"Now, let's try them," Professor Lionel Squisshy told the students
They all cheered up, as everyone waited anxiously the end of the workshop, to be able to prove their skill.
"They look like kids who first tasted a shrinking truffle," Alexander told his followers. "Kids ... They will see immediately they are nothing more," once again the "modest" Alexander managed to judge the others.
As if it was natural to turn into a smaller version of yourself. But for kids like Prince Soimesti, used to magic as everyone is used to waking up every morning and falling asleep when night comes, it was nothing but normal.
Elizabeth was also a happy kid who managed to make beautiful little things with their hands.
But what was to come will make them even happier.
"Elizabeth Edwards. Please spell with me ..."
The girl waited a few moments, but as Smart said nothing, only admired a small skeleton of ... a mouse apparently, with small hooves, but considering the way Smart looked at it, perhaps he didn't know either what it was.
"Professor Squisshy," Elizabeth disturbed him.
As if awakened from a dream, Mr. Lionel Squisshy, aka Smart, turned to her with a smiling face.
"Um, as I can see, you have many skills ... including the ability to control water."
Unaware how the professor knew things and what they meant, eager to see what her wand can do, the girl kept listening to the professor carefully.
"Move the wand as if you flick water into the air and say "Ascensionem Aqua".
This girl did exactly what he asked.
"Ascensionem Aqua."
Water rose in the air forming a kind of water chain, and the little girl felt in her hand the wand tingling, as if it were part of her body.
"Can you see what a perfect wand looks like? Elizabeth managed to control water. It helps if you handle it very easily to activate magic. It's like having a very well-worked, sharp sword that helps you defend yourself ... and attack very fiercely. Lethally, I would say."
All the children stared "what the hell is he saying?"
"Of course, you still have to become very skilled wizards in ...knowledge and use of magic. To know when, how and why use it? To become real wand swordsmen."
The girl couldn't be prouder when she saw she could do whatever she wanted with water. She could… she could control water as she wanted. Finally, she was a real wizard.
She made some small shapes out of water, pointed them at her colleagues and surrounded them, after which she got the water back.
She looked at the professor curiously, but he said:
"If you point the wand slightly downwards, as if you no longer use it, magic loses its effect. It's like doing something, then you think you don't want it anymore. And then everything ends. But I am glad to see you have chosen the path of a wise wizard. When you deepen the magic like controlling water, you succeed in doing what you want with it. But this requires a lot of work... you all need to work hard on what you get through. These magic tricks become part of you."
"What to dig deeper? What will become part of me? Me, wise wizard ...?" these questions flashed in the girl's mind. She didn't understand anything about what this professor kept saying. Little by little, she began to agree with Alexander.
The professor ended the discussion, then headed for another student, leaving Elizabeth with her thoughts.
"Let's see your wand, Mr. Alexander Soimesti."
The boy took out the wand made at the creative Workshop, but the professor signalled that he wanted to use the one from the beautifully crafted sheath ... that family heirloom.
Alexander elegantly took it out of his sleeve, then from the sheath and without waiting for a word of approval from Smart, he cried twice:
"Flammis acribus flamma! Flammis acribus flamma!"
Two fireballs headed toward two jars placed on the shelf. When they were hit by magic, both jars with everything in it became small ashes.
"Very good ... but you may notice it took a little longer until the spells were created with his wand. It's a huge difference between the two wands ..."
The children looked at Lionel Squisshy in wonder. It seemed he just thought there was something different between the two wands. Except one magic controlled water and the other fire, neither saw a difference, only enjoyed that magic show offered by the two wizard kids.
"Whatever ... Mr. Soimesti's wand is for warrior wizards. Specially designed for fighting. And even if Mr. Soimesti chose to know the magic of fire, the magic aspect that provided the most ... wizards among the Dragoesti's family, who rose up against the Consulate of Magic, I hope he will be an exception. For, there have been many exceptions in recent years, anyway ..."
Everybody was silent.
