The shaping took hold.
He held out, waiting, fearing he wasn’t going to be enough, that the strength he could find wasn’t going to be enough.
The shaping held.
Tolan quickly began to work, unraveling more, reaching through what he could detect, separating fire from wind and earth and water, and he created an opening, allowing him to drag himself a little farther forward. With each passing moment, he could feel a little bit more of the shaping beginning to open up, and he pushed upward. Spirit seemed to give him the most strength, and he used that to unravel more and more as he dragged himself forward, the element allowing him to connect in a way he wouldn’t otherwise.
Eventually, even spirit wasn’t enough. Tolan’s strength began to wane even more and he continued to collapse, the shaping squeezing down upon him.
He crawled forward again, barely more than the length of his arm, and the shaping pressed down upon him, forcing him to the ground.
There was one final way to reach for power, but he wasn’t sure he should try it. Was it worth it to try to connect to the elementals in order to pass the testing within the Academy?
If he did, and if that power unleashed in a dangerous way, it could potentially not only harm him, but it could harm others around him, and he had no interest in doing that.
Then again, what choice did he have? He feared what might happen here.
Hyza.
He reached for that elemental first, knowing his connection to hyza was strongest. If he could find a way to stretch across the distance, if he could uncover some way of connecting to hyza, he might be able to use that power to separate himself from what had happened.
Ever since he had been near the waste with the Inquisitors, his connection to hyza had changed. In some ways, that connection was like what he had with the draasin, the way he had heard the elemental almost as if speaking within his mind.
“I need your help. Just a hint of strength.”
Tolan had no idea if hyza would be there, and even if he was, would he be able to answer and offer any help? It would be unlikely for the elemental to be able to do anything. More likely than not, Tolan was going to be trapped within this shaping, all because he had made a mistake and turned to check on Ferrah when he should have checked on her before he had even stepped into the shaping.
There came another fluttering. As he felt it, power surged with it, a familiar sense he’d grown accustomed to.
It was the power of hyza, the power of the elemental, and it was surprisingly the power he recognized. Hyza was there, lending power to him, granting him strength.
Tolan borrowed it. Even though hyza was an elemental of earth and fire, the strength granted him a connection to power that augmented him, filling him and making it so he could reach each of the elements much more easily.
Tolan scrambled, using that borrowed power to unravel what he could. As he did, he created more of a bubble, enough that he could drag himself forward again. He continued to hold onto that sense of power, letting it flow from him. He continued to unravel the shaping, dragging it free, creating enough of a bubble that he could get to his knees. It was more strength than he had managed even when he had added spirit. Borrowing power from an elemental would grant him more strength than he had by himself.
Tolan continued to crawl forward, moving as quickly as he could, scrambling until even that strength began to fade, slowly sapping from him.
“No…”
Tolan sank to his belly. The shaping continued to squeeze down upon him and he tried to crawl, dragging himself maybe the width of a finger, before even that was no longer possible. The shaping pressed down and down, forcing him into the ground. The power of it forced his face against the earth, and he tried to keep his mouth tilted off to the side so he could breathe, but even that began to squeeze, crushing him as it squeezed around him.
He took a breath, and as he let it out, the shaping pressed down on him, squeezing him so he couldn’t take another.
Was he going to suffocate here?
He couldn’t imagine what kind of shaping the master shapers would use that would kill him for failing.
And his failure was his own fault. Had he not gotten distracted, he should have been able to work his way free, but because he had allowed himself to get distracted, he was no longer able to do that. This was his fault, and now this would be his failing.
“No!”
The word came out with the last of his breath, and the shaping crushed him.
Tolan lay there, waiting for death to claim him.
Moments passed.
Then the weight of the shaping lifted.
Hands grabbed him, pulling him from the ground, and he looked up.
The Grand Master was there, studying him. Tolan blinked, finding it difficult to clear spots from his vision, and he looked around to see he was in the middle of the park, the small pond nearby. How had he crawled so far?
“Grand Master?”
“Rest, Shaper Ethar.”
He wanted to sit, but…
The Grand Master guided him toward a bench, and Tolan took a seat on it, looking over at the Grand Master. With each passing moment, his breathing began to ease, his vision began to clear, and his thoughts started to surge back into focus.
He had failed. He was going to remain a second level.
Why did that trouble him so much?
Even Master Minden had made it clear remaining a second level wasn’t the worst thing in the world. It gave him an opportunity to continue studying, to continue to find his way through the Academy, and in doing so, eventually he’d be able to test again.
Then again, Tolan didn’t know how he could do any better than what he had done this time. He doubted he’d ever have the necessary strength to blast his way through a shaping like that. With as much as it had pressed down upon him, crushing him, he had been forced to borrow not only spirit, but power from one of the elementals.
It didn’t seem likely he’d be able to shape any better than that the next time.
