Coldwillow gestures to the ground in front of her and says, “Come stand here in front of me.” Larrikan does so, but Coldwillow says, “Closer. I have to be abhe to reach you.”
Larrikan steps closer, warily. He jumps a little when Coldwillow reaches out and puts her hands on his shoulders, and moves him in closer. He winds up only a few inches from the wizard and is clearly worried about what might happen.
Coldwillow begins explaining, using a low, quiet voice that Larrikan strains to hear. He winds up flicking his ears back up and stepping in close to her. Just like Coldwillow intended. She asks him, “Have you ever played music with an empty jug or bottle?”
Larrikan nods and says, “Yes, ma’am.” He seems perplexed as to what this has to do with magic.
The wizard says, “So you have seen how a big, empty jug makes a bigger sound than a smaller bottle?” At his nod, she says, “Good. That’s what we are going to do here, but with magic. I will take a little bit of my magical energy and send it across you. I will be able to tell how much magic, if any, you can do by the feeling of what echoes back.
This seems to reassure Larrikan a little, but he asks timidly, “Will it hurt?”
“Not at all,” Coldwillow tells him, “Although you might sense it when it happens. It will be, if anything, like a warm breeze from an impossible direction.”
Larrikan nods, “I can handle a warm breeze.”
Coldwillow smiles, and says, “I know you can. We need you to relax and to be calm. Close your eyes and imagine a calm lake, early in the day. It is warm, but not hot, and you are walking along the edge of the water, facing the sun. There is nothing nearby to threaten you, and the lake makes quiet rippling sounds.”
Larrikan does as he is bid, and closes his eyes. Even with the wizard’s hands still on his shoulders, he relaxes somewhat.
Coldwillow tells the fox, “That is very good. Really imagine yourself there, safe from any harm, just strolling along, enjoying the warm sun.” She talks Larrikan into a light trance, which takes him a while to relax into, but he finally does.
“That’s very good,” Coldwillow tells Larrikan. “Across the lake, you see the leaves in the trees sway gently in a little breeze. You can see a few ripples on the lake as it comes nearer. It isn’t anything odd, just a little moving air.”
Coldwillow closes her eye and sends a trickle of her magic to and across Larrikan, whispering to him, “Do you feel it?”
Larrikan smiles, and says, “Yes.”
Coldwillow first smiles, and then looks astonished and pleased. She says, “Oh, my.”