Magic lesson round two began pretty much the same as the first, except this time I was fully dressed by the time Ulric barged into my room. He immediately went to the music box and cranked it up, preparing it to play the voice numbing tune that would hide our secret conversations.

When I had returned the night before the tension from the knowledge, I now held formed knots along my neck and spine. My muscles reflected the stressed state of my mind. I couldn't escape the paranoia that I was being watched or that Renatus was going to try to read my mind and figure out just what I knew. The note from the other night was right, I really was in danger. Knowledge, while powerful, can also be dangerous. In my case, it may very well be my death.

I sat close to Ulric as I whispered the events of the Unified Council meeting. I was too scared to bring the information above a whisper. Speaking too loud felt like a one-way ticket to the dungeon or being hung like the rebels.

"The same exact thing that happened in the painting happened at dinner. The Elven rulers can simply bend all of the other Council members to their will. There's nothing to stop them!" I said.

"If this is true, then my suspicions yesterday were correct. The Elven royalty is corrupting the Unified Nations, and they did force them into electing them rulers of all of Erivale."

My stomach dropped at Ulric's words. A small part of me suspected something like this was the case. "I wondered why four capable and self-sufficient nations suddenly decided to be ruled by Elves when the nation's first unified. It makes more sense now knowing that it was not by choice."

"The educational reforms are only a continued effort to sustain their power grab. The fewer people that experience magic, the more power they will have, and the fewer people may sense the magic corrupting the land."

"What are we going to do?"

"Nothing, for now. Wait until you become Queen to begin changing the education system and reverting the land to what it should be. That's all we can do, wait."

"Ulric, I don't know how long I can keep this up." Frustrated tears made my eyes shine. Ulric said nothing for a moment, and I thought he would simply ignore me like he usually does. I was surprised when his thumb wiped a stray tear off my cheek.

"You are not alone Amberleigh, you can do this."

I offered him a watery smile, my cheek still cupped in his hand. His touch brought a tingling sensation to my skin, similar to the way magic felt, but better. He was warm, he was sturdy, and I knew he was one of the only things that felt somewhat familiar in this strange land I had fallen into.

I let out a strained laugh. "I hope you're right."

He pulled away, and the tingling went with him. My skin was left wanting more, more of his touch, but I knew I couldn't have it. Ulric stood before me, "It is time for your lesson. Now more than ever, you must learn to master your magic. Your combat lessons will begin soon, as well. You need to know how to protect yourself." I nodded my head in understanding. It was time to fight for my life.

"Okay, what's first?"

"First, we go outside?"

I was slightly taken aback by his abruptness. "Outside? Why outside?" But he was already walking towards the door. I had to hurry to grab a coat and catch up to him.

He led me through more hallways I had never seen on our journey towards the exit of the palace. It was times like this I realized just how little I knew about the palace. I could probably spend days just wandering the halls and rooms getting dizzyingly lost in the vast expanse that was this architectural masterpiece.

It was also times like this when I remembered how tall Ulric was and how fast he was able to walk with those long legs of his. It took me two steps to keep up with one of his, and I was slightly out of breath from speed walking behind him. I internally scoffed, me sword fighting? I just got winded walking; physical activity clearly was not my friend.

Eventually, Ulric opened a door, and a shaft of sunlight illuminated the dim hallway we were in. As we stepped outside, I was momentarily blinded from the bright sunshine. I could hear the gentle lapping of the water's currents against the rocky base the palace grounds sat upon, the whinnies of horses nearby, and the faint bustle of the city.

As my vision began to clear, I saw the broad expanse of the gardens. Hedges carved with perfect ninety-degree angles wrapped themselves in patterns creating mazes to capture your mind and body for hours on end. In the heart of the labyrinth was a large fountain that I could just see peeking over the edge of the hedges and a few trees.

