"And the rest of us?"
"You, the girl that glows yellow, and the one that casts strong emerald magic are of possible use to me. The three of you have a decision to make."
"What if we decide we wish to go home?" Scheff pressed, wondering just how much latitude they were being offered.
"You will only go home if and when I desire it," Ansas responded, but then his nearly disinterested tone swayed slightly into an expression of greater expectation, as if the elf before him was actually worth his attention. "For one moment in your insignificant life, forget the boundaries of your meager aspirations and consider an opportunity that is unlike any other you could possibly receive."
Scheff shook his head.
"You refuse already?"
"It is all so… common. I expected more from you."
Ansas appeared more surprised than annoyed.
"You haven't even heard what I have to say."
"Does it matter? You will offer us some agreement, a choice for us to make. 'Do this for me and I will spare you' or 'Join me and I will give you power' or something similar in nature. It is as old as elflore. That is why you brought us here, and I find it tiring."
"Interesting, but inaccurate."
"Truly? You were not going to offer us some choice of aiding you or facing terrible consequences?"
"You think I require your aid?"
Scheff considered that for a moment and realized he had perhaps spoken too soon. He wondered what kind of aid he could actually offer a sorcerer of such ability. Still, even sorcerers of great ability often utilized spies and minions.
"You said we could be of possible use to you. Those were your words, not mine."
"Yes, but that is not the substance of the issue. You do have a choice. You need to decide if you wish to become more than you could possibly achieve on your own. Your skills are somewhat impressive, but in truth, you are hunting for scraps when you could be reaching for so much more. If you can raise your inner expectations, you have a chance for greatness, but you must be willing to move forward. I have no intention of wasting my time or energy on trying to persuade you."
Scheff sighed. "So then it is nothing more than a beggar's deal."
"You consider yourself a beggar?"
"My low opinion is not of myself, or even you," Scheff added in order not to insult the sorcerer. "It is of the situation you create. You accuse me of holding to low aspirations and then entice me with riches in power I cannot touch."
"Then you have a small mind indeed."
"Be that as it may, I have no intention of offering my services, my life… or my spirit to you in exchange for freedom, position, riches, or anything else you intend on offering."
"I offer absolutely nothing of the kind. I was only interested in whether you wished to be more than you currently are, but not through simply what I offer. Your growth is based on what you can do on your own."
For the first time, Scheff was intrigued.
"You have seen what I can do," the elf finally replied. "I cast the power of the storm and in a perfect circle. You believe I can grow further? Cast perhaps in pure white or even a second circle?"
"Are those your aspirations?"
"What else is there?"
Ansas eyed the elf carefully.
"There is the purity of your natural hue," the sorcerer announced with growing enthusiasm. "You think you have been true to your inherent ability, but we both know that is not reality. You have allowed other magic to stain your spells. You have dabbled in spells of water and fire."
"Both are part of violet energy. The storm brings rain and lightning."
"If you are going to make excuses, then we are already done and you are of no use to me."
The words actually bit into Scheff's desires. He didn't want the conversation to end just yet. He thought of being more, of growing, of reaching a greater potential. He always thought he might someday expand his abilities and cast a pure white circle. For most spell casters, that was the ultimate ambition, but the sorcerer seemed to offer something else, something uniquely waiting for Scheff, something that he and he alone could grasp.
"I want to hear more."
Ansas didn't smile, revealed no satisfaction. In fact, he felt no great joy or gained no sense of victory. He had neither hopes nor expectations for anyone in particular. If Scheff didn't accept his insight, he would eventually find someone, or something, equally talented in violet magic that would dare to be more. He did, however, find greater interest in discussing what was the center of his own ambitions.
"Understanding magic is more than discovering new spells, increasing your efficiency, or expanding your talents. It's about remaining true to your inner self, finding the quality that separates you from the rest. I admit you are more skilled with magic than the others in your camp, but what does that make you? How are you truly different than every other elf of the forest?"
"I cast in a perfect circle," Scheff responded almost defensively.
"Is that what you consider different? Other elves have achieved a circle as well. They have been forgotten, just as you will be someday."
Scheff found the remark unsettling. He didn't wish to simply fade away into irrelevance. He tried to defend himself, disclose some reason why the sorcerer was wrong, but he couldn't find the words.
Ansas revealed another fact that disturbed Scheff.
"The girl next to you casts in a perfect triangle, not quite a circle I grant you, but it has its own advantages. If anything, she is much more memorable than you. Look at how she shines."
"But she casts in yellow and I hold the power of the storm. If I wished to shine, it would be in the form of lightning and it would destroy this room."
"Good! Hold to that thought because I want you to understand that taking full hold of your unique talents can make you more than different… it can make you legendary. You can do more than just destroy a single room. I'm talking about casting spells of pure violet fury, storms powerful enough to tear lands apart, to send seas spinning into the sky, leaving nothing behind but dry land. You have that capability within you, but not while you delude yourself into believing you have remained focused on your true inherent ability."
Suddenly, Scheff found the discussion almost intoxicating, and he knew the growing desire he felt did not come from the sorcerer, but from within.
"Let us say I accept your presumption," Scheff allowed, "that I have not been as true to my natural hue as you say. What is it that you can do for me that I can not do for myself?"
"Two things. I can remove the taint of other hues from within you and I can infuse within you the richness of pure ebony power."
Scheff, however, saw an immediate contradiction.
"If I accept your ebony magic, that would spoil the purity of my violet energy, would it not?"
"Of course not." Ansas shook his head, frustrated he had to explain so much. "What will an infusion of black energy do to any natural hue of magic? It will only darken the shade, not change its basic composition. It will remain violet, but it will be more powerful. I watched you. The energy you cast is already a dark violet. Deepening that shade will not diminish your strength. Can't you understand that?"
"I think so," Scheff revealed as he struggled to grasp the concept. "I think I see what you mean. If I try to attain white magic, I have to gain equal control over all the hues and give up my single inherent power. I become diluted. But if I focus on only the violet energy, there would be no such dilution. Accepting the black magic within me will not alter my energy, it would just darken the shade… sharpen my focus."
"So you can understand," Ansas nodded. "I wondered if there might be at least one among you intelligent enough to see."
"You must not listen to him," Haven Wellseed intervened.
"It isn't me he's listening to," Ansas corrected the elf. "It's himself."