Then again, the next time would probably be some other type of test. More likely than not, it would be another test he’d fail. And then what? How many tries would they let him have before telling him he could progress no further in the Academy?
He already knew there was no shame in not progressing further within the Academy. He’d seen plenty of shapers in the world, including in his home city, who never made it beyond second level. He’d still be called master, and eventually, would continue to focus on one of the elements, to use that in a way that would enhance the Academy, and then…
Tolan didn’t know what would happen then. Since coming to the Academy, he hadn’t given a whole lot of thought to what he wanted to do when he was done. Most of the time, shapers trained at the Academy in order to return to their homeland, but Tolan had no interest in returning to his homeland to offer additional help. There was nothing for him there. There wasn’t family. There weren’t even all that many in the way of friends. His one friend had been offended by Tolan getting Selected. If he returned, he’d run the risk of Velthan returning, and then he’d have to deal with him for the entirety of his life.
Eventually, Ferrah was there. She sat next to him, looking over. Her eyes had a glazed appearance to them.
He reached over, grabbing her hand and squeezing. “Ferrah?” he whispered.
“Tolan? I… I failed.”
Tolan nodded but realized Ferrah couldn’t see it. “I failed, too. The shaping crushed me.”
“I saw you go in and I realized what you were doing.”
“I’m sorry. I think what I did was wrong. It wasn’t about unraveling the shaping.”
Someone was coughing near them, and Tolan looked over to see Draln joining them on the bench. The other man was ashen, sweat dripping from his brow, and he had much the same glassy-eyed expression Ferrah did—and as Tolan suspected he had.
“At least we all failed,” Tolan said.
It was a terr
ible thing to feel, and yet he’d have hated it had Draln passed but he had not.
The Grand Master appeared in front of them. He looked at each of them in turn, his gaze lingering on Tolan the longest. As he did, a shaping washed over him. He was too tired and weak to be able to resist it, even though he suspected that was what he should be trying to do.
“The three of you have been tested,” the Grand Master began. “This was a test of knowledge and strength. This is a test designed to challenge you, and to determine whether you recalled the various teachings you’ve received throughout your time here.”
Tolan breathed out. He waited for the Grand Master to tell them the next part.
“What was the test?” Draln asked.
“A basic one.”
Tolan grunted. Basic. He couldn’t even pass a basic test, so what did that say about him and his ability to shape?
“Basic, but powerful. This was designed to test your ability to shape each of the elements simultaneously. A true master shaper, a true master of the Academy, must have control. The first element of control is being able to handle more than one element at a time. You have been working on that in your classes, and all of you have proven that ability during your first testing.”
Had he? Tolan didn’t recall having proven he could shape more than one element during his first testing, but he didn’t recall much about that first testing. Then again, shaping more than one element was something he was capable of doing. It just wasn’t something he realized he had proven prior to his testing.
“In order to pass the next level, all shapers must be able to access each of the elements without bondars. You have been taught the approach in your classes, so by the time you reach your testing, the nature of the test is not foreign to you.”
The Grand Master fell silent for a moment. “You three were selected to go last. You were identified by your various instructors as the most promising, but even the most promising don’t always succeed.”
Tolan looked up at the Grand Master, surprised by his last statement.
“In this case, you were tested on how far you could make it through a powerful shaping. This was not a test you could cheat. This is not a test you could complete with a bondar, though perhaps a bondar would allow you to make it a little bit farther. This was a test requiring you to be able to reach the elements, use them in a way displaying your control, and make it as far as possible. I am happy to say all three of you have proven yourself worthy of your instructors’ confidence.”
Tolan blinked and looked over at Ferrah before turning his attention back to the Grand Master. “We passed?”
The Grand Master smiled tightly. “This is but the first step in many, but today you were successful. You will continue to progress in your training, and you will move a little further. Today, each of you have become a third-level student.”
Tolan’s breath caught. He had passed?
Then again, the Grand Master had said they weren’t expected to make it all the way through the shaping. The expectation was only to see how far they could go.
Somehow, he had gone far enough that he had proven himself.
That should please him, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he had cheated, despite the Grand Master saying such a thing wasn’t possible. While he didn’t have a bondar—other than his spirit bondar, and Tolan hadn’t even thought about using that—he had used his connection to the elementals, and hyza in particular. What was that if not cheating?
“From this point on, each of you will be referred to as a third-level. You may occupy the third-level dorms, and you will have an increased access throughout the Academy in accordance with your level. You may return.”
Tolan started to stand, still feeling stunned. He turned to Ferrah, reaching out to help her to her feet, and when she was standing, they looked at each other.
“Third level,” he whispered, smiling.
“Third level,” she said.
“Shaper Ethar.”
Tolan turned to the Grand Master.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to have a word with you.”
He swallowed, his mouth suddenly going dry. “I’ll catch up with you,” he said to Ferrah.
