The rock shelves on both sides of the cove were bare of water, showing seaweed, mussel beds, and tide pools. Now at its lowest point, the tide had just begun to turn. By noon all but the tiniest sliver of beach would be covered in seawater.
“Let's see how good I am,” the girl told Little Bear, sitting on a rock at the foot of the trail. The pup sat down as well and yawned.
Closing her eyes, Tris started her meditation breathing, listening for the voice of her magic. In the weeks since beginning her studies, she had learned how to take strength from currents in the air or sea, if she were tired. She thought she could use that same magic to keep the tide from coming in, by pulling its strength into herself, or through herself, at least. The rock she chose as a seat looked like a good place to store the rest of it until she chose to set that power free.
As a wave came in, she called to its strength, taking it in. Without letting it go, she reached for the power of the next wave, and the next, draining the tide of force as it tried to cover the shore. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see that the water now lurked around the far ends of the rock shelves, bubbling and churning like a pot on the boil. She grasped as much power as she could stand - to her surprise, she couldn't hold nearly as much of it as she had expected to. Like a sailor trying to empty out a sinking boat, she hurried to dump the strength from other waves into the rock beneath her. The sea fought hard, surging and pulling on her magic, trying to shake her loose.
Just a little longer, she thought. Just a bit more, so I know I really did it...
When Tris opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Niko's face. “Uh-oh,” she whispered, and closed them again.
“Now you know why only one in ten Trader windmages lives to adulthood,” that clipped voice said.
She tried to sit up. The rock under her felt strange - hardly like stone at all. For one thing, she'd had to crawl onto it; now she could just step off, once she had the strength. For another, it gave, more like a sack of grain than a proper boulder.
When she tried to lever herself off the stone with both hands, it collapsed, dropping her amid a shower of gravel, shattered into a thousand small pieces. Tris rolled onto her back, staring up at Niko. Little Bear came over and licked her face.
“What happened to my rock?” she demanded lazily. “It's all to pieces.”
“It's where you placed what you took from the tides, isn't it?”
She nodded.
“You put in more than the stone could hold. It's dissolving. Now, let me ask - have you had a lesson today?” inquired the mage.
“You look very tall from down here,” Tris remarked. His eyebrows came together in a scowl. Hurriedly she said, “When my teacher tells me it's a bad idea to try and fight the power of nature, I should listen.”
He grasped her hands. “I don't know that I can walk,” she admitted as Niko helped her to rise.
“I know very well that you can't,” he said. “Your luck is in. The moment I knew you were in trouble, I enlisted a friend.”
“Hullo,” Kirel said. Tris hadn't seen him waiting on the path. “You must be Daja's friend - the crotchety one.” Grinning, he knelt, folded her over his shoulder, and stood.
“This is so humiliating,” grumbled Tris. She was too weak even to struggle.
“Now you know why only one in ten Trader windmages lives to adulthood.”
“Let's see how good I am,” the girl told Little Bear, sitting on a rock at the foot of the trail. The pup sat down as well and yawned.
Closing her eyes, Tris started her meditation breathing, listening for the voice of her magic. In the weeks since beginning her studies, she had learned how to take strength from currents in the air or sea, if she were tired. She thought she could use that same magic to keep the tide from coming in, by pulling its strength into herself, or through herself, at least. The rock she chose as a seat looked like a good place to store the rest of it until she chose to set that power free.
As a wave came in, she called to its strength, taking it in. Without letting it go, she reached for the power of the next wave, and the next, draining the tide of force as it tried to cover the shore. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see that the water now lurked around the far ends of the rock shelves, bubbling and churning like a pot on the boil.
She grasped as much power as she could stand - to her surprise, she couldn't hold nearly as much of it as she had expected to. Like a sailor trying to empty out a sinking boat, she hurried to dump the strength from other waves into the rock beneath her. The sea fought hard, surging and pulling on her magic, trying to shake her loose.
Just a little longer, she thought. Just a bit more, so I know I really did it...
When Tris opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Niko's face. “Uh-oh,” she whispered, and closed them again.
“Now you know why only one in ten Trader windmages lives to adulthood,” that clipped voice said.
She tried to sit up. The rock under her felt strange - hardly like stone at all. For one thing, she'd had to crawl onto it; now she could just step off, once she had the strength. For another, it gave, more like a sack of grain than a proper boulder.
When she tried to lever herself off the stone with both hands, it collapsed, dropping her amid a shower of gravel, shattered into a thousand small pieces. Tris rolled onto her back, staring up at Niko. Little Bear came over and licked her face.
“What happened to my rock?” she demanded lazily. “It's all to pieces.”
“It's where you placed what you took from the tides, isn't it?”
She nodded.
“You put in more than the stone could hold. It's dissolving. Now, let me ask - have you had a lesson today?” inquired the mage.
“You look very tall from down here,” Tris remarked. His eyebrows came together in a scowl. Hurriedly she said, “When my teacher tells me it's a bad idea to try and fight the power of nature, I should listen.”
He grasped her hands. “I don't know that I can walk,” she admitted as Niko helped her to rise.
“I know very well that you can't,” he said. “Your luck is in. The moment I knew you were in trouble, I enlisted a friend.”
“Hullo,” Kirel said. Tris hadn't seen him waiting on the path. “You must be Daja's friend - the crotchety one.” Grinning, he knelt, folded her over his shoulder, and stood.
“This is so humiliating,” grumbled Tris. She was too weak even to struggle.