"And now, the sed lesson; wielding the darkness."

  Fern aking a breath and exhaling softly. "So... what should I do?"

  "You're already doing part of it," Ravenurned, ughing quietly at the quizzical expressio iurn. "With light, you pce it into your focus, yes? Because it is a thing, a structure that you use and therefore o create first. I'm no Lightsider of course, but I uahe principle of applying charges to one's focus to expend ter. A very quantifiable process, from the outside. Have you ever given it much thought?"

  "'t say I have," she mused, with another mild frown. "Once you learn how to do it, it just sort of happens when you to, like a reflex. Though maybe I should have done a lot more thinking..."

  "It's nothing to worry about now. The important thing is the differeweewo. Darkness is not a form of course, it is motion, as you just learned. So how do you wield motion? Or rather, how do you trahe energy of motion from the aether into your spellcraft? Since darkness is that energy, ultimately."

  Fern blinked. "Transferring energy? Uh..." She pondered for a moment. "You said I was already doing part of it, so... what, breathing? Is it that simple?"

  "Just so. Draw your sword, darling, I'll help you with this oo start." Ravenna walked behind her, pg both hands oher side of her waist once she uhed the duelist's sword and readied it in her right hand. "Good, good. Now - observe closely once more, this time around yourself and around your sword. And breathe, nid slow - in for a four-t, two, three, four, hold... and slowly, evenly, let it out. ... Good. Again; and watch."

  Once agaiuned out everything but the feel of the hilt in her hand, the gentle wavering of the aether in her sight, and - as it was impossible to ighe warmth of the dark mage's hands at her sides. Slowly she began to see the pattern that emerged with every breath, with every movement of her hand. Subtle, yes, but like ripples in water, every motion - whether her breath or her arm - produced a tiny dark disturbanbsp; She moved her hand a little faster, and the darkness intensified, but only briefly. "Motion," she murmured softly. "Is every motion infused with darkness?"

  "Every motion of aether, yes," Ravenna crified. "Where there is her - or sometimes, where it is very thin - motion alone will not produce darkness. But here, where it is present, all you need do is see the movement - create your own, if you must - and the flow through you, just as if you were breathing. In, transf into that which you see in your mind, and then - out."

  Breathing the darkness, am I? Well, it's not the strahing I've done here. Fern dragged her sword through the air, watg the wake lines, and inhaled, watg them waver. That which I see... but not structure; what would I do with it, then? She pondered for a moment longer before asking. "What am I supposed to... do now? If it was light, I would give it a shape, but I don't know what to do with motion on its own."

  The dark mage gave her sides a gentle squeeze. "It's fine, darling; you're still learning. And quite quickly too, I must say. We're c mround than most practitioners do on their first day, but then-" She moved even closer, her body pressing against the other woman's back as her arms slid forward around her waist a in front. "Somehow I knew you were... exceptional."

  She felt her cheeks flush brightly, both at the praise and the tact, but couldn't find a suitable way to respond. So she didn't, and just tinued breathing, in for a four-t and slowly out.

  Ravenna's soft giggle from behind her didly help matters, either. "Let's try something nid simple to get you a firm foundation to build atop. You know what darkness is; you've seen it. I imagine you visualize those swirling little trails, yes? Just loop them around your bde, ring after ring after ring. The most important part is making sure each loop is properly closed. Draw in, loop, release. Simple, smooth, tinuous movement without stopping, just as the darkness itself does not stop."

  Fern nodded, fog once more and imagining how those curved lines would simply curl around her flexible bde as she swept it slowly through the air. Breathing in, feeling the motion as she held her breath, how it turned and curled inside her - aing it out.

  The aether she released smoothly curled around the tip of her sword, the spiral tightening and spinning in a little ring that closed off, separating itself from the nearby flow. And there it stayed, for the moment; she could feel a faint little pressure from it, and at the same time, a strange sort of lighto it. Experimentally, she angled her wrist - and the bde almost jumped between positions with unnerving speed, nearly as quick as she could think.

  "That's one less lesson I must teach you, it seems," Ravenna murmured with a smile in her voice, "other than to say, you're on the right track already. Enhang the motion of an object is a simple matter; enhang your own motion takes a little more time to do safely, without self-injury. But once you learn your limits, and you start pushing them bit by bit... well." The smile turned into a grin. "All the direct for the world means nothing if it simply ot touch you. Deflect, or dodge, however you deign to do your deeds; but master cloaking yourself in shadow and you often need not fight at all, so few are those who bar your passage."

  "Huh. Is it really that easy?"

  "Of course not!" the dark mage replied with a ugh. "Why, if it was, everyone would be submerged in the dark. But Lightsiders are more prevalent, fht is easy. It is obvious; it be seen and trolled and pced in boundaries. A thing so simple it soon bees reflex - as you said yourself. But darkness, oher hand..." She squeezed her arms around Fern's waist, gently. "Darkness is a thing you must feel to use, a dah its own rhythm, one ever in flux; and it be very, very tiring. Which is why the first thing I did - besides talking, of course - was feed you; the healthier and more full of energy you are, the easier it all bees."

