“How can you find anything in this pantry of yours?” She feigned the bravado she didn’t have. Of course she wasn’t sure about it. What sane person wanted to wander off to her own death? But no matter how much she mulled it over, there didn’t seem to be any other real way to find Soraya. There were no other magical items Master Garren knew of that could do such a thing, and locater spells were not accurate enough even if she had the magical control to sustain one — which she didn’t. If only she’d put more practice time in, she thought, but then reminded herself that now was not the time for what-ifs. “Do you have any dried meats?”
Master Garren reached over her head and pulled down a small wooden box. He set it on the table just outside the pantry door. Eris began digging through the box, taking a couple handfuls from each bag to fill her own pouch. She had never spent much time in Master Garren’s kitchen before. Most of their lessons were outside during the warmer months, and when it was too cold to be outside, they practiced in his large study.
His kitchen table had only one sturdy-looking wooden chair, so Eris reasoned that he did not have guests over regularly. There was a shelf over the sink with several teacups lining it, and short countertops on either side of the sink, with a bowl for fruits on the left and a small basket of root vegetables on the right. Though everything, except the pantry, seemed tidy, it felt lonely.
“What about your parents?” he asked, causing her to momentarily stop stuffing her pouch. She knew her parents would never willingly let her run off to Jara city in search of a sister they couldn’t remember. They had been barely able to let Soraya go, even with Darren. So, she wouldn’t ask for their permission. As long as she came back, everything would be fine.
Master Garren was giving her one last chance to change her mind, she knew that. But if she voiced all the doubts circling in her mind, she would lose what little bravery she had been able to fake.
“Do you have any dates?” Eris pulled the drawstring on the meats pouch closed. She stuffed it into the pack Master Garren had loaned her, along with the apples, bread, and medicinal herbs she had already packed.
Master Garren moved back into the pantry and soon produced a small bag of dates. He handed them to her and she tossed them into the pack.
“I think that’s everything I need.”
Master Garren eyed her with an odd expression on his face and sighed. “There’s one more thing you need before you go.” He stumbled from the kitchen back down the hallway towards the sitting room.
Eris slung the closed pack over her shoulder and followed after him, past the sitting room and towards the open study door. Before she could make it through the door, Master Garren appeared in front of her. He gestured back towards the chairs where they had shared tea earlier. Eris sat on the chair across from him and reminded herself to be patient.
Master Garren sat carefully and set a small wooden trunk in his lap. “This chest came with the message I showed you earlier. Inside is something that might be of use to you, though it would be better if you didn’t have an occasion to use it.”
He slowly opened the lid and pulled out a small blue pouch. Eris still couldn’t quite recognize the look in Master Garren’s eyes as he opened the bag. He looked conflicted, but more sad than anything. What could be in the bag that would cause such a reaction? Master Garren was the calmest person she knew, after her father. Other than the occasional smile, it was hard for her to find much of a range of emotion in her magic teacher.
From the pouch, he pulled out a necklace and handed it to Eris. She held it out in her palm. It was beautiful, a large teal stone in the center of silver that scrolled around the teardrop-shaped stone. She wrapped her fingers around it and looked at Master Garren.
“This is Orielle. A gift from the Yavo. As you well know, the Yavo knew that all magic comes at a price. They crafted many magical treasures that they left behind for us to use before they went into seclusion a millennia ago. Orielle is no different, so I beg you to only use this at your most dire moment. Though we don’t know what the Prince will be like, I hope you will have no use for it at all.”
“What’s the price?” The Yavo were the elders of magic, the most powerful magic users in the world, but no one currently alive had ever seen them. Magic always came with a price. Master Garren had told her that at least seven times every lesson. Whatever the price, she would pay it if it meant getting her sister back. Soraya would have done the same for her.
“Orielle is capable of channeling your magic in a way that will give you a powerful burst of focused energy, but the price is steep. You must call upon one of your most cherished memories to offer up in exchange.” Master Garren sighed. ”Orielle will accept no less. Orielle will not be fooled and if you try to fool it, then it will take all of your memories as recompense.”
“Have you ever used Orielle?” Eris asked.
“Once. And the price is steep indeed. You may get the power you need, but the memory you offer up will leave a hollowness that you will be unable to fill. May you never have need to use it. And if you do, may you be able to live with the emptiness it leaves behind.”
Eris took another look at the beautiful necklace before she fastened it around her neck.
Chapter 9
Eris
Eris had been traveling for a few hours in the dark towards Jara City when a strange sound pulled her from her thoughts. Instinctively, she stopped and wrapped her hand around Orielle before searching through the blackness of the forest. With the clouds blocking most of the moon, it was hard to make out anything other than the looming shapes of trees and bushes. The sounds of animals echoed through the quiet night, offering nothing. She took a deep breath, dropped her hand, and strode on.
Master Garren’s warning had given her conflicting emotions about Orielle. She was grateful to have such a powerful magical treasure, because it gave her added confidence, but if the Prince was as dangerous as Master Garren feared, could she defeat him?
She had just made it past a turn in the road when the bushes behind her rustled. The rustle was too big to be a rabbit or fox. Someone had to be following her. Rather than turning to look at whoever it might be, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes so she could focus on summoning her magic. Shields were basic enough that it took almost no effort to conjure one when she was practicing with her teacher, but out there her emotions were on edge, and uncontrolled emotions meant unreliable magic. She took another deep breath and willed her pounding heartbeat to slow.
Then she reached down, down, down to the hottest part of her core and gently coaxed her magic to life. Opening her eyes, she pushed the magic out of her chest and into a dome around her. Now fully covered, she turned, daring to look in the bushes behind her, but whatever had stirred them seemed to be gone. She looked up into the tree above, but again found nothing. It took all her concentration to not panic. Fear made magic wild. She reminded herself to take another calming breath.
She had been practicing magic for most of her life, and at times it came as easily as breathing. At other times, especially as her magical powers had continued to grow, it was as if she had just started learning. She smiled as she heard Soraya’s familiar phrase in her mind, “An ounce of control is enough to build a forest.” Not that either of them had ever done such a thing, but Soraya’s adventurous nature, coupled with Eris’ impulsive one, meant they were often reminded to slow down and think through their problems.