Zach wanted nothing more than to find his heart quickly, quietly, and safely. Unfortunately for him, Zach kept failing. It was impossible to do the summoning ritual at school; magic that big would get noticed. So he’d taken to creating the ink again in the hopes he might find the answers he was looking for.

The ring on his finger felt like a mockery now. It was a useless thing, an empty container that never fulfilled its purpose.

Jeremy sat near the door on the floor, his Latin homework spread around him. If anyone walked by they could easily claim they were studying. It was true, after all.

“Hey Zach, can I ask a question?”

Zach did his best not to sigh. “What is it?”

“Why do we learn Latin when runes are used in complex magic?”

“Knowing the answer won’t get you out of studying,” Zach warned. “Runes are only the written component of spells. Latin is the verbal component. And before you ask: we use Latin so we don’t accidentally cast spells just by chatting with each other. Do you want the lights flickering every time you say ‘off’? Latin aids in focusing magic and channeling intent.”

“Okay, then why is Latin so hard?” Torvik whined. “And why do I have to learn all these useless words?”

“They aren’t useless.”

“There are three different words for ‘mind’ just in this chapter.”

“Which ones?”

“Animus, pectus, and cordis.”

Was that it? Had he chosen the right runes but used the wrong spell? “Animus is what makes us live,” Zach explained idly. “It is the mind, but all living creatures - even monsters - have animus. It tells us to eat, drink, sleep, and so on. It is also considered your ‘heart’ as it is a core piece of your being. Pectus is closer to an emotional mind. Basically your feelings. Cordis is judgment. Your intelligence.”

“This says cordis is sweetheart.”

What? “That’s - not entirely wrong, but not exactly right. It can mean heart, and it can be used in poetic forms of endearment as well. I guess a modern translation might be sweetheart.” Maybe. Probably. Zach had never heard it used that way, but it was possible. He thought.

“Ugh. I’m going to fail this exam.”

Zach had used cordis in the summoning ritual. Should he have used a different word? The timer went off, and Zach pulled out a fresh pen to dip in the potion. Fresh questions stirred in his mind. Still, he started off simple:

Fact: My name is Jeremy Torvik.

It disappeared, and Zach felt the relief of having brewed correctly. This time he worked backwards.

Fact: Zachary keLeigwark’s heart exists on this continent.

True.

But - that question had been partially false before. He’d burned the paper, but Zach was sure the spell had only told him that his heart existed.

Fact: Zachary keLeigwark’s heart is in this school.

True. Again. This didn’t make any sense. That sentence had completely vanished before, and now it stood clear and black and solid as if Zach had merely questioned his name.

With a scowl he tried a new question.

Fact: Zachary keLeigwark’s heart was not in this school yesterday.

True. His heart wasn’t in the school and now it was. That made him feel a little better, a little less like he was going crazy. It wasn’t that he’d done something wrong, it was that his lost heart was returning to him.

If that was the case…

Fact: The summoning ritual performed by Zachary keLeigwark to summon his heart succeeded.

He watched it shimmer, anticipating.

Truth. His ritual had succeeded. Zach couldn’t hold in his sigh of relief. The ritual had worked and his heart was returning to him.

What would happen to a heart wandering around not tied to anything? Just breathing was a risk! But soon he’d be reunited with his heart and everything would be back to the way it should be.