Chapter 35: Trust Me, This is Perfectly Safe

Chapter 35: Trust Me, This is Perfectly Safe

With the temporary hold on her crystal experiments, she turned her attention to trying charms.

Kasens notes on basic Old Sulfae commonly seen on charms told her to start off with freezing charms. They were supposedly the easiest ones to make and she got it to work by accident the first time.

Soot ink or charcoal were needed for a charm to work. Most ink available was made with dyes from plants and ground insect shells, and didnt work. Since Kasen told her to use soot ink and a brush, she didnt think pencil would work, but she accidentally charged a piece of scrap paper she was practicing Old Sulfae on.

From her scrap paper practices, it turned out that pencil worked, too.

Is it the graphite? Tori lifted her pencil and stared at the tip. Graphite had carbon, too, though the structures were different and there were more impurities in soot. Soot ink was more expensive, as it was more difficult to make compared to plant and insect shell dyed ink. Graphite was cheap, as it was just pieces of soft mineral encased in wood. She narrowed her eyes. Thats good to know....

Charging a charm was the same as charging a crystal; the two were once aligned, after all. She had learned to charge crystals from Instructor Ignatius and while she didnt have a high aptitude for it, limiting the amount of energy she could draw from the earth and funnel into a crystal at a time, she could still do so with relative ease.

While channeling energy from the earth is common, some people cant channel energy at all, Instructor Ignatius had said, during their very first metacrystals class. And of those who can channel energy, not all of them can release the energy to charge a crystal.

Tori had a bit of a panic attack the first time she tried to charge a crystal. She remembered glaring enviously at Gideons back as he made his quartz glow straight away, earning him praise from their classmates. It had taken her a bit longer to channel energy and even then, it was limited.

The way she tried to explain it to her friends was to imagine a well and you have to pull up water. Some people are able to use a bucket. Some people could only draw water with a cup.

And Im probably using a thimble, Tori had concluded. If someone like Gideon was using the proverbial bucket to draw energy, then she could only imagine what a talent like Sebastian was using.

At any rate, even a thimble of energy was enough to charge a charm. Despite their weaknesses, such as low lifespans and easy to be damaged and neutralized, they were favored for this.

Because it took her so long to charge a single crystal, she would carry one around, and ground and channel energy whenever she could to try to charge the crystal in her pocket. The scrap piece of paper with the practice characters was accidentally charged because of this. When the graphite began to glow, Tori jumped back with flashbacks of her exploding crystal experiment.

Nothing happened.

The glowing stopped and Tori poked at the scrap piece of paper. Thinking she might have just been seeing things - she had been running herself ragged recently, she balled up the scrap paper and pushed it aside. When she reached for her coffee, it had a chunk of frozen coffee floating on it.

The scrap paper had touched her cup.

As expected, the charm worked fast. Her coffee froze as soon as the paper charm touched the mug. However, the state of the coffee didnt hold and it started to melt. It was like taking an ice cube from the freezer and placing it out at room temperature. On the upside, she finally had iced coffee and planned to introduce it to her friends when it got warmer.

Most people would focus on extending the life of the freezing charm; to have it keep an object frozen for a longer period of time. But for Tori, there was another charm she wanted to try.

Tori looked at the matching pieces of paper in front of her. They were two halves of a sheet of paper, cut lengthwise, and she wrote near-identical instructions on each with soot ink, as Kasen instructed.

In the games sequel, Victoria was tracked down using one of Montans charms. Tori didnt recall how it was placed on Victoria or for how long, only that Montan had somehow placed it on her person to allow the love interests to find Victoria and send her to her death. In a way, it was a bit morbid for Tori to want to learn how to use the charm that led to Victorias death.

Perhaps it was a way to try to gain some feeling of control over a situation that liked to throw her surprises.

Tori had asked Kasen about the tracking charms and hed found a few good samples in the book she bought from Mr. Ramos. She had little bookmarks marking them and carefully practiced the characters on scrap paper with pencil.

