"Peth used Peth to cast the spell, to do magic. Peth is a little magic, so a little spell. Big spell, Peth vomit. Bigger spell, Peth hurt very very much. Very big spell - " she spreads her arms wide - "human can't cast by using human, not even if they die. Need to use other things. Mahan understand?"

"...understand a little... death mage," he uses the Hari word for this, "not use things. Death mage can cast by not using things."

"...wow," she says, and thinks that over. "That's very reassuring, actually."

"In Har, people cast by not using things," he says in Kaltish. "Death mage, heat mage, force mage, illusion mage," he says in Hari, because she can probably guess that he's listing different kinds of mage, "cast by not using things," he says in Kaltish. "A little spell, not using things. A big spell, eat food, cast a big spell from food."

Or a little one, technically, but the amount of food he needs for as much magic as he's doing lately is pretty negligible. The walking around from fountain to fountain is costing him more.

She nods, processing this. "Not in Rainfold, not in Kalt. In Kalt, any person cast magic, but need to use things." She frowns. "Mahan is very very sure - understands, very much understands, Mahan is not using things, now, in Rainfold?"

"Not very much understand Rainfold. In Har, little spells, people not understand. Later big spells, food food food, later people understand, cast using food. But little spells little little little, using..." gesture indicating an almost invisible amount. "In Har, little spells, not understand using. Later, big spells, understand magic is food. In Rainfold, little spells, not understand using things. Little spells in Har, not understand, later big spells in Har, understand. Maybe... big spell in Rainfold, understand in Rainfold?"

She rubs her temples. "If Mahan - if Mahan is using things in Rainfold without knowing, that's maybe bad. Maybe use a thing, important, big thing, and not know. I hadn't thought about - I don't know if you can do magic without understanding but if you can and it's Kaltish magic that's very bad."

"Big spell now and understand."

He stands still. All he's visibly doing is watching the sky but he sure does look serious about it.

Oh dear.

"...Mahan?"

"Big spell now and understand," he repeats. "If it's Kaltish magic and don't understand it's very bad."

"I don't understand Mahan now. If Mahan is using Kaltish magic and not understanding, then yes, bad, and we should talk to other people who understand more. And not cast big spells."

"If we cast a big spell now then we understand now. Understand if Hari magic. If not Hari magic, very bad. If Hari magic, not very bad. Very big spell, if Hari magic, can't not understand. If not understand, not Hari magic. Understand?"

"No, no, no no no. If you cast a big spell and it's Kaltish magic and you don't understand that you're using it then a bunch of people could die. Can we at least talk to Peth or the undertaker or someone first, I bet the undertaker knows whether you can cast from something without understanding it."

"People could die, that's bad?"

"That's very bad!!"

"What is very bad if people die?"

"The people are dead then! Can we talk to the undertaker now, please?"

"Yes."

But he's going to keep going with his spell on the way.

"Anyone could die," she mutters. "I could die, you could die, there's just - just don't do anything until we talk to him, OK?"

And she guides him back to the shop with the wheelbarrow sign. It takes a while, they were on the other side of the city.

He doesn't bother to tell her when he's sure his magic is working just the same as it usually does. He keeps testing it anyway.

He does look around for Peth.

Peth is totally here! She has a conversation with Imrainai that Mahan mostly won't be able to follow, and then she calls for the undertaker.

The undertaker is an extraordinarily old man; he looks like he might keel over and die at any time. He looks Mahan up and down, but doesn't bother to address him. "You want to know if he can be casting from something without knowing it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Can't be. Magic doesn't work like that. It's very deliberate and it follows set forms. What form does he use, speech? Dancing? Writing?"

"He, uh... he doesn't. He's dead silent and I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a tablet."