Water Ball

Water Ball

After collecting enough bait, Ferson gathered the boys beside the river and demonstrated a water magic technique that allowed them to encase each sand worm inside a tiny swirling sphere of water at the end of their fishing lines.

"This keeps the worm alive and moving," Ferson explained in his calm, patient voice. "A lively worm makes a much more attractive target for hungry fish."

The boys watched in fascination as the little globe of water spun gently around the wriggling worm without washing it away.

Zelnard eagerly copied the spell, his tongue poking slightly from the corner of his mouth as he concentrated.

"Like this?" he asked.

Ferson smiled.

"Exactly, Zelnard. You're catching on quickly."

For the next few hours the boys cast their lines into the slow-moving river, waiting patiently for something to bite. Every now and then the motion of casting would break their concentration for just a moment. The tiny water ball would collapse, dropping the worm harmlessly into the river before the hook reached the water.

Ferson only laughed.

"Don't worry, boys," he said encouragingly. "That will only encourage the fish to strike."

Before long, a peaceful silence settled over the riverbank.

Their boots dangled above the water while their lines drifted lazily with the current. A crystalfly darted past in a flash of shimmering colour. Somewhere downstream, a fish splashed before disappearing beneath the surface once again.

Jabar finally broke the silence.

"Did you know worms breathe through their skin?"

Zelnard slowly turned his head.

"Really? Where did you learn that?"

Jabar ignored the question entirely.

"I'm just saying... if you step on one, it's basically suffocating."

Gavid scrunched up his face.

"That's disgusting."

"Also true," Jabar replied proudly.

Another long silence followed.

Gavid poked the mud with a stick.

"My toe itches."

Zelnard sighed dramatically.

"There you go again, sharing news about your body parts that absolutely nobody needs to know about."

"It's between my toes," Gavid explained helpfully. "If I scratch it, it gets worse. Feels better in this cool water though."

Zelnard groaned.

"You're going to scare away all the eels with your smelly, itchy feet, Gav."

The river returned to silence.

Jabar flicked a pebble into the water.

"If you had twenty thousand gold pieces," he asked suddenly, "what would you buy?"

Zelnard didn't hesitate.

"A spell crystal from the Vaults of the KCE. A real one. And a tower. Not a huge tower... just tall enough that people had to look up when they talked to me."

"I'd buy a hundred chocolate cakes," Gavid declared.

"A hundred?" Zelnard laughed.

"Maybe two hundred. Then I'd eat them really slowly so everyone thought I had an endless supply."

Jabar nodded thoughtfully.

"I'd pay somebody else to do all my chores forever."

"That's not how money works," Zelnard replied.

"It could," Jabar said confidently. "With enough money."

Once again they watched the river flow quietly by.

Then Gavid whispered,

"Do you think eels ever get bored?"

Zelnard couldn't help smiling.

The river remained calm, broken only by the occasional splash of an eel and the soft murmur of boys enjoying one another's company.

"What kind of magic do you want to master when you're older?" Gavid asked.

"Storm magic," Zelnard answered immediately. "Imagine being able to summon rain or lightning whenever you needed it. You could change the course of a battle, save people during a drought... or ruin Dunstor's day with a perfectly timed downpour."

Jabar laughed.

"I'd be happy just learning how to disappear whenever I wanted. No chores. No Dunstor."

Ferson smiled quietly as he listened. Their dreams were ambitious, innocent, and wonderfully hopeful.

"You'll all become powerful mages one day," he said. "But remember... true power comes from understanding when to use your magic... and when not to."

The boys fell silent once more, each staring into the slow-moving river while their minds wandered through dreams, questions, and possibilities that stretched far beyond the water before them.

Thy Quests
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