Each afternoon, Caecius tells me to come back the next morning to work on a new piece with her, so I do. It’s not exactly how I intended to learn about glass magic, but I suspect I’m getting a better education here than I would have in some formal educational setting. I have to duck out around lunch everyday to get Zyneth to recharge my illusion spell, but it’s a small price to pay for access to such knowledge.
Caecius shows me how to strengthen glass by tempering it in salt. After prodding Echo about this, she informs me potassium is the secret ingredient, and that it does something, something, sodium ions, something, and then a lot of other technical chemistry things. Look, I know Caecius said that better glass manipulation comes from a deeper understanding, but I can only go so deep before it’s all technobabble to me.
She also shows me how to properly perform heat and cold tempering. Zyneth and I had attempted this on the submarine without really knowing what we were doing. Unsurprisingly, Caecius’s method is far more controlled.
I am able to activate the spell circles that operate on stone magic. The same can’t be said for the ones designed for fire magic. Caecius doesn’t think this is an issue, however, as I should be able to create my own glass-based spell circles to do the same thing more efficiently. It sure would be handy to be able to reshape glass without needing to spend hours Attuning it, first. Though I still wouldn’t be able to control it, like I can with my body… unless there’s a spell for that, too. There probably is. I need to look into it.
“You’re better off designing your own spell circles,” Caecius tells me as we work on another piece above her forge. I rotate the long rod that’s fixed to the blob of glass Caecius is working on. She often switches between tools and magic as the piece takes shape. “Glass is a very specific field of magic. Most of the books you’ll find will be about broader areas of magic. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll find a book about sand spells—I hear that affinity is fairly common in Dunmora.”
I wince. Sure would be nice if I had access to some kind of giant library with most of the world’s body of knowledge in it.
“You’ll need more theory on runes and circle design,” she says. “But once you have that, you don’t need anything else.”
“Is that artificing, basically?” I ask.
“Tangentially related,” she says. “Artificing is fixing a permanent spell circle to the object it affects. You can get a lot more specific and complicated with artificing, since the circle is designed only for the target it’s on. Generic spell circles, meanwhile, are less specific, less powerful, and more flexible. Less powerful is rarely an issue, though; the circle in this forge can heat the glass about a hundred times that of air temperature; it’s not like I need it to be stronger. And less specific is a good thing: it means it works no matter what sort of glass I stick over it.”
Yet another language to learn. And what little I’ve delved into spell circle theory looks like a headache. But I don’t really need to become an expert. I just need to learn enough to craft my own glass spells—once I figure out what sort of spells I even want to make.
But the ones Caecius has shown me are a good start. They’ll help me strengthen my body, at least.
After a couple of days working in the shop, Caecius switches positions with me, herself acting as support while I shape the glass. She calls out rapidfire instructions while I fumble my way along.
When I’m nearly done, I accidentally clip the piece on the forge’s edge, and the whole thing shatters. Caecius interrupts me when I start apologizing, and orders me to clean it up. Then, we start again.
It’s not the last piece I break. Some get cold too fast and crack. Others, I don’t operate the spell circles correctly. It’s annoyingly finicky. But each day I’m getting a little better, learning more of the runes and spell designs. Finally, one day, it clicks.
[Spell obtained,] Echo says. [Temper, Level 1: a spell which can be used to strengthen a volume of glass.]
And since I’ve learned the spell, my Arcane Intuition allows Echo to bring up a mental schematic of the circle I can use in the future. Now we’re getting somewhere.
“You should come up with your own piece you want to make,” Caecius tells me after nearly a week of this.
“Isn’t that what I’ve been doing?” I ask.
The dracid shakes her head. “You’ve been helping me with my pieces. You should design your own. I’ll help you make it. But the design should be yours.”
A piece of my own? “I’m not sure what I should try,” I admit.
She shrugs. “First time always comes out rubbish anyway, so it doesn’t much matter. But you need to start practicing somewhere. A bowl, a figurine, a pendant. Whatever strikes your fancy.”
I help her finish the plate she’s working on, then put it in the annealer. The sun is casting long shadows through the window. I’ll need to get back to the others soon—and then out of the city for the predator’s nightly leisure.
She catches me looking. “You can sleep on it. I’ve got a repair job I need to work tomorrow—get here early to help with that.”
She never asks me to come back. It’s always an order. Or maybe an expectation. Either way, I think it’s her version of being friendly.
I meet back up with the others near our inn, and we head to a new tavern Noli has picked out, as has become our routine. I drop the human illusion and strip off the layers of obscuring clothes when I’m with the others; no one bothers a homunculus that is with its assumed owner. Though I do get a handful of curious looks when I’m sitting at a table with them. Or maybe that’s because of the prism head.
“Well,” Zyneth says as everyone (sans me) sits down with their food. “It’s officially been one week. I suspect Vardi won’t be returning before the end of the allotted window. If she’d been notified of the debt fulfillment on her end, she’s had more than enough time to come back and give me a job.”
“But that’s good, right?” I ask. “If she doesn’t show up, you still get some of the debt removed.”
