We continued working in silence for a while until Cassian let out a sharp gasp. I hurried to him to find him inspecting a round, gray stone with something engraved on it. The engravings shimmered as if lit by full sun instead of the snowy sky. Every color hid underneath the black of the engraving but only came out when Cassian turned it at the right angle.
“What is that?” I asked.
“This is a type of magic I’ve never seen before. It’s a rune stone that uses the power of nature instead of the mage’s magical energy to keep it running, so it can last for a very long time.”
“Could it be part of the curse?” I asked.
Cassian turned the stone over in his hands a few times, and then he said, “If it is, we’re in trouble.” He waded toward thebank and climbed out. “You’d better come with me. I want to show Jasmine.”
“Shouldn’t I keep searching for stones while the spell still works?” I asked, dropping another cateye into the half-full jar.
Cassian offered me his hand. “I don’t want you here without me if it wears off. He pulled me out of the river and onto the icy bank, but he waited until we were dressed and back inside before removing the spell. The cold hit me like a wall. Even inside, it was much colder than I remembered.
“Jasmine,” Cassian said, hurrying behind the counter with the rune stone in hand. “Look what I found. What do you think this is?”
“Is that…?” Jasmine took the stone from Cassian, tilting it around just like Cassian had.
Jasmine gasped and handed the stone back to Cassian. “Grandpa told us about this kind of magic! That’s Faian magic! It’s dangerous, and probably ancient!”
“Dangerous?” Cassian asked, now holding the stone gingerly with his fingertips.
“Yes! Didn’t you listen to his stories?” Jasmine said, her voice rising in pitch. “Faian magic uses nature against its target. That needs to go right back where you found it.”
I lifted a hand. “Let’s not be hasty. Jasmine, how do you know that? Are you a witch too? I would think Cassian would know more about runes as a professional, unless you are too.”
Jasmine frowned at me. “No, I’m not a witch.”
“She’s a mage, though,” Cassian said. “She knows as much as I knew before I left to study witchcraft.”
“Did you study Faian magic with your mentor?” I asked.
“Briefly,” Cassian said, frowning at the stone.
“What would she have told you to do?” I asked.
Cassian squinted at the rune stone before looking up. “She would’ve told me to throw it back in the river. Jasmine is right.It would probably be fine, but there is a chance nature will turn on us, which could kill everyone here. The safety of our guests is priority.”
“What if it’s part of the curse?” I asked.
“We’ll ask Willo about it,” Cassian said, clutching the stone in his fist. “I’m going to return it. I’ll be back.”
Jasmine and I waited behind the counter for Cassian to return. Patrons milled about the surrounding room, chatting with one another and drinking by the fire. “I didn’t know you were a mage,” I said.
Jasmine sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I hope you don’t take any offense. We’re all wary of the Force since they started cracking down on magic.”
“You must have been desperate to call us,” I said.
“Yeah,” she said with a laugh. “Cassian was unsure, but I begged him to send the letter. I didn’t think we’d make it past winter without your help, even with the risk of being found out. Turns out we didn’t need to worry, though. Thanks for being nice about it.”
“Of course. Sometimes it feels like my fellow officers have their priorities backwards,” I said.
“It must be hard to work around people like that,” Jasmine said.
“They’re all right. Of course, I’m not a mage. I’m sure they’d treat me differently if I were.”
“Definitely.”
“You were never interested in studying witchcraft?” I asked.
