Of Heroes and Happenings

The Perfect One, Chapter 10

Gwn'itt was resting between enchantments one day, when Windy popped her head into the enchanting room. "Oh, don't get up," she said quickly, when Gwn'itt endeavored to lift a head made heavy by exhaustion. "I just came to ask a favor, for later."

"Yes, of course." Gwn'itt's answer to the unasked favor was prompt. No matter what she was about to ask for, Gwn'itt knew that it would get done. Windy was more than Gwn'itt's friend; she was the only person, as far as Gwn'itt knew, who could- or wanted to- see beyond Gwn'itt's Seeming, and she wasn't at all put off by the regular flicker between Gwn'itt's forms. That was a shift that had always put even Gwn'itt's own family at least a little off.

Her grin was worth the effort of open eyes. "I've taught Askil every spell that my fingers will allow me to cast. If I make him learn the vocalizations after he copies a spell into his own spellbook, will you finish it with him? He isn't quite ready to enchant anything just yet, but he is close."

"Just let me know what to prepare for the day," Gwn'itt promised. "As soon as he's ready for minor enchantments, he may work under Gareth and me. That way, you can find a beginning apprentice to help you. Askil is rather a novice at this point, rather than an initiate. He's lucky to have a tutor as capable as you."

She stepped into the enchanting room in order to give Gwn'itt a quick squeeze and a peck on the brow. "You dear . . . friend! I bless the day you wandered in here."

Deliberately returning the hug, Gwn'itt realized that she'd been afraid of being overheard, since Windy wasn't afraid to use whatever gender Gwn'itt was displaying at the time, in private. "As do I," Gwn'itt agreed with a fond smile. "You and yours are closer to me than my own family in many ways. That is a very precious thing, indeed. Anyway, teaching Askil is hardly a chore; he is a good student."

Windy turned to leave, and Gwn'itt bit a lip thoughtfully. Was it worth the risk to ask? "Windy," Gwn'itt said impulsively, making her turn back toward the cot. "There is rather a backlog of custom orders, and I've a project or two of my own that I wish to work on, so it shall be rather a late night. Will you show me how to lock up? That way, you won't be late for dinner, and, judging on how late Gareth is lingering at lunch, I've a good idea that you'll be having company for dinner. It will also keep me from having to cast Dimension Door, in order to go to bed." Gwn'itt grinned up at her guilty expression without moving.

Windy's smile was almost tender. "Rest first, and then I shall be more than happy to show you. But to be fair, that cot is there overnight as well, you know." She gave Gwn'itt's shoulder a light squeeze before she left.

Exhausted by the effort Gwn'itt had been expending, Gwn'itt smiled and closed heavy eyes, resting until the arcane weave within flowed stronger again. Finally, when Gwn'itt felt ready to continue, Windy was waiting by the door. Gwn'itt joined her.

"I heard you stir, so I sent Askil to the market," she explained. Still tired, Gwn'itt nodded, knowing that the magic was steadily ebbing across the weave and that it would be sufficiently saturated soon enough. "I've opened the panel here on the wall in order to show you the lock, but after you can visualize it, your Mage Hand will be able to manipulate it without opening the panel." She showed Gwn'itt the mechanism that was built into the wall, that would slide three bolts into the door itself when triggered.

"To unlock it from the outside requires Mage Hand or Knock. It cannot be undone any other way, for there is no keyhole," Windy continued, still in muted tones. "Only a mage who has seen the mechanism, as you have, may unlock it in order to enter." She replaced the panel and Gwn'itt realized that it was designed to blend in with the wall, a secret compartment.

"My mother- who remains on the Elemental Plane of Air,- Gareth, Rowan, my brother Samir and I are the only others who have seen it and yet live." There was a flash of sorrow in her expression that told Gwn'itt that someone she'd loved and trusted with the secret had been lost to her.