The day was hot.

The cobbled road, slowly inclining up the mountainside, had given way to gravel, and eventually, dirt. Swirls of dust kicked up every few feet and mingled with the haze that radiated from the sun-scorched ground.

After half an hour, the base of the rocky steps came within sight, the outline of two figures just visible at the bottom stair. Wellynd always marvelled at the sheer size of the steps; they extended another quarter-league up the mountainside to the mine’s entrance.

To the left of them sat a large rail. Several carts were grouped near the bottom. Miners usually took the carts up and the stairs down, but since the mines were closed today, they’d have to walk both ways. Wellynd’s legs hurt just thinking about it.

He saw the figures pique up. One was the unmistakable hulking form of Klof. The other figure was a few inches shorter, but looked almost equal in height to his companion due to Klof’s characteristic slouch.

“Did you stop to have a drink or something?” hollered Bertrand, his deep, nasally voice echoing off the hillside.

“No, we just wanted to make you wait!” yelled back Wellynd.

The pair began walking towards them. Klof walked with an air of defeat; a stride so dissimilar from his normally carefree jaunt.

Bertrand, on the other hand, had a smug smile on his face, which was already red, droplets dripping down his hooked nose, further flattening his straight slick-backed hair.

“Hey Welly. You get a chance to bathe before coming? I’d rather not have my Dad’s mine smelling like fishguts.”

“Looks like you could use a bath right now, Bert. When’s the last time you left the house and got a little exercise?” retorted Wellynd, gesturing vaguely to Bertrand’s red face.

“No. Actually, I’ve been busy studying wit...” he began.

“That’s enough” warned Neera, casting a disapproving glance at Bertrand, who put up his hands in surrender.

“It’s alright.” said Wellynd “I imagine you two have been getting ready for the Observatory. Everyone’s been talking about it. Even the guys at the warehouse. You two are the ‘pride and joy’ of Kellek’s Watch according to Briv.”

He couldn’t help but exaggerate Briv’s words and roll his eyes at Klof, who replied with a smile and a grunt.

“But seriously. We’re happy for you guys.”

Not really.

“We know you’re going to be great...Neera” Wellynd added, before tapping his nose at Bertrand, who scowled.

“Yeah, on that note” started Klof, straightening himself and pausing to take a deep breath. “Let’s not tiptoe around it any longer. I know I’ve been sorta aloof lately. Sorry for not saying anything to you guys.”

The large boy chuckled to himself and scratched the back of his head.

“I kinda lost it. I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty pissed. I was hoping we’d all go to the Observatory together. And it was hard coming to terms with the fact that you guys are kind of leaving us behind…”

“Klof it’s not…” Neera started.

Klof held up a hand.

“But Welly’s right, we are happy that you guys get to go. None of us should stop the other from doin’ this stuff” he said, before puffing out his chest and nodding to himself “And hey, looks like we’re about to become proper sailors. We’ll be learning our own tricks soon enough.”

“Yeah, like how to smuggle Rellian wine in your…” started Bertrand, before Klof punched him in the stomach.

“You ain’t a Koshai yet, Bert. I can still stomp you like a blade of grass’” laughed Klof cracking his knuckles.

Bertrand hunched over and put up his hands placatingly.

Neera shook her head and looked at Wellynd, “Are you sure you’re both okay? We don’t have to talk about it, really...”

Wellynd nodded “I’m sure”, looking at Klof, who inclined his head “We’re sure. We want to hear what you’ve been learning. Yeah it sucks that we won’t get to learn it with you, but hey, what can we do. We failed. I don’t know how the test works, but they obviously have it for a reason. Who knows, maybe we can learn some stuff from you guys. I bet we’ll be better than Berty even without schooling.”

Bertrand curled one eyebrow “First off, in your dreams, dock-boy. Secondly, we aren’t allowed to share our lessons with you. It’s part of the Student’s Charter of Admission.” He said the last part in a very officious voice.

Neera sighed “Of course we will share with you guys. Don’t be a nump, Bert. Anyway, let’s get going. We can chat more on the way. I wanna hear about your trip to the city.” She began walking up the steps.

Klof stood still for a moment, casting a bewildered look at the three of them “Wait, we aren’t taking the cart up? Oh c’mon. It’s so hot. I’ll even power the jant! Bert, you can get the cart running can’t you?”

“Ya, if I want my dad to wring my neck. The things louder than a Krentswail. He’ll hear us as soon as we get in earshot of the offices.”

Wellynd looked back at him “Wait. Your dad’s not celebrating in town?”

“As if. Since no one is working he’s going to be processing some of the ore on his own. He’s crazy. And besides, the miners probably aren’t too keen to have a pint with the man who just froze their wages.”

“Why’d he do that?” Neera asked.

“I dunno. Somethin’ about an explosion in Revenshore. A messenger came by the house last night and Dad’s been having a fit.”

“Ah. That I can tell you more about.” Wellynd said, before beginning the climb up the stairs after Neera, Klof and Bertrand in tow.

