Chapter 6

The drive over to Chris' place gave me some quiet time in which I could do little but think. Instead of Christine, I found myself thinking about the nature of power. My ambitions had always been remarkably narrow, in a sense. Power, to me, had always meant what I could do and accomplish, all by myself. That was a large part of what made wizardry so very precious to me, because my personal power now had almost limitless potential.

Most people seemed, for a reason I just did not understand, to equate power with the influence they had over other people. It was simply foreign to my nature. Oh, certainly, I was not blind to what you could do through others, and I'd felt a heady sense of triumph when I manipulated things my way. But to me, such feelings were a direct reflection upon a personal accomplishment of mine. Taking pride in dominating or ordering other people about, or having the authority to do so, meant nothing to me. I had absolutely no ambition to rule anyone. Ergo, I was not going to become corrupted by having thousands of loyal and obedient servants who were also wizards.

Yeah, right. I worked on quieting my conscience, and it did do some good. Besides, it would be decades before I had more than a few wizards at my side. The book's advice, to avoid binding a large number of wizards before I became an archwizard and could reasonably expect to hold my own in most arenas, was cogent.

Reasonably reassured that I wasn't going over to the dark side anytime soon, I made the turn to her street, and stopped near the entrance to her apartment complex. There was no parking space, and losing the car for the evening would be extremely awkward. Since I didn't really need to 'meet the parents', I called her on the cellphone, dialing her mobile number. I always secured telecommunication and detailed personal information on the people I knew. It was all freely available in the computer networks, and the habit served me well.

"Hello?" her voice asked.

"Hi Chris, it's me. I'm just outside, with no place to park. Can you come out?"

"Sure, I'm already downstairs. Somehow, I didn't figure on you being late," I could almost hear her smile.

I could see her stepping out, and beeped the horn to attract her attention. As I'd guessed, she was indeed wearing a dress, a clingy bright green number that was a wonderful match for her complexion and hair. As she walked closer, I stared.

Christine looked wonderful. She's not drop dead gorgeous, as her face is just the slightest bit too narrow, but she is quite lovely. Her hair is bright copper and has the slightest curl. She kept it cut... no, styled short, not quite reaching her shoulders. Her knee length dress showed her assets to advantage, and she had a lot to show off. Very pale and lightly freckled skin showed a munificent amount of cleavage. Tastefully, she wore very little makeup, and packed a little red purse to match her low red heels and the red gem or crystal at the heart of the gold pendant she wore around her neck.

"So, what do you think?" she grinned.

I smirked and made a little circle in the air with a finger, and she obediently spun around, shook her ass at me, and completed the twirl. I only just managed to raise my eyes from her very nice ass before she stood facing me again.

"Come in, come in, said the spider..." I opened the door for her, movie fashion.

"Hey," she said as I took my own seat, "so, where are we going? You didn't even ask what my favorite foods are like, which isn't like you," she pursed her lips in puzzlement.

"Now, dear, I'm not entirely predictable, you know," I was driving, so I couldn't look at her.

"Well?" Chris demanded.

"Well, it's been a few days since I had the leisure to do so, so I decided to take you in rather than out, and cook," I explained.

"You can cook?!" her utter astonishment was obvious, even without looking at her face. "God! So what did you cook? Isn't it sort of burning as we speak?" she asked.

"Everything I prepared can be heated up at need, and I timed things carefully. Don't worry about it, just be sure to bring an appetite. Can you cook?"

"Ahem," she quibbled, "well, not really. A few simple things, I suppose. Saturday has been the high culinary spotlight of the week for the last year, really."

"Well, I hope I can give you a new appreciation for food and broaden your horizons. It is one of life's delights, to be savoured. I don't think you'll be disappointed."

"Somehow, I don't think so either," she said in a low tone.

After driving for a few minutes in silence, I asked, "The pendant is lovely. Where did you get it?"

"It was a birthday gift, last year, from my best friend. We've been together since kinder-garden. Her name is Kristen, and everyone's called us Criss and Cross for years now."

"So, what does she say?"

"You mean, about us? Well, she's happy I'm dating, for once. And she really wants to meet you. You know, you never told me where you live. So where are we going?"

Ahem, quick subject change. "Near the south end of Stetting Park, abutting the bridge. Another five minutes or so. Did you bring a bathing suit?"

"What? Are you kidding?"

"Hardly. We've got a pool and a very nice jacuzzi. You can swim, right?"

"Oh yes, I love to swim. How big is the pool, anyway?"

We exchanged some more small talk, and then we were there. The headlights highlighted the vine-enwrapped walls, and the gate began to retract when I pressed the remote.

"This is very nice," Chris said. "Is this your dad's car? It's awfully fancy," she'd noticed the instrumentation, and begun to poke about.

"Well, it was his car," I replied as I reversed into the garage, "but he sold it to me when he got a new one, a few months ago. The gadgets are all mine."

