“It was you back there, wasn’t it? Tell me everything.”
Chapter 3
I flopped onto her bed while she remained standing, no doubt wanting the freedom to stride around and gesticulate wildly in response to whatever I said.
“I could feel there was something wrong with that composition from the beginning,” I said. “It was fighting itself. But I was afraid to intervene.”
“It’s a good thing you did, though. Or who knows who might have been hurt?”
I nodded. “I should have taken control sooner, but I don’t know anything about building foundations, and I knew there had to be a fair amount of power in that composition.” I hesitated before admitting truthfully, “And I didn’t know how easily I would be able to hide my involvement.”
Bryony let out a sigh. “Yes, we were fortunate there, in the end. I don’t think anyone suspected a thing. And I guess you didn’t need to know anything about buildings after all.”
I frowned, rubbing at my temples. “Well, that’s actually the strange thing.”
Bryony raised an eyebrow. “Really? That one thing?”
I rolled my eyes at her, pushing on with what I was trying to say. “I was worried because it was a composition that required a reasonable level of specialist knowledge, but as soon as I took control of it…”
“Don’t tell me you gained all the knowledge of a master creator,” Bryony exclaimed. “Because that’s an ability I really would envy. Think how easy it would make study. Just claim a composition from each one of the instructors, and boom! You’d never have to study again.”
I chuckled. “Yes, I can imagine you’d find that appealing. But I’m afraid I’m as ignorant about foundations and…and load bearings as I was before.”
“Load bearings?” Bryony looked at me suspiciously. “What are load bearings? Maybe you did absorb some knowledge.”
I threw up my hands. “I have no idea what they are. It’s possible I just made that phrase up.”
Bryony laughed. “Fine, then. I will accept you know nothing about constructing buildings.” Her forehead creased. “Although you did more than stop that giant abomination from squashing everyone. It looked like it actually did what it was supposed to in the end. At least it sank into the dirt, which I’m assuming is what it was supposed to do. But I thought you’d taken control of the working at that point.”
“That’s the strange thing.” I sat up straight, tucking my feet under me. “I don’t know anything about building now, but the second I took control of the working, I understood it. Not just that its purpose was to create the footings for the foundation, but all the intricate details of how that was going to be achieved for that particular site. It all made sense to me. Right up until the working finished, and then the details just…slipped away.”
“Well at least you knew it while you needed it. That seems like quite a helpful tool with an ability like yours.”
I nodded, trying to keep frustration out of my voice. “I just wish it hadn’t taken me all summer to discover it. I wish there was a way I could practice.”
Bryony grimaced in sympathy. “I’m sorry. You know I’d help if I could.”
I sighed and rubbed my hand over my face. “I know you would. Sorry to be so negative.”
“I still think you should start stealing some of the compositions lying around this place,” she muttered rebelliously. “You’ve told me the palace is practically coated in power.”
“Yes, power that is doing something. All kinds of things, in fact. Things I can’t identify properly until after I take control of the working. Who knows what might happen if those compositions suddenly disappear? Or who might start investigating why the palace compositions are failing?”
Bryony rolled her eyes at my practicality but didn’t protest further. It wasn’t the first time we’d had the same conversation. She strode restlessly up the room, collapsing into a chair on her way back.
“There’s something else I’ve been wondering about—from what Captain Layna said about short compositions.” She gave me a confused look. “She made it sound like some sort of epic feat that needed vast training. Even for Aunt Elena. But you do it. You always have.”
I nodded. “I’ve actually been thinking about that all summer. From what I understand, in normal power compositions, the biggest issue is binding the power long enough to shape the working properly. As we know from the commonborns, once power is drawn on, it wants to explode out—violently. That’s why mages always start with binding words. Mother doesn’t have to use them because her compositions are so short there’s no time for the power to get out of control, but she took a long time to train to that point.”
“I guess I don’t know much about that,” Bryony said. “None of us energy mages have that issue given our access to power is naturally sealed before we’re even born.”
I nodded. “And as well as the control issue, power is also difficult because there’s so much you can do with it. It’s inherently shapeless and has to be molded to the mage’s purpose. It takes a lot of skill to do that in few words.”
“I always knew you were skilled.” Bryony grinned at me.
I snorted. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’ve been thinking about how it’s different for you and other energy mages. You don’t have to worry about binding words because you’re drawing on your own energy directly to work your compositions—the energy you’re using for your workings isn’t unstable in the way that power is. And your range of potential compositions is so much more limited that length isn’t really an issue either.”
“Thanks,” Bryony said dryly, but I just grinned, knowing she wasn’t really offended.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m using energy not power,” I said.
Bryony raised an eyebrow. “Energy compositions can’t lay building foundations.”
“I mean for the first part,” I said, “when I take control of a working. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like something in me senses the working and just…reaches for it.”
Bryony narrowed her eyes, speaking slowly. “I suppose that makes sense. It does sound more like energy than power.”
“But once I’ve taken control of the working, I’m using whatever the composition was originally crafted with—be that energy or power. So it was power I used on the foundation today. But I didn’t need binding words or even lots of words at all because it wasn’t shapeless power. It had already been contained and directed. I was just…twisting it. Which is one of the reasons I was so hesitant to take it over in the first place. The power has already been shaped enough that I can’t just do whatever I want with it. I have to find a way to direct it that at least somewhat aligns with its original shape. Like when the assassin used a composition to empty my lungs. I was able to turn it around to fill my lungs instead, but I couldn’t have used it to…I don’t know, grow a flower or something.”
Bryony frowned, clearly trying to follow my logic. “So you were scared that you wouldn’t understand what the creator mage had directed the power to do and therefore wouldn’t be able to control it. It sounds like that’s not going to be a problem, though.”