(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

jest havin' the knack for the Art isn't enough. Ye need some means of givin'
it focus: usually 'spells.' The spells are usually in a book. So the Art demands
ye have a spell book or its like a-fore ye ken cast spells. Ken ye read?"
I shifted, "I think so."
"Then let's test it, ken ye read this?" Mebbeth drew forth a small tattered
card... it looked like a recipe.
As I gazed on it, the writing on the recipe swam before my eyes, each
symbol twisting out of focus whenever I tried to read it. Almost instinctively,
I relaxed my eyes, allowing them to take in the page all at once... and the
symbols suddenly bled together: the recipe listed measurements,
ingredients... it appeared to be some minor divination.
I looked up to Mebbeth, "This is a minor divination, isn't it? It looks like it's a
spell that allows the user to see the 'nature' of an item... to see whether it's
enchanted or not."
Mebbeth's eyes widened and she took a step back, recoiling in fear. "Who
are ye to test Ol' Mebbeth so?! Are ye some fiend?"
I stepped away from her, "No... well, not to my knowledge. What's wrong?"
"Well... not expectin' it, was I..." She nodded at the recipe, clutching her
chest. She took a deep breath then plucked it out of my hand. "What ye see,
it's written in the language of the Art. If ye're not a mageling yet, it should
be all-a-swirl-jumble of mish-mash." She snapped her finger. "Yet, clear as
crystal, ye pluck the sense of it right up. Mayhap ye tell Ol' Mebbeth why
that is?"
That odd itch crawled along the inside of my skull again, "I think I may have
known once, but forgot... seeing the symbols just jarred my memory."
"Or else a natural gift, ye may have... no matter, no matter, ye've just
shaved seasons off of yer learning, ye have." Mebbeth harumphed. "An I'd
been lookin' fer someone to handle the chores around here, I had..."
I grinned "If you need help with anything around here, you can still ask... it's
the least I can do in exchange for you teaching me. Just, er... will I be going
to the marketplace again?"
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