"Your car, huh," I caught her shaking her head in my peripheral vision.

"Well lady, your chariot has arrived. Grand Central Station. Off we go," I mangled a few expressions.

She opened the door, stepped out and froze. She looked about, sniffed, and then audibly inhaled air through her nose. The expression on her face was just too cute for words. "That smell!" she looked at me wide eyed, "If I wasn't hungry, I bloody well would be now! My god. What did you make? You have got to show me!"

"Follow me," I led her to the kitchen, a very spacious kitchen now that I looked at it for a moment through a stranger's eyes. There was seating for eight, though this was where we, the family, ate. The formal dining room had sufficient space, and a very large table, for more than thirty people.

I'd kept one of the ovens on a low temperature, enough to keep some of everything hot for us. It was a very large oven. I opened it, put on a pair of gloves, and began pulling things out and laying them down on the counter by one of the sinks.

"The first bit here is Mexican. Those are tortillas filled with chilli con carne and rice, a bit spicy. The wok is chicken, cashew nuts, and tofu with a large selection of vegetables, in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and a few other things. That one is sweet potatoes, potatoes, cheese, and garlic. Not a main entrée. And that one's my version of your basic curry, which is also quite spicy. That bowl is shrimp, noodles, and tofu, plus veggies. The yellow rice is for the Indian food, the one with tofu, mushrooms, and green bits goes well with everything. Roasted mushrooms with peppers, onions, lettuce, tomato and raspberry vinaigrette. Baked, breaded chicken breast filled with cheese and topped with a lemon-lime butter. That one over there is sautéed..."

"Enough!" she demanded. "I wanna taste. Now! If you keep mouthing off, it'll get cold."

"Think of it as a buffet," I grinned and offered her an extra large plate and utensils from the table I'd set earlier. "Oh, no fish, and no dessert. I didn't want to kill you," I semi-apologized.

"Uhmmm," she tried to respond, but her mouth was full. I offered her a glass of water. She was making contented noises while chewing slowly, and I mimed 'drink', to which she waved 'later'.

We heaped our plates, and while she made a lot of appreciative noises and murmured "this is great" and "uhm, I like this one even better," we didn't actually talk. Our mouths were otherwise engaged. I steered her away from the hotter dishes after she had trouble with the curry. I was even crass enough to cast a few spells surreptitiously, just so I could eat more.

We took our time, eating steadily for more than half an hour, heating whatever had cooled in the microwave. I was impressed by the amount Chris managed to cram in, and she managed to at least taste most everything. When I judged the time right, I excused myself to the bathroom, and cast the wizard sight spell.

This time, I managed to orient myself, focusing determinedly and forcing the perception into focus. It was still somewhat painful, but I could function. Two minutes, and I was back at the table, eating like mad.

The book had told me exactly what to look for. Chris had high potential, for a girl, which was not surprising, but did relieve my anxiety. A girlfriend I could not introduce into my world, or one who could not accept it, was just impossible.

"Wow..." Chris finally leaned back in her chair, overcome. "Well, I admit that a dessert would be a bit much, after this. But really, did you cook all of this for me? For us? It seems... well, an awful lot too much."

Chris was looking over the havoc we'd wreaked, and for all our work, we'd not made much of a dent in the buffet.

"You're right, of course, and it has to do with that thing I was going to tell you about..."

"I remember," she cut me off in mid-speech. "So, what was it all about? No, wait, I have to visit the bathroom, give me a minute," she snatched her little purse and rose heavily, clutching her stomach and groaning theatrically. I gave her precise directions, and started to pack the food into containers, preparatory to putting it in the fridge or the freezer.

Some of it I left, for the night was young, and we'd both need more nourishment. Such was a student wizard's lot.

When she returned, looking much refreshed, she asked, "Say, you're all alone here, right? So why no wine, or alcohol?"

I blinked, blindsided by this. "Well, quite simply, I abhor the taste. Beer, wine, ninety proof, they all taste like distilled muck. Disgusting. There's also the fact that I find the very idea of losing control of myself, be it with drink or drugs, to be completely intolerable. It's just not me."

She mulled that over for a moment. "Yeah, I see what you mean. It's definitely not you," she adjusted her dress, pulling it a bit lower, and smirked as my eyes descended from her face to her bosom. "Now then, what was it you wanted to show and tell?"

"Here, let's go to the porch," I led her over and offered her a seat. It was rather dark inside, and the glass offered a wonderful view of the sky. The pale crescent of the moon was visible, and we could see the wind brushing the leaves outside. With my wizard sight spell still active, there was so much more to this that I was dazzled at first.

"I'm going to show you a magic trick," I smiled tightly, "and I want you to repeat it if you can." Without further ado, I repeated the very first spell I'd cast, and having learned some refinement, directed less power into it.

I uttered the words of the incantation clearly, loudly and precisely. A small jet of blue flame rose from the tip of my index finger.

