Chapter 4

"How did you create that?" asked Phillip, trying to force calm into his voice. "That should not, despite your power, be within your talent."

Siska smiled down at her miniature duplicate. "Well, a man showed me how," she said. "He was in my dreams last night."

Phillip hissed. "A man came into your dreams and you felt it fine to simply learn from him whatever he wished to put into your head?" The words came in a rush, with hardly a pause between them. His face had grown red, livid with agitation and upset.

"He seemed a nice man," replied Siska, sounding hurt and somewhat frightened.

"I'm sure he did," said Phillip, growling now and stomping a foot closer to her, one of his hands raised and clenched into a fist.

Siska cowered back, the homunculous vanishing and her arms coming up to shield her face and neck. A pitiable whimper escaped her and she stumbled back, falling over the arm of one of the chairs. "I didn't know!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "You never told me anything about men in my dreams!"

Phillip stopped, and lowered his fist. "I'll never strike you, Siska," he said, his tone dropping to a softened tone, like a father's. "I shouldn't even have menaced you, knowing your past."

She peered over her forearm, which did not lower much. "I didn't know," she said in a whisper now. Some women could be pretty when they cried. Siska's eyes were puffed shut and her face red and swollen now. She was not one of them. "I won't speak to him again, if you wish it."

"I don't know that you have a choice," said Phillip, his tone hardening slightly again, but she could tell it was not her he was upset with now. "I don't even know who it might be, only that teaching you something like that is dangerous when you're just beginning your training. Very dangerous." He looked at the little book. "Every time you craft one of those, you are borrowing a bit of your own soul to make it, did you know that?" he asked. "If you fail to control the flows and bind them in the right way, you will lose it, a part of yourself. I've failed once to at least reclaim the energy, and I was bedridden for a month, and probably lost a year of my life. A second time might kill me, I'll not chance it."

"I won't fail, it's easily done," said Siska, not flippantly, but stating a fact. She held out her hand again and the miniature of herself appeared again, still smiling. "There is little to it, really."

Phillip shook his head. "So you think," he said quietly. And maybe to you, it is truly simplicity itself, he thought. "Still, I don't like someone tutoring you in your dreams, let them come to me and we will plan your instruction, tell him that," said Phillip. "If he is without wicked intent and truly wishes to help you learn, I will welcome the assistance."

Siska thought about that. "I will tell him, and I will not learn from him any more unless he agrees," she said.

A long moment passed as Phillip regarded the tiny Siska in her hand. He held out his own and the little Siska crawled over to his palm, the minuscule weight of her dimpling in the flesh of his hand, he lifted her to look closely at her. "She is exquisitely detailed, though," he said. The tiny Siska turned in his hand, as if to allow him to see her all around.

Phillip looked up at the real girl. "I could never craft one so perfect," he said. "On my best days, it only superficially resembles me." He peered back down at the homunculous and smiled. She was on her knees, tugging at a golden ring on his finger, as if to take it. He could feel the feeble pulling and sat her down on the table. "You do know they have their own agendas?"

"Who?" asked Siska.

"Homunculi," said Phillip, reaching into his pocket and handing the miniature of Siska a silver coin, a tenth mark. The little person snatched it and grinned at him, bouncing with happiness and ran to the edge of the table to leap off.

She landed with a small sound and ran off into the house.

"They are intelligent, after a fashion, and have their own desires and such. They will echo your own, to a point, as they are a fragment of yourself. Yet, they don't always do what you might."

Siska watched the doorway where the little copy of herself had vanished. "Why did you give her the coin?" she asked.

"They collect shiny things, like birds or some animals," said Phillip. "Mine certainly did, though they were useful, after a fashion."

"She helped me clean house this morning," said Siska. "She is very useful and seems to know what I want her to do."

"Of course she does, you are linked," he said. "She is an extension of yourself, like an arm or leg. Remember, though, they are simplified versions of yourself. If you grow angry with someone, she will attack that person, without hesitation. Homunculi are guileless, and unable to hide their base reactions." A blush rose on his cheeks. "I probably should not share this, it is rather embarrassing, but to show you how careful you must be. I once liked a woman, and found her very attractive. My homunculous made a credible attempt, on one occasion, to ravish her. Luckily for me, she found it funny, thinking it a joke."

