The next day was difficult for Jeze. Ziplocke was disgusting. He slurped and munched loudly whenever he ate. She was in disbelief at how much food the small creature could consume. Jeze couldn’t stand the Goblin’s stench of smoke and ash, and he constantly teased her, which made her studies more difficult. Worst of all, it seemed the Old Crones did not mind the beast at all. The normally stoic old ladies laughed at Ziplocke’s childish antics. But they remained harsh as ever on Jeze.

“Focus!” Number One snapped and struck the table with her cane with a loud crack.

Jeze flinched and returned to reading the tome. She was with Number One in the school’s library. The other two Crones were working with the other students. Yesterday, during the summoning ritual, was a rare occasion where all three provided instruction. When Jeze fell back into her book, Ziplocke struck her in the head with a thrown ball of paper. Both the Crone and Goblin squealed with delight.

“What have you learned, girl?” Number One hissed.

Her transformation from jovial to stern was remarkable. Jeze was reading a tome on Earth Magic. The aspect that her brother specialized in.

“There are Rune patterns that would allow me to link two stone objects together,” Jeze answered.

“Which focus of magic is that? Summoning, Shaping, or Controlling?” Number One asked.

Jeze sighed. The Crones always mentioned the three focuses of magic, like she was a new student. But the young girl paused to think. Linking does not appear to be summoning. She was not bringing the Earth aspect into this realm. Shaping? Was she altering the element? Control was the closet, but Control was mostly moving objects. But that made the most sense.

“Control,” Jeze said in a soft voice.

Whack! Number One slapped the table, and Jeze flinched while Ziplocke squealed with delight.

“Shaping!” Jeze cried.

“Wrong!” Number One growled and slapped the table again with her cane.

“Linking can not be involved with summoning!” Jeze shot back.

“You were partially correct, and do not raise your voice at me, girl!” Number One growled.

“I don’t understand!” Jeze said quietly.

Ziplocke sang, “You are a knucklehead!”

Number One grinned while patting the Goblin’s bald greenhead. Ziplocke purred, and it made Jeze think of a mutated cat.

“You lack true understanding. Read again and think!” Number One ordered.

“Knucklehead!” The Goblin teased.

Jeze scowled at the diminutive creature and returned back to the tome. The Old Crone said that she was partially correct. What did that mean? Jeze’s eyes went wide with understanding. She recalled from an earlier tome that more advanced magic required merging the three focuses.

“It is Control and Shaping!” Jeze exclaimed.

Ziplocke cheered and applauded.

Number One nodded and demanded, “Explain why.”

“Uh,” Jeze began.

Whack! “Keep reading!”

Ziplocke stuck his tongue out at Jeze as she returned back to her tome. Linking two stones together over a distance was considered Shaping. The Control focus came into effect when the caster enchanted the stones to alert each other. Jeze nodded in understanding. This was a way for two people to communicate with each other over a distance. By interacting with one stone, the caster can cause the other to vibrate. Maybe even make a sound? The Rune patterns were the most complex Jeze had ever seen, but the possibility was there. Jeze looked up when she heard a clatter on the table. Number One had dropped a pouch filled with black rings made out of onyx.

“Make two rings communicate with each other,” Number One ordered, as if she read her mind, and handed Jeze an engraving tool.

“They are so small!” Jeze cried.

How could she mark them each with the complicated set of runes? She was no artisan.

“That they are, and it will be difficult. You have until Sunset to complete your task,” Number One ordered.

The old Crone fed Ziplocke a lemon-covered chili and petted the Goblin’s head like a dog. The little green guy cooed with delight and followed Number One out of the room. Jeze was relieved to be alone but wondered why the Goblin would spend most of his time away from her. How would he help her if he was never around? Jeze shook the question out of her mind and saw through the window that she did not have a lot of time. She took a deep breath.

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“At least I have plenty of rings in case I make a mistake,” Jeze said out loud as she poured the rings out from the pouch and onto the table.

Several hours later, Jeze was hunched over and inscribed painfully slow a Rune onto a tiny ring. A pile of failed attempts stood next to her. When she finished, she held the ring and gestured the final glyph into the air. This was probably her hundredth time, and she was so conditioned to failure that when the other ring chimed, she nearly dismissed it.

“What?” She looked up and asked. Her bangs fell over her exhausted eyes.

She gestured again and had the same result. The other ring chimed. It was a success! Jeze jumped up into the air and let out a loud whoop of joy. She was so engrossed in her work that she failed to notice that Number Two and Number Three were in the room with her.

“I did it!” She cried.

“We see that,” Number Two acknowledged.

“We have something important to talk with you about,” Number Tree added.

“It is in regards to your contract with Ziplocke,” Number Two stated.