As they made their arduous journey up the steps, Wellynd relayed the events of the past few days. Like with Laine, the only part he didn’t tell them about was his second run-in with Klent.

He still didn’t know what to make of that.

Much to Bertrand’s chagrin, Wellynd saved details about the explosion that rocked all of Revenshore until the very end of his story.

“Laine implied that Revenshore’s going to get nearly locked down for the rest of the rest of the season, at the very least” he finished, in between gasps of air, sweat dripping down the back of his neck, the sun having nearly reached its zenith.

They’d been climbing for nearly forty minutes and had to take several breaks.

“Yikes, no wonder dad’s freaking out” said Bertrand, brow furrowing.

“Ohh, you’ll be fine Bert. Maybe you’ll have to eat one less dinner at the Crest’s every few weeks” jibed Klof.

Wellynd swallowed. He hadn’t told his friends that he had stayed there.

“Speaking of which, we need to figure out when you two can visit. I think we should still all spend a night there. We can’t break the pact!”

Wellynd and Klof glanced at each other uncomfortably. Klof scratched the back of his head “Yeah, I guess we could do that. Could be fun.” he said.

“Yea” agreed Wellynd,“although, I think it might be hard for us to get over there anytime soon with what’s been going on.”

Neera continued walking up the steps “Well, we will figure it out. We need to do it.” she responded after a long pause.

Wellynd wasn’t keen on going back to Crest’s with them. He and Klof didn’t pass the test. The pact was already broken. He also wasn’t too keen on explaining the bloody mess he’d left in his room to the concierge.

Bertrand stopped, turning around and staring down the mountainside. All of Kellek’s Watch was now fully in view. He leaned over and put his hands on his thighs, trying to calm his breathing “Saints, I need to get in shape. June says some of the classes are pretty intensive.”

“Ya I saw a class doing some pretty wild exercises when I was there,” said Wellynd “Wait, who is June?”

Bertrand started to respond but Neera butt in.

“He’s just an upper- year apprentice at the Observatory. It’s standard for them to send someone out to train incoming students about fundamentals for a few weeks before the semester begins.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty impressed with us too.” chimed in Bertrand.

“Cool” said Wellynd. “What have you guys learned? Anything neat?”

Neera glanced at Bertrand, “I guess. It’s all pretty basic. A lot of first principles stuff, fundamentals of the different types of kose, how they differ...” she said casually.

Kose. He looked askance at Klof, who, brow furrowed, said “Uh huh. Anything practical, or cool looking at least?”

Neera started to shake her head back and forth but Bertrand interjected “We learned how to manifest our mantle; it’s kinda like a big magic bubble. We’re supposed to meditate on it or something. But it kinda does stuff. It looks incredible.”

Neera cast a disapproving glance at him before adding “Mantles don’t do much on their own. But, apparently, it will help us somehow once we start specialising in a craft. We don’t really know what it is yet, June has been very cagey about giving any details. He just makes us do these exercises over and over.”

Wellynd nodded along. He did his best to suppress his frustration.

“Wow. Sounds like you’re both well on your way. You’ll have to show us this mantle before you go. Anyway, shall we race to the top?

They all shared looks before bolting up the steps. He had to at least win this race.

--

Bertrand keeled over the last step and fell to the ground, rolling onto his back and wheezing. Neera and Klof weren’t much better off; Neera sat with her head in her arms, legs curled up on the ground, and Klof was grabbing onto an old mine cart near the entrance to the cave, spitting onto the dirt.

Wellynd stood with his hands on his knees, winded, but not exhausted. He had won by a considerable margin. Klof and Neera took a whole minute longer, and Bertrand had stopped several times during his ascent.

“Saints, you guys need to get out more.” said Wellynd between breaths.

Bertrand groaned, covering his eyes with his arm “God, I better learn how to fly or something in Revenshore. I’m done with using my legs.”

Neera put her hand up in agreement.

A yacking sound echoed from behind the mine cart.

Bertrand sat up “What’re you doin’ oaf? someones gonna notice that…”

A disembodied hand shot up and waved him away.

Shaking his head, Wellynd turned to look at the entrance of the mine. The opening was about ten paces wide, and half that tall, framed by burnt black timbers, each as thick as Klof’s torso.

Starkwood, he thought, a tree that only grows in Northern Melyar; practically a world away from here. He’d helped the crew unload beams like this from the boat before, but just now made the connection that they were probably for this mine.

The rail that had run up beside the staircase now split into several sets of tracks, some of which snaked down into the mine, others winding their way to the left of the entrance and towards the small processing building a few hundred paces away.

The entrance was dark; he could only see a few steps in; the lanterns that normally lit the passage had been snuffed out.

Bertrand walked past him and to the threshold, scratching his head. Wellynd noticed the long dirt stain running down his friend's back.

“Damn. Dad must have shut the lights off to save money since no one is working today. Ugh. I’ll go see if I can get them up and running,” and set off towards the building.

