Abaddon's Gift

Chapter Thirty-Two

It took weeks of long nights and even longer days to reach the point where Maeno could grasp magic with purpose. Once they had that, they found he could wind it up quicker than Bo could sketch a spell. The problem was, in the end, just as Naena had said.

They would make a ball of magic, but it would evaporate and disappear, or they'd simply not be able to find it again, they could never tell. Neither of them could see inert magic with their eyes. While Bo could feel magic, when it was disconnected from him, it was as if it evaporated.

"Ugh, I swear the answer is here," Maeno grumbled as he stared at a book, chin sitting on the work desk as Bo flipped the page.

"In wood? Last week the answer was in stone," Bo growled. "Magic is bound as magic is bound, wood has the same problem as stone. If you weave magic into stone or into wood, it alters the properties of the substance. There's no way to build a reel stably. You're just thinking too much of wool."

"We're so close," Maeno responded, reaching out to set his hand on Bo's. "Can't you feel it?"

Bo stared at Maeno's hand.

He raised his eyes to Maeno's and drew in a little breath, biting back the words that had threatened to spill out of his mouth too many times to count over the previous weeks. The little breath was followed by another, sucked in sharply as he tried to relax his hand, to give no resistance.

"I can feel it, but I also feel tired," Bo said.

"We've been pulling in long nights for weeks now," Maeno groaned. "What we should do is call an early morning."

"Early morning?" Bo countered, not sure he heard Maeno correctly.

"Night," Maeno said. "That is... if it's still night."

"Naena is pulling later nights than us," Bo said. "I don't know when she sleeps, but the light is always on."

"She doesn't take much sleep when she gets her teeth into something new."

Bo made a little sound.

Maeno's hand tightened on his, drawing his attention back to his friend.

"Look—like, I mean, my roommate likes to spend his time with Nillon."

"Oh, are they school partners?" Bo asked.

"Seems like, but I don't know, all I know is they spend a lot of time together," Maeno said. "Just, that means that I'm alone."

"Oh?"

Was all he managed to get out.

"I mean, your roommate is up all hours, and you need sleep."

"I do," Bo muttered with a groan. "I need sleep."

"So, I just thought maybe you could sleep in my dorm tonight."

"Right."

"I mean, his bed is free. Right? Might as well use it."

"Yeah, sure, his bed. Because where else would I sleep?"

"The desk?" Maeno asked. "I mean, it's kind of uncomfortable, sleeping on the desk."

"Well, I mean, there is the floor."

"There is, but I heard if you sleep on the floor, Piffy will eat your soul."

"Oh, wouldn't want that."

"Really wouldn't want your soul getting eaten," Maeno said with a smile. "I like it just where it is."

"Well, what if your roommate shows up in the middle of the night?"