Aris sat patiently in the chair as Camaz shuffled something on the table. She could see it as a tangled mess of light and glimmers, but a few spots started to move out and arrange in a pattern. They were doing the rune exercises - they had since determined that she could see runes with her new vision, simply in a different form and shape. All she needed to do was to make the connection between the rune she knew and the new shape seen.

It was simple enough to replace one shape with another. In fact it felt easier, as if simply recognizing the rune prompted a little flicker from the rune itself. Camaz dealt out small cards with individual runes on them and since it was their fourth or fifth time doing this exercise, she was already able to name them all. Next Camaz arranged them into simple shapes.

This was a little more complicated due to her strange new perspective of dimensions and distance. Within the Great Solvent, she had to rely on how the runes interacted with each other, then translate it to how it would look to everyone else.

“This is the most incredible b-breakthrough in rune research,” Laell had once commented when Aris tried to describe what she was seeing. “Too bad we can’t tell anyone.”

Camaz had kept the fact that she could ‘see’ the Solvent strictly between themselves, Ral and Verne. He had undoubtedly spread some bullshit rumor about how she had developed some incredible way to ‘feel’ her runes.

“Square,” she said, after scrutinizing the abstract shape the runes formed in front of her. She felt out the cards on the table and was satisfied to find them indeed formed in a square.

Camaz rearranged more cards. After reading them out again, she stared at the new abstract shape. She leaned a little to the side, fighting dizziness at her movement.

“Square again,” she said. “But tilted. Sneaky.”

Camaz snorted and made a new shape with new cards. They repeated this until her head pounded with the focus.

“You have too many books here,” she complained. A few of them had hidden runes inside the pages and periodically flashed a light.

“We can’t exactly do this on one of the runist floors,” Camaz said. “You’re just going to have to tolerate it.”

“Laell’s house would be fine,” Aris muttered.

“What if you make a mistake and blow something up?” Camaz gathered up the cards, making her wince with the flicker of runes that action made. “The ruse would be up. People think you are taking Inner Eye lessons with me, not playing with rune cards.”

Aris was about to make a sullen reply when a familiar solute caught the corner of her eye. She reflexively turned into shade form and disappeared into the walls. She heard a pause, like Camaz processing his confusion over her disappearance, then a sharp knock on the door and Ral’s muffled voice coming through from the front entrance.

Camaz gave a snort and opened the door. “Ah, the more agreeable twin,” he said sarcastically in greeting.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Is that me?” Ral sounded amused. More sounds, a combination of rustling and slight clicking. “I brought you some food and a few packages from Yepla.”

“Ah that horrible man making you work,” Camaz said. “Is there enough for two? Please stay and eat.”

If she had eyes, Aris would roll them. She wasn’t about to stay as a shadow in the wall just to listen to them eat - she would leave if Ral was going to stay for dinner.

“There’s enough for two, but uh, the other portion is for Aris,” Ral said.

Without missing a beat, Camaz said: “You really are too nice to her. I’ll make sure she gets it when she comes around later.”

“Of course, thank you.”

There was a shuffling sound of Ral leaving and Camaz shutting the door behind him. His solute shifted and dimmed as her brother left her peripherals.

“He’s gone, come out and eat.” For a heartbeat, Aris was reminded of how this happened long ago. Camaz called her out of hiding for food. A part of her missed it. Maybe life wasn’t so bad back then. She must have stalled too long because Camaz gave a sigh. “How long are you going to avoid your own brother? It makes this whole ‘Gate Closing’ project annoyingly difficult if you refuse to be in the same room as him.”

“We’ll both do our parts.” Aris drifted out of the wall and materialized, crossing her arms. “It’s not hindering anything, it’s not a big deal.”

“My dear, how does it make sense that you’re the one avoiding him?” Camaz said. “If anything he should be the one running from you. Yet he stays. He’s trying to integrate into the Academy while you sit in a room or in a wall all day.”

“Yes, we have clearly established he is the more accomplished one between the two of us,” Aris snapped. “And he’s shown he can close Gates all by himself. Why does it matter what I do?”

“I didn’t say anything about accomplishment,” Camaz said. “I am stating that he is not avoiding you - he’s not avoiding difficulties. It means he would talk to you if you go to him. He is your brother and that means more between the two of you than regular siblings. If he’s right about the Mind, the Parts and everything else you will need to work with him. Do you really think you can keep running away from him?”

She carefully felt around until she found her seat again. Something slid in front of her and her fingers reached out until she felt the soft surface of buns that were still warm to the touch. Aris found that foods that she could with her hands were preferable in her state as it was easier than having to use cutlery and plates. She ate the vegetable and meat bun in ravenous bites, the familiar taste telling her it was from Steamer’s stall.

“Besides,” Camaz said casually, “he already knew you were here.”

Aris immediately choked on her bite and she felt a cup pushed into her hand. “He knew?” she croaked out incredulously between lung hacking coughs.

“He saw the cards on the table and he clearly looked over my shoulder at the wall, which is presumably where you were hiding.” Camaz sounded like he was smiling. She didn’t like it. “Your brother explicitly said he can target a solute and crush it to close a Gate. I can only assume he can sense other solutes as well. And after your… adventures your solute is probably very recognizable.”

“Great, he has Inner Eye abilities as well as Manus,” she said dryly.

“My point is that it’s pointless to keep hiding like this,” Camaz pushed on.

“The so-called Academy spymaster says hiding and subterfuge is pointless. What is happening to this world?”

There was a strange flicker to Camaz’s solute at that. Aris couldn’t quite pinpoint what part of the conversation prompted that reaction. “Haven’t you heard?” Camaz asked. “I came back from the trip a changed man.”