"Ready for today ... I don't want to see any student here in a minute. Just me and Smart."
The children quickly left the classroom, leaving behind a gnome, that strange and small creature, who never in the world wanted to be considered a human.
Some of the children were happy considering they created something, others considering that next time they would do something new, and Elizabeth ... glad that she had become a wizard.
She, a few weeks ago a mere orphan, had now acquired a family and a purpose for which to prepare and learn in life, just as any child should do. That of becoming a wise and skilful person ... and in her case, a wise and skilful wizard.
…
"Maybe Professor Lionel Squisshy is a little weird. And he may sometimes speak of Smart as someone else, but he is very wise. And he has some skills that many others don't have ... It's one of the few gnomes living today."
Elizabeth listened intently to Professor Knudlac, as he watched the stone elves who cleaned the dry twigs of trees and bushes with their wands.
"For over a hundred years he helped to the best wizards' training. He was my professor too, in fact ..."
Mr. Knudlac continued his journey followed by Elizabeth. After a few minutes when he inspected a few meadows, he stopped and spoke to some stone elves that followed him.
"In this meadow we will build the stable for the pair of white deersaurs.
"Deersaurs?" the girl asked in surprise. She didn't know anything about those creatures.
"Yes, a young couple. They are ... a doe and a deer both huge. And white ... It seems there are only two such pairs in the world."
Knudlac saw the stone elves gathering and forming a small group.
"But ... there are some trees that stand in our way," said one of those stone elves.
"We will get rid of them," said the professor.
"Will you cut down these trees?" the girl looked intrigued at those trees that had yellow and bloody red leaves, another had them as black as ebony and another, so transparent that, if you looked closer you could see how the sap flowed through the ribs of the leaves.
"No, dear, these are trees brought from the Sacred Tree Forest ... it is said the elves sowed them when they first came to our world. Maybe it's a legend, maybe not. What we know for sure is they have healing powers. And then, forests are important for us, for our survival. They provide us with the oxygen without which we're lost. Nature could live without us, but we can't without it. That's why we have to value it and defend it ... from us."
"And then how can we clear the area?"
"We ask them to move somewhere else. There could be a good place," Mr. Knudlac said. "So ... Postulantes ut patet per viam."
Some loud, deafening crackles began to be heard after these words. For any outsider, it could be bad predictive noise. Not for those gathered there. Not for Elizabeth, who was quiet when she saw how calm Professor Knudlac was.
However, shy, she got closer to the professor and began to admire the show standing by his side.
The roots of the trees began to emerge from the earth, like earthworms. After the root tips of the tree near them, the tree with black leaves, came to light, there was a broken branch sound. The tree rose gently, slightly, until it seemed like a ballerina who instead of standing on top of her feet, stood on the tip of its thick roots, and began to move as slowly as a snail.
Even so, all the trees that were asked and followed the black tree, began to move to an area indicated by Professor Knudlac.
The tree marathon began, under everyone's eyes.
After a few moments of silence, when only crackles could be heard, a stone elf got close to Knudlac.
"Now we have to solve the problem with the group of trees near the Lake."
"Yes, I know," said the professor. "Please call the others if they finished their task near the western gardens."
Some elves disappeared after the others.
"My dear, now we have to go to a slightly more dangerous area where you need me. As I told you ... If Lionel told you the wand is very good, as well as the path of magic chosen by you, it means that it is right. He knows what is good because he can see what we cannot see. So are the gnomes, masters in predictions about magic and not only.
The professor smiled slightly at the girl, then walked to the group of stone elves. When he was surrounded by them, they began to disappear one by one, including Knudlac, leaving behind a hollow green area, as if there was nothing there. Only the grass and those trees moving as slowly as helpless elders to the area where they lived.
The girl got back to Elmbridge School raising its lofty towers toward the sunny sky and made her way to it.
She had a full, but beautiful day. And she couldn't wait getting into her room to see what else she could do with her wand. She had so many books about magic to read and so many spells to try with her wand.