He rubs his forehead. “I find it all rather strange, to be honest. I still don’t understand why she hasn’t just called it off and added interest to my debt. But I am here now, so there is nothing to do but wait out the rest of the month. Ideally, yes: This is good news.”
“Yay!” Noli signs. “In that case…” She looks at me. “Don’t you think it’s time we take our trip up to the cabin?”
Now that it’s a real possibility and not just a “maybe someday,” a flutter of anxiety passes through me. She’s right, though. If we push it back too far, Zyneth might end up waiting on us.
“Alright,” I agree. “Tomorrow?”
“Let’s!” Noli signs.
Zyneth and Rezira share a look. Worried, but resigned.
“We’ll be alright,” I tell him.
“I know,” Zyneth says with a sigh. He forces a smile. “You were able to fend off a couple of nightbanes when you were just three inches tall—I doubt there’s much in those mountains that could pose a threat to you now.”
“We’ll be alright,” I repeat. I tap my chest. “We need to do this.”
“I can’t say I understand,” Rezira grumbles. “But far be it from me to stop anything Noli’s set her mind to.”
Noli, for her part, looks excited. “I’ll pack my bags tonight. I’ll need to do a trip to the market before we leave as well—make sure I have enough supplies for the road.”
“I’ve got an errand I’ll need to run, too,” I say. “We can meet back at the inn tomorrow morning when we’re done.”
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Be safe,” Zyneth says. “Both of you.”
----------------------------------------
I swing by Caecius’s place early the next morning, and she’s already in the workshop. I wait in the frame of the backdoor as she finishes her current work, by now knowing better than to interrupt her. It’s another fifteen minutes before she peels her gloves off and turns to me.
“I need to go on a trip,” I say. “I’ll be gone for about a week. Wanted to let you know.”
“Telepad?” she asks.
“Up to Peakshadow, actually,” I say. “It will be a lot of walking.”
“Hm.” She heads to the front of the shop, which is Caecius language for “follow me.”
“Here.” She hauls a massive book out from under her work desk and drops it on the counter. The wood shakes. “Some rune theory. Got some stuff in there about glass, too. Read it while you travel. That way it’s not a waste of time.”
“The trip won’t be a waste of time.” I eye the tome dubiously. It’s twice the size of the ones I nabbed from Trenevalt’s cabin all those months ago. “And that will be somewhat cumbersome to carry with me.”
“Good,” she grunts. “Will help build up your muscles.”
If only that were the case.
I can tell she’s not going to take no for an answer. “Thank you,” I say, dragging the text off the counter. With my other hand, I attempt to open the clasp of my satchel, but I can already tell trying to stuff it in now with all my signing glass in there will be futile. I hug it to my chest instead. “I appreciate the gift.”
“It’s not a gift,” she says, heading back to the work room. “It’s on loan. You better bring it back, understand?”
I chuckle. I wonder if this is her way of making sure I do come back. “I understand. Thanks again.”
She’s already back at her forge when I leave. Because I’ve got eyes on the back of my head, however, I notice her looking up and to watch as I go.
Noli is waiting for me at the inn when I get back.
“What’s this?” she asks. “Some light reading?”
I have to shift the massive textbook over to one arm to sign, “Hilarious. Wait, hold on.”
I kneel down to set the book aside, remove all my signing glass from my bag, and stuff the book in its place. It fits—barely. The flap can’t close over the text’s spine, so it’s just jutting out the top of the satchel. Noli laughs as I stand back up, shifting my extra glass to pockets on my coat instead.
“Good to see you’re packing things of the highest priority,” she signs.
“I was instructed to study it while we travel.”
“That’s from your glasswork master?” she asks as we set off.
I tip my head. “I’m not sure she’s really my master.” Wording it that way feels weird.
“Isn’t she?” Noli asks. “You’re studying under her, aren’t you?”
“I guess so,” I sign.
She nods. “I learned archery from Master Taylon. He was an amazing shot.”
I’m not particularly used to using such honorifics, but this isn’t Earth, and it’s up to me to adapt to their expectations, not the other way around. “Master Caecius,” I sign, trying it out. I guess I could give it a shot next time I see her.
We leave Harrowood out the north gates, and as we strike out onto the dirt road, I watch the city recede behind us. “It feels strange heading this way,” I note.
“And everything looks so different from this perspective,” Noli agrees. “The sight I had to work with in that toy was very strange. Did I tell you?”
“No,” I sign. “What was it like?”
She sticks a thumb out from either cheek, wiggling them. “The eyes were basically on opposite sides of the head. So there was a big blank spot in the middle of my vision. But I could see a lot behind me as well! And I could see stuff up close really well but the further things were from me, the harder it was to judge.”
It’s nice to be chatting with Noli again. It’s nice to be able to chat with her. I’m getting pretty proficient at sign language if I do say so myself—well, conversational, at least. I still discover plenty of new signs as Noli talks about anything and everything. She corrects me a few times, too. I think in my old life, that would have bothered me. I was so proud of my acting. Unsolicited advice on how to improve my performance would have irked me. But with Noli it never feels condescending. I never feel self-conscious. If anything, it feels good, because I know I’m improving.