While they waited, the three that remained chatted about where they’d go for a meal and drink after the delve. While they spoke, Wellynd stared into the darkness of the mine, only half paying attention to the conversation, nodding along.

Oddly, he felt a longing to step into it. A sense of groundedness.

Somehow, he felt that the sensation was familiar.

Abruptly, the mine illuminated, giving way to more timbers as the shaft slowly declined into the mountain.

“Remind me to turn them off on our way out or you’re paying for it when my Dad tells me to cough up.” hollered Bertrand walking back towards them.

“Yeah sure, I’ll get right on that” replied Wellynd, taking one last look around them, eyes eventually settling back towards the steps they’d just climbed.

The town was no longer visible due to the grade of the mountain, and all he could see was the vast blue ocean beyond Ars Illuve.

No, that wasn’t quite right. A thin, brownish line accented the horizon. He’d been up here dozens of times, and never once had he noticed that he could see Vellen Kellek from here. He’d probably be heading there within the next few weeks with Laine.

Shrugging his shoulders, he looked back at the other three, who stood silently waiting on him.

“Shall we?” he said.

Within minutes of walking down the central shaft, daylight had disappeared, and the orange flicker of the oil lamps every twenty paces made the shadows of the group dance upon the walls.

The change in air was quite abrupt, as well. The fresh, albeit dusty and humid, air outside was replaced by a warm dampness, and Wellynd found himself breathing more heavily.

They’d travelled into the mine many times over the years, but he was still surprised by what felt like such a heavy plunge of atmosphere.

They walked on for about twenty more minutes, Neera and Bertrand walking to the left of the track, while Klof balanced on one of the rails. Wellynd opted to only step between the rail ties at first, but keeping track of them made him dizzy, so he opted to join Klof on the opposite rail.

Eventually the slope levelled out, and the four stopped at their first junction, the path and rails splitting in three different directions. There was also a small enclosure, presumably containing mining tools, and two tables with papers and oddities splayed across it sitting just next to the tracks.

“Which way?” enquired Klof, teetering over and stepping off the rail.

Bertrand smirked, his visage menacing in the wan light. “Left”

Neera, who had been picking through the items on the table, turned and furrowed her brow “I thought we weren’t allowed to go that way?”

Bertrand laughed, “We aren’t supposed to be here at all.”

Wellynd stood next to Neera, “Yeah but you said we really aren’t supposed to go that way. Your dad said it’s dangerous, no?”

Bertrand shrugged “Meh. That was years ago. They’ve been expanding forever now. Besides, Neera and I are leaving in a few days. We’ve seen most of this mine already…let’s just check it out. Nothing bad will happen. And if it does, well, we’ll figure it out. C’mooon.”

Wellynd heard Neera exhale before nodding her head. Klof just shrugged his shoulders.

“Alright. You’re in front. If a rock squashes you I’m telling your dad that this was your idea.”

Bertrand snorted. “If my dad finds out we were down here he’ll hire a Gwynic priest just to bring me back and kill me all over again.”

The four set off down the left tunnel, and for the first little while, it looked about the same as all the other tunnels they’d travelled down over the years. Wellynd detected a slight decline in the ground, but much less obvious than the one on the main shaft.

Soon enough, however, he started spotting small passages carved off of this tunnel. He’d never seen these before. The openings were a pace wide and a few inches taller than Wellynd.

“What are those?” he asked.

Without turning back, Bertrand replied casually “Prospector’s shafts.”

“Prospector’s shafts?” asked Neera, walking over to the closest and poking her head into the opening.

“Yeah. Or something like that. I’ve heard the miners call them a few names. Some ruder than others. Rather than mining out massive sections of rock, my dad contracts one Koshai from the mainland every quarter year, who searches different sections of the rock for veins. It’s cheaper, faster, and less likely to cause a collapse. Most of these shafts are old and lead nowhere. If he’d found something they would have excavated it, but they sometimes go pretty deep and open up into big caverns deep in the mountain. We just need to pick the right one.”

“Pick one?” she replied.

“Ya. We should check one out. It’ll be fun.”

“I don’t like the sound of this…” said Klof, eyeing the closest hole in the wall suspiciously.

Wellynd and Neera shared dubious glances before continuing on.

The prospector’s shafts showed up every fifty paces or so, but sometimes there were more. Wellynd was curious about how the Koshai picked these spots. He would love to see what the magic looked like. Every now and then, Bertrand would dip into one of the tunnels before popping back out and shaking his head.

“What are you looking for?” asked Klof.

“A tunnel with an air current. Some of these lead out and up to the surface; sometimes the Koshai gets so far they realise that it’s quicker to just get out the other way rather than walking all the way back. I think it helps with the air in here or something. You can feel the wind passing through if you take a few steps in.” he replied.

“And you want us to take one of these tunnels right to the end?” asked Wellynd.

“Ya, why not? Scared Welly?” poked Bertrand.

Klof raised his hand “I am.”

