“Concentrate, Master Delgar,” Velnan said. “I want it to grow by two inches, with orderly leaves, and then I want it to shrink by three inches.” He sat back in the winter sunlight and looked at the fern.
    Delgar stared at the plant, focusing. The life forces wound around the leaves and stem, pulling him in. With a flicker of his mind, he touched one of the strands of energy, carefully nourishing and directing it.
    As he watched, the fern flourished in front of him, until he had it exactly where he wanted it. Then, he began to shrink the fern, cutting off its lines to the earth and sun, depriving it of its nourishment. The fern shrunk, almost dying, but Delgar restored some of the connecting life forces and the plant blossomed to life again.
    Velnan smiled. “Excellent! You’re finally getting good at this.”
    “I’m getting as much practice in as I can,” Delgar said.
    Velnan nodded. “It shows. Your natural talents are beginning to show themselves.”
    Delgar chuckled. “Well, it was either that or have Jenara put scorpions in my bed, and I decided I didn’t really want to sleep with scorpions.”
    Velnan smiled. “So that’s the cause of the change. Good for her. Now that you are becoming proficient with plants, it is time to move into another element: the air. Then, I think you’ll be caught up with the others.”
    Delgar nodded.
    “Now, Master Delgar, what forces lie in the element of air?”
    Delgar thought for a moment. “Wind, fire and light.”
    “And fire is also linked with?”
    “The element of earth.”
    “Correct. And which of these forces can you influence?”
    “Fire and light?”
    Velnan shook his head. “You’re forgetting your theory. If there is a force, a magician can influence it.”
    “All.”
    “Right. We will begin with wind. Concentrate, and tell me what you see in the air.”
    Delgar closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. The forces of wind and light intertwined before him, delicate as a spider’s web. There was a gentle breeze, and the lines of force wavered, almost breaking.
    “I see glowing lines of force,” Delgar said, opening his eyes. The weave of energy faded until it was nearly transparent. “They’re so delicate.”
    “They are also very easy to manipulate,” Velnan stated. “And they are very powerful. With the wind you can create cyclones, and with fire you can create balls of flame. The air is the source of almost all battle-magic, and you must learn some.”
    “Why?” Delgar asked. “I don’t plan to get into any fights.”
    Velnan shook his head. “The world does not respect your plans and wishes, Master Delgar. You may not intend to fight with magic, but you may have to. And you must be prepared. I am now going to teach you magic of destruction. Remember, it must always be used as a last resort.”
    Delgar shook his head gravely, lost in thought. The force lines disappeared before his eyes.
    “Now,” Velnan said, bringing out a candle. “Are you feeling up to lighting this candle, or have you used too much power today?”
    “I feel fine,” Delgar said. “How do I light the candle?”
    “You have to-”
    A deafening explosion sounded, causing both Delgar and Velnan to flinch. As they recovered their wits, the smell of sulphur filled the air.
    “Ignar!” Velnan cursed. “Excuse me, Delgar.”
    Velnan stalked out of the laboratory, leaving Delgar alone with his candle. Delgar glanced at the candle, and with a burst of focus brought the force lines of the air back into sight.
    To light a candle requires fire, Delgar thought. And to make fire you need heat. To make heat you need light. Delgar leaned forward, reaching out to the strands of sunlight, stretching them until they lit upon the candle’s wick.
    The candle did nothing. Delgar sat back for a moment, scratching his chin. Theoretically, it shouldn’t be difficult. It shouldn’t require arcane words, merely focus. He already knew how to manipulate some forces, so the others couldn’t be too hard. So why wasn’t it working?
    Velnan shouting something down the corridor, and another voice replied calmly but loudly. Delgar shook his head and turned back to the candle, bringing up the lines of force. Several of the lines of sunlight still lay on the candle.
    The knowledge came to him as though he had always known it. It was his power that manipulated the forces, not the forces themselves. They were merely tools. He felt the harmony washing though his body like a blissful wave, and he focused his mind on the candle, reinforcing the silky lines of sunlight with his own strength.
    The wick burst into flame.
    Delgar sat back, gazing out the window at the snowy park below. He had done it, without any help. He looked back at the candle, and with a quick manipulation of the wind currents, snuffed it out.
    A grin lighted up his face. He could do it. He extended his will, and the candle lit with the greatest of ease. Suddenly, he felt some other power swirling around him. He blinked, startled, but then a long-forgotten word came to mind.
    Wyrd.
    He was plunged into a vision of ice and death. A great wall of ice crushed through a forest, driving all the forest dwellers out of the living woods, drinking the very life energies themselves. And the sky was filled with Dragons.
    Delgar blinked, and then he was back, staring at a lit candle on a wooden table. For a moment he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Could he have tapped into some unknown resource? He looked at the candle again, watching the silky forces around it. A quick manipulation of wind snuffed it out.
    “Very good!” Delgar heard, and he turned around to see Velnan standing behind him. “Now do it again.”
    Delgar turned back to the candle, focusing on the forces around it. As he felt the harmony swirl through him, he reached out with his mind and began to manipulate the silky lines of sunlight.
    Nothing happened.
    Delgar frowned and tried again. The candle’s wick remained free of flame.
    “Do you remember what you did, Master Delgar?” Velnan asked.
    Delgar tried to remember the harmony flowing through him, the knowledge he had possessed, but instead of the earlier revelation the image of the glacier burst into his thoughts. He forced it down, but to no avail; his mind remained a blank as far as the candle was concerned.
    Finally, he shook his head. “I can’t remember.”
    Velnan sat down opposite the candle. “Well, I saw you light it, so I know you can. Now we just have to remember how you did it. Do you want me to guide you through it?”
    Delgar nodded.
    “Very well,” Velnan said. “The forces of the wind must be carefully but firmly manipulated. You must encourage them with your own strength. Although they are more fragile, they are also harder to manipulate. But, above all else, take care. Let Ignar’s mistake serve as an example.”
    Delgar blinked. “Who is Ignar and what did he do?”
    “Ignar is the fool that created that explosion a moment ago,” Velnan said. “He is an Archmage, but just barely. He majored in battle and control magic, and has recently been experimenting with summoning spells.”
    “Summoning spells?” Delgar interrupted. “What are those?”
    “They allow you to summon the image of a creature from the forces in an element and give it some life,” Velnan said. “So, you could create a creature of water and have it perform a task for you.”
    “Could you summon a living creature?” Delgar asked.
    Velnan nodded. “In theory, yes. However, that is forbidden, for it is the worst kind of control magic. I fear that some day an Archmage will cross that line, but none have yet.
    “Now, to return to the lesson, Ignar is very reckless and does not exercise proper control. Just now, he nearly destroyed the laboratory he was working in. I fear that if he continues like this, he will be expelled from his position in the Mageschool.”
    Somehow, Delgar didn’t think Velnan sounded too dismayed at the prospect.
    “Let him serve as an example to you,” Velnan continued. “Discipline above all else. Otherwise you are dangerous to yourself and the people around you.”
    Velnan smiled. “Now that I’ve finished my sermon, shall we continue with the lesson?”