A Shadow in the Mist

“Glyphs are the hardest style of Wards to create. They are not woven into any matter but created in the air having an immediate cost and effect. They are used by experienced Weavers for defense and combat making up for their lack of many defensive and offensive skills.”

- Kiedra Mithradati’s introductory to Wards and Enchanting, 532 AB

Aranea- Friday, September 6th, 564 AB

I slipped out of bed as Cain was still sleeping. I put on one of my three dresses along with bright scarlet overskirt and black vest over my white blouse. I took some time to prepare some tea and mended Cain’s shirt. There were dozens of rips and holes across it, and I had to repair bits of the enchantments I’d put on it to help with temperature although his armor had kept most of the shirt from being damaged.

Cain got up and I poured us each a glass of tea, putting a bit of honey in each.

“What is your schedule for the day?” I asked him.

“I’ve got standard training, then my extra hour of dueling practice,” he said taking his tea and blowing on it before drinking. “After that I have training with Rineer and Enoch.”

“I was talking with some of my classmates they don’t understand why you’re bothering with doing this training. I wasn’t able to explain it well myself. Why are you putting yourself through this?” I asked.

Cain set down his cup and looked up at the ceiling. “What is the difference between a fell man and a Warden when it comes to combat?”

“You have skills they don’t,” I said.

“That’s why I’m focusing on them,” Cain said. “I’m not trying to be a great duelist or knight I’m trying to be a great Warden to do that I need to focus on what a Warden is.”

I felt like his answer made sense, but I also didn’t understand it at all. That was probably because I didn’t have Relic and that connection to fully grasp his meaning. My connection was with Cain and only loosely his Relic through him. I brought out some rolls and cut them open spreading a blackberry jam over them. Cain and I ate them along with some salted ham I’d saved. We could go down to the mess hall and eat there but I liked these quiet moments by ourselves.

We finished eating and Cain walked with me down the hall and stairs my fingers interlocked with his. He pulled me into a quick kiss before we parted, and I had a smile on my face as I walked into class and sat down. Madam Layrora began a lecture again and I listened, but it was mostly just a recap of what we had gone over the other day. We would at the very least be working on another ward design today this time to keep wind djinn from being able to spawn.

I listened to the lecture, but my attention kept wandering as my thoughts drifted to the more advanced wards I’d learned. Madam Layrora finished her lecture and drew the ward for banning wind djinn on the blackboard.

“There are six tiers of djinn, but the same ward will block all djinn of that element out,” Madam Layrora said. “Later we will go over defensive wards that prevent djinn from flying or digging under our settlements walls and the same applies to them. The issue there will be the amount of ether in your wards, the more the djinn throw themselves against them the weaker the wards will grow and unless they are recharged the djinn will break through.”

“How hard is it for them to break through?” Clara asked taking notes in her own journal.

“It depends on how many and what tier the djinn are,” Madam Layrora said. “If it’s just a few dozen wandering in from the Mist then the wards can hold for days but a few hundred or a dozen high tier djinn? You will have a few hours at best.”

“How often do those occur?” Jasmine asked a bit of nervousness in her voice.

“Typically, that only happens during an ether storm,” Madam Layrora said her hand moving quick and smooth over the blackboard as she talked.

I’d already drawn the ward not needing to see Madam Layrora make it. I’d found a book in the library that went over the entire first year syllabus and had detailed drawings and notes on what we would be studying.

“An ether storm is when settlements fall,” she went on. “And is also when we are most crucial and probably the only times you will ever see combat. You will be on the walls throwing down skills to push back the waves of djinn. There won’t be time to absorb and purify the corruption so if anyone falls to corruption this is when it usually happens.”

Madam Layrora turned to the class her face very serious. “We will begin copying in a moment, but I want you all to listen to me very carefully, if you see anyone’s name above their head turn red during an ether storm you kill them immediately. It doesn’t matter who they are, they could be your best friend of your own husband, you put them down. They might as well be a skin walker because they moment they turn into a Warlock they are no longer who they just were; even if they themselves don’t realize it yet.”

Her words made me feel physically ill imagining having to kill Cain. I wasn’t sure if I could do it and sent a silent prayer to the Voice that I would never be put in that position. I needed to think about something else and opened my journal looking over the ward I was working on creating. It was a combination of a trap ward to be put on the door of a gate and a defensive ward to be incorporated into armor. My goal was to merge the two to create a ward that would deal damage to its attacker whenever the wearer received damage.

Madam Layrora came around to check our work. I closed my book, and she examined the ward I’d drawn.

