“Aw, Jonas, I’m so sorry—”
Jonas shook his head, raising his hand. “You don’t have to be sorry. I didn’t pass.”
“It’s not a matter of not passing. You will,” he said.
“Will I? I didn’t even realize the test was for me to burrow into the barrier. I stood outside it like an idiot, waiting for them to come to me.”
Apparently, many shapers who didn’t pass were like that. As far as Tolan could tell, most of the students waited to see if the master shapers would come out to them, thinking that was the requirement. And why wouldn’t they? It made more sense than trying to burrow through a shaping the master shapers had placed.
“I hear they offer a second testing shortly after,” Ferrah said. She kept her voice low, almost as if she were giving him some forbidden information.
“Yeah? Well, any additional testing will have to come after we return, which means I’m going to have to return to Velminth as a second-level student and not a third-level student like Draln. Not only is he going to make sure I don’t forget about it, but I’m sure he’s going to do something to embarrass or anger me while I’m gone.”
Tolan suspected Jonas was right. He had a hard time imagining Draln would do anything other than take the opportunity to embarrass Jonas. “You can tell him both Ferrah and I went farther than him.”
Ferrah started to smile, but Jonas shook his head. “Do you think I’m going to do that? I have enough trouble with him as it is; I’m not going to make it worse by taunting him. Besides, you weren’t supposed to tell me what the testing was.”
“I have a feeling the testing will be different next time,” Tolan said.
“Are you sure? It sounds like the Grand Master made it seem like the testing is the same.”
Would it matter that they knew? As Master Minden said, he supposed it probably didn’t. Knowing the nature of the testing and being able to do well with it were very different things. Even if he had known about the testing, Tolan wasn’t sure it would have given him any advantage. He still would’ve had to find some way of getting through the shaping, and without knowing the specific shapings involved, and being able to hold onto a shaping of each of the elements, he might not have been able to do that.
“I didn’t get the sense we weren’t supposed to share,” Tolan said.
Before anyone had a chance to say anything more, a whistle sounded. Tolan perked up, looking around, curious who might be going with them. They were paired up with a master shaper, much like they had been the last time. Unlike the last time, there was no Inquisitor traveling with them.
The Grand Inquisitor approached, making her way along the Shapers Path and toward Tolan and the others. She stopped in front of him. “Are you ready to go, Shaper Ethar?”
Tolan nodded, resisting the urge to glance at the others. “I didn’t think we had any of the Inquisitors coming along.”
“The others do not, but as Ephra is far enough out, I will start there, and then I will begin making my way to the other locations throughout Terndahl. Which means the two of us are going.”
“Just the two of us? There won’t be a master shaper?”
“Not this time.”
Tolan glanced at Ferrah and then Jonas. It left him feeling a little bit uncomfortable he’d be traveling with the Grand Inquisitor, more so after what he had recently encountered.
“You don’t need to worry I will attack you. The Grand Master has tested me, and he has ensured I remain dedicated to the Academy.”
That was news to him. “How did he test you?” He probably shouldn’t ask that in front of the others, but the question came so quickly he didn’t have much of a choice.
“I allowed him access to my thoughts.”
Ferrah’s eyes widened, and Tolan understood the reason for her surprise. He shared in it. Allowing someone access to a spirit shaping, intentionally doing so, was not just invasive, but it was the sort of personal thing Tolan couldn’t imagine the Grand Inquisitor willingly offering of herself. Then again, given what they had gone through, she probably felt compelled to do so. Had the Grand Master done the same for her?
“It’s time,” the Grand Inquisitor said.
Tolan hugged Ferrah, unmindful of the fact the Grand Inquisitor and Jonas were watching him. “Travel safe,” he whispered.
“You too.”
He released the hug, and as he made his way along the Shapers Path, he glanced back at Ferrah, watching her.
“You will see her again soon enough,” the Grand Inquisitor said.
“That’s not—”
“That is what it is, and there’s no shame in admitting your affection for the girl.”
Tolan smiled to himself, wondering what Ferrah might say to being called a girl. She was certainly much more than that, though he had a sneaking suspicion she’d probably not argue when it came to the Grand Inquisitor.
“You volunteered to go to Ephra first for a reason.”
The Grand Inquisitor glanced over at him. She had a heavily lined face, and as she frowned, wrinkles deepened along the corners of her mouth and eyes. A shaping built from her, and it swept toward him quickly. Without thinking, he reacted, wrapping his mind in the shaping of fire and wind, rebuffing any attempt she might make at using spirit on him.
Her shaping slipped over him. As it did, a hint of a smile twisted the corners of her mouth.
“You have certainly improved, Shaper Ethar.”
“Are we going to do this the entire journey?” They reached the edge of the city. The Shapers Path continued northward from here, and other parties had begun to break away from the central portion of the city, making their way out of the city limits, and from here, he knew it would be only a short journey before reaching Ephra. Tolan had made that journey enough times now that he thought he could do so quickly and easily, and he wondered if perhaps others knew how often he had journeyed this way.