Siska laughed. "Oh, my," she said, glancing toward the doorway. "I'll keep that in mind."

The tiny Siska came back into the room, dragging a mouse by the tail and carrying a nail in the other hand. She glared down at the dead mouse then smiled up at Siska.

The apprentice wizard gasped and snatched the mouse up, flinging its body out the window.

"Yeah, they do that, too," said Phillip idly, looking at the grinning double of Siska. "You can imagine her with a real weapon, or she'll just make do, it appears." The homunculous hefted the nail with both hands, brandishing it menacingly. Her little blue robes were stained with blood and she had a few nicks on her arms and legs, where it seems there had been a struggle. The mouse had not gone down without a fight.

"All I will say is to be careful," said Phillip. "You know the spell now, and I cannot take that from you. It's dangerous, mark that, and be aware of what you risk, understand?"

"Yes, mentor," said Siska, lowering her eyes. The miniature Siska lowered her head, too, putting the nail behind her back and scuffing a foot on the floor. "I will try to use it sparingly, but it is hard to resist, she's so cute."

The little copy smiled brightly at him and patted his toes in the open sandals he was wearing.

Phillip smiled despite himself, and shook his head. "She is, isn't she?" he agreed. "After lunch we will be doing some exercises," he said. "Keep her, that way you will not need to summon another, each summoning is a risk, I'd rather you not do it more than you need."

Siska smiled as if he had given her permission to take in a stray cat. "Yes, mentor," she said in a happy chirp.

Phillip and Siska rose from the table and the miniature Siska was sitting beside Siska's plate, snatching stray peas and bread crumbs as the full-sized woman ate.

"Does she need to eat?" asked Siska.

"Only if you keep her around long enough," said Phillip. "While here, she is fully real, a tiny person, and needs food and water, and such."

The little Siska cupped the watered wine from Siska's glass drinking by the handful, having to stand atop the edge of a bowl to do so. Siska did not mind sharing her food with the little Siska, it was, after all, part of herself.

They retired to the back court again, to the ring of bare stone. "As before, stand in the middle and make contact, if you've not kept it," he had not checked for the minute flow again this day, but suspected she might hold it.

Siska walked to the center of the ring and concentrated a moment. He saw the magic coalesce from the air about her and form a shimmering halo about her body.

Little Siska had found her way through the grasses, which were neck high to her and was pulling herself up onto the stone slab. She went to stand beside Siska, furrowing her tiny brow just as Siska was doing.

"She'll not interfere with your lesson," said Phillip. "Unless she distracts you."

"No," said Siska, opening her eyes. "I have it held, now."

"Good," said Phillip. "I want you to imagine taking that energy and putting it into this." He pulled a glass sphere from his pocket and placed it on a little column just off the stone slab.

Siska concentrated on the sphere, trying to send the magical energies within her and about her to the glass ball.

Tendrils of the flows reached toward the ball, stretching, but then collapsing back to the halo about her. She tried again and again, each time, the tendrils grew longer before falling back. "Very good," said Phillip.

Sweat was breaking out on her skin with the effort. To Siska, it felt like she was trying to push at a wall made of rubber.

She gasped and the link to the flow broke. Staggering, she sat on her rump. "I can't," she said.

"Honestly, I would have been amazed if you could," said Phillip. "Still, you came closer than most would imagine for a novice."

"What is it?" she asked, looking over at the ball and panting. The little Siska was sitting beside her, panting and fanning her face as if she, too, had been running.

"The ball?" asked Phillip. "Just a glass sphere." He shrugged. "Silvered glass, though, and will contain some small amount of mana if it were forced into it, not like a manacrystal, or anything, but still useful to have about."

Manacrystals were why people came to these isles in the first place. Murder Isle, she had heard, had been rich with them, but those mines had long ago played out. They could store vast quantities of mana, ready for wizards to tap and power their spells. Even a tiny manacrystal was worth a small fortune.

"Do you have a manacrystal?" asked Siska.

"I've two of them," said Phillip, almost proudly. "One is the property of the order, however."