She started off, moving slowly, though Draln was moving equally slowly, something making Tolan far more pleased than it probably should.
When she was gone, the Grand Master drew his attention. “That was an impressive display.”
“It was?”
“As I said to the others, the test was a determination of how far you could unravel the shaping, a test of distance and endurance, if you will.”
There it was. Tolan waited, knowing there was going to be a question. “I didn’t have a bondar.”
The Grand Master smiled again, this time just as tightly as before. “We would have known if you utilized a bondar. This test is designed in such a way that even with a bondar, it wouldn’t be as beneficial as in other settings. While you might have been able to go a reasonable distance with one, the fact you were able to go any distance suggests you didn’t have a bondar. Like I said, it is a difficult test to cheat.”
He nodded, waiting for the Grand Master to say something, to comment on how he knew he was somehow able to reach the elementals, and to question his loyalty to the Academy. That was what was going to come, wasn’t it? He’d wanted Tolan to infiltrate the Draasin Lord, and instead, Tolan had returned feeling connected to them, and in some ways, he was now infiltrating the Academy on behalf of the Draasin Lord.
“What is impressive is the distance you were able to go, Shaper Ethar.”
“How far did I go?”
“Shaper Sar was able to reach the trees,” the Grand Master said, motioning toward the trees in the distance. “That would be far enough for him to have passed. Shaper Changen went a little bit further than him, though not much. That is not surprising, as we have long known she’d be a powerful shaper.”
Tolan would have smiled were the situation any different. He had known Ferrah was a powerful shaper, too, and he was certain she’d appreciate hearing the Grand Master had said it, even considering the situation.
“And then there was you, Shaper Ethar. You made it nearly to the pond.” He pointed to where Tolan had remembered opening his eyes. “I have done these testings many times over the years, and we have had plenty of students who have passed, making it through to the third level. It is always a time of celebration, a time where the Academy grows stronger because of their willingness to continue to serve. In the case of you, that is no different, but…”
Tolan stood frozen in place, unsure what the Grand Master might say. He couldn’t help but think through all the various awful possibilities. Once again, his mouth was dry, a cold sweat washing over him.
“You, Shaper Ethar, a young man who came to us with no shaping ability, have gone farther than any in my recollection.”
5
Wind whistled around the city, the kind of heavy breeze they hadn’t had for quite some time. Tolan felt the way it caressed him, swirling around him, and closed his eyes while standing on the Shapers Path, enjoying the swirls of wind. There was something peaceful about it, something comforting, and he found it was far easier to connect to the elements than it ever had been before. Perhaps that was little more than the fact he spent so much time doing so, or perhaps there was something more to it.
“Are you ready to return?”
Tolan glanced up and met Ferrah’s eyes. There was worry written in them, and he wondered why she would be troubled. She enjoyed returning to Par, not like him and his return to Ephra. “There are other places I think I would prefer to go, but if this is where the Grand Master wants me to go, then so be it.”
“At least you can see if there’s anything new you can uncover about the waste.”
There was that. He wasn’t sure there would be anything to uncover about the waste, or even if there would be time to do so. They were going to perform a Selection, and other than that, there wasn’
t going to be anything for him to do. A part of him dreaded the idea of going, worried that while there, he’d encounter Tanner, and if he did, what he might say to his friend. The last time he’d seen him, Tanner had been resentful of the fact Tolan had been Selected.
“I’m sure the Grand Master has others investigating it.”
“I’m sure he does, too, but I know how you feel about your connection to that place.”
“My connection?”
“That’s my way of being careful—”
“Master Ethar. Master Changen. I am reporting to go.”
Tolan looked at Jonas, shaking his head. There weren’t very many from the second level who had been promoted to the third level. Tolan, Ferrah, and Draln had all passed, as had two others. The rest remained second levels. Apparently, from what Tolan and Ferrah had discovered, that wasn’t uncommon. The only thing uncommon about their testing was Tolan. At least no one else knew about what had happened. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if the Grand Master reported how different Tolan was.
“Come on, Jonas,” Ferrah said.
“I’m just trying to make sure I demonstrate the appropriate level of respect.”
“I’ll show you the appropriate level of respect,” she said, raising her fist and shaking it at him.
“If you think that would be a lesson I need to learn,” he said.
Tolan shook his head. He thought Jonas was only joking with them, but at this point, he no longer knew if that was the case or not. With Jonas, it could be difficult to know for certain.
“Are you returning to Velminth?” Tolan asked.
“Apparently they are taking both of us. They like to have an upper-level student along with the lower-level student.”
Tolan’s breath caught. He knew what that meant for Jonas, just as he knew how much that would anger him. With Draln having passed and Jonas not yet, it meant there was a natural division between the two.
At least Velthan wasn’t coming with them; as a first level student, he wasn’t permitted to come along on the journey out of the city.
The Spirit Binds Page 5