“What does it mean?” Matt asked, the blood forgotten.
Lorian’s wide eyes fell on him. “You have a strong connection to the earth. The weakest would see only a hut form, or a house. The stronger see a town, a city, maybe a kingdom.”
Matt wasn’t sure he wanted to understand the implication. “But, this shows a planet.”
The elf nodded slowly. “I have only seen one stronger, showing many planets. It was Soliander himself.”
Matt whispered, “Wow.”
Eric shifted and Matt glanced at him, seeing a look of concern he didn’t share. The rogue said, “I’d like the results of your testing known only to us.”
Lorian said, “Very wise. Agreed. Let us proceed.”
He pulled Matt’s finger over the tray again, this time to the fire, which had been softly crackling. Another drop of blood fell, landing with a sizzle. The flames turned dark red, then brightened to orange, yellow, and finally a white so bright it hurt the eyes. Matt leaned back from the heat as arcs of white flame lashed out like a solar flare. Though the test concluded and cooled, the globe still spun slowly. A sun had formed.
“That was awesome.” Matt breathed, anxious to see what the other tests did.
“Great power over fire,” observed the elf, gesturing for him to proceed.
This time Matt squeezed out a drop himself. The fog stirred as shapes began to form. First were archaic-looking symbols he didn’t recognize, then a dragon flying through the clouds, and finally his own face staring back. A swirl struck the visage and tore it apart, a spinning vortex growing wider as others formed, the tornadoes merging to form a huge hole of swirling blackness, the roaring air and thunder audible as cracks of lightning flashed light upon the watchers.
Matt recognized a hurricane from TV. A glance at Lorian confirmed his high level of affinity for air, too. “What did the symbols mean?”
“Symbols?” The elf looked confused. “Where?”
“In the fog,” Matt answered. “It was right at the start, before my face appeared.”
Lorian and Eric exchanged a look. Matt realized from their glances that only he had seen them. “Describe them,” commanded the elf.
“On the left was a circle with a man inside it, lightning surrounding it. In the middle was a square with each line bowed inward toward a little star-like point in the middle, with something sticking out of it. The right one showed one sword piercing two hearts, each with a drop of blood falling from it. What do they mean?”
“I’m not sure,” evaded Lorian, frowning. “The first two are unknown. The last is bleak.”
“Meaning?” Eric asked.
“Death,” Lorian announced, “though that could be death of an idea or a cause, not necessarily the one who sees the symbol. It can also mean rebirth. Its meaning is possibly changed by the others, but I do not understand them. What seems clear is that two lives will be at stake.”
Matt sighed. Things kept getting more complicated. Hopefully this wasn’t some sort of omen, especially since his life was likely one of those at stake.
“Please continue,” suggested Lorian.
Matt squeezed a drop into the crystal water, which splashed upward to form a fountain from the blowhole of a whale that materialized beneath it. As the water descended, it formed a wooden ship-of-the-line as the whale vanished. The ship’s sails unfurled with a snap and it surged forward on the wind, slicing through the white-tipped waves. Dolphins leapt ahead of it.
“That’s amazing,” said Matt.
“You can master water, if you desire,” said Lorian, appearing impressed.
Matt wondered if he was jealous and how much power the elf had. Something occurred to the young wizard. “These keep showing great things, but what happens when someone is not gifted?”
“It varies from person to person,” the elf replied, green eyes thoughtful, “and can sometimes be interpreted as fortune telling, though that is not its purpose and it cannot be taken literally. In the case of water, I once saw a whirlpool open and swallow the ship depicted. The fog has shown someone lost within, walking in circles, unable to find their way. The fire has shown nothing but charred ash. The signs of weakness or failure can be subtle, since these can be overcome and are uncertain, but the signs of power are unmistakable.”
Eric asked, “How much interpretation is involved. What is the chance you are wrong?”
“It’s always a possibility, but I see only signs of great potential here.”
Lorian nodded at Matt, who squeezed a drop onto the silver, which reached up to catch the blood, then lay still. Smoke stirred on its cold, silvery surface, forming a floating torso and ghostly head with wild hair, two arms reaching toward Matt as the figure howled and shrieked. Two pinpoints of hateful red light looked into his. Then it stopped as if truly seeing the wizard for the first time. It became a peaceful, hooded figure with a bowed head and arms outstretched in supplication. But when its eyes, now blue, looked at Matt again, the figure turned and hurled itself away, slamming into an invisible wall along which it desperately slid, searching for escape. A low, terror-filled moan filled the room and gave way to a whimper as it raised one hand as if to ward off a blow.
“The dead will respect and fear you,” remarked Lorian in amazement, “not the other way around. I have never seen such a
