"That was the spark, growing out of control. In time, you will learn to harness it, but once you conjure it forth, you must release it quickly."

"It felt like a great weight was lifted from me when I uttered those words," said Athgar.

"Yes," agreed the Orc, "a feeling I know only too well. You very nearly caught fire. Remember, if you do not master the flame, the flame will master you."

"And if I did catch on fire?" he asked.

"You would die," said Artoch, "for not even a master of flame is immune to burning to death, and there is no Water Mage here to extinguish a magical flame."

"Magical flame? Isn't all fire the same?"

"Watch closely," said Artoch, holding his hand, palm upward before him. Words spilled from his tongue and the air buzzed with energy, then a small flame appeared, floating just above the Orc's outstretched hand.

"It's green," said Athgar in wonderment.

"Yes, it is magical fire in its purest form, though it changes colour as it grows in intensity."

"But there is no wood to burn," said the Human. "How does it sustain itself?"

"Just as fire consumes wood, so this flame consumes some of my internal energy."

"What happens if you run out of energy?" asked Athgar.

"Then it would consume my body."

"You would be consumed by the fire, that's what you meant earlier?"

"Yes, you must be careful to always keep energy in reserve, to fail to do so could cause death."

"Is that true of all mages?"

"To a limited extent," said Artoch. "Even a healer may run out of energy and consume a portion of their body. In those rare cases, you would notice, perhaps, spontaneous bruising or bleeding from the nose or ears. The damage heals in time, but for Fire Mages, the secondary effect can be ignition, causing the caster to erupt into flames. I would imagine it would be quite painful."

"How much energy do I have?"

"We will find out, in time. This first spell will only consume a little. By noon you will have recovered the expenditure of energy. Later on, as you use more powerful spells, you will learn to recognize the feeling as your energy is drained. It is hard to explain, yet easy to understand once you experience it."

"So do all mages have a limited supply of energy?"

"They do," said Artoch, "though it varies considerably between individuals. There are even ways to increase it, much as a hunter may increase their strength over time."

"I can see there's a lot I have to learn," said Athgar.

"We will take it in small doses," said Artoch. "Now, shall we have you try again?"

"Should I fetch new wood first?"