For a few seconds, she just stared at it. I lowered my finger, and the fire faded away. "Now you try it."

She was moving her head slightly back and forth in a 'no', likely without even realizing what she was doing, and shaking like a leaf.

"I know that you can do it. Try," I encouraged her.

Chris breathed sharply in, and straightened her back. Her first few attempts were marred by a nervous stammer, but soon she was making a credible effort. It wasn't long before a spell conjured fired adorned her up-thrust finger.

"To stop it, just lower the finger," I instructed her. "A spell drains all of its energy from you, and then you need to eat like an entire herd of starving elephants. Break it," I told her, and she did.

I rose from my seat, stepped forward, and took her limp hands in mine. I raised her to me, and hugged her tightly. She was soon hugging me back, a very comfortable softness pressing against me. After about a minute of this, I drew back slightly, caught her on the chin, and gently raised her head so that her green eyes met mine. Her eyes were wide and wondering, her lips slightly parted.

"This is what changed me, and now you. Magic, real magic. An entire world we didn't know was there."

I leaned forward, and touched my lips to hers in a kiss.

With a sharp burst of sound, glass shattered, and a windstorm dove into the porch.

I could see it over her shoulder, as the wizard sight was still hanging in the back of my mind and superimposed over my vision.

It was beautiful, grace incarnate, sharp edged, and surprisingly small. A living, breathing current of air, an elemental, and it was not friendly. It must have been pure chance, that it was so close as to immediately note the little spark of magic we'd raised, and I was instantly thankful that the stupid thing had chosen to investigate, instead of going back to report the incident to the nearest elemental court.

Ordinary people would not have connected the shattering glass with an elemental invasion, attributing it to accident or bad luck. The living section of the breeze that now permeated my porch had even tossed a fist sized bit of rock in, or had actually used that to break the glass instead of its own strength.

Chris stiffened against me, but I shushed her and kept hold of her, not letting her turn around. I used her body as a sight shield, casting one of the only two offensive spells I had, and cut.

The lifequench spell that I'd used to kill ants was not a spell anyone could use in a real fight, so there were only two. The firefinger spell, and the lifecutter, both unimpressive first order spells. I channeled more power into the tiny spell framework, but not as much as I could have, because I might well have need of a second string to my bow.

A pity the book had not instructed me on the vital spots of elementals, for wizard sight granted me an excellent view of the tangled connections that afforded life to what should not, by any scientific principle, be capable of such.

A section of its essence unraveled, and the wind shrieked its agony, burning our ears.

As it lunged towards me, a solid lance of air, I tossed Chris at a sofa outside the line of strike and jumped back and sideways, trying to garner enough precious seconds to launch another attack.

It was frightfully fast, but the surprise and shock, and the pain it had suffered, granted me the second's reprieve that allowed me to finish a second spell.

A hot torch of blue spellflames shot from my pointed finger, and it desperately aborted its charge, changing directions and slipping aside — fortunately, away from Chris.

It was blindingly quick, but that advantage of speed was not enough to save it completely. A large section of it burned away, leaving not much more than a third of it intact. I could see the unraveled threads of life fading away. The elemental was finished, dying.

But it had no intention of perishing alone, and it spun around and tossed a chair at me. That was so unexpected, I didn't react in time. I dodged, but it caught me on the side, and I fell against the wall, losing my breath.

With adrenaline pulsing through my system, I didn't feel the pain or any spellcasting fatigue, and I was trained to absorb damage and fight on. But I just wasn't fast enough. Nothing human could be.

No longer a lance, it was now a slender javelin, a visible concentration of near solid air. Everything assumed slow motion play, as I raised my hand to point at it, far too slow. It was flying at me, and would impale me like a stuck butterfly.

Chris moved into my line of vision, and a ray of wavering blue flame struck it, leaping from her pointed finger. I left off trying my own spell, and used the distraction to dodge aside.

Pain! A line of blazing lava spread along my side, and I channeled all of that agony and my rising anger into one last spell, slicing the remnants of the elemental apart.

The roaring in my ears subsided, and the sudden silence was deafening. I stared blankly straight ahead, in shock. The pain was gone, as if the wound had disappeared with the attacker.

Something touched me, and I reacted without thinking, grabbing the hand and twisting. It took less than a second to realize that it was Christine, the same Chris who'd just save my life, and halt the maneuver.

I gasped in pain as she fell on me, and caught her, hugging her close. With the fight apparently over, the reaction was bleeding in, and I was too close to hyperventilating. I took in a deep breath, and looked Christine in the eyes, smiling weakly.

She leaned down, and kissed me. Her lips touched mine, and I opened my mouth, more surprised than anything. Chris' mouth pressed insistently, her tongue snaking out, and I began to respond. We breathed through our nostrils, and kissed, and kissed. It was a very prolonged and passionate tongue dueling session. It was wonderful. My hands, seemingly of their own accord, went down and began to squeeze and caress her ass, and she moaned into my mouth.