Vi interrupted him before he could finish. “Wait a minute, I told you my vision, now it’s time for you to tell me how to make use of this light.”
There was an audible sigh.
“My teacher here, she can draw these glyphs in the air to use the magic.” Vi barreled ahead before he could make any kind of objection again. “All I can do is make it radiate off my skin like tiny threads.”
“You’re not focusing it carefully enough, then,” he said, after what seemed like forever.
“That doesn’t help me.” She pursed her lips together. “‘Focusing’ is too vague.”
“You said you have a teacher there, on the Dark Isle?” She couldn’t tell if he was impressed or horrified by the fact. “Why not consult with her? She’ll be able to help you far more than I can, being physically present.”
“Because I’m asking you, remember? You need me.”And because Sehra doesn’t know very much, Vi refrained from saying. She’d allow the other noblewoman some pride. “She draws the glyphs with her fingers in the air, but I—”
“No, physically drawing them is a fool’s endeavor.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Vi tried and failed not to take offense at his tone. She suddenly felt very silly trying to doodle in the air with her index finger for hours.
“Yargen’s words are too complex for a mortal hand to draw efficiently—maybe it’s possible to achievesomethingin that way, clearly your teacher manages. But that seems an utterly ineffective means to harness her power…You must, instead, understand the glyphs beyond all doubt. Know them in your soul—more than your eyes and ears can tell you. Know how the words resonate with your will. Only then can you gain mastery of them.”
Intent was what this magic seemed to boil down to. Not unlike the elemental magicks of the Solaris Empire, she supposed. Vi flipped open Sehra’s book, looking thoughtfully at the random page she opened to.
“When you say words… you mean the glyphs?”
“Yes, we aren’t equipped to fully capture the language of the gods with mortal means. The best we can do is through the markings—glyphs, as you call them,” he said, matter-of-fact.A godly language, that would explain why she saw them come to life on the page and resonate sound in her mind. Though if Vi hadn’t had the week she’d been having, she would’ve scoffed at the notion of these words of power entirely.
“So you’re saying I just need to memorize them more?”
“Yes and no. When you say the word, you will not draw the glyph with your hands, or ink, or by any other means. But with your mind. You must know it there. Like a musician knows his pieces, inside and out, well enough to know how it must be played in his own style.”
“Yes, intent… That should be doable,” she mumbled. If there was one thing Vi could do, it was amassing useless knowledge derived from books.
“It’s not as easy as your tone tells me you think it is.” He chuckled.
“Don’t underestimate me.” She hated how condescending he sounded. No stranger would speak to the Crown Princess that way, voice or no voice.
“Don’t underestimate Lightspinning,” Taavin fired back. “After all, if it were easy, you wouldn’t be asking me for help.”
Vi chewed the insides of her cheeks. He had a point. She’d spent hours with Sehra today and hadn’t made much progress. But those had been hours working in the wrong direction; now she had a headway.
“All right,” she started with renewed determination. “I’ll begin really committing them to memory.”
“With what?” His question reminded her that he couldn’t see the book she was looking at.
“My teacher has a tome with a great number of these glyphs.”
“Interesting…” Taavin’s voice went low. “You know that’s contraband to have on the Dark Isle. The person who delivered it could be put to death under the Queen’s law.”
“I’m the Crown Princess. All knowledge in Solaris is open to me.” Vi wasn’t sure if it was a lie or not. The map of the world—the true map—had been kept from her until recently. What other falsehoods of her world did she unquestioningly accept as fact?
“And that distinction means so very little to the rest of the world.” The statement stilled her. His words weren’t harsh or cruel. It was simple, factual. He wasn’t trying to tear her down, merely state truth.
“Regardless, it is what it is. I have it, and I will make progress,” she vowed.
“And while you make that progress, you shall seek out the next apex—a tomb marked by Yargen.”
“Yes, I remember our deal.” As if she could’ve forgotten so quickly. “Until next time.”
Before he could get another word in, Vi released the magic and took a moment to breathe. That had gone well. She’d accomplished her goal, at the very least.
