During the Summer Solstice Festival, disputes and opinions seemed to disappear, caught up in the spirit and excitement caused by a large party (the same effects can be caused by ale, which also happened to be plentiful at a time like this). A man�s enemy yesterday will still be his enemy tomorrow, but today, they would celebrate and enjoy each other�s company. And this was the part of the festival, not the singing, dancing, feasting, or drinking, that Kitt liked the most. Due to the fact that the villagers often shunned him, this was one of the few times that Kitt would get to hold full conversations, meet people (though it may seem strange that in a town of barely two score people, there might be one a person would not know, such is the life of an outcast), and share a good time with the villagers.
While Kitt loved talking, Jublis loved dancing with any girl he considered pretty (all in the spirit of fun he�d say).
And as sunset approached, as was customary for generations, the townsfolk headed to the peak of the mountain to watch the sun go down. And as the giant orange ball fell behind the skyline, silhouetted on a sky of yellow and clouds that seemed almost purple, a sigh of disappointment rose from the crowd, as the great celebration was finally at an end.
�Hold on,� Kitt said in an almost mock-disapproving tone, �just because the sun goes down, doesn�t mean the festival is entirely over. Come to the village square!� He started down the mountain, followed quickly by Jublis. For a moment, the rest of the lot just stood there, unsure of what to do. Then, a young woman named Daisy stepped forward to follow, curious to see what was going to happen, such is youth (and also, because she had her eye on Jublis for some weeks now, which may or may not have played a part in her decision to follow). Then a few more went, and eventually, the entire town had gone.
Kitt couldn�t help but muster a slightly smug expression. He, Kitt the outcast, was leading the village. It may have simply been down the mountain, but it was more than he had come to expect. For this brief moment, he was the center of attention.
As they all entered the village square, they spotted a figure, which seemed to be waiting for them.
It was a woman, about five and a half feet tall. She stood next to a fair sized sack, which lay closed. Her hair was somewhat wavy, which stretched to the small of her back. Her hair was white, but she did not seem old. Not young by any means, but she certainly looked of child-bearing age still, near the prime of her life, though that was passing judging by her appearance. She had bright green eyes, which went well with her tree-green robe. She smiled, which seemed to put the villagers at ease. There is that certain something about a beautiful smile from a kind woman, for either gender, that is soothing in a certain way.
Vekia, the master sorceress, bowed to the villagers. �My friends and good neighbors, it is good to see you all in health for yet another year.� She gestured at the sack lying on the ground next to her. �Tonight, it will be my pleasure to give you each a small gift, so let us begin. Kitt, please light the fire.�
Kitt walked over to the stone circle and drew from his belt a small piece of flint and a knife, he struck them to get the spark necessary, but it failed, he tried three more times with no luck. He rearranged the kindling just in case.
As his friend worked at his task at The Circle, as the villagers called it, Jublis spoke to Vekia, � Vekia, why couldn�t you jus� use one of your spells to zap a little fire or somethin� of that nature?�
She answered him in a calm, if somewhat bemused, tone, �Because Jublis, tasks like these, of no reward, are part of Kitt�s spirit training.� She smiled, �Besides,� and with that, a spark finally lit, and the fire started to crackle as it grew from the small pine needles to the larger logs of wood, �he is quite capable.�
Kitt walked over and retrieved a small table from the earlier feast, and placed it in front of his master. Then he lifted the sack and set it on the table with a loud thump.
�And since you, Jublis are so interested, would you care to be the first volunteer?�
Jublis hesitated, and glanced at Kitt, who was trying to fight off a grin. Jublis relaxed, Kitt only smiled that way when something grand was about to happen, usually exciting too. �Sure, why not?� he said.
�Very well,� she said, and took out the ingredients from her bag. It was mostly a series of smaller bags and pouches, with the exception of a vile containing an olive green liquid. This she set aside for now, and began to dump the contents of the smaller pouches onto the table, which were a series of powders, each different colors and textures.
Jublis looked inquisitively at the sorceress, then walked over to Kitt�s side, and whispered to him, �What exactly is she doing? Cooking?�
�Of course not, she�s only mixing ingredients. This is called a �mundane spell�, since non-mages will be using it, for that reason, the spell must be made into a tangible form. If it were say me who would use it, it wouldn�t be necessary to use all this, since I have some training. But since you and the rest of the villagers have no such training, the spell needs to be palpable, for your minds to understand what is going on.�
Jublis shook his head, dumbfounded and bewildered, �I don�t really get it Kitt, you�ve been hangin� around �er for too long.� He turned his attention away from Kitt and back to Vekia, who was spreading the mix of powders across the surface of the table.
Then, she took the vile that she had set aside before, and poured it over the powder. There was a hissing sound, and steam rose up like water being boiled. As the bright white of the steam evaporated, there was a sort of reddish clay in its place.