Light Manipulation
Light Manipulation
by PaBurke
*** Summary *** Dresden lj prompt: Light
*** Spoilers *** book nine of the Dresden books, White Night.
*** Disclaimer *** I'm playing with someone else's toys. No Copyright infringement intended. No money made. Hopefully everyone will treat this like a plug for Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. Very much worth reading, buying, or in our case-gifting.
*** Warning *** None, little language.
*** Distribution *** The Nook and the lj
“Why am I here?” Molly asked again. “Why not bring Sergeant Murphy down here if you’re playing around in the dark?”
I refused to blush at the insinuation in my apprentice’s voice. Did everyone know about Murph and me? “I need to test the new spells on someone with the Sight and you need to practice your Sight.”
“And you don’t need to practice on a normal human too?” Molly argued. “Or are you waiting until after you don’t have a chaperone?”
“Who have you been talking to?”
“Thomas,” Molly grinned. “He wanted to gain my trust, so he spilled your secrets.”
I grumbled under my breath about talkative family members and realized something. “What did he tell you?”
“That you and Sergeant Murphy had ‘the hots for each other and were too pigheaded to do anything about it’ -that’s an exact quote. Oh and the big secret is that you two are family and that he’d come a-runnin’ if anything happened to you, I just had to let him know.”
“He told you?!” I was flabbergasted.
Molly nodded. “He wanted me to know where to come for back-up if you ever got into trouble. Don’t worry, he warned me about how the White Council would come down on you two and how I would be killed in the backlash if it came out. So I promise that I won’t tell anyone, Harry. Ever.”
“You know how wizards are bound by their word,” I warned.
She straightened up and looked me in the eye. “I promised Thomas. He made me. But I’m making the promise to you, Harry. I know that Wizards have to keep their word and I’m going to too.”
Wow. She meant it. She really would try to keep her word. My apprentice was growing up. I was proud even though I knew that Michael and Charity deserved most of the credit.
“So what are we doing down here?” She looked around the bare basement walls, the lack of windows, the brick columns and the rickety lights above in this abandoned parking garage.
“During the fight with the White Court , someone turned off the lights.” I turned off the lights as a demonstration. My staff lit up on my instinct. To my surprise, Molly’s cross necklace lit up as well. In the glow of the necklace, I could tell that it hadn’t surprised Molly. “Ghouls can see in the dark. Wizards make light without much work, without thought. I made myself, my friends and my allies a target because I immediately lit up my staff. It’s expected. Nearly everyone with magic does it.”
Molly had a pretty good idea of how my mind operated. “So you are going to train your instincts to do other things.”
My grin made her smile. “Yep. I’ve got a couple new spells to try. Thomas said that we wouldn’t be disturbed for a while here. We are going to make the most of our time.”
“Playing the wizard version of hide-n-seek.”
“Yep.”
“And you don’t want to use veils?”
“That’s mostly your shtick. I’ll try one or two, but I’ve got some other options. Veils don’t hold up under the Sight.”
Molly laughed. “I consider myself warned.”
*
At the end of the night, as we were walking back to the Blue Beetle, I asked Molly, “So what did you learn?”
I was expecting her to mention a specific spell or, if she was looking at the big picture, how to tweak a new spell.
She spoke slowly. “I learned that if you err during a fight -and survive- make damn sure that you are very prepared not to make that same error in a new fight.”
I smiled. “You learn very well, Padawan.”
Molly almost glowed with pleasure. “So are you going to bring Sergeant Murphy down here next?”
I tried not to glow with embarrassment.
****
by PaBurke
*** Summary *** Dresden lj prompt: Light
*** Spoilers *** book nine of the Dresden books, White Night.
*** Disclaimer *** I'm playing with someone else's toys. No Copyright infringement intended. No money made. Hopefully everyone will treat this like a plug for Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. Very much worth reading, buying, or in our case-gifting.
*** Warning *** None, little language.
*** Distribution *** The Nook and the lj
“Why am I here?” Molly asked again. “Why not bring Sergeant Murphy down here if you’re playing around in the dark?”
I refused to blush at the insinuation in my apprentice’s voice. Did everyone know about Murph and me? “I need to test the new spells on someone with the Sight and you need to practice your Sight.”
“And you don’t need to practice on a normal human too?” Molly argued. “Or are you waiting until after you don’t have a chaperone?”
“Who have you been talking to?”
“Thomas,” Molly grinned. “He wanted to gain my trust, so he spilled your secrets.”
I grumbled under my breath about talkative family members and realized something. “What did he tell you?”
“That you and Sergeant Murphy had ‘the hots for each other and were too pigheaded to do anything about it’ -that’s an exact quote. Oh and the big secret is that you two are family and that he’d come a-runnin’ if anything happened to you, I just had to let him know.”
“He told you?!” I was flabbergasted.
Molly nodded. “He wanted me to know where to come for back-up if you ever got into trouble. Don’t worry, he warned me about how the White Council would come down on you two and how I would be killed in the backlash if it came out. So I promise that I won’t tell anyone, Harry. Ever.”
“You know how wizards are bound by their word,” I warned.
She straightened up and looked me in the eye. “I promised Thomas. He made me. But I’m making the promise to you, Harry. I know that Wizards have to keep their word and I’m going to too.”
Wow. She meant it. She really would try to keep her word. My apprentice was growing up. I was proud even though I knew that Michael and Charity deserved most of the credit.
“So what are we doing down here?” She looked around the bare basement walls, the lack of windows, the brick columns and the rickety lights above in this abandoned parking garage.
“During the fight with the White Court , someone turned off the lights.” I turned off the lights as a demonstration. My staff lit up on my instinct. To my surprise, Molly’s cross necklace lit up as well. In the glow of the necklace, I could tell that it hadn’t surprised Molly. “Ghouls can see in the dark. Wizards make light without much work, without thought. I made myself, my friends and my allies a target because I immediately lit up my staff. It’s expected. Nearly everyone with magic does it.”
Molly had a pretty good idea of how my mind operated. “So you are going to train your instincts to do other things.”
My grin made her smile. “Yep. I’ve got a couple new spells to try. Thomas said that we wouldn’t be disturbed for a while here. We are going to make the most of our time.”
“Playing the wizard version of hide-n-seek.”
“Yep.”
“And you don’t want to use veils?”
“That’s mostly your shtick. I’ll try one or two, but I’ve got some other options. Veils don’t hold up under the Sight.”
Molly laughed. “I consider myself warned.”
*
At the end of the night, as we were walking back to the Blue Beetle, I asked Molly, “So what did you learn?”
I was expecting her to mention a specific spell or, if she was looking at the big picture, how to tweak a new spell.
She spoke slowly. “I learned that if you err during a fight -and survive- make damn sure that you are very prepared not to make that same error in a new fight.”
I smiled. “You learn very well, Padawan.”
Molly almost glowed with pleasure. “So are you going to bring Sergeant Murphy down here next?”
I tried not to glow with embarrassment.
****