The Currents of Magic

Chapter Thirty-Three

Meyer stumbled from the Alchemy Building into the late afternoon light. He had used a nurasarrae charm to properly heal his left arm, but still there were faint lines running across his skin where Trant had cut him. He turned onto a small dirt path behind the Alchemy Building to avoid encountering other tempests, but when he reached the greenway, his legs gave up moving.

He sat down in the soft grass, closing his eyes. His entire body was numb, and his mind was too dazed to reflect on Trant's torturous lesson. He thought vaguely of angel dust before his consciousness drifted, the afternoon turning to evening, which faded into dusk.

Finally Meyer stood up. He felt mostly recovered, and breathing in the cool night air, he started back to the dormitories. He was still tired, but his mind was more alert, and as he started up Craftsman Row, his thoughts turned to Trant's lesson. The Planar was radical, and possibly insane, but he was unwaveringly serious in his approach to magic. He alone seemed to understand the meaning of danger... 'Trust no one,' the Planar had said. 'The enemy is always listening...' Trant seemed to treat learning Free Magic and learning self defense as one and the same...

But as Meyer ran his hand over the lines on his forearm, he wondered how many more lessons he could handle. He decided not to contemplate the answer. For the moment he need only wash his bloody hands and go to sleep. As he entered into the dormitory courtyard, he didn't notice the lone figure sitting in the shadows of a glowstone lamp.

Yet then the body rose, and Meyer saw Jaeda walking towards him. His stomach knotted up, and he directed his gaze towards the edge of the courtyard. Even with his eyes averted, he could tell Jaeda was approaching him. He looked up, slowing his stride.

"You're still here," said Jaeda. She had stopped in front of him, her posture firm and unmovable, as if her slim figure was rooted into the ground.

"Yes," said Meyer stiffly.

Jaeda shrugged.

Meyer hoped she would move, but she stood patiently, the silence crawling under his skin as he glanced around the empty square. He turned his eyes back to Jaeda. "I'm not leaving," he mumbled, and before he could think of a more dignified explanation: "And it's not what you think."

Jaeda placed her hand on his arm. "It's fine," she said. "We don't have to talk about it."

Meyer stared down at her, his heart beating faster.

She moved her hand gently down his arm. "We can forget about it," she whispered, but suddenly her hand stopped moving. She grabbed his wrist, lifting his hand from the shadows.

Even in the dim light, the red streaks of blood were clearly visible.

Jaeda turned her gaze back to Meyer.

"Trant," he said.

Jaeda lifted his other hand, dragging him into the aura of the nearest glowstone lamp. She touched the dried blood and whispered.

"Erasefenta."

A cold sensation flowed over Meyer's arms, a combination of cool air blowing over bare skin and freezing water sending chill through the body, and then his skin was rid of blood. Jaeda inspected his skin once again, her eyes coming to rest on the faint lines across his left forearm. She squinted at the marks before looking back up at Meyer.

"What happened?" she said.

Meyer twisted his hand free of her grasp. "It's fine."

Jaeda eyed him, her gaze soft but penetrating. "Come with me," she said.

Meyer hesitated, but Jaeda took his hand, leading him away from the dormitories. Where the smooth stones of the courtyard ended, she release her grip, starting into the darkness. Meyer followed after her, his mind a jumble of confused thoughts, even as his heart pulsed stronger than necessary. They walked silently through the night, finally stopping in the middle of the Great Meadow where a large rock protruded from the ground. The boulder rose five feet into the air, sloping upward on one side and rising nearly vertical on the other.

Jaeda climbed up the curved side of the stone, swinging her legs over the ledge at the top.

Meyer followed after her, easing himself down onto the hard surface. For a time they sat in silence, Meyer listening to his heart pounding. Finally Jaeda spoke.

"You know," she said. "You're very secretive."

Meyer tried to form a response. "Oh..." he said.

Jaeda hugged her arms around her body. "Have you ever told someone something without them asking?"

"I don't know..." said Meyer. He didn't want to think about Jaeda's question... And yet... he had confided in someone recently. Adryn.

Meyer swallowed. "I..." he began, but he trailed off.

"It's alright," said Jaeda, tilting her head upwards.

There was another long silence.

"How did you discover your magical talent?"

At first Meyer didn't say anything. An insect crawled onto his hand, and he flicked it off, staring into the night until his eyes hurt from straining to see. "I was pretty upset," he began slowly. "And we were fighting with swords," he continued. "It's common where I'm from—we're always training for martial combat. The Training Master kept on provoking me, and suddenly I was so angry that I pulled from the Currents."

"That's how it usually happens," said Jaeda, lowering her gaze. "Someone or something pushes you past a breaking point..."

"Why do you ask?" said Meyer.

"Because it can happen again."

"You mean if someone can already do magic..."

"Then by pushing past the next breaking point, he or she will perform even greater magic. Maybe even become touched with Natural Magic. It's called breaking a wizard.

Meyer shivered. "And it works?"

"I don't know, but that's not the point." Jaeda lowered her voice. "Why do you think Trant was barred from teaching?"

Meyer looked down at the empty air beneath him. "Trant used to break his Tempests," he said, and even as he spoke he knew the statement was true. Trant would break someone without hesitation; he would do it willingly—on purpose...

"I can't know for sure," said Jaeda, "but after seeing your hands..."

"I'll be fine," said Meyer, and he meant it. He wasn't sure why, but Jaeda's warning about Trant suddenly seemed unimportant. He turned towards her, struck by an overwhelming urge just to be with her—not to argue, or worry, or care—or even think.

"We're overdue for a night trip to Gray Pond," he said, and without waiting for a response, he jumped down from the rock, starting for the distant trees.