  She pohis for a brief moment. "So... it's more work? I mean, I've pushed myself to the limit more than a few times and my skills didn't fail me before. I mean... not any more than normal, anyway."

  Ravenna shook her head. "It's not the same, darling. Darkness requires a geouch; you 't merely force your will upon it, any more than you could force wind and rain and tides to stop their motion. You may do these things in part, certainly, but it costs you dearly and aplishes little. Rather, you must attune yourself to the flow around you - and once you feel it instinctively, you manipute it to your own ends with very simple adjustments indeed." She paused, her forehead wrinkling. "As much as I detest the maations of the aristocracy, the game of politics is a most apt parallel. First es uanding; thele, subtle moves to be yourself, without overly disrupting matters around you. The more of a disturbance you create, the more ter-pressure builds against you; raw force is simply not an option. In most cases, anyway."

  Ferhed her sword, amazed. "How do you even know all of this in such detail? It beggars belief, frankly. sidering how easily I've been able to put all of this into practice just from listening to you, I 't help but think you could easily be an instructor or a lecturer of some sort if you desired."

  "If she desired, yes," Sapphire interjected from the stairwell, making her way down with a rge tray of food and drinks. "But Mistress has her own pns, as ever."

  Ravenna slid her arms away and then stepped back, but not without a little kiss to the back of Fern's neck, drawing a soft intake of breath from her. "Quite so. And as to how I know - well, I've had teachers of the fi quality imaginable. They've been instrug me ever since I was young, and I've practiced their lessons stantly."

  "That you have, Mistress. But e now, both of you; it wouldn't do for you to colpse down here in the middle of your training. I trust she has not overtaxed you quite yet, Miss Skysh?"

  Fern made her way over to the foot of the stairs, suddenly aware of the emptiness iomach - and not merely the missing warmth on her back from her instructor's absenbsp; "Ah, well, I'm not on the verge of falling over, but it's an excellent time for a snack." She had almost been ready to ask for one, if Ravenna's embrace hadn't distracted her so thhly, but the maid had foreseen the need perfectly. And the food looked predictably delicious - little finger-sandwiches stuffed full of various meats and cheeses aables, with a variety of sauces to dip them in. Twe drinks apahe spread; something deep red for her partner, something sunny and pale yellow for her. "This looks delightful, thank you - I 't wait to dig in."

  "Then by all means, partake of it freely." Sapphire waited until the two were seated in the chairs against the wall, the between them, making a supp table of herself; the tray perfectly still, banced upon her hands.

  Ravenna took the gss of red and tilted it back briefly for a swallow, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Ah, marvelous as ever. I'm not sure quite how your pate ines, darling, but might I suggest the e sauce there, closer to you? It's got a lovely little spice to it." Her eyes sparkled with delight as she looked over at her partner. "You should eat first; you're the one who's been doing all the work this m, after all."

  "Well, if you insist," Fern murmured, snagging one of the little sandwiches and dipping it in the e saubsp; She gave it a cursory sniff - there was some sort of heat to it, she could tell that mubsp; With a shrug, she popped the ehing in her mouth, and was rewarded with an amazing fvor bination: not merely peppery, prig heat, but a firm, sticky sweetness as well, pairing perfectly with the meats and cheeses. "Mmf! Oh, that's- that's really something. What is that?"

  "I believe it's just called 'e sauce'," the dark mage returned, bemused. "Descriptive, no? It's something my sister reended, and quite popur where she is. We had to import a few things at first, and experiment i, but now we simply cultivate the necessary non-native pnts in the garden."

  She tried a few of the other sauces, which were quite good - some light and creamy, others more rid fvorful - but the e was the standout to her by far. And before long she'd ed the eray - with a little assistance - and simply sat with her gss in hand as Sapphire stood back up. "That was delightful," she murmured softly, with another sip of the drink - something citrus-fvored that sparkled all the way down, energizing her body. Her gaze shifted sideways momentarily tard her partner's gss. "That's... blood you're drinking, isn't it?"

  "This? Oh, irely, no. The... unadulterated product isn't really to my taste." Ravenna smiled impishly. "Why, are you curious, darling?"

  Ferhe heat rush to her cheeks again - why was she blushing at that - and nodded hesitantly after a pause. "Maybe it's a bad idea, but I've been curious about a lot of things that I just... didn't think about before, when the stant work was grinding me down. Now that I have more space to think... well, why shouldn't I?"

  The dark mage's eyes glittered. "Darling, your curiosity is ever so endable. Though I think perhaps that experience we might save for aime, to avoid potentially spoiling this ohat you've enjoyed so much."

  Tilting her gss back, she draihe remainder of its deep red tents, sighing tentedly - and this time, Fern actually saw a subtle pulse of dark motion within her exhation. "Now then - once you're ready, let's try for something a little more... practical."