“Have you gone to the Grand Master about it?”
“Not yet. I think I need to, but I…”
“You’re nervous to do that, too.”
Tolan shrugged.
“You did change during Inquisition.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It just means that even though you might have gained power, you’re a little bit more uncertain than before. Not that I blame you. Anyone who’s gone through an Inquisition would have to change, wouldn’t they? I can’t imagine what it was like and what you went through.”
Tolan grunted. “Other than the cell, it wasn’t painful.” There had been the constant questioning, the fear for himself and his friends, and eventually, the vision he had, but pain wasn’t a part of it.
Could it be that way for others? He didn’t really know what an Inquisition was like if used upon other shapers, only what it had been like for him.
“I think you’re lucky.”
“You know, I didn’t feel so lucky when I faced that sort of thing,” he said.
“You survived. I think of everything you went through, and how bad it could have been, but you came through it. Yet again, Tolan Ethar was in the middle of an attack on the Academy.”
“You do realize I have no interest in being a part of that.”
“That, you tell us. Somehow, you always end up in the middle of them, though.”
Tolan shook his head. It was a terrible thing to be caught up in the middle of every attack that had taken place at the Academy ever since he had come here, and if he could avoid it, he certainly would. “This time wasn’t my fault.”
“You’re saying the other times were your fault?”
“Not necessarily, but I was more a part of them.”
Jonas chuckled, leaning back and staring out at the water. “I think you need to figure out what the Inquisitors were after, Tolan.”
“I don’t want to get involved in it.”
“That’s not the Tolan Ethar I know.”
“This Tolan Ethar will be able to stay at the Academy and continue to learn.”
“How much more do you think you have to learn?”
“I don’t know. Considering I don’t have the same control as even one of the master shapers, there’s still quite a bit.”
It was more than just what he had to learn. It was the opportunities the Academy offered. And there was something else, something he didn’t want to share with Jonas just yet. He needed to be prepared for whether his father would come for him again. He didn’t want to deal with the disciples while untrained. It motivated him, and because of that, and because of what had happened and the way the Inquisitors had tried to attack him, Tolan felt as if he had to work with an increased intensity.
“We all have quite a bit to learn, but eventually, the Academy will spit us out and ask us to serve. I just hope I have a chance to do something useful.”
“You don’t think you will?” Tolan asked.
“Maybe now more than I did before. When I first came here, able to shape wind and water, I think I was just hoping I’d be able to stay.”
“You were never in danger of not making it past the first test.”
“I don’t know about that, Tolan. You’d be surprised how many shapers who have what you think are reasonable skills are sent home after the first test.”
“The only shapers we had in Ephra made it through those.”
“The only shapers?”
Tolan frowned. “Maybe not the only ones. There were other shapers, but most of them didn’t even get an opportunity to train at the Academy.”
They weren’t considered master shapers. They were still shapers, and still able to instruct at the shaping school, but only those who served at the Academy and had reached a certain level within it were able to be called master shapers.
When Tolan was done, by the time he made it through another level here, he might even be able to be considered a master shaper. It was something he hadn’t given much thought to. It was difficult to comprehend he would one day be considered a master shaper.
“In Velminth, we had quite a few shapers who didn’t make it past the first test. Maybe the ones in Ephra were like that. Selected to learn at the Academy but not able to continue on through it.”
“I thought if you were Selected, you had to stay and serve here?”
“I think you do, but you also commit to serving wherever the Academy needs you.”
He hadn’t considered where the Academy would need him. When all of this was over, when he finally finished with his time at the Academy, where would they ask him to serve? He didn’t really want to go back to Ephra, and didn’t want to stay in Amitan, either. His strange and compelling desire to understand the elementals made things difficult. Perhaps he would never fit in.
Tolan released his wind shaping, letting it relax, and as it did, he looked around, but there was still no one else near them. Every so often, he thought he felt a flicker of movement, and the sense of shapings was nearby, but they were faint and muted, the kind that made it difficult to know who and what was shaping.
“Thanks for coming and talking to me,” he said to Jonas.
“You know, this would’ve been easier had you been willing to come to me.”
“I didn’t know how much you wanted me to.”
“You thought I’d be upset with you?”
“Are you?”
“Maybe a little, but partly it’s because of how quickly you’ve improved. I’ve made progress while here, but it’s not been anything like what you have done.”
“I had the most to learn. Everybody else had some ability. Unlike me.”
They sat there and Jonas used a shaping on the water, sending it spiraling one way and then the other. Tolan watched, focusing on the power that he used, and began to work on wind, testing to see whether he could twist it and use it in a similar way to how Jonas was using water. He added wind into the water, and the funnel rose higher into the air. As it did, he felt as if he belonged, if only for a moment.
The distant sense of a shaping came to him. It caught him off guard, causing him to lose control of the wind. Tolan looked up, staring into the distance.
“What is it?”