“That is also a ward for keeping wind djinn out, but it isn’t the one I drew on the board,” Madam Layrora said to me.

I blushed as I looked at the blackboard and my slate and saw the differences.

“This one would work as well but it’s meant for being placed over fields instead of a settlement,” she explained to me. “Please pay attention although I do appreciate your work ethic.”

Having suitably admonished me she moved on and I wiped the slate clean and drew the ward as shown on the blackboard. We kept copy them as corrections were made and I continued to work on the Ward consulting my notes I’d made on ether theory and design. The only way to see if it worked would be to test it. The hours of practice ticked by and the bells atop the castle rang as I stood up packing my things.

“Aranea, would you stay behind for a little bit,” Madam Layrora said.

I winced internally ready to be scolded for not paying attention at the start of class. I waited as the rest of my classmates filed out, I walked up to the front of class holding the basket with my books and weaver tools under one arm.

“You wanted to speak with me Madam?” I asked.

“Yes,” Madam Layrora said. “I need this book delivered to Lady Constence, she’s one of the third-year instructors. You can take it to her after lunch.”

“Yes Madam,” I said taking the thin leather-bound volume from her. I wasn’t sure if this was just a favor or some sort of disciplinary chore.

I went to the mess hall and grabbed a tray with roasted chicken and white fluffy rolls. Sitting down I ate with my friends we didn’t talk about anything serious all of mentally drained from today’s practice either from the difficulty or the constant repetition. I stood up to leave, I wanted to go straight back to the library, but I needed to deliver the book first. I asked a servant for directions and made my way through the castle halls to the third-year class hall. Lady Constence wasn’t in one of the lecture halls but instead one of the labs. I walked in and looked up at a device made of fine sanded wood with copper and brass wiring, pipes, and fixtures.

The machine hummed and I could see ether cores fitted into various settings across the device. I walked around the device nervously looking around for Lady Constence.

“Lady Constence?” I called out. “I was sent by Madam Layrora to…”

“Oh, your finally here!” a woman said and walked around the corner. “Come, come I’ve been waiting long enough.”

I walked forward unsure of what was going on but not willing to nay say the woman.

“Tell me what do you know about electricity?” Lady Constence asked.

“It’s what lightning is made of,” I responded not knowing where this was going.

“Yes, yes that’s common knowledge but do you know what it was used for?” she asked her voice both simultaneously dismissive and excited.

“Destroying enemies?” I asked, basing my answer based on the only thing I knew lightning was used for.

“No, that is the fascinating thing,” Lady Constence said. “Before the sky fell and the world broke our ancestors somehow used electricity in place of ether. The men of iron in the legends were apparently powered by it and every man and woman had access to it not just people like us with cores.”

The information sounded like fantasy to me, but I kept that to myself waiting for her to ask for the book and dismiss me.

“Had me that wrench,” she said bending down and holding out her hand.

I looked around not sure what a wrench was, but saw a metal tool on the nearby table and handed it to her.

“Now since your my new assistant I’ll need you to read over the notes, have you checked them yet?” she asked.

“I’m just….” I said but she interrupted me again.

“Of course not, accuse me,” Lady Constence said. “I forgot Madam Layrora only gave them to you an hour ago, well sit down and start I can’t have you helping me unless you know what your doing.”

I’d been tricked, or possibly both of us had been tricked. Madam Layrora had set me up here and I couldn’t think of a graceful way to explain the situation away. This woman was a teacher for the third-year students, and I couldn’t risk angering her or I could regret it in two years’ time. Sighing, I sat down at a nearby desk and opened the book.

Cain

The tip of the spear stuck into my ribs not deep enough to be lethal but still hard. Since Noah and Sergeant Acheron had found out about my healing ability, they’d given all my sparing partners permission to go a lot harder than would normally be permitted in duels.

“Get up Le’meer,” Sergeant Acheron said. “If this pain doesn’t motivate you, I’ll have everyone start going even harder on you. You need to catch up to everyone else we can’t be holding back on your account.”

I gritted my teeth and stood up. With Rineer he used pain to motivate me by exploiting my instincts for fight or flight. With Acheron he used pain because he though I was weak. With my failure to even push any of my opponents out of the ring I was starting to agree with that.

“Yes sir,” I said.

“You need to learn when to be aggressive and when to be defensive,” Noah said. “Your too timid and you attack after openings have already closed.”

I didn’t have to yes sir him. My other classmates all did but I’d grown sick of his useless advice and nitpicks. I’d tried following his advice with zero improvement and often doing worse. I only had ten more minutes left of this to endure and put a hand to my bleeding chest. I’d stopped wearing my good armor to dueling to keep its durability from being wasted in useless fights like these.