She blinked, impressed. "I'd like to see one, one day," she said, wondering what one looked like.

"Of course," said Phillip. "Remind me to show them to you later." He turned toward the door. "Keep trying whenever you're rested enough until dark, okay?"

"Yes, mentor," said Siska, rising to begin another round against the glass sphere.

Darkness fell, and she had only managed to slip one tendril to the crystal, and that for only the briefest of moments. Phillip seemed quite satisfied, however, when she handed it to him. The dimmest of glows nestled in the glass sphere, flickering faintly. It would not be at all visible in good light, but the sun's descent had left it nearly dark outside.

"Very good, very very good," said Phillip, pocketing the stone and patting her arm. "Now, off to make supper," he said. "Your friend came by, Mist, I believe. I told her to come by tomorrow morning, that you would be free to visit with her then."

So engrossed had Siska been that she had forgotten the girl coming to visit her. "Yes, mentor, thank you," she blurted out.

Siska smiled at his praise and went to the kitchen. The little Siska followed her, beaming as well and walking with a proud step. He would have to remember to watch out for her as he walked about. And to keep an eye on where he left loose coin, as well, he thought with a smirk.

Now, with the larders filled, supper was a proper affair and Phillip had to push himself away from the table after a broiled beef steak and big helpings of beans and rice in beef gravy, along with bread and cheese, as well as grapes for dessert. "You're going to make me fat," said Phillip, patting his belly and smiling. "I'll die fat and happy, then." He added, to make it a compliment.

Siska had eaten at least as heartily as he, and was still nibbling blocks of cheese from the platter. The little Siska was still chewing from a single block she had absconded at the beginning of the meal, as well as a chunk of meat Siska had given her. "Perhaps I should get her a plate and cup," she said.

"Doll toys might work," said Phillip. "Some vendors in the market sell some fine ones made by dwarves that would work as well as the real thing, were you half a foot tall."

Siska nodded, watching her miniature self chewing a massive mouthful of cheese. In the preparation, the little Siska had cut the cheese into blocks for her, using the smallest knife in the cupboard, wielding it like a axe. The little Siska was strong for her size, and seemed impervious to falling, always landing lightly and skittering off. She could climb well, too, managing to clamber up onto counters and the table top easily.

"If he comes to my dreams tonight, I will tell him what you said, mentor," said Siska, turning her violet eyes to him. "I do not want you upset, nor do I want him teaching me something that might harm me."

Phillip nodded. "Thank you," he said. "I would very much like to know who this man is, for certain."

That the man had just been a dream never crossed either of their minds. The results of his lesson were far to obvious and real. Phillip had tried to imagine that she had learned from the book for a brief moment earlier, thinking that maybe she had read parts of it and simply formed the dream to give her self-taught lesson some credibility to herself.

"The bath will be hot by now, if you wish to use it," he said. "I bathed before supper, but wasn't very dirty, so it's clean."

She grinned. "A hot bath would be very nice." The strain of pushing the mana toward the ball had left her arms and legs aching and sore. "I wonder if little me can swim?"

"She will come if she can, I imagine," said Phillip, smiling a the miniature Siska as she dusted off cheese crumbs from her robes.

Siska cleared the dishes and would wash them in the morning. She went up to the bath room and shed her robes. Little Siska was beside her, pulling her little robe off over her head and eyeing the tub eagerly. Siska scooped her up and climbed into the massive brass tub, splashing water over herself. The homunculous splashed in it happily, like a child, diving into it and chasing the floating bar of soft soap. Just watching the antics of her miniature self made Siska feel five years younger, and she giggled a lot, splashing and enjoying the bath more than she had any bath in many years.

By the time she was done, the water was tepid and the floor was almost evenly coated with water all about the tub. The little Siska remained in the tub, paddling in merry circles about the water until Siska pulled her out and dried her off with a corner of her own robes.

"Wow, you do look just like me," said Siska, looking at her own tiny reflection. "I hadn't thought that you would be so - complete."

The little Siska looked down at her nakedness and pretended to cover herself in embarrassment, though she smiled. Siska washed the little silken robes out and wrung them mostly dry. "It will be clean and dry in the morning," she said. "Besides, I sleep unclad," she added, nodding to the little Siska and receiving an identical nod in return.

