Page 22 of Winter Queen
"Ehm... big lightning bolts coming down from the sky during thunderstorms?" Even I know how silly that sounds. "Electricity?" I add, hoping that one will be less stupid.
Thor shakes his head in frustration. "What do they teach you on Earth? Lightning is an electrostatic discharge. Imagine two electrically charged objects, like balloons you've rubbed against a woollen tunic. If you make them touch each other, electricity will flow between them for just a moment. When it's just a small electric charge, sparks will fly. If it's larger, much larger, you get lightning."
So far, I'm following, even though physics was never my strongest subject. "But where do I get electrically charged objects from? Do I need to bring balloons onto the battlefield?"
I chuckle at my own joke and even Thor can't hide a grin.
"No, Godspawn, all you need can be found around you."
I have a lightbulb moment. "You mean protons and electrons and that kind of stuff?"
He sighs indulgently. "Yes, that kind of stuff. But if it helps you, just imagine the air around you sizzle with energy. Imagine how there are millions of particles, ready to be pushed together to produce lightning. When you picture it correctly in your mind, the magic will follow."
Okay then. That shouldn't be too hard. I focus again and imagine everything around me sparkling with energy. It's not the first time that I'm glad I have such an active imagination. Years of cultivating my imaginary friends is now paying off.
When I have the air saturated with sparks of electricity, I draw some magic into me and spread it through the space in front of me, until it touches the sparks.
With a deep breath, I pull on the magic, forcing the sparks to touch each other.
A lightning bolt rams into the ground in front of me, barely missing my feet. I jump back in surprise, but stumble and manage to fall flat on my arse. Ouch. Has the ground always been that hard? This is going to leave a bruise. Maybe I can get Crispin - no, I can't.
Thor is laughing wildly and I scramble to my feet, glaring at him.
"Was your first attempt that much better?" I ask him, barely hiding a growl.
"Of course it was. I'm the God of Thunder, making lightning bolts is what I do."
He's got a point. At least I know that I have other magic he doesn't have. My mother explained to me that the major Gods all have one or two main powers, and the minor Gods only one. Usually, they all have basic capabilities in other elemental magic, but I'd definitely outrank them in having several major powers. Probably not as strong as theirs, but at least I have strength in numbers.
"Try again," Thor tells me and steps back again, this time a little further than before. Is he worried I might accidentally hit him?
He's probably right. Just now, I'd unsuccessfully aimed for the lightning bolt to hit the other end of the courtyard. Certainly not in front of my feet. I'm not suicidal.
I focus again, doing the same thing as before, but this time, I create the area of charged air further above me, and then push it away from me before releasing my magic.
A blinding flash of light crashes down, making me blink several times. And then blink again, just in case I didn't see correctly. The lightning bolt hasn't disappeared as it should have. Instead, it's hovering just above the ground, writhing and fighting against whatever is preventing it from disintegrating.
"Thor?" I call. "Are you doing this?"
"What do you mean?" He approaches me from behind but I'm too worried to turn away from the lightning.
"The frozen lightning bolt?" I ask him incredulously. "What else would I be talking about?!"
"Oh that. Yes, that's me. I wanted to show you what your magic can do in detail."
He says it as if this is nothing special. As if he didn't just freeze a fricking lightning bolt in time. Now that I know he's the cause of it, I feel a little less threatened. Hopefully, he'll stop it from exploding into my face.
I reach out with my magic, exploring what's actually happening.
"Close your eyes," Thor encourages me. "See it with your inner vision."
I think I prefer the Thor from the legends after all. This one is suddenly turning a little too weird.
But I do as he says - he is a God after all - and focus on the lightning bolt in front of me. It's harder to see magic with my mind that isn't my own. There are traces of my own still around, but they're scattered and hard to make sense of. It takes me a good while until I manage to find Thor's magic. It's very different from my own, much thicker and more solid. Mine is fluid and flexible, while his is rigid and not as easily changed. Maybe it's because his only has one purpose, while mine has to adapt to multiple elements.
It's as if a light is slowly turned on, exposing more and more of the big picture. The lightning bolt is surrounded by Thor's magic, held in place by a web of tiny magic tendrils that are growing into something that look like roots.
I step closer, examining one of the closest bits of the lightning. The magic is pulsating, with energy flowing out of the lightning and into Thor.