Farther away from the castle was a smattering of trees following the gentle slope of the ground before reaching a small dock with a few leisurely pedal boats and gondolas. To the far left was the stables where horses were being worked and tamed inside large, dusty pens. The faint scent of warm hay and grain was carried on the wind.

Ulric headed towards the maze without speaking, and I once again had to race to catch up. I had lagged behind, my eyes too busy taking in all of the sights. The mouth of the maze loomed in front of us. "Are we going in there?" I asked nervously. One time getting lost in a corn maze at the tender age of 10 has permanently scared me from entering mazes ever again. I wasn't keen on the idea of having no idea where I was or how to get out.

Ulric didn't reply. He simply walked straight into the maze.

For fear of losing him and genuinely getting lost in the maze, I stuck close to his heels. I nearly stepped on his feet a few times as well, but it was a small price to pay to not be lost in the giant maze we were currently wandering in. "Why are we here?"

Still, no reply. "I'm going to keep annoying you with questions until you answer me." I paused, waiting for his response. "Why do they even have a garden maze? Isn't that kind of cliché?"

I was close enough to his side now that I could see him roll his eyes at me, which caused a small smile to form on my face. "I don't know why they have a maze, and can you shut up for just a few more minutes? We will be there soon."

I didn't want to completely piss him off, although teasing him was definitely more enjoyable now that he was my friend. Or at least I thought of him as a friend. Sort of. To be honest, I didn't really know what Ulric was to me. Friend? Ally? Teacher? All I knew was that he was sticking around for the time being, and he seemed to be in my corner, which I desperately needed.

The maze soon opened up to a square clearing. Trees that reminded me of birch trees with thin, papery trunks were planted in each corner of the maze's center, and they boasted rich fuchsia leaves. Benches were placed under each tree, and a large circular fountain was in the middle with a broad ridge for sitting around it. There were also plantar boxes of some flowers that could only be found in Erivale. By that, I mean, they were in colors and patterns I had never seen before, and many had elements that glowed. The grass was still a bright green despite the frigid winter, although there were a few browner patches on the sides where muddy banks of old snow were fighting tooth and nail not to melt away.

"Take a seat," Ulric directed, and I went to sit on the bench next to one of the trees. "On the ground," he added when I was inches away from sitting down.

"Why do I have to sit on the ground?"

"Why do you always have to ask so many questions?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Did you just sass me?"

Ulric simply grunted, but I did as told anyway and took a careful seat on the ground. The soil was soft and damp from the winter, and I immediately felt my skirt soak up the water and chill the skin on my legs.

"Now, are you going to tell me why you brought me here?" I pushed.

"Yes. Yesterday we recognized stronger forms of magic. The more obvious ones. The next step is feeling the magic in the world around you. Most magic users only feel an occasional spark if they go over a magic fault line, but with your magic awareness, I think you might be able to have a stronger sense." Ulric threaded his fingers through the grass and pressed his palms into the soil. "Put your hands on the ground and tell me if you can feel the magic."

Following his example, I too threaded my fingers through the grass and pressed my palms into the soil. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on the magic, but I didn't even know what I was searching for. After a few minutes I opened my eyes again to see Ulric already staring at me. "Anything?"

"No, what should it even feel like? I don't know what I'm looking for."

"It is different from the feeling of strong magic or magical objects. The earth feels like a heartbeat. Try again."

Heeding his words, I closed my eyes and focused once again on the nature woven around my finger joints and the feeling of the cold, wet soil sticking to my palm. After a minute or two, right when I was about to give up again, I felt it. The rhythmic thump-thump of the ground. It really did feel like a heartbeat, and maybe it was. The heart of Erivale, the core of Erivale, was magic.

Caught up in the sensation, I eventually said, "Found it."

"Very good."

"There's more," I continued. Other sensations were growing now too. The blades of grass against my fingers seemed to caress magic along my skin. It was so faint and gentle; it was quickly lost amongst the other sensations. I could also feel the wind track tingles across my back and arms in random patterns. "I can feel the blades of grass and the wind."