I stood in the ring as another of the original failed duelist was sent for their turn against me. They had all gotten to the point where they were winning at least one of every three duels, but I had still yet to win a single one and I was beginning to feel the growing disdain towards me.

My opponent was another Mist Warden named Jared. We circled each other and clashed. He carried a large round shield, and I couldn’t get my dagger around it. I tried circling around me, but he always moved and pressured me and soon with a massive leap forward he hit me with his shield. He’d put a decent amount of his attribute points into Might, and I went flying out of the circle.

I got up and another fighter was sent in. It took three more fights before the training was done and I could leave. I pushed down the anger inside not letting it show on my face although the nails of my right hand did dig into the palm of my hand. I went to the stable and mounted my horse and rode out of the academy grounds and then out of town to Rineer’s homestead. I dismounted and tied my horse at the feeding trough removing its saddle and setting it on the fence.

I went over to the training grounds and my dark mood from my dueling practice hadn’t quite faded. I tried to put the angry thoughts away so they couldn’t distract me, but it was hard. We started running the obstacle course, but I kept getting hit and knocked off.

“I know you haven’t run this in awhile but you’re not evening making it halfway,” Rineer said. “What is distracting you?”

“Sorry si…” I said then stopped before I could finish the honorific. “I’m just frustrated from my training before.”

“I heard you’ve been having to do extra dueling practice,” Rineer said. “Enoch wouldn’t tell me anything more than that, what is the issue?”

“The issue is I’m not good at dueling,” I said. “I have a dagger and every weapon I’m going against has more reach than me and I can’t even get around their shields.”

“Your training should be helping you overcome those limitations,” Rineer said frowning. “A good Warden never blames their Relic what is the real issue? How are they training you?”

“They aren’t,” I said darkly. “For the entire hour they just send the others against me again and again. I’m not blaming my Relic, it’s the system of dueling that’s the problem. If I could use my skills, I know I’d do better but when it comes to just weapon on weapon I always loose.”

“I see,” Rineer said thoughtfully. “I can’t pull you out of that training, but I can see about at least finding you a dagger specialist to train you. I have just the Warden in mind he’s retired now but he owes me a favor.”

“I appreciate it,” I said not sure if really did or not.

“Now start running you still need to complete the course at least once,” Rineer said.

I took off the whistling of the metal balls easier to focus on. I tried activating Fog Form without saying the command phrase out loud the connection was there, but it wasn’t strong enough yet. I felt so close but there was still a wall in front of me. I made it almost to the end of the course when an iron ball struck my knee. I jumped forward and managed to land on my other leg as left leg went numb. Rolling forwards, I sprang onto my hands and pushed off launching myself the final few yards to the end of the course.

Hero barked as he watched us run but he was undergoing his own training and them was a pile of djinn bodies several yards away. Every time he approached them Enoch would shout, and he’d put his tail between his legs and walk back to watching us. Hero had a wariness around Rineer somehow able to sense the vast differences between their levels of strength.

I kept running the course, but I wasn’t able to complete it again. That was fine, the goal of this wasn’t even to complete the course but to connect with my Relic. We finished the course training, and I healed myself and Enoch. I wasn’t excited about the sparring we’d have to do with Rineer but at least it wasn’t dueling practice.

“We’re going to be doing something different today,” Rineer said. “You can already call your Relics to you so there’s no point in me continuing those lessons; you should keep practice on your own of course. We’re going to be working on something else.”

Rineer turned and threw his spear. The spear blurred and became invisible then struck a tree a hundred yards away splitting it up its trunk. Rineer held out his hand his spear flew back and snapped into his hand. He smiled as he looked over the dark wooden shaft and the long hewing spearhead, his hand running along it with tender almost loving touch.

“Can either of you tell me what I just did?” Rineer asked.

“You activated your abilities wordlessly,” I said. “But you also did so without touching your Relic.”

“Exactly,” Rineer said. “Part of the block stopping you from using your abilities nonverbally is you feel the need to be in contact with your Relic.”

He walked past me and Enoch tapping us each on the forehead with his knuckles. “You need to except in here that you and Relic are the same, distance and separation make you no less bound together.”

“How do we learn to do it?” Enoch asked excitedly.

“Start throwing your relic at the targets at the end of the range,” Rineer said. “Enoch, I want you to use Wind Phalanx. Cain, you work on using Lunar Smite. You can speak out loud for this we need to focus on breaking one wall at a time so I’m not going to make you do this silently.”

