The Water Ruptures

by D. K. Holmberg

  He sat up, looking around. “It was a shaping.”

  “I’m quite aware it was a shaping. I’m just asking how. The shaping you performed was more powerful than what any of the rest of us performed. Even those with bondars.”

  Tolan pulled the bondar from his pocket and held it up. “I used a bondar.”

  Her eyes widened. “You stole one from Master Shorav?”

  Tolan shook his head, handing it over to her. “Not from Master Shorav. This one came from my home.”

  “Your home? I don’t really understand what you’re getting at.”

  “When I went back to Ephra for the Selection, I visited my home. It had been a while since I was there, and I came across this. It was in a back corner, hidden, and I wasn’t sure at first what it was, but the more I studied it, the more certain I became it was a bondar.”

  “Why would your parents have a bondar? I thought you said they weren’t shapers.”

  “I didn’t think they were shapers.” He stared at the bondar for a moment, thinking back to the memories he had of his parents. “And I think they had a bondar because they made it.”

  She started to smile before seeming to realize he was being serious. “Your parents made bondars?”

  “It seems that way. When I was young, they were taken by the Draasin Lord. I never really understood why my parents. If they were able to make bondars, then I could understand why the Draasin Lord would take them.”

  Ferrah examined the bondar, rolling it over in her hands. A shaping built from her, and there was a tentativeness to it, the shaping building slowly, rolling off her, and when it struck the bondar, he felt the way it surged.

  Her eyes widened slightly and Tolan smiled to himself.

  “It is a bondar.”

  “I told you it was.”

  “I guess… I guess I wasn’t convinced it would be.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I haven’t heard of anyone succeeding in making bondars.” She looked up at him, her shaping easing off. “I know we tried but making a bondar is a difficult skill. I looked into it a little bit since we last tried, and everything I’ve been able to come up with tells me you have to be a powerful shaper, but you also have to understand the workings of the element bond in a way that is greater than even many of the master shapers understand.”

  “You’re saying my parents were master shapers.”

  “I’m saying they would have to be if they were making bondars. Which is why I have a hard time believing they made this. Maybe they’d acquired it, not made it. You have to admit that would make a lot more sense.”

  Tolan took the bondar back from her, holding it in his hand, looking at the surface and at its design. It would make more sense to have that explanation than the one that involved his parents making bondars. They were craftsman, but it was possible they had acquired a bondar and were attempting to copy it.

  If only he had clearer memories of that time, he might be able to better know and understand what might’ve happened, but his memories from that time were faint, faded. The only memory he really had was one that came from the Selection. All the other memories of his parents and the time before their disappearance had faded, disappearing into the back of his mind, leaving him with a sense of nothingness. “I suppose that makes more sense,” Tolan said.

  She took a seat on the bed next to him, meeting his gaze. “No one’s going to accuse you of serving the Draasin Lord.”

  He looked up, meeting her eyes. “With what’s taking place these days, that’s not true, and you know it.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Think about everything you know of what I’ve been able to do since coming to the Academy. Everything has been tied to the elementals. And who else is tied to the elementals?”

  “No one’s going to accuse you of being responsible for that.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Tolan—”

  He shrugged. “That’s what I fear. If the Inquisitors decide to blame me for what happened, I don’t know how I’ll be able to justify my role in everything. And maybe I’m not supposed to.”

  “You’re not supposed to justify your role? You’re not making any sense.”

  “Everything I’ve done has been tied to the elementals. And the longer I’m here, the more I begin to wonder if I’m posing more of a danger being here or whether there’s something else for me.”

  “What something else?” Ferrah asked, watching him carefully.

  “Nothing like that,” he said.

  “Like what?”

  “I see the way you’re looking at me. I’m not going to run off and serve the Draasin Lord.”

  “That wasn’t what I was thinking.”

  “Your eyes were telling me you’re thinking.”

  “You need to talk to someone about this. Whether it’s the Grand Master or one of the master shapers or even the Grand Inquisitor, you need to share with someone.”

  “What happens if they feel as if I’m somehow tied to the Draasin Lord?”

  “At least you’ve raised the question. There has to be someone you feel comfortable going to.”

  He thought of Master Sartan but didn’t know if going to the fire shaper would be the right choice. Going to Master Shorav wouldn’t be helpful, either. Master Marcella wouldn’t offer him any real advice. He suspected she would react strangely, more likely than not making comments about his shaping. He’d already heard some from her and didn’t like the idea he’d hear more. The only person who made any sort of sense to go to would be the Grand Master, and they needed to do it now before anything else happened.

  “I can go with you, if you want.”

  Tolan nodded and got to his feet. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Let’s go.”

  “I didn’t realize you’d want to go so soon.”

  “If I’m going to do this, I want to do it before I change my mind. Besides, you’re right. I do need to go to someone.”