Bertrand laughed “You’re always scared.” he turned back to Wellynd “I’ll tell you what. You can pick the shaft. Just find one with a current. Or if you really don’t want to, we can always just go back down the main shaft. It’s just, it’s kinda boring, what with Neera and I learning proper magic and all. It doesn’t seem as exciting anymore.”

Wellynd wanted to kick Bertrand in the face.

He glanced again at Neera who was staring at Bertrand, eyes alight with fury.

“Fine. I’ll pick. But once we get out, you have to show Klof and I this mantle thing.”

Neera started “I don’t think…”

“Deal.” interrupted Bertrand, a smug smile plastered across his face.

Wellynd began to check each of the shafts along the right side of the track. The first few were filled with stale air.

At one point, he thought he had found one with a current, but when he tried to feel around with his hands, he couldn’t locate a big enough entrance for them to fit through. He wondered how the Koshai had gotten through.

After about twenty minutes, Bertrand yelled “Are you just pretending not to find any Welly? I mean if you’re really scared I totally understand.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Wellynd ignored his friend’s jibes and continued to search the small holes along the left side of the tunnel.

He ducked his head into another and put his hand up. He couldn’t feel any air passing through. Bertrand wasn’t going to let up if he didn’t find something soon.

Pulling his body out of the hole, he stretched his back and looked across the tunnel. Neera and Klof were about fifty paces back, laughing about something as they casually strolled behind Bertrand, who was poking his head into the prospector’s shafts on the opposite side.

He approached the next shaft on his side and stared into the deep blackness.

The sensation he’d felt earlier washed over him again.

“Does anyone else feel that?”

“Feel what” said Klof, his voice echoing down the tunnel

“He’s losing it already. Ow...” he heard Bertrand mumble to Neera, who must have hit him in the arm.

Wellynd poked his head into the shaft. He couldn’t feel any air, but maybe he wasn’t far enough in. He shimmied in, feeling the sides of the wall as he went. A slight tingle of fresh air whipped past his ear and he could faintly make out the sound of a breeze from somewhere.

As far as he could tell, the shaft was big enough for them to fit through, as well.

“Found one!” he yelled.

The three others caught up and peeked their heads into the tunnel.

“There’s definitely an air current here. I guess you found one after all, Welly” said Bertrand.

“Uh, are you forgetting something, Bert?” said Neera

“What?”

“Uh…light? I can’t imagine your dad would run oil lines and mount lamps in tunnels he wasn’t using.”

Bertrand paused for a moment. “Just a sec.”

Before anyone else said anything, he bolted off down the main shaft. A few minutes later, they heard his footsteps approaching, along with his typical wheezing

“Got..it…from one of the storage…closets ” he said between breaths, holding up a small oil lamp with a handle.

“Honour is all yours, Mr. Snellium” said Wellynd, gesturing towards the opening of the shaft.

Bertrand moved forward, shimmying his way past Wellynd.

Wellynd had never taken issue with small spaces. In fact, he was often the one pushing the group into other crannies in the mine and underwater caves when they took their yearly trip to the beaches in Monk’s Landing.

However, as they made their way through the small tunnel, often having to crouch or even occasionally crawl on their hands and knees to move forward, he couldn’t help but notice a growing tightness in his chest. His mind wandered to thoughts of Klent’s weight on top of him, the horror the man must have felt in his final moments.

This tightness as they continued their way through the passage. As the minutes dragged on to what felt like hours, no opening to the outside appeared.

There must have been one somewhere, as they all felt the fresh air blowing tickling their increasingly dusty faces. He started to wonder if the fresh breeze came from a small breathing hole or something.

He was just about to bring up this possibility and suggest turning around when Bertrand yelled out.

“I see something!”

“Thank Arthus” gasped Klof, who was at the back of the group

Wellynd rounded the corner where Bertrand had disappeared and breathed a sigh of relief. Before him was a vast sun-lit cavern.

At the far end of the cave, stood a small circular opening, just enough for each of them to crawl through. The opening, alone, however, wasn’t the central source of light. Somewhere in the ceiling there must have been cracks in the mantle of the mountain where streams of light poured into the chamber.

Bertrand set down the lamp and craned his neck to look up at the stalagmite covered roof of the cave.

“Now this is cool. What did I tell ya!”

“Yeah yeah you’re brilliant” said Neera as she stumbled into the chamber, making a futile effort to wipe the dust and dirt off of her clothes.

“You’re right. I am”

“Can we get the hell out of here and go get some food now?” said Klof, gesturing towards the exit

“What!” Bertrand turned “We just got here. This place is great” he yelled, putting his hand to his ear when his echo replied

“Oh wow, it has an echo. So impressive. Did you learn that from your special Observatory tutor?” said Wellynd.

Bertrand looked at him, curled one eyebrow and smirked.

“Impressive...eh?”

The boy promptly walked over to a short stalactite and placed his hand on the top of it, gripping his fingers around the point of the stone

“Bertrand, don’t” warned Neera.

Bertrand ignored her and closed his eyes.

