It's Just Magic

Water Nymph

The class milled around outside, unsure of what to do. Edendir had entertained a few of the ones who were more likely to tell by charming them using magic, teleporting a few feet and creating a mirror on the surface of the school pond. That action had attracted all the vainer classmates, the ones who thought themselves popular. Then of course came the popular gangs's followers and soon the entire form were crowded around the little pond.

"Do a magic trick!" the boy who Edendir had spoken to earlier called. He had a professional camera ready to film, small enough to fit into his bag but advance enough to capture every second of film.

"I don't do tricks," Edendir replied, feeling his feet sink into the mud around the pond. "I do actual magic."

The class murmured and the boy frowned. "Okay then," he said. "Do some magic. I'm Oliver, by the way. Oliver Chambers, school newspaper and website co-ordinator." He smiled and raised his camera lens to his eye level. "Go whenever you're ready."

"Hey, filming him is my job," Dylan butted in, twirling his camcorder between his fingers. "And putting it on social media, too."

"I think you'll find that I do the filming," Roxie said, wobbling upright and snatching the little device from the American. "Sorry Dyl, but you do the editing."

Dylan opened his mouth to retort but Edendir shot him an impatient glare. His mouth closed again and Edendir cleared his throat, unsure of how to begin. A blinking light on both cameras told him that he was being filmed and so he got off to a shaky start.

"Hello," he said, alternating between camera lenses, "my name is Jinx, as you already know, I guess." He laughed nervously and curled his hands into balls.

"Sorry about this," he apologised. "I'm being put under a bit of pressure because this is one of the most dangerous things I'll ever attempt. Sure, teleporting was hard, but this?" He sighed deeply and dramatically. "This could change the world."

The class oohed and Edendir was spurred on. He tossed his hair back and smiled.

"I will be walking on water," he announced. "Not just that but creating things out of it from where I step."

Where had that last bit come from? Edendir didn't know how to do that, he barely grasped how to manipulate the elements. Air was easy, fire was okay, earth was impossible and water was forgettable. It was a skill no warlock really practised but Edendir wished that he'd spent more time on it instead of learning how to read someone's mind through a deck of cards.

"Step back, please," he said to give himself a few more seconds of thought whilst the crowd moved. The area around the pond cleared and Edendir was left standing in the marsh, water oozing around his feet and swamping his school shoes. Already his socks were a soggy mess beneath the leather and the elf could feel his feet slowly going numb.

"Oh, and if anyone has these shoes," he added, hopping on one foot as he took his right shoe off, "they might want to return them. They're not very waterproof." To prove his point he upturned the item and a waterfall flooded to the ground. There was a smattering of laughter and Edendir's smile grew.

"Now," he said loudly, stopping the giggles, "if the cameras are ready, I will begin." He turned his back on the machines and faced the water's surface before him, trying to send magic down to the nymphs somewhere down below, to connect with them.

To Edendir's horror there was no jolt of connection, no buzz or tingle of magic in his system, nothing to ensure a barrier between the water's surface and him. He was alone with no magic and a waiting, watching crowd.

"I, um," he began, looking over his shoulder to the camera. He broke off and cried out in pain. A watery hand had gripped his foot, invisible to anyone but him.