Annie Hayden's Arc

Chapter 27 of 27

Four days after she woke, Annie stood on her own. Her legs shook, but they held. Kaelen kept a hand near her elbow as she crossed the room. The fox trotted at her heels, tail low and warm. A servant had come with a message that morning. The High Mage wanted to see her. He had something to give her. "Slow," Kaelen said. "He can wait." "I've waited long enough," Annie said. She gripped the doorframe and pushed forward. They reached the study. It smelled of old paper and cold stone. High Mage Frostwyn stood by a wide table, leaning on a gnarled staff. "You walk," he said. "Good. Sit before you fall." Annie eased into a chair. The fox pressed against her shin. Frostwyn watched the animal for a long moment. His face gave away nothing. "You burned yourself twice reaching for its fire," he said. "You nearly died doing it. A student who dies is no student." He set two things on the table before her. The first was a wand. Slender and dark, tipped with a sapphire crystal that caught the light. It was not the broken one lost in the snow. It was finer. "Your old focus is gone," Frostwyn said. "This one is stronger. It will hold more without cracking." Annie lifted it. The crystal hummed faintly against her palm. "Thank you." "Don't thank me yet." He pushed the second thing forward. A small clear orb, smooth as glass. Inside, tiny lights turned slowly. "This is the vessel you read about. The one that saves your fox." Annie's breath caught. She had searched the archive for this. A way to gather the fox's fire slowly, thread by thread, instead of ripping it out all at once. "You draw a little each day," Frostwyn said. "The fox gives without pain. The orb holds it. When you need power, you pull from the orb, not the creature. Your body learns the limit. No more burns." Annie curled her fingers around both objects. The wand. The vessel. For the first time she held tools made to keep her alive, not just to fight. "When do we start?" she asked. Frostwyn's mouth twitched. Almost a smile. "You can barely stand. We start when you can walk to me without my son holding your arm." He tapped the orb. "Fill it first. Slowly. If I see one new burn on you, the lessons stop." Annie looked down at the fox. Its bright eyes met hers. She could grow strong now without spending its life. The path was finally clear, and she is finally has all she needs to get started.