What happened next was so fast Wellynd could barely believe his eyes. The top of the stone spike began to glow red, not unlike the skald in Selkis’s laboratory. It quickly reached a brilliant yellow before it began to melt. Bertrand quickly pulled his hand away and let the magma spill down the sides of the shaft of the stone, a smug smile on his face as he looked back to Wellynd.

“What about that? that impressive?” he said.

“Wow,” said Klof.

Neera walked over and pushed Bertrand. He laughed as he stumbled back.

She turned to Wellynd and Klof

“You don’t even need training to do that. He’s being a show-off. It’s simple. I know you both know how to pull ambient kose and push into a jant. This is the exact same thing. You kind of just have to localise it into an area itself, rather than having the jant do the work for you.”

“Okay. I’ve heard it a million times now. First off, what is kose?” said Wellynd “And secondly, how the heck did you use it so fast.” addressing his second question to Bertrand.

The magnate’s son just shrugged his shoulders and said “Dunno. Maybe that’s why they picked me”

Neera growled. “kose is just magic. It’s what we use. I think there are different types, but all you need to know is it’s what's in the air. I think...something like that. It’s the term that Koshai and scholars use to describe it. I don’t know why. Anyway, pulling fast and pushing fast just takes practice.”

She perked up“Oh! Why don’t I show you something new that you guys can practise? I’m sure you’ll get it. There’s a way to choose where to pull kose from. Watch.”

She walked over to another stalactite and placed her hand near the top. Before Wellynd could even blink, the tip of the stone began to heat up. As the stone began to shift to magma, Neera moved her hand a few inches away and opened her palm.

The glowing magma began to dim. The liquid stone that had started to pour down the side stopped its descent and hardened.

Wellynd thought it kind of looked like an exotic flower that had bloomed and started to wilt.

“Cool, right?” she said, unable to keep the grin from her face.

Bertrand huffed “Yeah, yeah...”

She looked at him “Bertrand hasn’t quite figured it out that part yet; he’s just bitter.”

Klof lurched forward and strode over towards another group of stalactites, planting his feet and grabbing onto it.

He looked at Neera. “Like a jant?”

Neera nodded “But rather than trying to pull in the kose as a separate step, just assume that it's already there and try to push it out almost immediately. June said to think of it like adding fuel to a fire that’s already lit. You don’t need to start it, you’re just adding another log. That’s what helped me wrap my head around it.”

Klof nodded and closed his eyes.

Wellynd watched intently. At first, nothing happened. Seconds passed. The stone started to glow. Brighter and brighter. Klof yelled out and pulled his hand off.

“Hot!” he said, smiling. He placed his hand a few inches away and closed his eyes again. They all waited in anticipation.

Nothing happened.

Klof beamed “Well, it’s something!”

There was an awkward silence as everyone, except Bertrand, tried to not look at Wellynd.

Wellynd tapped his foot.

“I know you’ve had issues with pain so I...” Neera started.

“We totally understand if you don’t want to try,” interrupted Bertrand.

Wellynd’s face grew red. He knew Bertrand was trying to get the best of him. But Bertrand didn’t know what he had done to Klent. None of them did.

Responding to neither Neera or Bertrand, Wellynd instead strode over to the stalactite next to Klof.

He grabbed onto it and closed his eyes. In his mind, he conjured up Neera’s image of feeding a lit fire, willing himself to push it into the stone.

Nothing happened.

He felt empty. Several more seconds passed. It wasn’t working.

“Welly it really doesn’t...” started Neera.

Wellynd shook out his other hand and grunted, keeping his eyes closed.

He’d focus on pulling in the magic. Kose. Whatever it was.

He started to pull. The pain came. Aware of his audience, he worked to keep his face neutral.

The kose seemed reluctant. Or maybe he was.

He pulled harder, biting down on his lip as the pain intensified. Unwilling to suffer any longer, he started to push, imagining the stone on his hand was a jant. The energy felt like it was spilling out of his hand, uncontrolled, chaotic. He wasn’t pulling fast enough to keep it up, either. He stood there for several moments struggling.

“Welly…”

“Wait!” snapped Wellynd.

The last thing he wanted to do was open his eyes and see Klof’s nervous apprehension, Neera’s concerning stare, or Bertrand’s subtle mocking scowl.

His anger flared. Their pity, their assumptions about him, were insufferable.

He turned his thoughts to the night in the alley with Klent. What did that feel like? What had he reached for? He searched for it, all around him. Was it the stone? He wished he had brought it with him. He used his free hand to rub his pant leg.

Wait.

The stone was there. Had he taken it with him when he left Briarberry that morning?

He couldn’t remember.

He focused on it. The oddly shaped artefact felt heavy in his pocket now that he was aware of its presence.

The feeling he’d experienced earlier washed over him again. It almost spoke to him. Not with words, sounds, or images. It was like he was apprehending intention; like becoming aware of the slow shift of shadow in the midday sun.