"That's enough," Ulric said, and I opened my eyes somewhat dazed from the trance-like state I had been in. "Remember those feelings, any living thing has magic inside of it, and so do all of the natural elements. The magic found within the ground, plants, trees, even rocks is the root of an Elf's nature magic."

"So, do you just wave your hand and say a spell that makes the grass grow?" That would bring an entirely new meaning to the phrase watching grass grow.

"No magic is not about spells and incantations, it's about channeling energy sources, including your own."

"So what, you're just supposed to feel it?"

"Feel is everything when it comes to magic. You feel the magic around you, you feel the magic within yourself, and most importantly, you feel the limits to your magic."

"Soren told me that using magic past your limits can kill you."

"This is true. Each of us has a certain amount of magic inside of us that allows us to do certain magical things. For example, creating ice objects like I do. I can only make so many or an object so big before I will begin to run out of magic. If you use all of your magic, then you tap into your life force, and that is what leads magic users to death."

"Maybe I should just never use magic," I said nervously. "I don't want to accidentally use all of my power."

"Death by magic rarely happens, the last was a grand sorcerer, Zeke, who died many years ago. There are ways to supplement magical energy that prevents your magic depletion."

Ulric took my hand in his. Dirt stained the edges of my palm as he held it facing towards the tree next to us. "Just as you can put magic out into the world, you can also take magic in." He placed my palm flat against the tree. "Do you feel the magic?"

The magic within the tree flowed with the water that traveled through the trunk carrying nutrients towards the roots and leaves. I could feel the current ebb and flow under my skin, "Yes I do."

"Now, imagine pulling that magic inside of you. Feel it move through your veins to fill your body," he said.

Squeezing my eyes closed, I imagined a small gate opening in my palm, allowing the tree's magic to enter my body. There was nothing at first, and then ever so slowly I felt the current shift. Magic began flowing into my palm and I pushed it onwards as it worked closer to my heart. The sensation it left behind reminded me of the pins and needles you got when your circulation was disrupted. A numb prickling overtook my arm as the magic filled me, and I felt a jump in energy like the effects of four cups of coffee were hitting all at once.

"I think I did it," I mumbled and opened my eyes to look to Ulric.

"Taking magic from other things can be very beneficial; it increases your own power, stamina, and energy. But it comes at a price, magic always has a price. When you take magic from something a tiny piece of it dies, the more you take, the more you destroy. A little bit from the trees or the ground hardly make an impact, but if you were to take from animals or others then you run the risk of taking too much. Then magic won't be the only thing you're taking, you will have taken their life as well."

As if to emphasize Ulric's ominous warning, a wilted and decaying leaf floated down between us. It was the price of taking magic from the tree just moments before.

"Do people really do that? Take other's magic?" Fear stained my voice.

"Long before even the eruption of Mount Vulkan when this land was lawless and unruly draining other's magic would sometimes occur. Now it is an act punished by death, and it is illegal to take any magic at all from other living creatures."

I let out a small sigh of relief, "So we only take magic from nature?" I confirmed.

"Yes, and nature as a magic source is not about manipulating nature. It's merely a source of energy, most commonly used during combat to increase strength, agility, and speed."

"Is that all?"

"Is that all?" Ulric chuckled. His lips curled in a mischievous grin, "wait until you have your first combat lesson."

"That doesn't sound good."

"For you, it doesn't. Elves who properly master their nature magic in conjunction with combat are some of the best fighters in all of Erivale. You get to spar with them."

Well shit.

"That is enough magic for today. We will pick up again tomorrow," Ulric said while standing. He offered me a hand to pull me upright and then began to swiftly walk towards the palace. Once again, I nearly had to run to keep up or else get lost in this maze.

The dangers of magic use frightened me, but at the same time, I had never been more fascinated by something. Magic even beat out painting. The world of magic, the laws of magic, were so complicated I wondered If I would ever be able to learn it all.