Still, when it came time to test the tracking charms, she went the traditional route and used soot ink. With the two near-identical pieces of paper in front of her, she closed her eyes and put a hand on each. A small bit of energy was funneled into each piece of paper to activate the first half of the charm.

With the two activated, she needed guinea pigs.

Ewan! Her hapless friend was just coming out of the practice grounds when he saw her. A smile filled his face as he waved.

Why didnt you come to practice? he asked.

I need to split my time with the project and the store, so Im only going twice a week, she said. Are you busy right now?

Ewan shook his head. Midterm exams just finished and most students were relaxing a bit before they returned to their studies. Need something?

I need to test a charm, but need a second person, Tori said. Can you help?

She was sure that Ewan would energetically agree, but this time, there was hesitation written all over his face. His eyes crinkled up and he shifted awkwardly. Uh...is this like your crystal experiment?

Tori never shouldve told them about the explosion. She shook her head. No, its a tracking charm. Theyre only charged with a little energy.

Ewan was not convinced. Is it...safe?

She let out a little ugh. Trust me, its perfectly safe. It either wont work or it will. Nothing on it says it will explode. Let me show you. Tori reached into her satchel and took out the two pieces of paper. Theyre matching charms that were charged at the same time, except for these characters. This one says release and on this charm, it says react. When I activate the react charm, the release charm will start to release the energy stored in it. The react charm will start to move in the direction of the released energy. Once the energy runs out, the charm is useless.

And it wont explode? Ewan asked carefully.

Tori drew her lips into a tight line. It wont explode.

He didnt seem fully convinced, but he still nodded. Okay. What do I do?

Tori beamed. She handed him the release charm. Put this in your pocket and then head anywhere on campus. It has to be somewhere I cant see from here, so that I wont subconsciously influence the test. I will count to a hundred fifty before activating the charm and come look for you.

Ewan looked at the piece of paper in his hand. How will I know when the charm is activated?

The characters should glow.

Isnt this like hide-and-seek?

Toris eyes widened. She wasnt sure if they had such a game here, so she didnt use that in her explanation. Yes! Its exactly like that. Only this is a cheat tool for the seeker.

Ewan nodded. He folded the piece of paper and tucked it in his pants pocket. You can start.

Tori turned her back to him. One...two...three.... She heard his footsteps growing quieter before it was gone. She remained standing not far from the practice grounds, quietly counting to herself, as a few other people from the association came out. She waved and greeted them, but said she was in the middle of an experiment and couldnt talk.

This isnt like your crystal experiment, is it? Vice-Captain Hector asked with a slight look of concern.

No, its a charm experiment! Nothing is going to explode; how do you even know about that? Tori only told a few people.

Who doesnt know about it?

She tilted her head back and groaned. She had the highest exam scores in metacrystals, but now was known as the girl who made a crystal explode. She was not reconciled. Tori pushed aside her thoughts on the matter and continued to count.

When she reached a hundred fifty, she lifted the react charm and took a deep breath. She activated it and watched the characters glow. If this didnt work, then shed have the tiring job of finding Ewan on her own. In retrospect, she shouldve gotten another person to help in case it didnt work.

It was too late now and all she could do was stare at the piece of paper. She pinched the two lower corners in each hand and willed it to react. It hung in front of her, lifeless.

Oh, come on.... Tori muttered. I know Im not a genius like my brothers, but Im trying. At least give me- She sucked in a sharp breath as the paper straightened out and went rigid. The top of the charm began to shake and she held her breath.

The charm folded over, making the top point to the left. It was as if the wind had blown over a sheet, but it kept flapping in a non-existent breeze. Tori narrowed her eyes and took it as a hint. She began to step to the left, in the direction the top of the charm pointed.

By no effort of her own, the charm began to subtly move and, wherever the top of the charm pointed, she would walk in that direction.

Toris smile widened as she kept her eyes on the charm, only occasionally glancing up to get an idea of where she was going. Occasionally wasnt good enough. The charm twisted again to point to the right and without thinking, Tori made a sharp right.

