A candle flame and the feeling of being overwhelmed by your thoughts. What was the connection between the two, and how would this help him discover the third and final piece? Both of them are unstable, Arden supposed with a sigh. That would be appropriate. A small flicker from a candle is easily extinguished. And the crushing weight of a thousand thoughts and ideas suspended by a net of curiosity. Each strand is a question and with each questions bombardement of theories comes crashing down. Arden didn’t know much about magic, but this seemed dangerous.
He needed to find an abstract visual that somehow represented all of this. This was going to be the hardest element for sure. Arden did not work in abstract, he worked in science and fact. Representational imagery, not abstract ideas. He sighed as he sat at his desk, clicking his quill to the table, careful not to damage it. The candle light burned bright in front of him for inspiration as he stewed in his own thoughts.
He felt the stress from today, and perhaps the extensive use of his new magic, pulling on him. He chuckled to himself at the thought. He had been focusing all day on the feeling of Erebus’ magic and the pull of sleep, and now he is beginning to succumb to it. He blows out the candle and allows the feeling to consume him. As his mind drifts and his body relaxes, his body jerks with a start.
Disoriented, Arden feels around himself for a moment, remembering that he was dozing off at his desk. His body felt weird. Lighter almost. He stood up and crossed the room to his bed, feeling the cold floor on his bare feet. His senses were heightened, he felt on edge but he could not figure out why. He concluded it was because of his sleep start, so he dismissed it the best he could.
He couldn’t shake his uneasiness. In fact, he did not know whether to classify what he felt as unease. He felt hyper aware of everything around him. The smell of smoke from his recently extinguished candle, the staff bustling outside the room preparing for tomorrow, the clicks in the wood as it adjusts to the weather. Even the cloth on his bed felt like too much, as if he could sense each fiber contacting his skin. Overwhelmed, Arden grabbed clothes from his trunk and journeyed to the baths, hoping that brisk water would sooth his high-strung senses.
The baths were more busy this time of day, but he managed to find a small section of the room unoccupied and away from prying eyes. He did not wish to be bombarded with questions in his heightened state. He stripped away his clothing and submerged himself in the bath. The cold water helped to shock his system briefly, before he returned to normal. Arden sighed with relief. All of his muscles had been clenched, and his ears had been ringing. The feeling of relaxation and ease washed over him. But why had that happened?
Hesitantly, Arden reflected on the events right before it happened. He had been writing and thinking, then he allowed himself to doze before being rudely awakened by the spasm. His whole body tingled at the thought. Slowly the feeling faded away. Arden sat in the tub and laughed. It was a silent, frustrated laugh that did not travel far enough to cause questions.
‘And here I was, so focused on discovering the feeling, that I completely disregarded the possibility that it could just happen naturally.’ He spoke to himself in hushed tones. ‘I wonder if I can tell Erebus from here.’
Arden focused his mind on the cell, and man within. He tried to supplement these thoughts with his new found magic so that he may create a stronger connection. He saw Erebus sitting on his bedding, as the image became clear he saw Erebus’ eyes meet his. He wondered if Erebus could see him.
“Yes I can see you.” he confirmed, without Arden even voicing the question. “I am impressed, you have far exceeded my expectations, and your magic is impressive too.” His eyes flickered down and back up with his words, followed by a wink.
Arden’s blood went cold, and he wiped his brain on the vision instantly. His hands flew to his face in embarrassment. Erebus had just seen him nude. The implications of Arden thinking of Erebus while being nude swam in Ardens thoughts, his mind going soft. He pulled himself out of the tub, threw on clothes, and made a swift exit back to his room to die from embarrassment.
Comments (0)
See all