what it takes?”
He felt suddenly determined to conquer the art of runes, despite what the others in the Order had said. But he could tell by the skepticism in Mistress Cavares’s eyes that he’d have to prove himself.
“I will do more than try. I swear it upon the Goddess Nacrea—”
“Words, words… You’re all the same with your words and empty promises. I want proof.” She placed a three-character rune on the table. “Level of power and spell? Prove to me this knowledge you claim to possess.”
Talis felt a trickle of sweat drip along his neck. The spell was inscribed in the words of the ancients, the most complicated language from the descendants of the destroyed City of Urgar. “Three-character rune…middling power. But written in the ancient tongue makes it similar to the two-character rune drawn in Galarian.”
Mistress Cavares nodded her head. “Go on.”
Talis frowned, not knowing the first character. “This character”—Talis pointed at the middle one—“is the sun in full power.” The ancient language had three characters for the sun: rising, full, and falling. “The last character is…melting…or burning up?”
“And the first character?” Her face held the expression of someone who’s caught a thief.
“I won’t guess.” He scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know it.”
Mistress Cavares puckered up her lips. “That’s because I’ve never taught it to you. It means contained or more accurately…focused. To focus the power of the sun and melt something. Nasty little rune.”
How is it nasty if it just sits there and does nothing? Talis thought.
“Now this rune you may have seen before.” She fingered a four-character rune.
“A weak rune but very specific in nature. It means trap the intruder with a web of shadows. What exactly does that mean?”
Crinkles formed around Mistress Cavares’s eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know…” She waved the idea away. “Show me your abilities in casting. I’ve seen you work against those Jiserian sorcerers, so I know you have some skill as a wizard. But can you contain it in focused amounts?”
“What spell should I cast?”
“Do you know how to cast a binding spell?”
Talis shook his head.
“Bind one form to another. Bind an intention or thought to an object. You do know what that means?”
“In theory. But I’ve never practiced it.”
Mistress Cavares exhaled a hissing breath. “You blustering wizards, elemental magic…boom! All noise and hard power, but little internal strength. You’re all just surface deep.”
“Teach me. I want to learn the spell.”
“I’ll show you once. If you don’t get it, I won’t teach it to you again.”
“But that’s unfair!” Talis couldn’t believe she was being so unreasonable.
“Life is unfair. The universe is a hard, cruel place. Deal with it.” She raised a hand, aiming at a stone that lay on the table. “I will bind ice to this stone. It won’t be permanent, but it will last for a long time.”
She closed her eyes. “In my mind I see chunks of ice floating down a mountain stream. Thick piles of snow lay at either side. I feel the cold. It sinks into my bones. I can taste the chill as it rolls around on my tongue. With this complete sensation, I focus letting it flow from my mind, out my hands, and into the stone. Go!”
The stone spun around in circles. When it settled, frost slithered across the surface. Talis reached out and cautiously touched it. The stone was so cold Talis snapped his hand back in surprise.
“Now do it. Since you’ve master Fire Magic, imbue the same stone with heat. Your mind, your imagination. Bind to the stone.”
Talis concentrated on similar specific images: a blazing forest fire, the smell of roasted spiders, smoke in his eyes from huts burning, heat surging in his chest. He opened his eyes and released it all into the stone. The table sizzled and spat swirls of smoke from the heat of the stone. Mistress
He felt suddenly determined to conquer the art of runes, despite what the others in the Order had said. But he could tell by the skepticism in Mistress Cavares’s eyes that he’d have to prove himself.
“I will do more than try. I swear it upon the Goddess Nacrea—”
“Words, words… You’re all the same with your words and empty promises. I want proof.” She placed a three-character rune on the table. “Level of power and spell? Prove to me this knowledge you claim to possess.”
Talis felt a trickle of sweat drip along his neck. The spell was inscribed in the words of the ancients, the most complicated language from the descendants of the destroyed City of Urgar. “Three-character rune…middling power. But written in the ancient tongue makes it similar to the two-character rune drawn in Galarian.”
Mistress Cavares nodded her head. “Go on.”
Talis frowned, not knowing the first character. “This character”—Talis pointed at the middle one—“is the sun in full power.” The ancient language had three characters for the sun: rising, full, and falling. “The last character is…melting…or burning up?”
“And the first character?” Her face held the expression of someone who’s caught a thief.
“I won’t guess.” He scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know it.”
Mistress Cavares puckered up her lips. “That’s because I’ve never taught it to you. It means contained or more accurately…focused. To focus the power of the sun and melt something. Nasty little rune.”
How is it nasty if it just sits there and does nothing? Talis thought.
“Now this rune you may have seen before.” She fingered a four-character rune.
“A weak rune but very specific in nature. It means trap the intruder with a web of shadows. What exactly does that mean?”
Crinkles formed around Mistress Cavares’s eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know…” She waved the idea away. “Show me your abilities in casting. I’ve seen you work against those Jiserian sorcerers, so I know you have some skill as a wizard. But can you contain it in focused amounts?”
“What spell should I cast?”
“Do you know how to cast a binding spell?”
Talis shook his head.
“Bind one form to another. Bind an intention or thought to an object. You do know what that means?”
“In theory. But I’ve never practiced it.”
Mistress Cavares exhaled a hissing breath. “You blustering wizards, elemental magic…boom! All noise and hard power, but little internal strength. You’re all just surface deep.”
“Teach me. I want to learn the spell.”
“I’ll show you once. If you don’t get it, I won’t teach it to you again.”
“But that’s unfair!” Talis couldn’t believe she was being so unreasonable.
“Life is unfair. The universe is a hard, cruel place. Deal with it.” She raised a hand, aiming at a stone that lay on the table. “I will bind ice to this stone. It won’t be permanent, but it will last for a long time.”
She closed her eyes. “In my mind I see chunks of ice floating down a mountain stream. Thick piles of snow lay at either side. I feel the cold. It sinks into my bones. I can taste the chill as it rolls around on my tongue. With this complete sensation, I focus letting it flow from my mind, out my hands, and into the stone. Go!”
The stone spun around in circles. When it settled, frost slithered across the surface. Talis reached out and cautiously touched it. The stone was so cold Talis snapped his hand back in surprise.
“Now do it. Since you’ve master Fire Magic, imbue the same stone with heat. Your mind, your imagination. Bind to the stone.”
Talis concentrated on similar specific images: a blazing forest fire, the smell of roasted spiders, smoke in his eyes from huts burning, heat surging in his chest. He opened his eyes and released it all into the stone. The table sizzled and spat swirls of smoke from the heat of the stone. Mistress
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