The sound of a hammer and the scent of burnt metal greeted Cassie as she stepped into the Forge. The room was occupied by gadgeteers crafting components and a few of the older arcanists, busily infusing Chaos into those pieces. The sight was common during waking hours, particularly late morning as it was now.
Thankfully, she didn’t see Master Firellus, nor did she expect to see him in the Forge. He rarely ventured there, which was good. She had thus far evaded him since stepping into his nightmare. The memory gave her a chill.
When she spotted Everson, she crossed the room, circling benches and piles of scrap metal before stopping near a hot forge. With a pair of tongs in one hand, he pressed a thin sheet of hot metal against an anvil, shaping it into half a cylinder. Standing this close, the ring of the hammer made Cassie’s head ring along with it.
Ivy sat nearby, working on something far more delicate. A pair of magnifying goggles covered half her face. Seeing anyone wearing those goggles made Cassie think of a bug. I would hate to meet a bug that size, she thought with another shiver.
Everson set the hammer aside and wiped his brow. “Hi, Cassie,” he said in a loud voice as a drip of sweat ran down his temple. “What brings you here?”
“You don’t have to shout,” she grinned at him. “I can hear you just fine.”
He lowered his voice. “Sorry. My ears are still ringing from the hammer.” He frowned. “I really should plug them before I do this, but I usually forget.”
Ivy lifted her goggles. “Hello, Cassie.” She pulled a glob of blue wax from each ear. “That’s better,” she said as she set the earplugs on the workbench.
“Perhaps you should have Ivy remind you, Ev,” Cassie suggested. “She seems to remember to wear them.”
He nodded. “She is more organized than I am. It’s one reason I love having her around.”
Ivy narrowed her eyes. “I certainly hope there are other, better reasons.”
Everson blinked. “Um. Yes. Of course.”
Standing, Ivy smiled and reached for Everson’s hand. “Don’t worry. I was only joking.”
He grinned sheepishly and glanced at Cassie. “Yes. I should have known.”
Cassie chuckled, “Don’t ever change, Everson. I find it refreshing to have someone honest and innocent around.”
“Yes. I do like you just the way you are.” Ivy slipped her arm around him and then pulled away. “Well, perhaps when you are less sweaty.”
He winced. “Sorry about that. Pounding steel is hard work.”
Ivy grabbed his upper arm. “I’ve noticed how good you look when your shirt is off.” She flashed a devious smile as her hand moved to his chest, where his tunic was damp with sweat. “All this hard work is paying off.”
“Well, that’s not why I do it. However…”
“I came to ask for help,” Cassie blurted, deciding it was time to change the subject. When they looked at her, she said, “I may have discovered a new use for Chaos.”
Everson’s eyes lit up. “What is it? How does it work?”
“I’m not exactly sure. That’s why I came to you.”
His brow furrowed in thought before he nodded to himself. “To be sure we don’t destroy anything if the rune proves false, we should test it outside.”
Cassie nodded. “I expected as much. Go grab some warmer clothing, and I’ll meet you two near the stables.”
The sun was out, the weather surprisingly mild. Water dripped from long icicles hanging off the stable roof, each drop disappearing into narrow holes that had formed in the snow beside the building.
Cassie wore her gray wool cloak, but kept the hood down since there was little wind. The bright reflection of sunlight off the snow-covered ground forced her to squint while Everson and Ivy crossed the gravel stable yard.
“Sorry it took so long,” Everson said as they drew near. He turned to Ivy as he spoke. “Someone made me wash up and change shirts.”
“Some of us are sensitive to bad smells,” Ivy noted. “Something for which you certainly qualified.”
“Thank you for not offending our sense of smell, Everson,” Cassie said with a smile.
He sighed. “Enough of that. What can you tell me about the new rune?”
Cassie looked around to ensure they were alone. “Two nights back, I couldn’t sleep so I went to the kitchen to scrounge up some food.”
“Ooo. Don’t let Irma catch you in there.”
