Interlude: On Magic

Published Wednesday 14 April 2010 by SteveCook in  

Yes, so, this one is more of a playscript; I'll be doing those with the children next term. I used it as a chance to expand on the theory of magic in The King's Thief. The lecture theatre I had in mind is probably something along the lines of the ones they have at DeMontfort University, Leicester; I was at a panel held in one last year. I think it would need to be somewhat bigger to get everyone in, though, so maybe extend it out half again. Tiered seating with the speaker at the front, the whole thing being a semicircle. I digress. Enjoy!

Transcript of a lecture on the nature of magic, given by Lewis Barner, Scholar of the King’s Court



BARNER: Learned gentlemen, friends and brothers, theories have often been put forward regarding the way in which the phenomenon we refer to as ‘magic’ works; through research and experimentation, I believe that I have discovered the medium through which we are able to affect the world around us as we do and, indeed, to improve on it.

AUDIENCE: Poppycock! Rubbish! Etc. (scribe unable to pick out any one particular dissenter)

BARNER: Gentlemen, please. As I was saying; when we prepare to cast a spell or enchantment, we require some form of life-force sacrifice. This has been on record for centuries, though we have not known how we, above others, manage the feat. The larger the spell, the greater the sacrifice required. The rules of our order prevents us from indulging in human sacrifice, and have done for decades, a fact for which we are all thankful.



BARNER: When blood is drawn, gentlemen, there is an escape of life-force; our bodies are finely tuned to be receptive to this force, drawing it in like a sponge. We are then able to use the energy in the form of a spell. For most small cantrips we are adept at drawing a small amount of blood from our own fingers, leading to an academic question; if we need to draw the energy from our own body, can we access it without drawing blood? I am sure that our fingers would thank us.

AUDIENCE:

BARNER: This then leads to a further problem; even assuming we were able to take life-force energy from a creature, or indeed a person, without drawing blood, we would have to have that creature on-the-spot, because the energy needs to be used instantly. In fact, by far the best option would be to be able to store the energy we draw, so that we can use it in our own time. However, by current standards, only the very best among us are able to store energy, and only after many years of rehearsal. It is not without danger; I am sure we all continue to miss our brother William Barning, who was taken from us suddenly; the burns he sustained internally are a constant reminder of the peril.

UNIDENTIFIED AUDIENCE MEMBER: Get on with it!

BARNER: Yes, well; As I have already stated, magically sensitive bodies draw the release of life energy in like a sponge. The energy pools in the part of the body known as the appendix, an organ which, until now, we have not known the use for; from there, we focus the energy as we need it. However, I propose a more advanced possibility; I theorise that the withdrawal of blood from a body may not be necessary at all! In experimentation I have been able to draw energy from my body without bleeding, although the effects were unstable.



BARNER: Although preliminary experiments have been partially unsuccessful, I believe that this is the future of magic, gentlemen! Bloodless energy withdrawal! Granted, the side effects are considerable, but this is only the first experimental stage.



BARNER: With that in mind… calling for funds… could be revolutionary… and I believe that it will change the way we operate, both at home and abroad. Gentlemen, thank you.




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