Chapter Text
It’d been a week since Edith received the letter.
Splitting off of the artifact, the fragment of rock fell to the table: pale and dulled on the inside. Candlelight illuminated the desk as Edith continued to examine the object. Her window stood open, the air made richer by the towering oaks of one of Erudis’ largest forests. She sighed, rotating the object on her deskmat to chip at the other side. On her desk sat two newly restored items, records half-written for each. Her stopwatch clicked without sound, the hour as distant a memory as the tea that sat next to it. Cold with time, the bittersweet aftertaste lingered still on her tongue.
Tap, tap, tap.
Save for the crackling blaze on the hearth, and the steady rhythm of precise metal tools, the chirping crickets were all the company she had planned for. That was, until pen and parchment decided that a certain apprentice would accompany her.
Tap…
“Ethris, please.” She set her scalpel down. “Would you stop that racket?”
Edith didn’t bother turning around, the incessant clinking of glass and shuffling of cloth continuing without care for her request. He had been quiet enough upon entering, but the past minute has been filled with noise. A sigh left her as she reached for her worn leather satchel. The brass latch slid to the side, revealing many small stones; each was of a unique cut, a symbol engraved upon the smooth surface. She fished for the diamond with a deep blue crest embedded in it, pressing it to the gold band that wrapped her finger. Stone met alloy, and the jewel clicked as it met the ring. Some pressure and a firm twist turned the sigil a faintly glowing teal, the gem singing softly as she whispered a command. Rewyn Ethris—the aforementioned apprentice—dropped his belongings, and the sound of clattering objects tugged at Edith’s lips as she finally turned to him.
“Well.” She set her spectacles down, draping her hair, tied low, over one shoulder. “It’s rather obvious, but I suppose you are the new apprentice. I am Edith Vael.”
His mouth hung slightly agape, head bowed and eyes darting around the room before landing on her. The boy wore his robes as if he’d dressed midstride, hair strewn about like the sprawled luggage on the floor. With trembling lips, Rewyn tried to exhale a word, but to no avail, palms facing upward and limp in his hunched position. A deep blue swallowed the glow of the newly teal carvings as Edith turned the stone clockwise, the ring hissing as the stone found its place amongst the others laying in the open satchel. Rewyn sighed, free of her spell, catching himself in time to avoid falling forward.
Edith left her seat, not bothering to tuck in her chair as she knelt down, holding herself just above his level. “Now, you may speak.”
He blinked several times, and now that she was above him, his eyes lingered on anything but her face, his focus returning to rummaging through his trunk. Edith’s eyebrow cocked, though the moment was brief, as the sound of stones tumbling from Rewyn’s pocket drew her attention elsewhere—three of them, and large enough for Edith to narrow her eyes. Rewyn took one of a smooth, circular cut, pressing the jewel to a small notebook he’d successfully pulled from the heap of trinkets. There was a similar alloy socket mounted on the cover, and he turned the jewel counterclockwise as it began to glow faintly, a warm orange bathing the crest. Drawing in a deep breath, Rewyn traced the lightly printed symbols that surrounded the alloy bezel, leaving each that met his finger in a similar light. Pages were flipped, and suddenly dark black ink spelt words that illuminated the room, the deep marigold tone visible in Edith’s wide eyes.
Hello. I am Rewyn Ethris. Sorry, but I cannot hear you. You are Edith Vael, correct?
She nodded slowly, thumb worrying her ring. “Rewyn,” she tried, though she found herself holding a finger to her lips instead, gesturing to the assorted items littering the floor. He reached into his robe, finding a pen with a similarly round gem already firmly set on an alloy mount. The tracing of symbols was repeated before Rewyn sucked in a deep breath and allowed his pen to glide, the previous words breaking off in the air to stitch themselves in time with each stroke of the writing instrument.
I will be more conscious of the noise I make. Thank you, Edith.
Another nod, though she couldn’t help but pause at her name written in his font. She strode to her desk, taking a small gem to set on a brooch by her desk. Returning to Rewyn’s spot on the floor, she adjusted it, the jewel now neatly attached to her collar. Applying pressure to the accessory with one hand, Edith silently requested for Rewyn’s in her other. Holding it with his palm open and upright, Edith pressed the center of it, the yellow light that escaped from behind Edith’s hand glowing in tandem with the pressure Rewyn felt of characters blooming against his knuckles.
“You will address me as Instructor Vael.”