“Goblins are very tricky. Your contract requires him to hear your request,” Number Three said.

“As it stands, if he is away from you. He can not hear your request and does not need to honor it,” Number Two added.

Jeze rubbed her eyes. She was exhausted from spending hours etching Runes onto rings. What the two Crones were telling her slowly registered in her mind.

“Did he leave?” She asked.

The Goblin could be anywhere in the world for two years and not be in violation of their contract. Jeze didn’t know! This was her first contract with another being, and she became frustrated with the Crones.

Before they could respond, Jeze cried, “You didn’t warn me! Can I make another contract? Like with an Owl or a Cat?”

Number Three responded, “Number One has kept the Goblin content with peppers and lemons. He remains on our campus.”

“We did this so that you can have a learning opportunity. For you to see the importance of contracts and how you should word your requests,” Number Two said.

“Every request you ask of Ziplocke will require you to provide him with a treat,” Number Three said.

“It does not need to be a whole jar. It only needs to be something spicy and sour,” Number Two added.

Jeze nodded in understanding. She has been giving Ziplocke full jars. A lick or a spoonful should suffice. Number Three placed a small sack filled with peppers and lemons.

“We will provide you with enough materials to make the paste for the next several months,” Number Three said.

“You are responsible for obtaining the rest after this supply is exhausted,” Number Two added.

“How can I ensure he does not run away?” Jeze asked.

Number Three motioned to the two rings she enchanted. “You have the means to ensure he hears you.”

“Soon, Number One will come down here with the Goblin following her like a puppy,” Number Two said.

“When she arrives, you are to request that Ziplocke wear the ring at all times,” Number Three stated.

Number Two added, “Request that he can not damage the ring and that he must protect it.”

“Finally, you ask that he respond to your summons through the ring within fifteen minutes,” Number Three said.

“That will ensure that he remains close to you at all times.” Number Two observed.

Jeze nodded and wore one ring. The young girl tapped the ring and completed the final gesture, which caused the other ring to chime.

“Very good, girl. Now, examine the Runes closely. Is there anything else you notice?” Number Three asked.

Jeze was confused and studied the Runes she just etched on the ring she wore. There were nearly two dozen tiny markings all along the onyx surface.

“Think, girl!” Number Two snapped.

The old Crone whacked her cane on the table, causing the pile of failed rings to clatter about. Jeze flinched, and something clicked in her mind. She opened the tome she was studying. It was the most advanced reading she had done. For the past five years, she studied the three focuses of Magic: Summoning, Shaping, and Control. Today was the first time that she utilized two Focuses at once when she completed the Linking enchantment. From the tome she realized that the two dozen Runes she etched upon the ring were the beginning for other Earth aspect spells!

Jeze tapped her onyx ring and completed with her hands the remaining glyphs of an Earth Shaping spell. She felt the magic snap into place, and it pulled the energy from her like a taut rope. It was a minor strain but one that needed release. Jeze glanced at one of the rings and shaped the stone so that the ring shrunk and expanded. It took a great amount of Will, and she released the spell with a gasp. She felt drained.

“Very good!” Number Three applauded.

“Shaping and Controlling unsummoned objects is much harder than summoned objects,” Number Two stated.

“It is even more difficult if the object is in possession of another individual,” Number Three added.

“The benefit, of course, is that unsummoned objects remain, whereas summoned objects fade away with time,” Number Two said.

Despite her feeling drained, Jeze was excited. She had crafted a ring that allowed her to complete minor Earth aspect spells. She was eager to try them when Number One entered the room, followed by a grinning Ziplocke.

“Uh oh,” the Goblin muttered when the Old Crone closed the door.

Number Two nodded to Jeze.

“Ziplocke, I want you to wear this ring. You can not damage the ring or cause any known action that would result in the ring being damaged. When the ring chimes, you are to report to me within fifteen minutes,” Jeze said.

Ziplocke groaned and howled in frustration. The Goblin scratched his head over and over and looked up with red eyes.

“Per our deal, give me three items that are spicy and sour,” he said.

Jeze opened a jar and used a spoon to pull out some paste.

“Not the whole jar?” Ziplocke whined.

Jeze shook her head and offered the spoon. The Goblin groaned but accepted the three servings of paste.

“Too bad, the ring is too big. I can not comply with your request,” he said with a giggle.

Jeze grinned with excitement. Here was an opportunity for her to practice her Shaping. The young girl completed the glyphs to cast a spell that shrank the onyx ring to snuggly fit the Goblin’s finger.

“I bow to your cleverness,” Ziplocke said.

The Goblin’s voice lacked the usual shrill. Jeze was proud of herself but concerned about Ziplocke’s change in demeanor.