“
The mote expanded and became a translucent sphere within which energy vibrated. The vibrations slowed until the illusion of a sphere vanished and they could see there was a thread of energy that writhed madly, turning itself into a variety of shapes each second. Again Macros waved his hand and it slowed. First the strand was straight, then it looped, then it fluttered upward, then doubled back on itself, one end anchored while the other described the outer limit of its reach, defining the ‘sphere’, despite moving at speeds faster than the human eye could decipher. The little demon-turned-human stared in wonder, and at last he said, ‘It’s … stuff.’ ‘Stuff?’ asked Magnus. ‘It’s what you call “magic”,’ said Nakor. ‘This is what you play with when you think you’re doing magic.’ ‘Wonderful,’ said Macros. ‘Yes, this is what you’ve been struggling to understand your entire life, little gambler.
”
”
Raymond E. Feist (The Chaoswar Saga: A Kingdom Besieged / A Crown Imperilled / Magician's End (The Chaoswar Saga, #1-3))