Forget all of it, Si. Let there be nothing other than the work.

I pushed all my emotions to that familiar place in my mind and handed myself over to the process of Runecrafting. It didn’t care who I was, it merely existed, with or without me. Simple. Systematic. Apathetic.

The engraver was steady in my hand, the vibrations no longer a shock. The piano downstairs was silent, and the general noise of the Tea House indistinct enough to ignore. The clamp was held firm against the table, ruby tucked securely inside.

I traced the Heat Rune once in the air over the ruby, gauging the size I needed for a good fit. Then I angled the tip of the engraver in the direction of the first upward curve of the Heat Rune, pushed forward and…slipped?

The engraver moved as though the gem were made of wax instead of stone. I stared in silence at the deep gash I’d made, my ability to see how magic moves around a Rune enabling me to watch the magic drain out as it was marred beyond repair. It was the first time since I was a child that I had made a mistake significant enough to completely destroy a Rune. How had this happened? The ruby was ruined. There was no time for failure and I had just-

Stop.

Forget the failure. Fix it.

I frowned at the tool still humming in my hand, watching magic flow through multiple unknown Runes in the pattern. Without understanding the full design, unexpected things could happen. Deal with it. The lack of physical resistance from the stone would make things trickier. Different. Not impossible.

Focus on the problem.

The problem with the engraver moving quickly was that even the tiniest motion could alter the Rune’s lines. Solve it. I pulled the Runecrafting kit over and found a large magnifying lens. Slower engravers with more resistance offered a larger margin for error. The lens would help me focus on minute movements, so I could go slower, even without the comfort of pressure against my fingertips.

Good. Test it.

I trickled magic into the engraver, and commenced work on the damaged ruby, practising carving its surface until I was confident I had the technique under proper control. It took more concentration, but I have always been good with my hands. Progress was quick. Putting aside the flawed gem, I replaced it with a fresh one in the clamp and carved the first proper Heat Rune.

Success.

It was fast. It was deep. The results were…unexpected.

“Amazing…” I whispered as I watched the magic flow around the Rune, passion creeping up inside me. The strength of the Rune’s river of power was at least ten times stronger than I expected from a single tracing. This engraver was incredible! Yes it was harder to manage, but if I’d had this when creating my personal set of Runestones, I could have finished in a quarter of the time without any integrity or endurance loss to the gem.

An opportunity.

I needed this set of tools. I didn’t care how they became mine.

Patience. Finish the task.

I cleared my mind, smothering my piqued curiosity, and retraced the Rune four more times before I was satisfied with its quality for whatever Agate planned for them. Five traces in total. Astonishing. Maybe my plan wasn’t so unreachable after all. Knowledge. Power.

I put my head down and started churning out Heatstones faster than I ever believed possible, sealing them as I went. I immersed myself in the work, losing track of time completely.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Shi-“

The engraver jabbed into my thumb as I startled. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the inevitable pain, hoping my thumb was still attached.

“Just leaving some tea and biscuits outside the door, sweetie.”

Where was the pain? I opened my eyes slowly.

Impossible…

My thumb wasn’t severed, or even cut. There was not one drop of blood to be seen. I pushed power back into the silent engraver and steeled myself as it buzzed to life.

Do it for the knowledge, Si…

These tools were full of surprises. It would be a shame not to try and understand them. At least that’s what I kept repeating to myself as I lowered it towards a fleshy part of my upper arm, head turning away from the expected carnage.

Ffffuuuuuu---uh?

Vibrations. I whipped my head to stare at the tip of the engraver buzzing against my flesh. Against it, but not carving inside it. All I felt were the same vibrations the shaft was giving off as I held it. Even when I moved it around, the tip still refused to pierce my flesh as the magic coursed through it. Just as if the Runes were not activated at all. I dragged it along the wood of the table, and still it left no indentation. Yet as soon as it was back on the ruby, the gem parted like butter.

I’m taking one.

The Rune designs on these engravers were too complex not to study, so I began sorting through the Runes I recognised to find one that shouldn’t be missed. Emerald, Diamond, Quartz, Opal. Too common. I lifted a tray from the box and investigated the tools underneath. Now I was beginning have trouble recognising some of them. Iron. Wood. Flesh.

Flesh?

I could have made a wiser choice, but rational thought fled as I stared down at the engraver that appeared to be made for carving flesh. Perhaps the Runes were ordered differently on this tool, and the command was not for carving, I didn’t care. In that moment, I needed to know more about that engraver. I shoved it into the deepest inner pocket in my cloak hanging by the door, fumbling as my hands trembled and heart pounded. Something about the door niggled at my memory…Rosie!