He frowned, pushing away the sense of shaping. That couldn’t have been a shaping like his, could it? There would be no reason for his father to have remained here—or one of the disciples of the Draasin Lord.
Only, he still had no idea where they’d gone or if they had even left. They had been chased from the Academy, but that didn’t mean they were gone. And if there were disciples of the Draasin Lord still in the city, the Academy wasn’t safe, regardless of whether his father was with them.
The shaping didn’t come again, and Tolan turned back to focus on how Jonas was shaping the water, trying to ignore the unsettled feeling within himself, but he couldn’t shake it. If his father was out there, and if he were going to try to come for him again, then Tolan wasn’t safe. Neither were his friends. Or the Academy.
“Tolan?”
He looked up, forcing a smile. “Hmm?”
“You look like you have something on your mind again.”
“I was just thinking.”
“That could be dangerous.”
Tolan smiled.
“You better not let Ferrah learn that you were thinking. She might like you less.”
“Ferrah likes me just fine, thank you very much.”
“I’m well aware of how much Ferrah likes you, Tolan.”
There was hurt in the words, hurt he didn’t hide all that well. It wasn’t as if he wanted to hurt his friend, but at the same time, he knew Ferrah had no interest in Jonas, whereas his interest in her was reciprocated.
The only problem was that if he were to act on it, he would potentially drag her into whatever issues he was caught up in. It was more than about just him. It was about his family and their service to the Draasin Lord and whatever that might mean.
“There you go again,” Jonas said.
Tolan turned back to the water, determined to focus on it and try to find some way of ignoring the troubled thoughts rolling through his mind. It was difficult to do, but in this moment, he would find a way.
9
It was late in the day, the sun having long since set, and Tolan had taken a reprieve from Jonas, leaving the park and making his way into the main part of the Academy. He wandered the halls, debating what he would do next. Speaking with Jonas had left him determined he needed to do something, though he remained uncertain what that something should be.
On the one hand, he did need to go to the Grand Master and find out more about the Inquisitors. As he had been involved in it, he needed to better understand what had taken place. Not only whether there was more to be worried about when it came to the Inquisitors, but he needed to better understand why the uprising had taken place. The Inquisitors should serve the Academy—and Terndahl.
The other thing he needed to do was visit the library. He’d been avoiding it, concerned about the way Master Minden would receive him, yet knew she would welcome him. She had been the most welcoming of the master shapers at the Academy.
Understanding the Inquisitors seemed to be the most important. Tolan headed toward the Grand Master’s rooms, finding the hall outside his quarters empty. He stopped, hesitating a moment before knocking. He put a hint of an earth shaping into the knock, wanting to be loud enough so the other man could hear him, but not so powerful that he would destroy the door—if he even could. Tolan didn’t even know if his earth shaping was strong enough to overcome whatever protections the Grand Master might have on his rooms. It was possible the Grand Master had layered protections over the door, and those protections might be enough that even his earth shaping wouldn’t be able to knock it down. Not that Tolan was a particularly strong earth shaper, but…
He pushed away those thoughts. He was nervous, and with his nervousness came uncertainty.
There was no answer.
It might mean the Grand Master just didn’t want to visit with him, though Tolan had never had the sense from the Grand Master that he avoided shapers. And he had been always willing to speak with him before.
More likely than not, the Grand Master simply wasn’t here. If he wasn’t, then knocking again and again, regardless of how much of an earth shaping he put into it, wouldn’t make a difference.
Tolan decided to try one more time, waiting, but when there was no answer, he turned and headed back down the hallway. He caught sight of Draln with several of the older students, but ignored the man. Since the Inquisition, Draln had been even more aggressive with his taunts, but they had been more about him serving the Draasin Lord and less about his inability to shape. In many ways, those taunts were even worse. At least when Draln went on about his shaping, it was a criticism of skill rather than of him.
Turning the corner, Tolan started toward the library, staring at the tile as he made his way, and nearly ran into a group of shapers.
“Excuse me,” he said, looking up.
When he did, his stomach sank. Velthan.
It was bad enough that he’d had to deal with Velthan in Ephra, but now he was here, Velthan used knowledge of Tolan’s past to torment him in a way that was far more personal than any others. Velthan had found Tolan’s Inquisition all too interesting, and there had been nothing Tolan had been able to do to avoid his brand of torment.
The other man grinned. “Tolan Ethar. I’m surprised you’re still here after the Inquisition.” He raised his voice, making a point of emphasizing Inquisition.
Two of the girls trailing after him snickered, and Tolan resisted the urge to snap back at him. There was no need to empower him in that way. Tolan was the senior shaper, and he no longer was quite as overmatched as he once had been when it came to Velthan. In fact, he might even be a more powerful shaper than Velthan.
