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Puzzling. According to all of their calculations, this spell should work. As Annette held out her hand and pulled up its matrix though, nothing happened. No spark, no frost; nothing dimmed or disappeared or even changed at all. Beginning to look frustrated, she turned to her co-leader, Beck. “What did I do wrong?”
“I’m not sure…try…pulling it up again?” Beck responded, face scrunched up in equal parts confused and concentrated.
Annette nodded, focusing again and pulling up the matrix again. The softly glowing cluster of geometric shapes and runes was the result of weeks of research into an alternative fuel for their starship, the Blue Lion. In the middle of the interplanetary war against the planet Adrestia, their flagship spacecraft couldn’t afford to run out of fuel in the middle of a battle, nor could it risk a detour to restock. Usually, this wouldn’t be a problem, the Blue Lion could go for moons without a refueling. The deadline was fast approaching though, and they couldn’t afford the much needed reroute. Not when they had the Adrestian forces cornered.
In response to this need, Beck, co-leader of the Blue Lion’s research team, began to learn and discover all she could about the solutions to the problem. Within a few days, she found an old spell matrix that suggested energy could be created by a very specific magical phenomena. The spell, though old and only theoretical, was promising, and she and Annette immediately went to work rewriting it.
“Oh, here!” Beck suddenly exclaimed, pulling up her own copy of the matrix. “Maybe if we connect this rune to that one, instead of to the connecting line, it could create the initial reaction we need.” She suggested.
Annette looked back at the matrix and fell silent for a minute before grinning. “You could be right, Beck! Why don’t you try it out?” She encouraged, making Beck grin a little wider.
“Alright, alright, hold on,” Beck traced the matrix with her other hand, releasing the rune from the spell before placing it in its new spot. Suddenly the spell dimmed, disappointing her for only a moment before it suddenly exploded in her palm. The force of the blast sent both of them backwards and Beck slammed into the table, spilling all sorts of chemicals and specimens in the process. An alarm began blaring and the doors automatically opened, alerting the rest of the crew to an explosion within the craft.
Groaning, Annette slowly stood up, holding her head. “Wow…wasn’t expecting that. Looks like we’re going to have some explaining to do.” She joked lightly, trying to ease the failure. When her eyes landed on Beck though, her joking nature disappeared. “Beck!” She exclaimed, running to her friend’s side.
The force of the spell completely burned her hand. The tips of her fingers seemed as though they were blackened with soot, and the burn traveled up her arm, but the effects were obscured by her tattered lab coat. Annette carefully shook Beck, who slowly began waking up. As she stirred, pain shots up her arm, and she quickly grabbed at it with her other arm, only for her eyes to shoot open at the realization of how much that hurt.
“Hey, hey, woah!” Annette tried to stop her from grabbing at her arm, taking her healthy hand and giving it a squeeze. “It’s okay, you’re going to be okay, Beck, I promise.” She said, trying to keep her calm.
“W-What?” Beck gasped. “I-It hurts…”
“I know, I know, just try to stay calm…”
Finally, help arrived in the form of Rodrigue and a few members of his security corps. Immediately the guards began their inspection, whilst their leader quickly hurried to Beck’s side, crouching down and looking worried. “Beck? What happened?” He asked, earning a sharp look from the woman. Realizing he was here, her breath quickened. When did he get here? Did she hurt him?
“I-I-“
“A spell went wrong. I-I just finished calling the medbay.” Annette explained nervously, earning a slight nod from Rodrigue.
“Good. Beck, take a few deep breaths, you’ll be alright.” He instructed.
Beck hadn’t realized until now that she had been breathing heavily. The scorching sensation in her hand and the panic that came from it had overwhelmed all other senses. What had she done? Goddess what would happen to her hand? She should have tested the spell on paper first before activating it. Now, it was too late, and the damage had been done. The only thing keeping her from completely freaking out was the reassurances she kept getting from Rodrigue and Annette until the medical team finally arrived.
As she was quickly loaded onto the gurney, Beck struggled, resisting their attempts to shuttle her out. “W-Wait my-“
“Annette, stay here and assist in the cleanup, alert my crew what to touch and what not to, I trust you can handle that. I will go with Beck and get her situated.” Rodrigue said, earning a moment of hesitation from Annette before she nodded in agreement, turning to the others and beginning to lead the cleanup.
“Now. Beck? Tap my hand if you can hear me,” Beck honed in on Rodrigue’s voice amongst the chaos of her mindset and shakily tapped his hand with her good hand. She could hear a breath of relief come from him, but her vision was blurred, so she couldn’t see. “Very good. Stay with me. Try to focus: is it just your hand that hurts? Is something else wrong?”
“N-No. But my hand h-hurts.” She groaned, making Rodrigue rest a hand on her arm.
“I know it does, just hold on,” he soothed.
As they arrived at the medbay, Rodrigue stepped back as she was handed off to Mercedes, the head medic. She would be able to do more than he could. Beck laid as still as she could as gels and salves were applied to the charred skin before it was bandaged up tightly. The twinges from the cool medicines and the right bandages made her squirm but it didn’t compare to the but img she had felt moments earlier.