  They started out of the room, and voices down the hall caught his attention. The rest of their class was returning from the earth shaping, and he glanced over at Ferrah.

  She shrugged. “I left early.”

  “You left early?”

  “It seemed like you needed help.”

  “Thanks.”

  They had made their way through the common area and reached the stairs heading down when they ran into Jonas. He glanced from Ferrah to Tolan, a question burning in his eyes.

  Ferrah smiled widely. “We’re going to get some food.”

  “Just the two of you?”

  Ferrah shrugged.

  Jonas watched them as they continued down the stairs. Tolan couldn’t help but feel as if he were betraying his friend. Jonas deserved honesty, but there were things he didn’t feel comfortable sharing, and he worried if he attempted to share, Jonas wouldn’t understand.

  When they reached the main part of the hallway, they passed a pair of Inquistors. The sense of shaping built from them and Tolan did his best to ignore it.

  Ferrah walked with him as they headed toward the Grand Master’s rooms. They reached the door, and she urged him forward until he knocked.

  There was no response.

  Tolan knocked again, stepping back to wait, looking around the hallway. A few of the older students were making their way through the halls, and one of them—an older man named Charles—grinned.

  Tolan turned away, focusing on the door and practically willing it to open.

  “He’s not going to be here,” he said.

  “Then we will have to return.”

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Tolan—”

  They were turning away when the Grand Inquisitor came down the hallway.

  “She’s the last person I want to talk to about this,” Tolan whispered.

  “You don’t have to.”

  As she made her way down the hallway, Tolan realized she wasn’t alone. The Grand Inquisitor cam
e with two others, both dressed in the same deep black cloaks of the Inquisitors.

  “Where do you think they’re going?” Tolan asked.

  He looked over at Ferrah, but her face had drained of color.

  She stood rigid, fixed, and he wondered what bothered her.

  “Shaper Tolan Ethar,” the Grand Inquisitor said, approaching.

  Tolan turned his attention to her, feeling a shaping building from the Grand Inquisitor. “What is it?”

  “You are to come with us.”

  “I am? Why? I’m not the traitor.”

  The Grand Inquisitor didn’t answer, staring at him.

  Tolan started to turn toward Ferrah but caught himself. If they were after him, he wasn’t about to drag her into anything.

  Where was the Grand Master? He had to believe if he could find the Grand Master, anything that might have upset the Grand Inquisitor could be resolved.

  The two Inquisitors behind the Grand Inquisitor came around her, and they grabbed Tolan and dragged him away.

  The shock of it all kept him from even thinking about resisting.

  14

  The room was dark, and he sat there alone. There was the presence of stone all around him, and as he had grown bored with sitting, he had attempted a shaping, but had found shaping on the stone had failed. It was almost as if he were cut off from shaping, though not entirely. Had he been cut off from shaping, he wouldn’t have been able to attempt one. It was more that any attempt to shape was wiped away when it struck the stone. Strangely, it reminded him of his time in the waste.

  He sat on a hard chair, all of his belongings out of reach. His pouch rested in the corner, and his cloak was stacked on top of it.

  He stared at it. If the Grand Inquisitor decided to search through his belongings, she would find the bondars. Why had they brought him here?

  Tolan had lost track of time. He’d been sitting here for over an hour, and possibly longer. The Inquisitors had said nothing as they had dragged him through the halls, and he had seen a few older students and knew gossip would already have spread about him.

  After everything else, this would happen to him?

  He got up and started pacing, but it did nothing to calm his mind. Thoughts raced through his head and he struggled to try and understand, to make sense of what had happened, but no answers came to him.

  He was tempted to go to the cloak and search through it to ensure his bondars were there but decided against it. If they came upon him clutching a bondar, what might they do to him?

  He tried to think about why he would have been brought by the Inquisitors, and the only thing he could think of was that someone had recognized he had released an elemental. If that were the case, he wasn’t sure how he would answer to the Inquisitors.

  He paced, his mind working through what he might say and what he might do, but no answer really came to him.

  Eventually, he took a seat once again.

  When the door finally opened, Tolan had long since lost track of time. He looked up and the Grand Inquisitor entered, dragging a chair with her. She placed it in front of his chair and took a seat upon it, sitting with her back straight as she studied him. He had a sense of a shaping radiating from her, but nothing more than that.

  Was this a spirit shaping? Was she trying to force him to answer? Could she be sealing off the room, trying to make it so no one else could hear what they were about to discuss?

  “Shaper Ethar. Do you know why you’re here?”

  Tolan didn’t trust himself to answer so he shook his head, meeting her gaze.

  “We know the Draasin Lord has sent someone to infiltrate the Academy. You have been observed performing shapings of great strength.”

  There it was. She was after him because of the shapings. They had known about the elementals, and he wasn’t even going to have an opportunity to approach the Grand Master with his concern and explain to him what he’d been doing. Had he only gone to him sooner, maybe none of this would be an issue, but he had been afraid. And now it would be too late.

