so cynical that I would avoid teaching you of the staff.

[00:18:28] He shot a glance at Naomi and then pulled his chair closer to mine.

[00:18:33] We run low on time, so I can't tell you much of its history.

[00:18:37] But we have time for me to let you know how to unlock its secrets.

[00:18:42] Perhaps some of those secrets will even be revealed to you.

[00:18:45] That is my hope at least.

[00:18:47] And for the next 90 minutes, Mr. Ali went into great detail

[00:18:51] explaining things that made no sense to me.

[00:18:54] Worse, he was telling me things that I knew to be patently false.

[00:18:58] He talked about understanding the runes that lined the staff.

[00:19:02] But I knew that they had nothing to do with speaking to it or understanding it.

[00:19:07] I didn't want to hurt Mr. Ali's feelings.

[00:19:09] So I listened closely and worked through his exercises.

[00:19:13] He set me numerous tasks.

[00:19:15] I failed at everything.

[00:19:17] But I kept trying.

[00:19:18] It would have been easy to get discouraged by my lack of progress.

[00:19:22] But I knew that this wasn't even the correct process.

[00:19:26] So I soldiered on to make Mr. Ali happy.

[00:19:29] The worst part was knowing Naomi was watching.

[00:19:32] At one point, I tried to lift a coffee mug with the staff.

[00:19:36] And to my shock, it began to rise.

[00:19:39] Mr. Ali was thrilled and gave me a hearty good job.

[00:19:43] But I knew that it wasn't me.

[00:19:45] I quickly dropped the end of the staff and the mug dropped to the table.

[00:19:50] I glanced over at Naomi in time to see her stretching her fingers and smiling.

[00:19:56] I wanted to think that she was trying to help me.

[00:19:58] But I knew that it was just her subtle way of mocking my incompetence.

[00:20:03] I slammed the base of the staff to the floor.

[00:20:05] Tommy, I know you are frustrated at the difficulty of learning these rune movements.

[00:20:10] But trust me, you are doing fantastic.

[00:20:13] You may even be able to do lower level magic consistently in a year or two.

[00:20:17] And precious few archmages are able to learn the inner workings of the staff that quickly.

[00:20:23] I glanced at Naomi, who rolled her eyes.

[00:20:26] Our conversation was interrupted by the train's whistle.

[00:20:30] Mr. Ali stood and clapped his hands.

[00:20:32] We have arrived in London.

[00:20:34] Wait here.

[00:20:35] We will disembark shortly.

[00:20:36] He walked through to the front of the train, closing the door behind him.

[00:20:41] Naomi looked at me, her face unreadable.

[00:20:44] I tapped the staff on the floor nervously.

[00:20:47] Finally, I spoke up.

[00:20:49] I know what it's like.

[00:20:51] Being alone.

[00:20:53] She didn't say anything in response.

[00:20:55] The train brake squealed as we slowed down, and I braced my feet and glanced at her again.

[00:21:00] It may have been the momentum of the train, but I swore I saw her nod her head in response.