Gamic Throes

Chapter Three

Literacy skills were not his, nor was he remotely related to any warlord of that era. However, as time progressed, and his father taught him how to fight and farm, it became apparent that Lacvin had an aptitude for learning, and it was during a raid in Lacvin's sixtieth year that the rest of his family was struck down.

- - Lord Arkcken, 'On the Forging of the Empire', 5th Edition.

Master Juliet grinned at the shore, and Thorn frowned, “That tower... There's a lot of energy there...”

“Gamic.” Master Juliet corrected, and she smiled softly, “Don't go towards it if you can... There is an Erdad Muhman there from what I can see... And the sparks of anger in his gamic threads are still hot.”

Thorn frowned, “You can see his weave?”

Juliet laughed softly, “As you will be able to one day. It's normal, ichld. You were a student, then you became an ichld when you showed you had mind, and then you will become a Muhman... To become a Muhman you simply have to wait till you can see gamic. It reignites the world... It makes weaving so much easier, and safer. Instead of fumbling blindly... You can create a work of art. It is a short step from there to a mastership... But that is a tale for another day I think. Right now comes your first lesson in eci.”

Thorn frowned and Juliet grinned, “Eci is an elemental part of gamic. It is both capable of flowing and solid creations. It can adapt, or shatter when stressed. That's the point. If you use eci to create anything solid, it will be strong... But press it, and it cracks, splinters and shatters. Make something more adaptable and it will be able to take more punishment, but it will compromise, and whatever is up against it will be able to work around it. Choice is what you have. So, for this little demonstration, I think solid is in order.”

Juliet stepped right onto the edge, the water a foot below her and she closed her eyes and tugged on a strand of gamic, and Thorn felt the movement, and she spoke quietly, “Focus the gamic. Ball it up tight. Make it solid.”

She smiled softly and lowered her strand into the water, and Thorn blinked as he saw the water hiss and spit and heard an almighty crack and saw a small piece of ice floating away, and Juliet turned, “The world responds in kind. My thread was too solid. The balance is as important as the difference. Now, ichld Thorn, where we want to go is on the Northern Isle, and almost on the other side of the world... So how do we get there easily?”

Thorn frowned, “Even if we could freeze all the water... It would harm the world, and the economy... And Muhmen would become persecuted. So... Freeze a platform to stand on?” Juliet smiled softly, “How would we move the ice platform?”

Thorn frowned, “A liquid thread. Push and pull the water.”

Juliet nodded, “I will do that. For you however that is a little advanced. You've already seen how violently eci will respond if done wrongly. I was a hair out of the right density, on purpose, to show you. If you try and push and pull with too soft a thread...” She shook her head, “That would be a fate as bad as death. It's how one of my previous students ended up in Radk Ticy before I could intervene... I gathered the Masters and we attempted to save him... We failed.”

The threat of what Thorn was learning was plain to him. He grinned, “Just a moment.” He concentrated, seizing a gamic thread, and he fed it into the ground, curling around stone, and using his new understanding of soft and hard he carved out a paddle and then drew it up onto the surface, and the completely smooth stone paddle landed softly on the ground, and Thorn smiled with pride as he released the gamic thread.

Juliet laughed softly, “That's a better rofge than some of Erfd's tenth year students are capable of.” Thorn looked up, “It was your teaching that enabled me to do it.”