We reach the foothills before noon, then start up the slope; it isn’t long before Harrowood is blocked by the pine trees that rise around us. We pause midday for Noli to rest and eat a quick meal.
“I feel rather self conscious, eating while you can’t,” she admits.
I shrug. “I can pretend if it makes you feel better.”
She laughs, returning to her sandwich. After another minute, she looks back at me, no longer smiling. “Is it hard?”
My soul tightens. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shake my head. “I’m just glad one of us was able to get our bodies back.”
She leans over to squeeze my knee. “When I got your letter, that you might be going home, I understood. I was sad, but I understood.”
She’s the only one who would. “If I could do it again…” I hesitate, not even sure what the truth is. “If I rewound time and told my past self what I know now… I would probably still do it all over again. Going to Emrox was a bad idea. I put Zyneth’s life in danger—many times. But I was desperate, and I think if I hadn’t tried then, it would have always gnawed at me, until one day, I would have tried. Maybe a different way. But I think I needed to fail in order to be able to move on. I don’t know if any of that makes sense.”
She smiles sadly. “You don’t have anything to explain.”
“I feel like I do.”
“Do you think there could still be a way to get your body back?” Noli wonders. “Or a new body? A human one.”
I hesitate. “I don’t know. Maybe there’s magic out there that could do something like that. Maybe I could attach my soul to a different object instead of this vial.” I touch a hand to my chest. “But it seems risky. I still have to renew the spell that keeps my soul anchored to reality every week or two. It would only take one slip up to ensure that I die permanently.”
“Perhaps it’s selfish of me, but I’d rather you not risk that either,” Noli signs. She finishes off her lunch, and stands, ready to travel once more. “Are there other ways you think you could, I don’t know, simulate some of the sense you’ve lost?”
“Maybe,” I admit as we walk. “The closest I get to sleep is when I Attune glass. It’s a sort of trance—almost like a dreamless sleep. But it doesn’t leave me feeling refreshed, and it seems to pass in the blink of an eye.” I attempt to snap my fingers in demonstration, but this only results in a faint glassy tinking sound.
“What about sight?” Noli wonders. “Smell, taste?”
“I’ve pretty much figured out sight,” I sign. “Or maybe I’m adapting to it being different. Touch is a bit strange. It’s there, but not as strong as I’m used to. Like the sense is dulled. It’s easier to feel when it’s more intense—pain, or heat. As for smell and taste…”
My mind wanders toward the predator. “I think the predator can taste and smell through its void,” I say, hesitantly. “When we’re fused, I experience it, too. It’s not the same as taste and smell as I knew it before, but it’s similar.” I inwardly grimace. “That’s not enough for me to want to give it any more autonomy than I have to.”
I can tell she wants to say something more, but she lets the subject drop. We switch back to safer topics as we hike up the trail. As evening approaches, I suggest we stop somewhere to make camp.
“There’s a small lodge not far ahead for such purposes,” Noli signs. “It’s where Attiru and I camped when we were making this trek last time. It’s about halfway between the two towns.”
“Oh.” Clearly Zyneth and I had missed that memo—then again, Attiru lives here, and Zyneth doesn’t. It’s getting unnervingly close to dark, and the predator is starting to get restless, but I try to calm it down: it won’t be much longer.
I hope.
Luckily, Noli’s right. After another half hour of travel, as the shadows deepen from blue to black, Noli finds a nondescript path at the edge of the road and takes us off the main trail. The wood cabin can’t be more than a dozen feet into the woods, but the foliage is so thick, I would have walked right past it without even noticing.
The lodge is a simple one-room log cabin, empty save for a dormant fireplace and a wood table and bench shoved up against one wall. The ground is bare dirt. Not exactly the nicest establishment. But it gets you out of the elements, and the door is able to be locked securely from within; this sure would have been nice when Zyneth and I were dealing with the nightbanes.
As Noli lays out a bed roll and moves over to the fireplace to start that next, I head for the door.
“I’ll keep watch around the cabin until morning,” I tell her.
She looks at me in surprise. “You won’t be staying in here?”
“No.” I shift uncomfortably.“The agreement we made…”
“Ah, right.” Noli glances away, and my soul stings.
It can’t be easy going to sleep in here, knowing a monster that’s tried to kill her before will be circling outside.
“Kanin,” she starts, but I cut her off.
“You can lock the door after me,” I sign, quickly leaving my book bag by the door and shrugging off my coat and boots. “I won’t come back in. You can find me outside in the morning.”
I step out before she has a chance to protest, pulling the door shut behind me. I stand there, leaning against the door, all stirred up inside. This journey was supposed to be about getting closure. Instead, I’m making Noli relive her trauma.
After a minute, I feel a wooden clunk as the door’s bolt is set in place, and relief floods through me.
Okay, I tell the predator, who’d been increasingly agitated that I was waiting so long. All yours.
The faster we can get through Peakshadow, the better.