A vision of Laedron and Ismerelda emerged from the stairs by a sparkle of light, and she went about lighting the torches and candles situated around the room. The illusory woman drew her scepter-the one Laedron had come to carry-and whispered something. A flame rose from the ruby on the end of the scepter.
Ismerelda said, “We're going to move on to some more advanced incantations today. I wanted to spend more time on the basics, but there's no time for that.”
Hearing her voice, Laedron nearly lost focus on his spell. It’s amazing how precisely I remember how she sounded. He tried his best to ignore the illusions for the remainder of the casting, and when he got to the part where Ismerelda said, “Record what notes you need in your book,” he released the spell.
Valyrie turned when the images faded away. “What sort of magic was that?”
“The one we practiced here or the one I used on you just now?”
“This one, the one you cast on me.”
“’Tis known as Captivation.” He paused, thinking of how Ismerelda had taught him about aspects, then how Tavingras had said that aspects weren’t real, that they were tools to control mages. From this point forward, do I teach according to the original Uxidin methods, or do I maintain the Azuran way? What would be of the most benefit to any I should instruct?
“Captivation? Tell me more about that.”
“Okay.” He walked toward Ismerelda’s desk. “Captivation spells are but one aspect of magic, and they give the sorcerer the ability to impress thoughts and feelings upon someone else.”
“Amazing. Does it work with music?”
He turned around and tilted his head. “Music?”
“If you could combine song and a spell such as that, the audience would hang on every word.”
“Interesting that you should say that.”
“Really? How so?”
“We’re very much alike, I think, more than either of us may have realized. I, too, enjoy experimenting with new spells and new applications of magic, and I think you have the makings of a great mage.” Ismerelda’s words coming out of me. The student has become the teacher. He smiled. “We’ll have to work on this idea of yours and see where it takes us.”
“You think it’s possible?”
“Did I not write my teleportation spell from scratch?” He thought back to the things that Tavingras had told him of spellcraft. “Anything’s possible if you put your mind to it. It took me a long time to realize that, but it’s just as true now as it ever was-more so now, perhaps.”
“I’m glad that you brought me here and that you started training me. I’ve never been good at anything, really.”
“Nonsense. You’re the best archer I know, and you were doing well at your studies, right?”
“No, Lae.” She sighed and looked away. “I can shoot a bow, but my days at the university were numbered. I changed my focus from seneschal to lyricist because I had gotten a string of bad marks. I thought writing would be easier than managing finances, but I was wrong.”
“Why have you hidden it for so long?”
“Why would you hide something you’re ashamed to tell anyone? I’m sorry if I misled you, but I thought you should know the truth.”
He folded his arms. “You know something?”
“What?” she asked, her stare fixed on the floor.
“If you hadn’t done poorly, you might have stayed in Azura and completed your learning, and if that had been the way of things, you probably wouldn’t be standing here with me now.” He took her hand. “We would never have known how special we would become to one another. To me, that would have been a tragedy greater than failure in some classroom.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I love you, Val, and given the riches of the world, I would refuse them if it meant being apart from you.” He grabbed her up in a tight embrace, then pulled away. “Let’s go back to the keep, for I wouldn’t want to risk staying here with spiders-and who knows what else-crawling the walls and the floors. Besides, I thought coming here might give me a bit of closure, but it hasn’t.”
“No?”
He shook his head. “No one can ever replace Ismerelda, and I’ll always keep her memory in a special place in my heart. Wounds and injuries never completely heal; they seal up and get better, but you always remember what caused them. At times, you’ll feel the sting as if it were new, but you move on and try to do your best. It’s all you can expect of yourself.”
He ascended the stairs, then went into the common room. “One last thing. I’d like to get something to remember her by.”
“I’ll wait here, Lae. Take your time.”
He pushed open the door to Ismerelda’s bedroom. The drawers had been left half open, and clothing was strewn across the bed and chair. He spotted a book on the nightstand and walked over to read the title. Another spellbook written in Nyrethine, perhaps? With the wealth of books she had brought for our journey, I can only imagine what is written in the one she decided to leave behind.
Sweeping away the layer of dust, he opened the unmarked cover. He noted that the text was indeed written in Nyrethine, but different from what he expected. The first page spoke of a family, gave names of people and places, and detailed relatively minor events. He flipped forward and soon realized the nature of the book. A journal. Ismerelda’s personal journal.
He flipped to the last few pages and read:
My new pupil has arrived today, a mortal boy by the name of Laedron Telpist. I can see promise in his eyes, but he doubts his abilities, likely a trait picked up from his mother. If he’s anything like Filadrena Telpist, I shall have my hands full. I detect a certain tension already, one that I can easily avoid with female students, but the boy seems more nervous than any I’ve taught. ‘What do you think training is for?’ I want to ask him, but such a statement could worsen things and inhibit the bond that we must form. This one, I shall have to handle with great care. I think that he has a bounty of potential that he doesn’t realize exists.
He closed the diary, stuck it under his arm, and joined Valyrie in the common room. “Ready?”
“What have you there?”
“A little reading material. My teacher’s journal.”
“She kept a journal? What need would an immortal have for one?”
“The Uxidin are powerful, immortal, and youthful, but with all of those benefits comes a fatal flaw: their memory only keeps details for around half a century or so, unless a particular memory is quite profound.”
“They lose their memories?”
“Likely a cause of the rejuvenation, if I had to guess. A spell that constantly refreshes one’s body would probably refresh the mind, and in that, I think, lies the problem. The spell could eliminate anything to which the mind doesn’t have strong attachment.”
“You mean to say that the spell wipes their minds of their experiences?”
“Somewhat, yes, and that is likely the reason why she kept a journal, to have a record of her memories for when they departed.” He frowned and stared at the floor. “Can you imagine it? If she had lived to complete my training, it would have been just a matter of time before I was forgotten, remembered only in the pages of some book.”
“Some aren’t remembered at all, Lae.” She looped her arm through his. “I think it’s rather charming and thoughtful.”
“Charming and thoughtful? What in the world would make you think that?”
“She wrote those things in her journal because she wanted to remember you. Don’t you see? Your teacher didn’t have to record anything, but she did.”
“I suppose you’re right. Let’s return to the keep. In the morning, we’ll head for Morcaine, a city that I could have happily avoided for the rest of my days.”
“What’s wrong with it?”