That intention directed him towards the space beneath him, around him, not in the air, but further, deep into the stone. He felt the weight of the world grow heavy upon him as his senses sunk deeper and deeper into a primaeval darkness. Wellynd started to get fearful. A part of him pleaded for respite. Another part of him pleaded for the power to prove his friends wrong.

Both came suddenly.

He felt a wave of effervescent yellow light wash over him. Fear fled. He was calm. Confident. Keen to express what he knew he had dominion over. He relished in its endless current.

Coming back to himself, Wellynd seized his opportunity and pulled the kose in from all around him. Pain now receded from his chest, and he pushed what felt like an immense power down his arm and into the stone. This was it.

He opened his eyes. The stone was still dark grey. Nothing melted. No heat radiated from it.

Wellynd’s stomach sank. How. How had he felt such power and still nothing happened? Keeping his eyes open, he poured more kose into the stalactite.

The cavern started to shake.

“Welly…” started Neera

He ignored Neera. Now we’re talking. This was it. This felt good. He couldn’t help it. Everything else around him faded from his senses. It was just him and the stalactite. He kept pushing more and more. He’d make the entire thing disappear. He’d melt the entire cave if he had to.

Suddenly the breath was knocked out of him as something slammed into his chest.

Rather, someone. Klof had knocked him over.

“What’d you do that for!” Wellynd screamed, shoving the larger boy off of him.

He waited for an answer but was met with silence. A look of horror was plastered to Klof’s face as he started up to the ceiling of the cavern.

Wellynd followed his gaze.

Small cracks were shooting between the stalagmites, rippling out in every direction as the sound of cracking stone echoed out from every direction.

Suddenly, the top of the cave heaved and dozens of chunks broke off, plummeting towards them.

Wellynd rolled over just in time to see Bertrand throw his hands into the air and yell as the rocks plummeted down towards them. Wellynd covered his head.

Nothing struck him.

After a few moments, he turned over, expecting to see a pile of rocks where Bertrand had stood. Instead, he saw his friend in the same pose. His arms up in the air.

A miasma of what felt like a translucent fog hung all about them. It seemed to be emanating from Bertrand himself, but it stretched up towards the roof of the cavern.

Wellynd stared in amazement as he watched more and more rocks hit the outer reaches of the glimmering substance, slowing into a glacial tumble.

Unfortunately, the rocks didn’t stop completely. They slowly fell through the fog, and Bertrand’s eyes widened. Wellynd could see a single bead of sweat trickling down the centre of his nose, the vein in his forehead already quickening in size and rhythm.

Bertrand’s face twisted and contorted. It was as if he was struggling with the entirety of the weight suspended above him.

Suddenly, a deep tremor shook through the ground, and what felt like a blast of wind nearly knocked Wellynd onto his knees, as the air in the bubble twisted and convulsed.

Wellynd regained his balance and turned to see Neera, hands outstretched towards the rocks, the cavern now illuminated by golden glowing motes that dotted the dense atmosphere, the bounds of the bubble now expanding out beyond the walls of the cavern.

The falling rocks responded with a shudder and stopped their descent entirely.

Two dozen boulders, the smallest one just bigger than Klof, hovered twenty paces above them in what now appeared to be a brilliant dance of shadows and aether.

Bertrand and Neera looked at eachother, haphazard grins flashing across their feverish faces.

“I’m not gonna lie, I had no idea if that was going to work. I don’t know what you did Welly, but don’t do it again?” breathed Bertrand.

“I agree. Quick thinking Bert.” said Neera.

“I’m guessing that’s a mantle?” ventured Klof, a tremble in his voice

She turned her head back to the two of them and nodded.

“We are going to have to walk towards the exit at the other end, very slowly…you two grab on to each of us and help guide us towards...”

The cavern shook and a great crack resounded from above. Wellynd snapped his head up and heard Klof cry out. Several large fissures shot along the length of the ceiling and more boulders, many more, plummeted towards the bubble.

In unison, both Bertrand and Neera moved closer to one another, stretching out their arms as far as they could. Boulders tumbled into the outer layer of the bubble and stopped their descent, instead moving laterally, circling around and knocking into each other; a quickly forming mob of celestial bodies colliding in gradual succession.

The assault was relentless as the rocks continued to fall, piling up and crashing into each other, eventually forming into a sort of stone canopy. Once every gap was filled, loud thuds reverberated throughout the cavern as more rocks tumbled onto the makeshift roof.

And slowly, ever so slowly, they began to sink further into the bubble.

“Uh, Bertrand, what do we do now?” yelled Neera.

Wellynd had never heard her speak with such panic.

Wellynd looked over and saw Bertrand’s eyes darting back and forth. There was a moment of strained silence.

“C’mon Bert, think of something!” yelled Klof.

“Remember what June said about shifting? I can try that. You keep them steady and I’ll try to carve out a path!” barked Bertrand, eyes still flitting between the boulders above as sweat poured from his brow.

