You wave your hand toward an attacker, briefly placing a magical barrier between you. The damage you take from the triggering attack is reduced by 1d6, as you deflect some of it. If you reduce the damage to 0, you can turn the deflected damage back onto your attacker. Make a melee spell attack against the attacker. On a hit, the attacker takes force damage equal to the amount of damage you deflected.
The damage you can deflect increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th Level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).
You point your finger toward a creature within range and whisper a message. The target (and only the target) hears the message and can reply in a whisper that only you can hear.
You can cast this spell through solid objects if you are familiar with the target and know it is beyond the barrier. Magical silence, 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood blocks the spell. The spell doesn't have to follow a straight line and can travel freely around corners or through openings.
Candle's Insight is cast on its target as the component candle is lit. The candle burns for up to 10 minutes unless it's extinguished normally or by the spell's effect. While the candle burns, the caster can question the spell's target, and the candle reveals whether the target speaks truthfully. An intentionally misleading or partial answer causes the flame to flicker and dim. An outright lie causes the flame to flare and then go out, ending the spell. The candle judges honesty, not absolute truth. The flame burns steadily through even an outrageously false statement, as long as the target believes it's true.
Candle's Insight is used across society, by merchants while negotiating deals, by inquisitors investigating heresy, and by monarchs as they interview foreign diplomats. In some societies, casting Candle's Insight without the consent of the spell's target is considered a serious breach of hospitality.