Right into a metal pathway lamp.

She slammed her right arm and shoulder against the lamp, nearly dropping her charm in the process.

Son of a-! Several curses left her lips as she looked up at an innocent metal lamp post, secretly blaming it for getting in her way. She lifted her foot and gave it a kick to the base. Stupid lamp....

When she raised her charm once more and looked up, she saw a few students looking at her strangely. As soon as they made eye contact, they looked away and began whispering amongst themselves.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Tori drew her lips inward. And now I look crazy.... She took a deep breath and shook her head once more. She resisted the urge to rub her upper arm and shoulder so she could keep both hands firmly on the charm. It was still pointing in a particular direction and she wondered how much longer it would last.

The release charm would only work until it ran out of energy and losing energy was what it was supposed to do in order to signal the react charm. Tori quickened her speed, but made a point to look up more often so as not to hit a wall or run into a person. She narrowly missed running into a classmate and had to hastily apologize.

She could feel the energy in the charm starting to weaken.

He looked surprised, but nodded. I would love to try. I heard Sir Nassaun and Training Commander Reystrom talking about your cooking last week.

Tori took the last bowl and scooped the remaining frozen custard into it for Constantine, before stabbing a spoon into it and handing it towards him. He graciously received it and took a small bit into his mouth.

His brows furrowed and he nodded. This is delicious...not too sweet, but smooth. It was frozen?

Partially. It has to remain creamy, so it cant be frozen solid, like ice, Tori said.

Thank you for letting me have a taste, Constantine said. He smiled as he ate it. I planned to just come in for a greeting, but it seems I got a nice treat.

This is all right, Ewan said. The real dishes she makes are even better.

What real dishes? This is a real dish. Henrik defended his precious frozen custard.

Yes, but do you really think its as good as the burritos? Sonia asked.

Yes. This is light and delicious. You wont get full stuffing yourself with this. And when it gets hot, this will cool you down, Henrik said, confidently.

Ill try to figure out other flavors for the release, Henrik. You can pick which one you want on your birthday, Tori said. She looked at the twins. Yours are next. Do you still want your burritos?

Yes, they chorused, completely assured. Sonia paused.

But...there are two of us, she said, glancing at her brother. Unlike when they were playing games at Sebastian's, this time the two seemed to have a silent understanding. Shouldnt we get two choices?

Youre cheating the system! Henrik glared at them, but the others seemed to nod. They made a valid point.

It should be one choice for Sonia and one choice for JP. Ilyana agreed.

No, there are two of them, but one birthday. Henrik shook his head.

Its on the same day, but there are two of them, Albert said, reasoning out loud. Tori said shed make something for each of our birthdays. They each have their own birthday; it just happens to be the same day.

Theyre twins, isnt that how it works? Ewan knit his brows together.

Would it be too much work to make two dishes, though? Ilyana looked towards Tori with some concern. Lord Sebastian said you spent the whole day preparing that meal for us.

As long as I have a day to prepare, it should be fine, Tori said. They just have to plan it with some time for me to make the dishes before the celebratory meal. I already sourced the beans and am using flour for the tortillas.

Our moms schedule comes out this weekend. Well be able to confirm when it is a good day, but it will be a weekend, Sonia said.

JP thought for a moment. Are you planning on going to the delta every other weekend?

Yes, I'm going to try to until the end of the semester. Tori wrinkled her nose. That reminds me, I need to decide if Im going to go to my cousins succession ceremony.

Lady Siobhans? Axton asked, distractedly looking at his empty bowl. I heard its going to happen this summer.

I wanted to stay in the delta to help, but most of my family is going. Im sure I'm going to see a lot of relatives, as well as heads and heirs of other marches.... As much as she wanted to stay in the delta, she felt shed have more to gain going to the succession ceremony. She also hadnt been to the western region yet, and was curious.

General von Schwert isnt able to make it, but the empress is likely going to go, Axton told her. Shell be excited to see your mother.

What succession ceremony is this? Albert asked, cocking his head to the side.