I stepped away from my cloak and flung the door open, almost expecting him to be standing there smiling with a tray. The hallway was empty though, with the tray resting on the floor. I felt less guilty than if he’d been waiting, but still made a mental note to thank him later. I collected the tea and biscuits as I collected my thoughts. Agate probably didn’t even use this Runecrafting set, let alone know what tools were in it. If he eventually realised one was missing, it would be easy to deny knowing anything about it. Who knew how many strangers he let handle them? I just had to act normal, and get on with what I was doing like nothing had changed.

I made space on the table for the refreshments, poured myself some tea, and selected a dubious bright orange biscuit from the stack. I took a tentative bite and regretted it as my mouth filled with what I expect spicy dirt would taste and feel like. I immediately tried to wash it down with lukewarm tea, and grimaced at the bitter taste that came with steeping it for far too long.

I sighed and stirred in some sugar, determined not to be rude to Rosie’s efforts, and began to read the advanced booklet Agate had provided as the trade off for my work. Applications of the Sound Rune and Associated Designs.

It was fascinating. For the entire booklet, I told myself I would only look at one more design before returning to the stones. Then I would become captivated by the new knowledge, mentally questioning further implications, and end up charging ahead into the next section hoping it held the answers. I was partway through the final design when the door swung open.

“Ra Ra, I’m home!”

I growled. How many times did I have to say it?

“Si-er-ra. Now please be quiet while I finish this section.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He began tossing biscuits into his mouth as he looked over the Heatstones I’d crafted. I had no idea how he could stand the taste, but at least now I wouldn’t have to find a way to dispose of them.

I turned the page and a shower of crumbs rained down on it.

“Hey!” I stood up and shook out the booklet. Disgusting! “Could you show a little more respect?”

“Probably.” He took the seat I had abandoned and continued shovelling biscuits. “Whatchya reading?” His muffled query sprayed crumbs from his mouth across the table and all the equipment I had been using.

“Are you serious? You just gave me this.” How had he made it to Fourth year?

“Eh, that was hours ago.” He moved onto drinking tea from my cup.

“Hours?” Losing track of time while working wasn’t uncommon for me, but it was still a bit of a shock. “What time is it?”

“Five. Exactly like I said when I left.”

I didn’t bother to argue. “I’ve been here too long. I should go.”

Walking over to the table, I began to sort through the materials that were mine.

“Thought you’d have done more.” Agate pointed to the ten finished Heatstones. “Not as big as your talk, huh?”

My fingers clenched around a bottle. It was impossible not to be irritated by him.

“I will not apologise for taking pride and care in my work. Two Runestones an hour is an exceptionally fast pace, and even with that speed I have not sacrificed quality.” I crossed my arms across my chest and glared at him. How dare he question my work! My original gems had taken me weeks; he should be thanking me, not insulting me.

“Never said you weren’t good. Just thought you were better.” He stood up and shrugged, emptying an inner coat pocket of blank gems onto the table, before shoving my completed Heatstones inside it. “Brought a reward for when you do more, have a peek.”

He pulled a wad of papers from another pocket and waved them in my face. I recognised the quick-burn parchment and grabbed his wrist to stop the movement, inspecting the one at the front. Rune instructions. He wrenched his hand out of my grasp.

“You’re meant to burn those instructions after you learn each Rune.” I’m not sure if I said this for him or me. I was itching to see them all, but tried to remind myself that I could get into really deep trouble if I was caught with un-burnt Rune instructions not associated with any of my classes. The thought of my family’s imminent arrival, regarding my recent indiscretion, cast a sobering shadow over my thoughts.

“I know.” He shoved them back into his pocket. “Bet you still want them.”

Of course I did. Just being found with one could get me kicked out though. How he had an entire stack of them was beyond my ability to fathom, as you were only allowed one at a time per class, and proof of burning was required before being issued another. I ground my teeth in response.

“No peeking until you’ve done fifty.” He tipped the plate of crumbs into his mouth, dusted the excess off his coat and pants, and then headed for the door.

“Fifty?” I spluttered. Even without the distractions of teaching piano and reading about Sound Rune designs, forty more stones would be a decent grind.

“If it helps,” he threw over his shoulder as he walked out. “They all go with that book I gave you.”

My eye twitched in time with the door slamming. I never expected that showing an obvious love for learning Runes would be my downfall. I hated that he knew how badly I wanted them.

You wanted knowledge, Si.

I tossed the book on the bed, cleared the afternoon tea from the table, and picked up the next ruby. It was going to be another long night. Kixi was going to kill me.