Chapter 5 #2
I cleared my throat and nodded quickly, coming to stand across from Gaeldric on the other side of the table.
A large stone basin rested between us, filled halfway with water .
“The first rune you will practice is a simple one, but it will be obvious if you achieve the desired result.”
He held up one gnarled hand, a look of concentration rumpling his features. I watched in awe as a shimmering golden thread appeared between us — a thin ribbon of magic that hovered mere inches from his nose.
The thread began to morph and twist, forming an intricate lattice of glistening loops that joined in the center. It looked almost like a flower, though the interlocking triangles at the center reminded me of other Coranthe runes I’d seen in Mankara’s text.
“A simple freezing rune,” Gaeldric explained. “I’d suggest you start by copying it into the medium itself.” He gestured to the basin of water. “Once you have mastered it, you will be able to achieve the same effect by conjuring it in your mind’s eye.”
“You mean, write it in the water?”
“ Yes ,” he sighed, as though exhausted by my ignorance.
“O-kay.”
I took a deep breath and edged closer to the table. Gaeldric’s rune hung suspended between us, but copying it was no simple task. The design was much more complex than the pattern of the ward I’d used to conceal myself from Silas’s hunters.
“Copying the rune is not enough,” he said as I reached for the basin. “You must imbue every line, every stroke, with your exact intent.”
I nodded, filing that away as I pressed my fingertip to the water’s surface. The liquid in the basin was so tepid I barely registered it at all.
Keeping my gaze locked on the old witch’s rune, I clumsily traced each interlocking loop into the water’s surface .
Freeze, freeze , I chanted in my head as I closed each one.
When I completed the circle and went to inscribe the symbols at the center, I realized I had a problem. I couldn’t picture exactly where to place them in the invisible rune I’d drawn.
Wincing, I traced the outline of the interlocked triangles, imagining the basin freezing over.
As I completed the last shape, I felt the water chill, but it remained entirely liquid.
“It’s colder than it was,” I said, a bit defensively.
“This is not a rune for cold water,” Gaeldric quipped. “It is a rune for ice.”
I nodded and began again, not pausing long enough to give him a chance to second-guess his decision to train me.
This time, I worked more quickly, trying to perfect the placement of the interwoven triangles at the center. But I was so focused on making the rune exactly like Gaeldric’s model that I forgot to imbue it with my intent.
Nothing happened.
On my fifth attempt, I lost feeling in the tip of my finger before I’d even completed the rune, though the water stubbornly refused to freeze.
“Concentrate!” Gaeldric barked, clearly frustrated by my lack of progress.
“I am ,” I snarled back.
Since I’d managed to use magic before, I’d assumed it would be a simple task to replicate a rune for a specific purpose. But either Gaeldric’s freezing rune was more difficult than the ward I’d woven in Silas’s basement, or I just wasn’t desperate enough to impose my will on the basin of water.
“You cannot simply copy the rune and demand that the water freeze,” Gaeldric groused after what felt like hours. “This is elemental magic. You must connect fully with the element at hand. Dissolve any barrier between you and the water. Bend it to your will.”
Right , I thought. Just dissolve any barrier between me and the water.
Be the water.
I wasn’t sure if his advice was helpful or infuriating.
Taking a deep breath, I relaxed my shoulders and concentrated on feeling the surface tension as I dipped my finger into the basin.
I swirled it through the cool liquid, thinking of all the water in my body. I imagined dropping into a frozen lake, feeling the shards of broken ice scrape against my skin and the paralyzing cold of the water. I imagined my whole body going numb and projected that feeling outward.
A sudden chill nipped at my finger, and when I looked down, I nearly upended the basin.
A thin layer of ice had formed along the water’s surface, save for a hole where my finger rested.
“Ah,” said Gaeldric. “It seems you can be taught.”
A childlike grin tugged at my lips, and I repeated the rune — trying and failing to freeze the entire basin of water.
By the time Gaeldric announced that we were finished for the day, my body was spent, and my mind was in tatters.
It was a bone-deep exhaustion I’d only known a few times in my life, and all I’d managed to do was create a thin layer of ice.
Head throbbing, back aching, I shuffled out of the training room, ignoring Adriel as he fell into stride behind me and followed me down the corridor.
Only my pride kept me from groaning when I reached the foot of the stairs. I felt as though I’d been fighting demons all day, rather than staring into a basin of water.
After a day of training, I had yet to master even a basic Coranthe rune. I had a feeling that even if Semphrys did get his hands on me, the realms were pitifully safe.
There was no way I’d be able to unravel the veil if I couldn’t manage to freeze water.
Legs shaking, I dragged myself up to my chamber and nearly wept with delight when I found a golden tea tray resting at the foot of my bed.
It was practically spilling over with fresh fruit, smoked sausage, crusty bread, homemade jam, and an assortment of cheeses.
A teapot was nestled between the bread and a plate of those fluffy round pastries, and it was still steaming hot.
I could have kissed Freydolf.
Flopping down on my bed, I stuffed a pastry into my mouth as I slathered the bread in butter and jam.
By the time I’d finished, I could barely keep my eyes open. I certainly didn’t have the energy to undress and draw a hot bath.
Draining the last of my tea from the cup, I set the empty tray on the floor and collapsed, fully clothed, on top of the covers. My last thought before drifting off to sleep was of a smooth, frozen lake nestled at the foot of snow-capped mountains.