Marquis OTuagh, who is my grandmothers nephew, is stepping back from the position and my cousin, Lady Siobhan, is going to succeed him, Tori said. Its happening in Anlar, in Moss Hill in the OTuagh March.

The group was quiet for a moment. Sometimes, I forget that Tori is a marquis daughter.... JP seemed to quietly admit.

Axton chuckled. Of the nobility, the marquises tend to be the least pretentious. Its because all of them are somehow involved in the armies and navies, so they work with many lower ranked nobles and commoners. The more they work next to everyday people, the less uppity they are.

Tori nodded. Originally, she thought it was just her family that was very casual about class on a day-to-day level compared to how she thought theyd act in a fantasy European setting. They were still formal when the moment called for it and abided by formalities required for their position, as well as acknowledged the social and class differences, but it wasnt as if they detested the masses and purposely avoided them.

From how they talked about the other marches, she began to wonder if that was just how it was in the game world.

Then she found out about the duchies and experienced her noble peers in Presidio. Unless they were impoverished nobility, like Alessa, or new bloods, like Ilyana, they very much acted and lived within their own circles of wealth and privilege. If anything, the marquises, and their families were an anomaly in the nobility. But it was one she liked. At the very least, she didnt have to constantly worry about formalities when she was at home.

Half of Gramps drinking buddies are commoners and friends of his from when he was leading armies, she said.

Although, there was a clear divide in the circles in Lyce. People like her and Albert, who would technically run in both circles, made up a small percentage of the overall student population.

Of course, there were no formal after class activities and clubs that allowed for such a division. The Sword Association was open for everyone, for instance.

Come to think of it, thats probably why its seen as such a big deal to get into Lyce. You literally cant buy your way in with money alone. You have to test well or be good at something.

Well, I for one am quite glad that Lady Guevera doesnt have such prejudices, Constantine said. She is very easy to work with. And a good cook. Is there any more of this...?

Frozen custard? Tori shook her head. The remaining amount was in her bowl. Sorry, Mr. Zisos, that was the last of it.

...so, nothing was saved for me. A low, but questioning voice spoke out and everyone turned towards the door to the cafe. A pair of narrowed violet eyes bore into Tori.

Your Highness! Aside from Axton and Tori, and Constantine, who was already standing, the others rose to their feet and gave him small bows or a quick curtsy. Even Constantine bowed.

Good evening, Your Highness.

Hello, Your Highness. Several voices spoke at once. Axton looked amused at the nervousness of the younger students.

Piers simply gave them a nod to acknowledge them before walking behind the chaise. What did you make?

Frozen custard.

There is no more?

Tori looked at Axton, who quietly avoided her eyes. Axton said you dont like sweets.

Oh. She couldve sworn there was some disappointment in his voice and she looked at the empty pot. She glanced at the others; they had all finished eating. The only bit remaining was in her bowl.

Quietly, she took one of the clean spoons Mama J brought out and replaced her spoon with the new one. I humbly offer you the last of the frozen custard, she said, raising the bowl towards him.

Piers looked at it for a moment and then slowly picked up the spoon. He didnt pick up the bowl, instead letting her hold it up for him as he brought a spoonful into his mouth.

Everyone was quiet and Tori wondered if they were breathing. She looked towards Piers and watched his Adams apple move as he swallowed.

How is it? she asked tentatively.

Too sweet.

Tori frowned. What? Are you sure? She glared at him and prepared to bring the bowl back to her. Piers was faster.

The weight of the bowl was lifted from her hands and she watched as he ate another spoonful with a small smirk. But I still like it.

Thats the last of it, so you got lucky, Axton said as he leaned back against his seat.

Piers slowly finished the bowl. Did you tell her? he asked, looking at Axton.

Tell me what? Tori looked from Piers to Axton.

Ah...not yet, Axton said. I didnt know Id see you here.

Tori knit her brows and looked towards Piers. He licked his lips, seemingly satisfied at the dessert. He looked at Tori as he handed her the empty bowl. Tomorrow. I need you.