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She knew… she knew… she knew…
You just have to be right. It’s exhausting.
Devlin’s words struck her again. Harder this time. She might have shrugged off a breakup for any other reason, but his words cut deeper than expected. They breathed life into other suspicions. If Devlin found her intelligence exhausting, maybe others did too. She pictured that empty hallway outside Agora’s room. Maybe whispers about her had reached the Shiverians. Maybe everyone thought of her as a know-it-all without any real substance. Maybe she’d never get recruited.
Ren angrily shrugged off the strap of her satchel. She crossed the room and opened the front panel of the taller tower. Inside was a lone candle. She lit the wick and stared intently at the flame. The point of this particular candle was meditation. An effort to quiet all other thoughts except for the steps of the spell she intended to master. When she’d visualized the entirety of the magic, she shut the compartment. Turning, she set her mother’s bracelet on top of the second tower. If she succeeded, the new spell would write itself into the memory of her vessel and become a permanent part of Ren’s already-impressive arsenal.
You just have to be right. It’s exhausting.
“Shut up. Just shut up.”
Ren took a deep breath.
The Tusk people believed that magic was a question. The wizard asked and the magic gave an answer. Most Delveans thought of it as a matter of willpower. A strong mind could shape the invisible world into whatever form it desired. Ren thought that magic felt more like the first steps of a dance. Almost like she was holding out her hand, waiting for an invisible partner to accept that first inviting touch.
“Energy distribution spell,” she announced to the empty room. “Attempt thirteen.”
The surrounding magic took form. Ren set her feet, thinking back through the complicated steps of her altered spell. In the vague and distant light she saw a projectile shape itself in the air. The spearlike object rotated until it was aimed directly at her chest, then it cut through the dark with speed. Ren’s right hand shot up instinctually.
The first layer is a catch-point for the tip of the projectile.
Her palm flexed, fingers splaying.
The second layer dispenses energy. Instead of one direct path, give it hundreds.
She twisted her wrist in a quick rotation.
Third layer forces that momentum to circle, and then the fourth—
But Ren’s motions were a step too slow. The projectile hit her summoned wall of magic. Its force dispersed outward, harnessed by the circle she’d built, but she’d failed to summon the fourth and final layer of the spell. The one that redirected the weapon harmlessly into the ground behind her.
“Well, I guess I’m dead,” a voice said in the dark.
Ren couldn’t help smiling. Timmons Devine was striding forward. Her best friend and only trustworthy ally at Balmerick. The fake spear was lodged just below her right shoulder. She brushed at the magic with an idle hand, and the light dissolved back into the rest of the swirls in the room. Timmons approached with a look of pity on her face. Ren scowled.
“Seriously? You’ve already heard?”
Timmons smiled. “You called him a sanctimonious prick in the middle of the quad.”
She made a face and they both started laughing. Timmons came forward to wrap Ren in a hug. Her best friend was nearly a head taller and always smelled like a walk through a garden. Her silver-white hair looked fine enough to string a harp with. Ren felt the knotted anger in her chest unravel, if only for a moment. Timmons pulled away to get a good look at her.
“Paladins. All that light just makes it easier to see the rot underneath. You can do better.”
Ren nodded. “I know. I’ve already decided to marry this archive room. A far better suitor.”
“And likely a more engaging conversationalist than Devlin.”
Ren laughed again. Her friend was watching her closely.
“It’s not just Devlin,” she said. “I had an interview today.”
Timmons raised an eyebrow. “With which house?”
“Shiverian.”
“Gods, Ren. Why didn’t you tell me? We talked about this last week. All you needed was a chance to show them who you are. This is what we’ve been waiting for. How did it go?”
“It didn’t go. I was snubbed. No one showed.”