Rineer turned around to leave. “I’m going to go see an old friend now, you don’t need me to be here for this. Keep at it for three hours and practice this for at least an hour each day.”

Enoch and I headed over to the range. Enoch kept an eye on Hero snapping his fingers and snapping out “No!” every time the dog went for the djinn remains.

“He’s getting a lot bigger,” I said.

Hero had grown at least five inches from when we’d first picked him up. He also seemed to be growing exponentially faster instead of slower, when his body caught up with the size of his paws, he’d be the size of a small horse.

“Lunar Smite,” I said closing throwing my relic and trying to focus on the connection I had with it to activate it.

As soon as I let go the Relic armor on my right hand and wrist disappeared too. I didn’t have the connection with it yet to keep it active but that would come as soon as I learned to use my abilities without touching my Relic. I held out my hand and my dagger snapped back into my hand.

“Wind Phalanx!” Enoch shouted.

He hurled his spear striking the straw and wooden target a dozen yards from us. His weapon was much more suited to throwing than my lopsided broken sword.

“No!” Enoch snapped at Hero as he tried to scoot forwards on his belly and sneak a bite out of the pile of djinn.

Hero whined but backed up.

Enoch and I kept throwing our Relics and calling them back to us. We weren’t able to get any our abilities to activate at range or even our Relic armor to stay in place when we let go of our weapons the etheric metal disappearing from our hands and wrists. Nevertheless, I felt like I’m made a lot more progress today than I had before. Unlike dueling I could feel the connection to my Relic and feel the bond grow and strengthen. There wasn’t the uncertainty I felt at first as I was unsure what my connection to my Relic even felt like.

While I still thought of Achlys as an object separate from myself that distinction was slowly eroding more and more as the link between us grew. I sheathed my dagger on my arm.

“See you tomorrow,” I said to Enoch clasping his wrist.

“May the Voice be with you,” Enoch said.

I swung into the saddle and rode back through town returning to the academy.

Aranea

I set down the notes hours had passed but I’d been so engrossed in what I was reading. I looked up seeing the setting sun through the paned glass. I stood up abruptly not realizing just how much time I had spent there.

“Did you finish reading?” Lady Constence asked.

“Yes ma’am,” I said.

“And what did you think of it?” she asked. “Be honest.”

“I think it’s an amazing idea, turning natural electricity into ether,” I said. “There are so many things we could power indefinitely if we didn’t have to constantly stop and charge all our creations ourselves and wait for ether to recharge.”

“What flaws did you see?” she asked.

I paused biting my lip unsure how to word my criticism, finally I just went for it. “You’re machine lacks a way create electricity on its own, you theorize on using lightning from storms but that it unreliable for consistent use.”

“Yes, although that is more of a long-term problem,” Lady Constence said. “Right now, we have to prove the concept before we can worry about putting it application. I’m close to a breakthrough already, I can feel it. Since you’re my new assistant you will need to be here every other day for three hours of work. I also expect you do drop by every day to pick up and look at my notes, so you stay up to date.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said.

I wasn’t bothered about being tricked into this assignment anymore and was beginning to think this wasn’t a punishment from Madam Layrora. I curtsied to Lady Constence before leaving. I hurried back to the apartment and used my key to unlock the door and slip inside. Cain was seated in the living room tossing his Relic at the target on the other side of the room.

“Lunar Smite,” I heard him mutter.

The dagger sank into the target than yanked back into his hand and he tossed it again muttering the same words.

I closed the door and Cain turned as he heard it click shut.

“You’re back late; is everything all right?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said hanging my shall on a peg beside the door. “I’ve been assigned to help one of the senior Weaver’s in the academy with a project, its actually fascinating she’s working on a way to generate ether with machinery instead of having to manually recharge it.”

“That’s possible?” Cain asked.

“I’m not sure but I saw her notes and diagrams and I think it might be,” I said. “It could revolutionize the world if it works. Imagine it people could recharge wards on their own, carts could move on their own powered by ether.”

Cain frowned.

“What?” I asked suddenly self-conscious.

“Nothing,” he said. “I was just thinking that those aren’t the first things it would be used for.”

“What else would it be used for?” I asked.

“Weapons, siege equipment, ranged artillery,” he said.

“Oh,” I said suddenly thinking of all the much more dangerous and violent applications this kind of technology would allow.

“It doesn’t matter,” Cain said. “That’s out of our hands the Church and crown will figure out those issues.”

We ate together and went to bed. I snuggled back into Cain as his arms wrapped around me the air outside our blankets cold the wind whispering past our window. His breathing steadied and I closed my eyes then drifted off with him.