“I know. That’s why I was trying to do it quietly. While I was in there, the door opened, casting light into the room. I hid, thinking it might be Irma. Instead, it was Delvin. Without making a sound, he crossed the room, went into the supply closet, and slipped away. As I studied him, I was amazed by his silent, fluid manner – the epitome of stealth. That’s when the rune appeared.”
“You were holding tight to Order during this event?” Everson asked.
“Yes. I…It has become a bit of a habit. Besides, I had woken from a nightmare.” Cassie shivered as she recalled Elias’ dream. “Meditation helps when I am upset.”
Everson said, “With the last rune you discovered, you had been focused on Brandt’s speed and quickness and that’s when the Speed rune came to you?”
“Yes.”
“And this time, you were focused on Delvin’s sneaking skills – his stealth. That is the augmentation you suspect?”
Cassie nodded.
“That makes sense to me,” Ivy said.
Everson rubbed his chin. “Inanimate objects acquiring stealth would only make them hard to notice. We need to test this with something that moves to measure the effect of the augmentation.”
Cassie looked at Ivy with a raised brow. “Does it ever bother you when he talks this way?”
Ivy’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Never mind.”
Everson’s eyes brightened. “I’ve got it!”
“What exactly do you have?” Ivy asked.
“I know how we can test this new rune. Follow me.”
He walked toward the open side of the stable yard and followed a trail of tracks that ran around the building.
“That’s what we will use.”
“Our snowman?” Ivy said.
The thing Everson had indicated was made of snow, wide at the base and narrow at the top. It had sticks for arms, buttons for eyes, and a carrot for a nose.
“Why did you make a man from snow?” Cassie asked as she stared at the odd-looking creation.
“Because it’s fun.” Ivy sidled close to Everson and hooked her arm in his.
“You haven’t built a snowman before?” Everson asked.
“No,” Cassie shook he head. “I never even experienced snow before this winter, remember?”
“Oh. Yeah.” Everson tugged Ivy forward and the two walked toward the snowman. “Growing up in Cinti Mor, we used to build one every winter. Quinn would often name them, as if each had its own personality.”
“I used to do the same in Selbin,” Ivy added. “Except for naming them. I never thought to do that.”
They stopped in front of it, all three looking at the misshapen man made from snow. Everson produced a charcoal stick from his pocket and began to draw a symbol on the snowman. When finished, he handed the coal to Cassie.
“Draw your new rune right here.” He tapped a blank spot above his rune.
Cassie did so, closing her eyes twice as she recalled the symbol. Getting it wrong would be disaster, but at least it would be outside where little harm would follow. She stood back and handed the coal to Everson.
“Let’s back up and stand beside the stable,” Everson said. “Then, you can charge both runes. Just be sure to charge mine first.”
The trio retreated and stood in the shadow of the stable with their backs to it. Cassie closed her eyes, embraced Chaos, and drew it in. Raw power surged through her, filling her with life – too much life. She opened her eyes and released a portion of it into the Animate rune before channeling the rest into the new rune. In turn, each rune glowed, pulsed, and faded.
The snowman began to shake, the base breaking apart to form legs made of snow. It stood, the stick arms moving and flexing. And then, it disappeared.
“Where did it go?” Cassie spun around, searching for the snowman.
Something white flashed in her peripheral vision, but when Cassie turned toward it, nothing was there. She turned again and saw it in the edge of her vision, this time closer, but it was again gone when she turned and looked directly where she thought she saw it.
Furrows appeared in the snow beside her and she gasped. Tentatively, she reached out and felt the snowman, but she couldn’t see it. Everson and Ivy were both wide-eyed. Again, a faint white shape hovered at the edge of her vision, right over the tracks.
“The thing is right here beside me,” Cassie said. “Odd, but I can’t see it unless I look away.”
Everson turned his head and grunted. “You’re right.” He reached his arm across Cassie and patted the near invisible snowman. “I can feel it and see a shadow of it in my peripheral vision.” He turned toward it. “But when I stare directly at it…nothing.”