“You mean am I going to test you?” The Grand Inquisitor shrugged. “I haven’t decided. I think it might be intriguing to test how quickly you can shape, but then again, I also suspect you’ve developed enough resistance to spirit shaping that you will be difficult for me to impose my will upon.”
Tolan didn’t know if that was a compliment or not but thought it sounded almost as if it weren’t. “Is this about the waste?”
The Grand Inquisitor nodded. “What you shared with the Grand Master troubled me. I wonder if perhaps there is more to the waste than we realize.”
“You think we’ll be able to figure out who the other Inquisitors are serving?”
Her jaw clenched. “It is unfortunate they serve anyone other than the Academy.”
“Why don’t you use spirit on them the same way you and the Grand Master used spirit on each other?”
“There’s never been the need, but perhaps we’re finding we aren’t nearly as safe as we once believed.” She fell silent, and they continued along the Shapers Path. Each step took them several miles at a time, the landscape blurring past them far below. As it did, the sense of the land changed. Not only was it in the scents that came along with the wind, but it was in the sense he had from the earth, the shifting nature of the heat all around him. Even that of water began to shift.
“What does it mean, the waste was formed by an absence of the elementals?”
“What it means is we have made a mistake,” she said. She didn’t look over at him. “It seems as if our master librarians might’ve been right about the elementals all along.”
She didn’t elaborate, though Tolan was surprised Master Minden and the other librarians had shared anything about the elementals. He had the sense from her that she preferred to keep that to herself. As they continued along the Shapers Path, they did so in silence. They paused at one point, taking a break to eat, but even in that, the Grand Inquisitor said nothing. Every so often, she attempted to shape him. He began to realize it was a test, though there was some benefit to it. In doing so, she forced him to react, to protect
his mind quickly, and it got to the point where he simply held protections around his mind, maintaining a steady shaping.
Near afternoon, she glanced over at him. “It took you long enough to do so.”
“To do what?”
“To hold on to the protection.”
“You wanted me to do that?”
“We face the threat of Inquisitors who can use spirit shaping, so all must be prepared, especially outside of the city. You more than anyone else, I suspect. Since you have already confronted them and faced the type of shaping they might throw at us, I fear they might use that as an opportunity to try to attack you again.”
“Why would they come after me?”
“Perhaps they won’t, or perhaps they will see you as the reason they failed.”
It seemed almost as if she were threatening him, but that didn’t seem quite right. “I only did what was necessary.”
“And it was necessary,” the Grand Inquisitor said. “Yet someone like Aela is not accustomed to failing. When it comes to using spirit, I suspect she has rarely failed. In fact, she very nearly overpowered me.”
It was the first time he’d heard the Grand Inquisitor talking about what had occurred with her and her experience with Aela, though Tolan knew she had nearly been overpowered by the other woman. With Aela gone, they didn’t have to worry about her—though they did have to worry about whoever Aela served. He still didn’t know who that might be.
“What do you expect to find when we reach Ephra?” Tolan asked.
“Hopefully, nothing other than the city as it was.”
They fell into a silence, and Tolan focused instead on hurrying along the Shapers Path, keeping up with the Grand Inquisitor. She moved quickly despite her age, and it seemed as if she added a hint of shaping to it, much like he had done when he’d traveled this way. He raced after her, forced not only to shape protections around his mind, but also to shape a hint of wind and fire to give him the speed necessary to keep up with her.
It was nearly evening when they reached Ephra.
Something about the city pulled on his senses. It was a familiarity, similar to how Ferrah felt familiar to him. With Ephra, it was more a matter of having been here for so much of his life, and each time he returned, it might not feel quite like home, not as it would if the events of his childhood had not taken place, but it certainly felt familiar. He was aware of how the earth felt within the city. The way the wind swirled around it, carrying specific energies. He was aware of the heat, the sun different here than it was in Amitan. He was aware of water. All of it gave a certain distinct energy to the place, and all of it was a way to recognize Ephra.
Other cities would likely be the same, and he wondered if he’d be able to pick up on that if he were to travel to them. Would Ferrah recognize it if she went to Par? What about Jonas and Velminth? How would his home feel to him?
“What is it, Shaper Ethar?”
“I was just realizing there is a specific texture to the city.”
“A texture?”
“The way it feels. The various element bonds have a distinct energy here that is different than it is in Amitan.” Now he thought about it, he realized even in Amitan, while he was aware of the energy of the city, it was so distinct he could track it, almost as if were he to stretch out his senses, he’d be able to find it using that alone.
“Very good. Rarely do we have anyone not a fourth level or higher who recognizes the distinct energies of each city within Terndahl. It would be the same other places but seeing as how I have rarely been beyond Terndahl, I can’t say with any certainty. Each city is tied to the element bonds in a different way. They are anchored, which allows the Shapers Path to give us a certain amount of guidance, as well. We can use the sense of the cities in order to guide us between places.”
Tolan hadn’t considered that. “How were the Shapers Paths made?”
“Have you not taken the time to understand the shaping?”
“It’s complex,” he said.
