Zap Stormspike's Arc

Chapter 2 of 8

Zap stumbled out of the arena with the broken house still smoking behind them. The worn ledger felt heavier now, its handwritten diagrams blurring under shaking hands. They sank against a low wall and flipped to the passage they had read forty times. The ink swam. The answer was supposed to be here. Across the field, a small stone cottage glowed with warm window light. Zap knew who watched from inside. Someone who would not come closer, but would not leave either. That soft light made Zap's chest hurt worse than the burns on their palms. Zap forced themselves to study a diagram showing a tall rod wrapped in copper coils. The notes said a true student learned beside one, grounded, guided, safe. Zap had no rod. No teacher. Just a rotted book and a body that fired when scared. They tried to spark on purpose again. Nothing came but a weak hiss. Then the cottage door creaked open. A figure stepped out, calling Zap's name, worried. Panic struck like a hammer. Light tore from Zap's hair and shaped itself midair into a bird, wings of crackling blue, tail flaring white. It screamed once and shot toward the cottage. Zap threw the ledger and tackled the figure into the dirt. The bird burst against the stone wall, scorching it black, missing flesh by inches. Zap lay shaking, staring at the scared face beneath them. The choice was made. No more self-teaching. Zap would find a real mentor, or stop entirely, before fear killed someone they loved.