Masira, great in power, was unconcerned with the Life that inhabited the desert. She left, in her wake, traces of her power that the People discovered and turned to their own purposes. In this time, there were many such magicians and conjurers that made gardens of the dunes and drew great wealth from the sands.
This amused Masira, and she thought, If they deign use the dregs of My power, I shall make sport of them; as they take from Me, so shall I take from them in turn.
In this way, the fruits of the gardens tasted of ash, and the gold of the sands crumbled to salt.
Wahir was appalled and admonished his Mother that she should punish man for making use of the gifts she left behind. Eiqab, too, disagreed. Why should man be allowed to wield the power of the goddess? Better to leave him to scratch his place from the stones of the desert.
Masira considered her sons and recognized their wisdom. To Wahir, she said: You are right. Those common Magics used by man, Love, Music, Speech, may be used henceforth without retribution. And to Eiqab, she said: You are right, as well. Those acts of higher Magic with which man rivals My Sons, I shall withdraw from the desert, excepting from those who are willing to sacrifice much. For to wield the greatest power, one must sacrifice all.
—Excerpt from the Litab Almuq