The two women cleaned up the kitchen and then Ildri followed Maxine outside.  She had thought that they might immediately go to a clearing, but Maxine first led her around the back of the building.  She picked up a couple of baskets sitting in a haphazard pile and handed one to Ildri.  Then she walked into the forest with three rabbits and Ildri trailing behind her.

While they walked, Maxine talked.  Her tone was different than the friendly and mildly amused way she usually spoke, a more serious tone.  Ildri listened quietly.

"You said that you spent some time learning about wizard magic when you were younger, correct?"

"Yes," agreed Ildri.

"Wizard magic is a bit different than the magic of witchery.  Were you taught of internal and external magic?"

"I guess so."

"You've probably heard that wizards are internal magic users and that witches and warlocks are external magic users, stealers of magic."

Of course Ildri had heard something like that.  Everyone knew that, but she did not want to admit it.  Even more she did not want to admit that she had harbored a similar prejudice against Anya.  Would she have been so angry about Anya's betrayal if Anya had not also been a witch?  She felt shame well up in her at the thought and felt a heat cross her cheeks.

Maxine looked at Ildri understandingly and Ildri wondered if she knew how Ildri was feeling.  The woman sometimes seemed to have otherworldly knowledge, much like Lord Wildwood.  Yet even if Maxine had an idea what Ildri was thinking, she did not reprimand Ildri, instead she continued speaking.  "That is true, to some extent.  But our magic is no different than a wizard's power in that it can also be misused greatly.  If we misuse our power we can kill, but a wizard can do just as much damage.  As can a sword in the hand of a warrior, a dagger in the hand of a thief."

Maxine looked at Ildri for a moment.  "Magic is power and with any power we must take care to be responsible."

Ildri felt she was expected to respond although she did not know what to say.  It seemed as if Maxine was cautioning her more than anything else.  "I understand," Ildri agreed awkwardly.

Maxine nodded and continued.  "As to the distinction between external and inherent# magic, there really is none.  All magic is inherent.  It does not simply float around in space waiting to be used.  Magic is inherent in living creatures, it is attached to life.  There is magic in plants and fungus, in insects, fish and animals.  Humans, too have magic.  A wizardress uses the magic that is inside herself only.  A witch does the same as well, but she uses her inherent magic to gather the magic of plants or animals.  A witch can, in sum, achieve greater effect because she does not only rely only on what is inside her."

Ildri had never heard such things before, but she thought with dismay that it sounded at least as difficult as wizardry was.  Would she be able to manage to learn when she had already failed once?  She felt disappointment at the thought.  What would it be like to return to Wildwood with all her grand ideas in dust?  Probably as bad as if she simply quit.  She did not want to do either, but could she somehow succeed at her foolhardy plan?  She should have just stayed at Wildwood.

"One does not have to kill to use the magic inside of animals.  Even plants, although it is most often easier to pluck a certain herb.  It does not hurt them if done in moderation and an animal or plant will rebuild its magic in time.  A witch's familiar often shares magic with her, too."

"Do your rabbits?" Ildri asked.

"They do indeed.  Elizabeth likes doing it the most, but the other two are comfortable with it."  Maxine turned her attention to the trail.  "Now, the first thing I need you to do is to learn to recognize some of your most common ingredients.  Do you know what hearthorn is?"

For the next couple hours Ildri and Maxine searched the forest for certain plants.  Ildri learned not only what hearthorn was, but a great many other plants she had never before noticed if they even grew at Wildwood at all.

Ildri could not help herself from feeling a grey tension as they walked around the woods.  She wondered if what Maxine was showing her was all in vain.  If she did not succeed because she had no control, what was the point in doing any of this?  Maxine seemed to take for granted that she could teach her somehow.  Ildri almost wished that Maxine had some test to see if Ildri was capable but at the same time she thought she would have preferred to put off that moment of reckoning just a bit longer.

* * * * *

Soon enough the two had made their way back to Maxine's cottage.  Ildri saw Allan give an inexplicably dark look and disappear into some trees in the vague direction of the road.  Ildri was confused.  Allan had been solemn but had seldom appeared angry on the journey.

Ildri looked at Maxine, who seemed simply amused.  Had the two known each other before?  Ildri wondered.  There seemed to be something that she was missing.

Abigail and Rebecca were bounding around the yard, nibbling on soft green plants.  Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen but Maxine looked utterly unconcerned by the matter.  She led Ildri into the shed behind the house.  "We've got a bit of time before lunch, I believe."  Ildri felt her heart leap into her throat.  The time had apparently come.

"There's someone coming up the road," Allan said, surprising Ildri.  She had not heard him come up behind her.

"Oh, thank you, Allan," Maxine said.  "It's likely a customer.  I'll have to meet them.  Let's work on this later," Maxine told Ildri.

Ildri could not help but feel a bit relieved.  "I'll go and make lunch."