Wellynd didn’t know what that meant, but Neera obviously did. She gave a guttural sound of ascent and pivoted her feet back and forth a few times, taking a deep breath and firming up her stance. The air shuddered again and the boulders stopped moving entirely as Neera exerted her will.

As soon as the boulders stopped, Bertrand took a few steps forward. The darker parts of the bubble flickered for a moment, and Wellynd yelped as the boulders dropped for a split second, but the glowing motes suddenly brightened and the bubble expanded out with even more intensity, pushing the rocks back in place as the air hummed all around them.

Neera stood proudly, as if in defiance of the whole cavern, the outer edges of her body glowing with the same light that emanated from the motes.

Whatever Bertrand was working on started to manifest. One by one boulders began to fall, slowly, into what appeared to be a sort of pathway in the bubble, filtering down towards the outside.

Wellynd watched on as Bertrand’s body began to shake, as he pushed against an imperceptible weight.

Wellynd heard a groan and looked back to Neera who was now drenched in sweat, her whole body trembling. She couldn’t do this for much longer. There were way too many boulders to move and Bertrand, despite the immensity of his efforts, was working at a snail’s pace.

“What can I do?” yelled Wellynd.

He saw a flash of frustration shoot across Neera’s face, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by a stoic resolve.

“You and Klof need to run. Maybe we can hold it for long enough if we can make our mantle smaller. Get someone to come help” she replied through her teeth

“Wait, what…” said Wellynd.

“GO!” screamed Bertrand, now violently shaking under the invisible weight.

Wellynd looked back to Klof, who had already started walking backwards, a stony resolve set on his face. He nodded at Wellynd and made a slight beckoning gesture with his hand.

He looked up towards the boulders, and noticed the glowing motes that surrounded them were starting to dim.

“No” said Wellynd. “We’re not leaving you. Is there a way I can give you mag…kose?”

Neera’s eyes flicked towards him and he could tell she was deliberating on what to say next. He wanted to laugh, even in a life or death situation, Neera was thinking about how to put things nicely. He knew what she was going to say. That he couldn’t pull in energy properly. That he was unable to do what they could do.

She began “I don’t know what you did there Wellynd, but…”

Wellynd interrupted. “I know I can help. Trust me. Klof, you can help Bertrand…”

He turned back to beckon his friend. Klof was gone. He couldn’t blame him. It was probably the right choice to make.

Ignoring his conflicting emotions about Klof, Wellynd put his hand on Neera’s shoulder and started to pull. As soon as he could feel that familiar prickle on his skin, he directed the kose towards his hand, and urged it to move to her. If he could act as a conduit, maybe he could avoid the pain. At least for a while.

“Wellynd I don’t think…” started Neera, but she stopped and stood up from the slouch she had started stooping into. The motes began to glow brightly again, like embers roused by a sudden breath of wind. Wellynd opened his eyes to peek at Bertrand, who, in response to Neera’s burst of power, continued to guide the stream of boulders with renewed vigour.

Wellynd closed his eyes again. If he could just hold on. They could do it. They could at least hold on until Klof retrieved others to help. The miners would know what to do.

A soft thump pulled him from his thoughts. Opening one eye, he saw that Bertrand had fallen to the ground.

“Bertrand, get up, man!” yelled Wellynd.

He felt Neera’s shoulders slump.

“Wellynd” she started in a meek voice “I can’t do this for much longer…you gotta run.”

Wellynd felt the pain in his chest start to grow. It felt like Neera was no longer pulling out the energy he was pushing into her.

“No, no no, we got this. Klof’s gonna get help. You gotta hold on.” urged Wellynd.

He looked up to see the boulders start to tumble a little more quickly. The closest one was only about ten paces above his head.

The motes started to dim.

Neera fell to her knees, arms going limp as she collapsed onto the ground.

The bubble dimmed.

Wellynd screamed in desperation, pulling in everything he could.

Time seemed to slow.

He refused to die here. He willed the rocks to stop. Urged them to no longer listen to the rules of the world. They were going to listen to him. They needed to obey his will. They were no longer allowed to fall. Not on him. Not on his friends. He searched feverishly for that effervescent light, focusing on the stone in his pocket, using it to send his envoy of command to the boulders hurtling towards them.

Neera’s bubble completely vanished just as a flash of light blinded him.

Instinctually, he jumped on top of Neera and covered his head with his hands, waiting for the rocks to fall.

He braced himself for the pain. But none came.

He waited another moment. No weight of the hundred boulders fell onto his head, not even the sound of a stone dropping echoed out.

Cautiously, he turned his head up in confusion.

He gasped.

In the air hung a hundred boulders. No bubble of magic held them up. They weren’t attached to the surrounding walls or roof of the cavern. They just sat there, suspended in empty space.

Wellynd momentarily looked down to check Neera’s breathing.

Good, she seemed okay. A soft snore emanated from her nose.

He got up and walked over to Bertrand. Same thing.

Wellynd stared back up at the rocks. They hadn’t moved.

Cautiously, he spent the next five minutes carrying each of his friends out of harm's way towards the small entrance at the far end of the cavern.

