Marc’s face fell. “You have to be joking.”
“I’m not. This is a serious spell, and it needs a serious sacrifice. What about your other leg, then?”
“I’d like to keep both of them, and my arms.”
Eldric’s eyes had wandered up there, and he knitted his eyebrows together. “Well, what now?”
Marc’s eyes darted to me. “What about a song?”
His friend followed his gaze and blinked at me. “A song? What about a song?”
“My beautiful friend here has a very rare talent to conjure magic with her voice.”
Eldric stroked his chin in his hand as he studied me. “Does she?
I shrank beneath their attention. “I can’t really do anything.”
Our host grabbed a full chair, tipped its contents onto the floor, and turned the seat toward me. “Well, let’s see what this anything is.”
I reluctantly moved over to the chair while the others crowded around me. I’d been in front of many audiences, but none that made me as nervous as the one that now stood before me. I shut my eyes and cleared my throat before I started my song.
The music flowed freely out of my mouth, and the acoustics of the attic allowed my voice to echo around us. The air vibrated with my song, and a gasp came from Theo. I opened my eyes and beheld twirling dust storms that circled the room like ballroom dancers. They ducked and arched around the furniture and occupants, picking up more of the dirt and grime until not a speck was left on the books.
That gave me an idea.
I jumped to my feet and hurried over to a window at the far end of the room. The dust devils danced along behind me, and I flung open the glass. I segued into a march, and my dirt creations lined up before marching out the window. The last one passed me, and I slammed the glass shut. My companions hurried over, and we crowded around the window. I ceased my song, and the dust devils lingered outside the glass for a few moments before they broke apart and floated down
Eldric turned to me with sharp, curious eyes. “That was very interesting, Miss Rose. Where did you learn such magic?”
I shrugged. “I just sing and it happens.”
“Such a beautiful voice. . .” Theo murmured as he continued to stare out the window.
Marc patted his patch. “Do you think you can weave that magic into this? It might make it hold better.”
Eldric wrinkled his nose. “I could, but mixing magics, even ones that use the natural world, is dangerous. You might not survive the attempt.”
Marc laughed and clapped his hand on Eldric’s shoulder. “Don’t be so gloomy. I’ve seen you mix magics before.”
Eldric nodded at his hidden eye. “But not to cover the kind of thing that’s underneath that patch. We hardly know anything of what made it.”
“Then you can learn a little something more about it right now,” Marc insisted as he turned his face to me. “What do you say?”
My face drooped, and my hands fidgeted in front of me. “I’m not really sure how I can help. I mean, it’s just my voice, and all I’ve ever managed to do is make things float.”
“We’ll see if we can’t bottle a little bit of that wonderful tune,” Eldric assured me as he scooted behind me and set his hand on the small of my back. “Let’s just sit you beside Marc and see what we can do.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Alright. If you think I can help.”
“Excellent,” he replied as he guided me over to Marc, taking my empty chair as we passed by. “Theo, will you please bring my beaker set over here?”
“Of course, Professor,” he agreed as he scurried to obey.
Eldric set the chair close beside Marc and set me on the seat. “Just sit here as still as you can, and nothing should happen.”
“Should?” I repeated, but the professor had already turned to the table.
Theo and he went to work rigging up a round-bellied beaker and a long tube. One open end faced me, and the other ran into the beaker.