  “I was going to talk to the Grand Master about it, but—”

  “The Grand Master is indisposed at the moment, which leaves you with me.”

  A chill worked along his arms and he resisted the urge to rub them and warm himself. It seemed to Tolan that was exactly what she wanted out of him.

  “What do you want from me?”

  “Generally, in these, I’m the one who asks the questions.”

  “And what is this?”

  She cocked her head. “Another question. This is your Inquisition.”

  Tolan’s heart seemed to stop. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his mouth was suddenly dry.

  An Inquisition?

  He’d heard stories of an Inquisition—everybody probably had. They were designed to question people considered dangerous to Terndahl, and they had been used ever since the founding of Terndahl, the primary role for the Inquisitors and a way to ensure safety for all of Terndahl. Why would they need to perform an Inquisition on him?

  They worried he served the Draasin Lord.

  They worried he was the traitor.

  It all came back to the elementals.

  He had been far too free with his attempts at shaping them, far too relaxed with using his connection, drawing out that power, and now it would come back to haunt him. He should have known better, especially with the rumors around the Academy.

  “I will ask you again. Why do you think we have brought you here?”

  Tolan swallowed, and her shaping built. He had the sense she was trying to convince him to answer, to admit something, and maybe if he said nothing, he would avoid incriminating himself.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Interesting. I never took you for the cautious type. You always seemed so willing to step outside of what was considered right and proper.”

  Tolan licked his lips. How could his mouth be so dry when sweat was dripping from his forehead? “I don’t intend to step outside of anything.”

  “And yet you do. Ever since you came to the Academy, you have stepped outside of yourself, taking risks most would never have considered.”

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “That is what we are here to determine. Why do you think you were summoned here?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Still with that as your answer? I would think you should come up with something better.”

  “What would you propose I come up with?”

  “An answer,” she said.

  “I’ve given you an answer, and I’ve told you I don’t know why you have me here.”

  “And I have told you that you were observed performing a shaping you should not have been able to do.”

  Tolan breathed out heavily. What would he have to say to get out of here? He didn’t have any idea what Master Irina would ask of him. “I don’t know what you need from me.”

  “Better, but you still haven’t gotten quite what we need.”

  She sat back on the chair, the shaping that she was holding building. As it did, the air seemed to take on a tension, and Tolan resisted the urge to fight through it. Even if he wanted to oppose Master Irina, he didn’t have any ability to do so. She was far stronger than he, and the only thing he was able to resist—so far, at least—was her placing a spirit shaping upon him. If she succeeded in that, what would happen to him? Would she be able to reach into his mind and uncover secrets he might be holding?

  She watched him, a steady grin rising on her face. It was almost as if she knew what he was thinking, but she couldn’t know he was trying to come up with some way of stopping her.

  “Very few students face an Inquisition. Are you aware of that, Shaper Ethar?”

  “I was not.”

  She watched him a moment longer, seemingly waiting for him to say something more, but he refused. “You are interesting. You have been so ever since I came across you in Ephra, and as I told you then, your presenting yourself for Selectio
n may have been a mistake.”

  “I thought you told me the other night that it was my choice.”

  “I told you the Selector doesn’t make the choice. They put each candidate through the shaping, and from there, only those who have the potential to serve the Academy are Selected. As I think I told you, there has not been one who doesn’t have the ability to shape Selected for the Academy before. In that, you are unique.”

  Tolan didn’t like being unique. Ever since his parents disappeared, he had felt that way. At first it had been unique in his family, and the fact his parents had disappeared, seemingly going with the Draasin Lord, and since coming to the Academy, it had been a uniqueness in his shaping, something that had set him apart, making it so he felt different. And then he had made himself unique. It had been his fault he had gotten involved with things like the pursuit of the Convergence and then the Keystone.

  And here he had intended to take his second level at the Academy to avoid notice. If nothing else, he had wanted to be in the background, and yet he had been unable to do so.

  “What do you think I did?”

  “That’s what we are attempting to discover.” She glanced at his belongings. “Before we go any farther, I thought I would give you one last chance to share anything you might have that would explain things. We find it’s often easier on those we bring to the Inquisition if they admit what they did.”

  She waited, and Tolan considered saying something about the bondars, but perhaps she wouldn’t find them.

  She went over to his pouch and pulled the bag out, dragging it toward him. When she reached him, she opened the flap and set it on the floor in front of him. “What will we find in here?”

  “Books.”

  “Indeed. I can see there are books in here. What sort of books have you decided to bring with you? What is it you value so much you would carry it around?”

  Tolan glanced at the bag. As he did, his heart seemed to stop again. Not only had he shaped elementals, but the books he had were about the elementals. He licked his lips again, finding no moisture.

  “You would continue to say nothing?”