“I did it,” Cassie smiled. “I discovered another rune. We should go in so I can draw it for you. We will need to record it with the others.” Her grin stretched. “I can’t wait to share this with Brandt.”
“There is one thing you are forgetting,” Ivy said.
“What’s that?”
“You animated the snowman. The thing is going to follow you around like a pet until the augmentation fades.”
Everson chuckled. “This should be interesting. I wonder how long it will take to melt once we are inside.”
After recording the new rune on paper and helping Everson and Ivy mop up the melted remains of the snowman, Cassie left the study and climbed the stairs while imagining how the new Stealth augmentation might be used.
Magic-enhanced stealth would be an incredible tool for an espion like her brother. She considered reaching out to him but recalled his current mission and decided to wait.
She reached the fifth floor and followed the corridor to her apartment. Using the key she kept on a cord around her neck, she unlocked the door, stepped inside, and closed it.
“I was wondering when you would return.”
Cassie gasped in alarm. She spun around to find Master Firellus seated on her sofa. As usual, the man was dressed in clothing of one color – his tunic, trousers, and cloak all black. Unlike the dream, the gray had returned to his hair and the wrinkles to his face.
“Master Firellus. I…I wasn’t expecting you. How did you get in?”
“I did not pick the lock, if that’s what you think.” He reached into his pocket and produced a gold key, eyeing it as he spun the key around. “Some of us have keys that open every door in the Ward.” He repocketed the key. “Of course, we did not give one to Master Garber.” A grimace crossed his face. “Delvin wouldn’t use a key anyway. The man prefers to use other means of entry and sees it as some sort of challenge.”
Cassie’s brow furrowed. She crossed the room and sat across from him. “You don’t like Delvin much, do you?”
He snorted. “I don’t need to like him. Delvin has a role, as do I. So long as he plays his part, we will continue to work together as required.” The grimace returned. “I just wish I knew where he went off to this time.”
The mention of Delvin disappearing caused Cassie to reflect on her encounter with him in the kitchen. She had not seen him since that night.
“Never mind, Master Garber.” Elias leaned forward. “I am here to speak with you.”
Cassie swallowed and looked away, trying to find something to focus on beside the intimidating man who sat across from her. Her gaze settled on the Ratio Bellicus table between them.
“What about, Sir?”
“Have you been abusing your abilities?”
“Abusing? What abilities? If you refer to Infusing a living thing, I would never…”
“I refer to your ability to visit the dreams of others.”
He knows. “Well, I don’t know how to improve my skill without actually entering the dream realm.”
“Did you visit my dream two nights back?”
“I…I’m sorry if I did something wrong.”
He sat back, but she continued to look at the table, refusing to meet his glare. “The past is the past, Cassie. What’s done is done, both for you and for me.” Something in the man’s tone changed, ringing of regret. “I have made many poor choices in my life – more than good ones. I am doing my best to rectify that imbalance. You must know this.”
She met his eyes with a frown. “I don’t understand. What was that place?”
“It was a place of horrors – a past I wish to forget but cannot. The man in the dream, he is not me.” Anger returned to his voice as it rose in volume. “I have changed and am no longer that man!”
Cassie jumped at the outburst, her gaze meeting his. She gasped. “Elias. Your eyes…”
His eyes were red, but not his irises as was normal when someone held Chaos. Only his pupils glowed, as if something burned deep inside them.
“What?” he said, alarmed.
“They…they are red.”
He closed them, his body shaking as he took long, deep breaths. After a moment, he opened them and the red glow was gone.
“Since you have a hint of my past, it will do little harm for you to know the rest.” He held his hand toward her. “You must heal me, Cassie. It has been too long, and I may not control it long enough to see Master Alridge.”
Cassie looked at his hand. “What am I healing, Sir?”
“You must heal the Chaos trapped inside my body before it claims me again.”