Page 124 of Thorns & Fire
– A Recent History of the Shadow War
IN HER ENTIRElife, Wren had never seen Farissa smoke.But when she, Dessa and Thea finished explaining their theory, her former mentor stuck a pipe between her teeth, lit whatever was in its bowl, and inhaled deeply.Farissa braced herself against the mantle above the hearth and closed her eyes, exhaling a stream of smoke before she faced them.
‘To be clear, you believe that it’s not Delmira as a place, nor a particular strain of plant that made your original cure work, Elwren?’she asked.
‘No.’
‘You believe that Delmira’s rebirth and your inconsistent results with the counter-alchemy are a result of storm magic?’
‘Yes,’ Wren answered, Thea and Dessa both echoing the sentiment behind her.
Farissa chewed on the end of her pipe thoughtfully.‘It’s possible,’ she ventured.
‘It explains everything,’ Wren said.‘When I first arrived inDelmira after the war, it was all yellowed lands and little life but for some greying heather and a few trees.Everything else seemed like a wasteland.’
‘And you were there for five years, correct?’Farissa asked.
‘Yes.And nothing grew there, I swear it.I would have written to you, I would have—’
‘You are not on trial, Elwren,’ Farissa said gently.‘I’m merely thinking aloud.’
‘Nothing changed in that time,’ Wren reiterated.
‘I’m not sure that’s true...’
Wren’s gaze shot to her former mentor.‘What?’
Farissa gave her a sad smile.‘Youchanged, Elwren, and that is just as significant.However, what I’m interested in is the rate of growth.For five years after you first used storm magic in Delmira, nothing changed, nothing grew.And yet the meadow here, past the gardens...You used your magic there only days ago and already you have seen its impact?’
Dessa stepped forwards, her voice eager.‘We think Wren’s storm power has grown stronger over the years, so its effects are more intense – accelerated, even.’
Farissa nodded.‘It has been known to happen.As a wielder matures, so does their magic.’
‘I have another theory,’ Thea said, twirling one of her star-shaped blades between her fingers.
‘You do?’Wren asked, turning to her in surprise.
Her sister grinned.‘Perhaps the effects of your magic can also be more powerful when the place in question has some sort of significance to you.’
Wren’s face flushed, and she silently swore she’d never tell Thea another thing.
But Farissa looked thoughtful.‘Also possible...Thea, what about your magic?Have you seen any similar results?’
‘I usually leave a trail of torn-out monster hearts in my wake, not flowers,’ the Warsword answered.‘So no, not that I can recall.’
‘Then you should—’
‘We already got her to use her magic on some nearby land,’ Wren assured her.‘If it’s anything like mine apparently is, we should know within a day or so.’
Farissa refilled her pipe and lit it once more.‘Then, Elwren, I believe you have work to do?’
Wren nodded, her mind already racing as she reached for the door.
‘I’ll gather the masters,’ Farissa said.‘They’ll be ready when you are.’
For the first time in months, Wren knewexactlywhat she was doing.Dessa and Thea helped her gather everything she needed from the conservatory and bring it to her room.One of the academy workshops would have been preferable, but she couldn’t risk prying eyes or interruptions.Once she was settled, she consulted her notes on the variant that had saved Zavier’s life and organized her equipment: crucibles, vials of blood, shallow dishes containing the dark alchemy she wished to counter.She harvested tooth-edged leaves from the Delmirian silvertide rose and ground them up in her mortar and pestle, her mind flitting from one possibility to the next.It hadn’t been a single plant her storm magic had affected.If she could enhance the other natural components of the cure...there was no telling how powerful it would be against the enemy.
While she worked, Dessa and Thea played cards on her bed.The quiet hum of their presence didn’t distract her, but served as a reminder of their support, their love.While it made her heart ache for Ida and Sam, it also made her grateful that she’d known them, and that even without them, all was not lost.