And then he sat down, his back against a stalactite and stared up, unable to tear his eyes away from the impossible sight that floated above him.

~

It was unclear how long Wellynd waited in that cavern. He was too preoccupied wondering about the hovering stones, trying to piece together what had happened.

The incident with Klent had been horrifying, and he wasn’t sure how the man had been encased in stone, but it was still the stuff of fiction. What had happened here just didn’t make any sense.

Also, like with the incident with Klent, Wellynd had resolved to not tell anyone this was his doing. He wasn’t sure how he would explain what happened, but he figured pleading ignorance was safer than trying to explain how he willed a hundred boulders to stop falling.

To be fair, he didn’t even know how he’d done it.

Eventually, voices echoed from the exploration shaft, and Klof came into view a few minutes later, followed by several men wearing leather caps and brown cloth tunics. After them came a man garbed completely in black leather, his hooked nose and slicked back hair unmistakable.

Snellium Senior ; Bertrand’s father.

Klof let out a cry when he saw Wellynd sitting with the bodies of his friends, and ran forward. As he approached, Wellynd couldn’t help but feel a pang of resentment for his friend. He knew Klof’s departure was a smart move, potentially even their best shot at survival, but he still could not quell the stirring anger that Klof’s abandonment evoked. When they locked eyes, there was no doubt that Klof sensed this anger, his mouth firming to a slight frown.

“Albright, I am going to make sure you never see the light of day for this! He was in here because of you, no doubt, you despicable dock rat, I should have had your uncle locked up years ago...” started Snellium Sr. striding directly towards Wellynd, his hands outstretched in anger.

Wellynd, numb from weariness and wonder, gestured placatingly with one hand “He’s just asleep, Mr. Snellium. If it wasn’t for him we would all be dead. Neera too. They’re both fine.”

Snellium stopped for a moment, redirecting himself toward Bertrand’s body, and bending down to check his son’s pulse. “Oh. Well. Right. Good then. No doubt their training has served them well.” he muttered before turning back to Wellynd.

“Why were you down here? What were you doing? Yessel, give me a smellstone.” his voice, although slightly tempered, still dripped with disgust in his address to Wellynd.

One of the miners started fiddling with a pouch hanging from his belt.

“We were just exploring one last time before Neera and Bert left. We got here and the cave started to collapse. We didn’t do anything.” Wellynd lied, eying Klof to see if the boy had told him anything. Klof made an almost indiscernible nod.

The miner handed Snellium a stone that resembled a large chunk of salt. The man held it underneath Bertrand’s nose, who, after a moment, shot up and screamed. It took him a moment to recognize his surroundings before his gaze centred on his father. He paled.

“Oh no”

“‘Oh no!’ is right you fool! What were you thinking! Two days before you head to the Observatory? Did I raise such a vapid dolt? Tell me, were you coerced by this smuggler’s runt? Did he pressure you somehow? I’ll have him whipped, strung up, run out of town with…” the man raged, pointing at Wellynd as he yelled into the face of his half-conscious son.

Bertrand eyed Wellynd before looking back up to his father. “No Dad, it was my call. I wanted to come here.”

Snellium smacked his son on the back of the head “You’re an idiot. You’re lucky those stones never fell down. Klof had me convinced this chamber was on the verge of collapse. Why do you surround yourself with such hyperbolic fools!”

“But they did fall…” croaked a soft voice. During the commotion the miner, Yessell, had used another piece of the stone to wake up Neera.

“I’m pretty sure you’d be dead if they fell, girl!” snapped Snellium.

“What did you do, Neera?” said Klof.

Wellynd flinched at the assumption, but remained quiet.

Everyone looked at the boy who was staring up at the floating boulders with a blank stare.

“What are you talkin…” began Snellium Sr. who whipped around to stare at the cave. The man went silent for a moment.

“How did…” he whispered.

No one spoke for several moments.

“I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I imagine we should probably get out of here. Just in case it…stops…happening?” Wellynd finally said.

“Yes. Right. Well, we have to go back through the tunnel, this hole leads to the opposite side of the mountain. It would take hours to get back. Can you two walk? Yes. Good. No reason you shouldn’t be able to. Yessel” he turned to the miner “when we get out of here go into town and find a crew that’s willing to work. I’ll pay them double for the day. We need to seal this tunnel off. It’s dangerous.” he started to walk across the cavern before stopping and turning back to the group of friends.

“It’s best we don’t speak of what’s happened here. We don’t want the Vertans poking around. There’s enough trouble about as it is. Keep this…anomaly…to yourselves.” he trailed off, once more staring at the rocks above him before shaking his head and disappearing into the darkness.

The rest of the group followed after Bertrand’s father. Wellynd glanced out the small hole and noticed a goat feeding on a tuft of grass sticking out of the rocky hillside. As if sensing his gaze, the goat looked up and locked eyes with him, before skipping off outside the view of the hole.

Wellynd turned and followed the rest of his friends back into the tunnel.

End of Act I