Oddly, he believed her. Perhaps it was because he was so enamored of her, so deeply under her spell that he could not make himself believe otherwise. But her words convinced him, and he knew at once he would tell her. Which he did, completely and without subterfuge. He told her of how the magic generated a catatonic effect in him every time he used it in a stressful situation. He explained how it stole away his control over himself and left him in a black space from which it sometimes took up to several hours to extricate himself. When that happened, he was left completely without defenses and had to rely on others to steer him to safety and to care for him.
“It has always been like that,” he finished. “And each time I fail to contain the magic, the catatonia gets a little worse. I thought that being able to direct it to accomplish specific tasks might put an end to all that. But it doesn’t seem that’s possible.”
He waited in the ensuing silence. “First of all,” she told him carefully, “you haven’t mastered control of the magic. You said so yourself. You are just beginning to learn how. It’s probably too soon to be able to stop what’s happening to you. You need to give yourself more time. But eventually Arcannen is going to discover what you’re hiding. Sooner or later, the magic will break free in his presence, and he will realize what’s happening. What are you going to do then?”
He shook his head. “I know you are right about Arcannen. But maybe he won’t find out right away. If I am careful, maybe I can keep from being overstressed while learning how to keep control. Maybe I can avoid having to use magic for real. I should be able to tell the difference between what’s real and imagined. I just need to work at it a little more.”
“All right,” she said, nodding slowly. “Let’s find out if that’s so. I won’t say anything to him about what happened. We can just tell him you managed to create images that took on a presence and leave it at that. But, Reyn, this is a dangerous game you are playing. Arcannen is not someone you want to anger. He says he wants to help you and maybe he does, but he could turn on you in a moment. I’ve seen that in him. He is unpredictable. It might be better to admit what is going on and take your chances. I will stand by you if you do.”
“It would be foolish of you to do that. You’re his apprentice.”
She gave him a look. “I am my own person before I am anyone’s anything. I have learned to look after myself, and I will not be made to give that up for anyone.”
“I don’t want you involved.”
She laughed softly. “Really? You don’t? But I’m already involved.” Then she leaned forward and kissed him softly. “Haven’t you noticed?”
It was fully dark by now, the last of the sunlight faded, the skies gone black and only slivers of moonlight seeping through gaps in the heavily layered clouds to illuminate the coastline of the Tiderace. The air was cold and damp, a fine mist settling over the ruins of Arbrox. Somewhere nearby seagulls were crying mournfully and the crashing of the waves against the rocks was a cacophony of thunderous booms.
Lariana and the boy appeared through the doorway of Arcannen’s refuge looking slightly bedraggled and thoroughly worn out. The sorcerer looked up from the tide tables and charts he had spread out across the work space he kept for himself to one side of the room, taking note of their condition.
“Success?” he asked them, raising one eyebrow.
Lariana nodded. “It took all day, but in the end he managed it.”
She went on to describe what the boy had created—the men first and then the four-legged beast. She gave an accurate description, concluding with her personal belief that in another day or so Reyn Frosch would master much, much more.
When she had finished, Arcannen leaned back and contemplated her words. There was something wrong with what she was telling him, but he was not sure what. He didn’t think she was lying exactly, but he suspected she was leaving something out. He couldn’t say what made him think this—the words, her tone of voice, the smoothness of her recitation, the look on her face—but there was a gap that troubled him. His instincts were good at warning him of such deceptions, and he had learned to trust them.
But why would Lariana be deceiving him? Why would she not be entirely honest? She had been until now. Hadn’t she? He pursed his lips. He was troubled enough that he had to scratch this particular itch.
“Does she speak for you on this?” he asked the boy.
He nodded quickly. “She does.”
“And you were able to bring these images to life, to give them the appearance of flesh and blood, to move them like living creatures?”
“Until I grew tired. But I will try again in the morning, after I’ve slept and rested a bit. I was starting to make mistakes at the end, small lapses that let the image fail. My control was slipping.”
Arcannen got to his feet. “I don’t think we should wait that long. I think we should test your control now, while the experience is fresh. I might be able to help you with any difficulties. Sort out the small things that might trouble you later.”
The boy and the girl did not look at each other, their eyes fixed on him. “It’s awfully dark out there,” Lariana said finally.
“We can light things up,” the sorcerer told them. He smiled. “Come along.”
They departed the room, went down the hallway to the entry leading out into the ruins, threw on fresh cloaks against the weather, and went outside. The darkness was complete, the clouds having closed away every last vestige of moonlight, the rain falling in heavy sheets, and the wind howling mournfully across the barren rocks. They could just make out the sheen of slick dampness that layered the rubble beyond their doorstep in the faint light cast by the opening of the door to the outside. Lariana and the boy, leading the way, stood in the opening uncertainly.
“A good challenge for your talents, Reyn,” Arcannen shouted at him in order to be heard over the wind. “We might see more of this weather before it has blown itself out.”
He watched the boy closely. No reaction. Just a blank stare. The girl was the same. But he sensed an uneasiness between them nevertheless. Not everything was as it appeared on the surface.
“Let’s cast a little light on the situation,” he said to them.
A quick flick of his fingers brought fire to his fingertips, and a series of quick snaps of his wrists sent sparks out into the rain and the dark. Wellsprings of flames erupted suddenly on the damp rocks and burned as if fueled by dry wood. Sheets of rain formed hazy curtains in front of these magically generated sources, but there was light now where there had been none before.
“All right, step outside. Let’s see what you can do.”
He gestured for Reyn to proceed, and after a moment’s hesitation the boy did as he was told. Rain pummeled him as he advanced into the open space between the fires. Lariana started to follow him, but Arcannen grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“Let’s see what he can do without our interference,” he told her, bending close.
She gave him an irritated look, but stepped back. “You’re putting an awful lot on him, don’t you think?”
Her willingness to challenge him caught him by surprise. “I think it is my business to make that decision and not yours.”
Together, they watched the boy move out into the center of the circle of flaming stones, standing alone in the rain and the near darkness, shoulders hunched beneath the all-weather cloak, head lowered inside the shadowed hood. For a long time, he stood motionless, a vague figure within the sheeting rain. He appeared to be doing nothing, but Arcannen assumed he was concentrating.
Nothing happened.
Then, abruptly, a singular figure appeared to one side—a huge misshapen creature covered in hair and spikes, a nightmare come alive, rising up out of the broken carpet of stones as if born of them, all size and bulk. It heaved itself upward to its full height of well over eight feet and turned toward the boy. The boy, in response, turned to face it, standing his ground as he did so, watching as the creature advanced in a shambling lurch. He waited until the creature was within a dozen feet, then he swung his gaze toward Arcannen. The creature, as if responding to this movement, changed direction abruptly and started toward the sorcerer.