Gawain sighed and sat up, Arthur’s attention evidently an annoyance to him. “This is my area of study.”
“What? Dirt?” Percival shot back.
Gawain smiled, thick with condescension. “Patterns in what gifts show up and where. But most of all, how the magic break happens.”
“What’s a magic break?” Vera asked.
“The exact instant a person first exhibits their gift. I used to only study infants, but the war changed my mind.”
“Why?” Arthur said.
“Something I saw once.”
“What,” Percival pressed emphatically, “did you see?”
“An execution on the battlefield. Not just one, of course. I saw many, like both of you, I’m sure. But as the sword fell on his neck this time, I saw him have a magical break.”
The skin on the back of Vera’s neck prickled. “Did it look like a light exploded out of him?”
Gawain nodded. “Out of his chest. Is that what happened to the boy yesterday?”
“Yes,” she said. “I saw it. Arthur and I both saw it. Then Grady used it—his gift.”
“What was the man’s gift on the battlefield?” Percival’s annoyance had given way to genuine interest.
“No idea,” Gawain said. “He died.”
They stared at the mage, though Percival voiced their shared sentiment. “Are you being deliberately obtuse?”
He carried on as if Percival hadn’t said anything. “The soldier likely never even knew it happened. But the boy yesterday,” Gawain said. “Could either of you see his eyes when it happened?”
“I could,” Vera said.
“What did they look like?”
“Frightened.” She shuddered as she remembered Grady’s face, drawn with a horror that no fourteen-year-old should ever know.
“Panicked? Petrified? Desperate?” Gawain’s voice rose in excitement with each suggestion.
“Yes, of course. All of those things. He thought he was about to die.”
Gawain sat back on his heels as he sighed wistfully. “I wish I’d seen that.”
Vera recoiled. “That was the worst moment of his life.”
“Yes, but with all due respect, Your Majesty, he didn’t die and now has a very useful gift.” Gawain must have found what he was searching for on the ground as he procured a vial from the pocket of his robe and scooped it full of dirt before he turned his attention to Arthur. “And especially since I didn’t witness the event, it is imperative that I study the trace of what was left behind. It could not wait.”
“I understand,” Arthur said. Vera shot him a glare that he either did not notice or didn’t acknowledge. “But if you cannot meet a summons, I expect you to send word to explain your absence.”
“At the absolute least,” Percival added, though he clearly would have liked to say more.
“I am sorry, Your Majesty,” Gawain said. “That was thoughtless on my part. It won’t happen again.”
“Good,” Arthur said.
“You were here yesterday when the incident occurred,” Gawain said. “Were you able to see the boy clearly?”
“Yes,” said Arthur.