"Thank you, Ildri."

Ildri made her way to the house alone and went into the kitchen.  There was a pantry off to the side so Ildri helped herself to ingredients and put a quick soup together to simmer over the fire.  Maxine still had not yet come in so she sat down at the table to wait.

The door opened after only a few moments.  "Something smells good," Maxine commented happily.

"Was it a customer?" Ildri asked.

"It was indeed," Maxine agreed cheerfully.  "A rather large order.  Perhaps you can help me make it."

"Perhaps we should see if I can even do magic, first," Ildri said cautiously, glancing at Maxine.

"Oh, I believe that you will be able to work magic.  Most people could learn magic if they really put their effort into it, although the results would be very dependent on the person."

Ildri thought about her failed attempt to learn with chef and her dismal results.  She was probably one of the exceptions to the rule.

"Is that soup going to be done soon?" Maxine asked, tilting the lid off of the heavy pot to look.  She inhaled deeply.

"In about a half hour," Ildri said.

"Aren't you efficient?  If I was wise I would drag out the time I was teaching you in order to have a cook for longer," Maxine said with a wink.

Ildri smiled, trying to match Maxine's good mood.  "I'll have to watch for that."

"If I meant to do it, I wouldn't have mentioned it to you, so you needn't worry.  I'm very honest," Maxine said very simply, as if it was nothing more than a fact that she was sharing.  "I met enough half truths and lies in the past that I try to stay away from them.  The simple truth is what I prefer now."

Ildri wondered if she was talking about the rogue Maxine had mentioned.  Maxine did not say anything else, apparently lost in thought.

"Perhaps we should call Allen in," Ildri suggested to break the silence.

"I'll go do that," Maxine volunteered cheerfully.

"But..." Ildri began, thinking of Allan's attitude.

"Don't worry about me.  I find his negative attitude amusing."

"He did not seem so... like that on the journey," Ildri said.

Maxine smiled impishly.  "He doesn't trust witches and I doubt he approves of me corrupting you.  I'm fairly confident that he's had a bit of wizard training, probably to do with fighting more than anything, and while he was learning it seems that he picked up the typical wizard attitude as well."

Ildri shrugged.  "I don't think it's just wizards who don't like witches."

"No, but they are worse than others and truly, I think it started with them.  There's nothing a powerful person dislikes more than the idea, whether or not it is rooted in reality, that someone could take their own power and turn it against them."

Ildri remembered all too well the time that Anya had tried to kill Lord Wildwood by doing just that.  She had nearly killed him and had betrayed everyone at Wildwood in doing so.  "But witches and warlocks can."

"Few witches or warlocks would even if they were capable.  Pulling magic from an unwilling person is supposedly most unpleasant," Maxine said firmly.

But Ildri was not ready to let Maxine dismiss her so easily.  "Anya did," Ildri said, watching Maxine's reaction

"Ildri, even out here I hear many things and I do know what is going on in the world.  Anya was pushed into a corner by a vile man and a vile situation.  People do things they normally would not do when the important things are threatened."

"But--"

Maxine spoke above her protest.  "You do Anya Davies and yourself a disservice with your resentment.  I'm certain Anya would never have willingly done what she did.  I'm certain that she was most conflicted."

"Still..."

Maxine looked Ildri in the eye.  "Look to yourself.  I'm sure that you were changed by your experiences.  Imagine if someone you cared about, your Lord Wildwood or another you cared about was in danger.  Would you not do anything you could to help them?"

Ildri felt both sulky and ashamed of herself, which is no doubt what Maxine had intended.

Maxine continued.  "I'll hear no more about this, unless you wish to hear me repeat everything that I have said.  I have great sympathy for the girl and I think your resentment is more personal than factual and stems from your ignorance of all the mitigating factors involved.  Indeed, even your Lord Wildwood seemed to understand and forgive her and he is in a better situated to know what truly happened."

Ildri nodded, feeling too much like a scolded child for comfort.  She seldom remembered how much older than she Maxine truly was, but the difference was suddenly obvious.

"I'm sorry, but I think that you needed to hear that," Maxine said gently.  "It's never healthy to hold a grudge and I say this from my own experience."  The slight frown on her forehead suddenly disappeared and she spoke suddenly.  "I'm going to go and get Allan."

Ildri watched as Maxine walked out the door.  She felt like going to her room and pouting.  What right did Maxine have to lecture her?  She supposed that Maxine was her teacher now but she was not here to be scolded for a poor attitude, was she?

Yet, perhaps Maxine had a point about not blaming Anya any longer.  Ildri did not like to think of the twins being hurt.  Still, being scolded like a naughty child was a bit much.

Instead of hiding in her room, Ildri decided to putter around the soup and set the table.  Working at a task seemed less childish than sitting around sulking, even if she was still sulking on the inside.