Phillip was already abed when she snuck across the hall in the buff, slipping into her own chamber and followed by a little shadow of herself, equally furtive and naked.

"I might roll over and squash you, if you sleep in my bed," said Siska, patting down a cushion of a pillow and laying a folded handkerchief atop it. "I'll try to get you a bed as soon as I can."

The little copy laid upon the flattened pillow and nuzzled under the blanket of a handkerchief, smiling up at her.

"Are you me or a pet?" she asked. The little copy frowned at pet and she pointed at Siska.

"Very well," she said. "Good night Siska."

No dreams came to her that night. At least none she could recall when she awoke. She peered over to the pillow upon her night stand and saw little Siska was gone. "Siska?" she asked.

A tiny tap on her neck made her turn about and she saw the tiny Siska, standing, now clad in her robes again, and holding out two grapes. Siska took them and popped one into her mouth. "Breakfast in bed?" she asked, grinning at her homunculous, who bit into the other grape with gusto.

Phillip was up and about, apparently, as well. "When you're up, and after we've eaten, I need you to ready to go out," he said from the hallway.

Siska got out of bed and dressed. She felt fortunate that Phillip was not a harsher taskmaster, but felt she had done something wrong in laying abed so late, as it was. She stumbled down the stairs and began preparing a breakfast of eggs and flatbread.

Phillip came in a few minutes later, grimacing and carrying little Siska in his clutched hand, her little arms pinned to her side. "There are certain things I will not allow even a homunculous to watch me do, and the privy is one of them," he said. When he had sat the little copy down, she covered her face with her hands and peeked out through her fingers.

He turned and stalked back into the house and Siska looked at her tiny copy. "You watched him go to the bathroom?" she asked.

Little Siska nodded, then lowered her hands to her shoulders and spread them as far apart as they would reach, grinning broadly.

"Yes, I know," said Siska with a sober nod. "He is blessed in that area. But you must not go spying on him, lest you wish him to order me to lose you."

Little Siska flinched and nodded in agreement.

"Still, his manhood is a wonder to behold, is it not?" asked Siska, turning back to her eggs and smiling slightly.

"Which I will show YOU any time you ask it," said Phillip. "But I'm not quite craven enough to lust for a six inch woman, just yet." He had entered the kitchen quietly.

Siska blushed purple and the little copy of her did as well, both hunching their shoulders as if trying to retract their heads into their bodies.

Siska, though, recovered, her mind working furiously. "Meaning you do lust for me?" she asked, giving him a sidelong glance that alleviated a bit of the burning in her own cheeks by transferring it to his.

Phillip blinked a moment as his cheeks reddened. "That's not what I said," he said, but also did not deny anything. Siska was learning that what a wizard did not say was often, if not always, more important than what they did say.

She sat a plate of flatbread and eggs on the table for him. "It's okay if you do," she said, teasing him. "I don't mind."

He stammered a moment, not managing to form any words. "Outnumbered by one woman," he murmured and sat to eat. He thought about it a bit, too, what she had not said.

"Where are we going, if I may ask, mentor?" asked Siska, speaking around a mouthful of flatbread.

Phillip swallowed and looked up. "To the meeting place of our order, to make you known," he said. He thought a moment. "Did you dream last night? Of the man, I mean."

"No," she said. "He didn't come to me." Siska could not quite decide if that was good or bad, or if she liked it or not. "What is the meeting place like?"

"Busy," said Phillip. "This is a large city, and there are many wizards here, even if the people don't realize it. The order goes beyond Tressen, in any case, farther than most know, as well. You will see."

She nodded, handing little Siska a piece of flatbread to munch.

"She will have to stay home," said Phillip, pointing his fork at Little Siska. "They would bear calves if they knew an apprentice summoned a homunculous after a single day of learning. You should probably not mention it."

"Lie about it?" she asked.

"No!" said Phillip, with enough vehemence to cause both Siskas to cringe. "We do not lie, except when absolutely necessary."

To Siska's ears, it sounded like rote, like he was quoting something. "You will be taking your vows there, too, if you will accept them."