“It is complex, but it’s useful, too, especially if you find yourself needing to travel with another who cannot shape, or a great distance where you fear you might not have the strength necessary to return. Forming a path is less energy consuming, and it gives you an opportunity to rest as you go.”
Tolan focused on the Shapers Path beneath him. He’d never tried to understand the nature of the shaping that had gone into its creation, but perhaps it would be useful to know. “Which element bonds are used?”
“Why, all of them.”
Why would he be surprised by that? It reminded him somewhat of the barrier he’d tried to work his way through during the testing. Much like that, could he find a way to understand the shapings? He didn’t necessarily need to understand each of the various element bonds as they had been pushed into the shaping in order to find his own way. His connection to that was different enough that he thought simply sensing it, recognizing the flow of the element, focusing on what he could detect from that, might be enough to get an understanding of what went into the shaping.
He focused on fire, feeling the heat within it. It was there, though it was subtle. It was nothing like the thick band of fire used in the testing. This was a simmering sort of energy, an undercurrent of power flowing deep within the rest of the shapings. Holding onto that connection, he searched for the other elements. If they all were used, then it was possible he might be able to recreate it. The simmering heat of the shaping was not a particularly challenging one, and it certainly didn’t require much power, much as she said.
What about earth? There was an aspect of earth he thought he could reach, and as he focused on it, he realized it was tied to the land below. Interesting. It was almost as if the shaping resonated in a particular way, determined to tie into earth.
If that were the case, was there any way to use that?
He had the ability to detect the way a shaping was tied into the land. There was something he’d discovered on his own: Nights sitting outside on the Shapers Path, connecting to everything all around him, had given him that insight.
Wind was next in, but it was a strange undercurrent helping to loft the Shapers Path into the air. He’d always wondered how it remained suspended in the air but hadn’t given much thought to it, but now, feeling it as he did, he had that understanding. And then water tied it all together, sealing the various shapings.
This was something he could do.
Focusing on earth—it seemed to him that tying it to the landscape below was first—Tolan began that shaping, adding wind, then fire, and finally water, sealing it all together. As he did, he sent the shaping angled off to the side, attached to the existing Shapers Path but stretching out a dozen feet. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but the path formed, solidifying, and he hesitantly took a step onto it.
Letting out a quiet laugh, he looked down.
He had created this. He’d formed a Shapers Path. It seemed impossible he’d have been able to do so, but what surprised him just as much was that he’d been able to peel apart the nature of the shaping, and in doing so, he’d been able to re-create it.
“That is an impressive talent you have,” the Grand Inquisitor said.
He looked up. “Talent?”
“There aren’t many who can analyze a shaping and then recreate it.”
“It’s what I did when I was at my testing.”
“You would be alone in that approach. Most try a different tactic, using their connection to the element bonds to attempt a shaping of each one to see which resonates with it.”
That would be so much more time consuming. Tolan couldn’t imagine trying it in that way.
“I’m just surprised I was able to make a Shapers Path.”
“Were you? I was not surprised at all.”
Tolan looked at the heart of the Shapers Path he’d created, and as he did, he couldn’t help but feel as if there was something more he needed to do with it. Tentatively, he walked out onto it, making his way al
ong the newly formed pathway, and tested it. The connection was there. It wasn’t so much that it was difficult to shape. The process of making the Shapers Path hadn’t taken all that much energy out of him. It was more it had taken a degree of knowledge he hadn’t possessed previously. Now he had a better understanding of what was involved. Having focused on the shapings used in its creation, he thought he could recreate it again.
“How long did it take to create the Shapers Path all throughout Terndahl?” he asked, turning his attention back to the Grand Inquisitor.
“There are leagues of Shapers Paths all throughout Terndahl. You could easily imagine just how long that would have taken to create.”
And here he had shaped ten feet and been pleased with it. Creating leagues of Shapers Path would be a considerably different challenge. It wasn’t just the journey between here and Amitan. It was the journey between Amitan and all of the other nearby cities, along with those that weren’t quite so nearby. Everything involved was incredibly impressive. But then, Tolan had known it was incredibly impressive. He didn’t need to know how to shape it to recognize the difficulty that had gone into its creation.
“It is time, Shaper Ethar.”
Tolan retreated back along the path he’d made. When he rejoined her she studied him. Another shaping washed away from her, hitting his barricade, the protections he’d placed around his mind, and she nodded.
“I hope you are ready.”
“What is it you think we’ll find?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know. It’s possible whatever we find will be dangerous.”
“In Ephra?”
“When did you think this was only about Ephra?”
“It isn’t?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him as they made their way toward the city, the outline of buildings within Ephra growing ever closer. As they did, Tolan couldn’t help but feel the same sense of unease he’d felt when he’d come for his last Selection. There was no reason for it. He had progressed far beyond that person who had lived here, and yet, there remained a part of him that still felt as if he was the same person.
When they reached the edge of Ephra, the end of the Shapers Path, the Grand Inquisitor paused, glancing over at him. “Are you ready?”
The Spirit Binds Page 6