“You mean the Inquisition where nothing was uncovered despite the Inquisitors’ insistence that I was guilty?” Tolan leaned toward Velthan, smiling dangerously. “Do you think you could withstand a month of Inquisition? I’m sure the Grand Master would be encouraged to know of your interest.” If nothing else, the fact it was known he was friendly with the Grand Master was beneficial for Tolan.
“I doubt they’d be interested in me, as I don’t serve the Draasin Lord.”
“Are you sure? Perhaps my taint extends to you. You know,” Tolan started, raising his voice so the others with Velthan could hear, “we are from the same city. As far as anyone else is concerned, you and I are both influenced by the Draasin Lord.”
Two of Velthan’s followers slipped off to the side, trying to distance themselves even a little. Tolan smiled to himself. It was probably more than he needed to do and were it not for the fact that Velthan had been awful to him for more than just his time in the Academy, he might not have said anything.
“I don’t serve the Draasin Lord,” Velthan spat. “Unlike you.” With that, he stormed off, leaving Tolan standing in the middle of the hall, his heart fluttering. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, knowing it didn’t matter what Velthan might say. He didn’t know what Tolan had been through, and didn’t have any idea that he feared the connection to the Draasin Lord and what it might mean. It was luck on Velthan’s part, his way of trying to torment Tolan the way he’d always tried to.
When the sounds of their footsteps had faded, he took another deep breath and headed down the hall.
The library would be quiet at this time of day. There wouldn’t be much activity, and he thought that made a good time to visit. There was no guarantee that Master Minden would be there, but he could check with one of the other master librarians, and if she wasn’t there, he thought he could get word to her.
At the door to the library, Tolan paused for a moment before heading inside. As he often did, he detected a faint sense of power, a shaping that slithered over him, and then it passed. It was meant to prevent shaping inside the library, and yet he’d detected others shaping here before. Most of the time, he suspected it came from Master Minden, but he wasn’t sure if there were others who might have an ability as well.
Still in the doorway, he looked around. Unsurprisingly, Ferrah sat at one of the front tables near the dais, a stack of books in front of her. She had her head down, her red hair draped on either side of her, and even from here, Tolan could tell she clenched her jaw the way she did when she was focused on her task. There was only one other student in the library. Wallace sat alone, leaning back, his legs resting on a chair opposite him. He looked up when Tolan entered.
Nodding to the other man, Tolan headed toward the front of the library. The two librarians on duty were both friendly to him. Master Jensen had often provided him plenty of research in the time that he had come, and Master Luna was one he didn’t know quite as well as some, but he had spent some time working with her, trying to find specific books. She was friendly with him the same way most of the master librarians were. Considering the nature of the work they did, such friendliness was not necessary, and yet they were always more than happy to help students find the works they needed.
“What are you researching?” he whispered.
“Tolan,” Ferrah said, looking up and smiling. She slipped her arm over the book she had folded out in front of her.
He reached for it, but he wasn’t fast enough.
She pulled it away from him, keeping him from being able to tell what she was looking into. “Where have you been?”
“Practicing in the park. I had a conversation with Jonas.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him about the uprising,” he said, keeping his voice low. Then again, in the library, he always kept his voice low. Anything else would be sure to draw the ire of the librarians. “I’ve kept enough from him as it is.”
“It’s probably good you shared. I imagine that made him happy.”
“I don’t know if happy is quite the right way to put i
t.”
“Why not?”
“He’s still upset that I kept things from him for as long as I did.”
“Can you blame him?”
Taking a seat, Tolan glanced at her stack of books for a moment before shaking his head. “No. That’s why I told him what I did. I didn’t want to keep anything from him anymore.”
Besides, sharing with Jonas felt good. He liked the idea that there weren’t secrets from his friend, and he might have him there to support him if it came down to another fight.
Nodding to the stack of books, Tolan smiled. “Are you really going to try to keep all that from me?”
“You don’t need to know anything about what I’m looking at.”
“And here I thought you’d been the one to tell me I shouldn’t keep things from my friends.”
“You won’t like what I’m looking into.”
“Why?” He tried to glance at the book, but her arm blocked him from being able to see what she was hiding.
“Fine, but don’t get mad at me.”
It was a strange thing for her to say, but Tolan nodded.
When she pushed book toward him, he glanced down at it and realized right away why she’d said what she did. There was a section on shaping, and a series of grotesque images, all of them demonstrating what it looked like when someone turned a shaping upon themselves.
“Really?”
“I said, don’t get mad at me.”
“And I’ve told you I didn’t shape myself.”
“I believe you.”
“So much so, you went and talked to Master Sartan.”
“I didn’t talk about you and how you shape the barrier over your mind. I went to ask him what would actually happen if someone shaped themselves.”
He looked at the page. On it was a depiction of a man as he slowly evolved into a horrible-looking creature. It was intricately drawn, almost as if flames consumed him, matching the way Master Sartan had described it.
The Wind Rages (Elemental Academy Book 4) Page 9