Beck laid back into the bed as Mercedes’ and Rodrigue’s voices faded into the background. Her gaze was fixed on the cast her hand was now in. It hurt so bad but…wasn’t it a good thing she could feel? So many questions and guilt raced through her head. She should have been more careful. Why didn’t she make Annette step back? If only she tested the spell in her head first. Would she ever be able to use her hand again? What if she couldn’t complete the spell? Would everyone hate her? Would she become useless? She did this for her family, her friends, Dimitri…what would she do now?
“Beck?” Rodrigue’s voice finally cut through her thoughts. Looking up again, Beck realized it was now just the two of them in the room. “Are you feeling better?”
“Oh…yes.” She responded quietly, looking down again. After a moment, she felt a weight add to the bed and a hand rest on her shoulder. Rodrigue and her were silent for a few moments.
“…Mercedes says you should be cleared from the medbay in a few hours. The burn gel she added is fast acting so you only need to remain under observation for a short while.” He explained, earning nothing in response. “I thought that would excite you.”
“Is there permanent damage?”
“No, thank the Goddess. You were lucky.”
“…” The two fell silent again as Beck became lost in thought again. She was well respected amongst the crew of the Blue Lion. Her unique magic was unmatched and rare, which made her a worthy co-leader for the magic research team. She took her position seriously, and made sure to always get results - not only because it was her duty, but also because she couldn’t let down her family, or her friends, or…Dimitri. He already had so much on his mind, she couldn’t let him worry about her.
“What’s on your mind, Beck?” Rodrigue suddenly asked, earning a quick look from her. “You ought to tell me now, instead of letting it sit.”
“I…feel like a failure right now,” Beck admitted quietly, tears pricking in the corner of her eyes. “I’ve been working on this spell for months, only for it to literally blow up in my face. We really need this spell to work a-and if I can’t find a way to make us work then I’m worthless.” The tears that appeared began falling, first slowly before picking up speed.
“I’m so stupid. I should have done the spell’s calculations before even thinking of attempting it, I-I should have confirmed it made sense. I-I could have hurt Annette o-or damaged the ship o-or-“
“Now listen here,” Rodrigue cut her off firmly, startling her. “You are not worthless, Beck. If anything, you are one of the most valuable members of this team.” He affirmed, leaving Beck speechless, but he wasn’t finished. “You’re one of the most thoughtful, intelligent, and resourceful people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You are compassionate, curious, determined, and extremely hardworking. If that makes you worthless, then the galaxy itself will tear apart,” Rodrigue gently smiled and offered her a side hug, her heaving sobs being of lithe concern to him.
“It’s okay to make mistakes every now and again, but they don’t define us. I’ve made my mistakes in life and I made the choice to try and fix them. You can do the same. I know you can solve anything you put your mind to.”
Slowly, Beck returned the hug as she sobbed. For a while the only sound between them was her sobs, which began to quiet over time as the two sat together. After a while, her sobs quieted to a few hiccups and sniffles. Rodrigue was probably right; she could figure out a way to fix her mistake.
Sensing the new calm, Rodrigue pulled away just enough to look down at Beck. “Are you feeling better?” He asked, earning a nod from her. “Very good, than I’m afraid I will need to take my leave,” He explained, earning a quick look from Beck.
“Worry not, I will be back before you are released. I simply have some work that needs attending.” Rodrigue got up from the bed and turned back to Beck. “Try and get some sleep. I’ll be back when you wake up. If not, I can have Dimitri come.”
“Thanks, Rodrigue. I really appreciate it.” Beck said quietly. She watched him leave the medbay before resting her head against the pillows. It wasn’t long until she drifted off to sleep; even her busy mind couldn’t distract her from her sleepiness.
———
A nap was just what she needed. When Beck began to wake up again she felt…better. Not cured, of course, her hand still throbbed, and the cool salves were uncomfortable against her warm skin, but it was…manageable now. It would be weeks before she could get back to normal.
Remembering Rodrigue’s words, she slowly opened her eyes, pleasantly surprised to see not Rodrigue waiting for her, but Dimitri instead. A small smile slowly appeared on her face. “Hello, handsome.” She mumbled.
Looking up, Dimitri smiled brightly. “Hello, beloved,” he began, moving the bedside chair closer so he cupped her face carefully. Beck relished in the warm touch. “How are you feeling? Rodrigue filled me in on what occurred.”
“I could be better, truthfully. I…I really messed up, Dimitri.” She admitted quietly.
“I wouldn’t have expected you to do everything perfectly,” He said. “I’m just glad you’re safe. I wish you wouldn’t work so hard though. I know you’re looking for an alternative source of power, but your safety is more important to me.”
“I thought I was so close, too. If I can perfect this spell, then that would mean one less thing to worry about.”
“There will always be something to worry about. If you solve one problem, you’ll find another to fret about. Trust me.” Dimitri reasoned, earning a small shrug from Beck.
“I spoke with Mercedes just before you woke up. She said that as long as you’re not in pain, you’re free to go to your room to rest. I say we go together.”
Beck’s eyes widened. “But you have so much to do! You can’t just drop your schedule like that for me!”
Dimitri chuckled, “I allowed Felix and Ingrid to take over for the rest of the day. Besides, it’s nothing. I would move moons for you, beloved,”
“Oh…” Beck let that reassure her. “Okay. Well, in that case, I’ve wanted to leave this bed forever. Help me up, love.”