Bound by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #2)(55)

“Yes. Usually apprentices already know the basics of charm-casting; mage children are taught from an early age how to make simple ones.” Iannis looked wryly down at the stone in my hand. “The ones we are going to make tonight are not simple, but with my help I’m certain you’ll do fine.”

“Cool.” I glanced down at the chain in my hand, and noticed that it was more masculine, the links thicker and larger, than the one the Chief Mage had. “Umm, so what are we making, exactly?”

“We’re making a set of serapha charms.” Iannis paused for a moment, and he seemed to be watching my face for a reaction. When I only stared at him blankly, he continued. “These are worn by two different people, and can be used to locate the other at any given time. I thought it would be a good alternative to the tracking spell I placed on you, as you can take this off whenever you feel you must have privacy – though nobody else can take it off for you. And you can also use it to track me down, should you have need of me.”

“Oh.” Touched, I stroked the tiny round stone, which was about the size of my pinky nail. “You don’t need to go through all this trouble. I’d already forgotten about the tracking spell.”

Iannis shrugged. “Fenris suggested it. I think it’s a good idea, and also an excellent opportunity to teach you about charm-casting.”

“Okay.” I wasn’t about to argue, especially since this would allow me to locate the Chief Mage whenever I wanted, eliminating the need to rely on others to tell me where he was. “So what do we do?”

Iannis unclasped the necklace, then fastened it around his own neck. He positioned the stone so that it sat directly over his heart, then placed his hand over it and held it there.

“Serapha charms require you to imbue them with a small piece of your life force… your soul, if you will. You simply place the necklace over your head like I have done, and then repeat the incantation I’m about to use.”

“Alright.” A little shiver rippled down my spine at the idea of giving up a piece of my soul for this, but as I looked down at the tiny stone I figured it was probably a very small piece. Mimicking Iannis, I fastened the chain around my neck, then placed the stone over my heart.

Iannis closed his eyes, then spoke the Words. I watched his brow furrow, as if in pain or discomfort, and the scent of magic thickened in the air. Blue-white spilled out through the cracks between his fingers, and I flinched at the brightness, but it faded quickly, as did the burnt-sugar scent in the air.

When Iannis lifted his hand from the stone, I noticed it was glowing brightly, but the brilliance was self-contained.

“It will fade after a little while,” Iannis explained, correctly interpreting my gaze. “Once the spell settles, it will only activate again when you have need of the charm. Now, you try it.”

I took a deep breath in through my nostrils to steady my nerves, then repeated the incantation. I felt a pinch deep inside me, in a place I’d never even felt before, followed by a burning sensation, and I stifled a yelp of surprise. But it was over before I knew it, and when I opened my eyes I could see my own stone glowing. It felt hot beneath my fingers, as if there wasn’t just light, but fire in its depths.

“Very good.” Iannis nodded, a pleased expression on his face, and then he ducked his head so he could remove the necklace. “And now we exchange necklaces.”

I did as he asked, trading my necklace for his, and it occurred to me that this was rather intimate, the idea of trading a piece of one’s soul for a piece of someone else’s. But I supposed since we were master and apprentice that wasn’t so strange – Roanas and I had shared a very close bond. I wondered if Iannis and I would ever become close in that way, if the sexual tension between us would ever fade, or if it would always keep us from truly relaxing around each other so we could bond the way a mentor and his student should.

As I placed Iannis’s necklace around my neck, the stone’s glow gradually faded until it appeared nothing more than an ordinary gemstone. But I could still feel a faint warmth emanating from the stone as it rested against my chest.

“Excellent.” Iannis’s eyes were surprisingly soft as he regarded me. “Now we’re properly linked.”

“Seems so.” I looked down at the pendant again. “So how exactly do I use this thing?”

“It’s a simple enough charm. You speak my name while holding the pendant, and you’ll get an instant sense of where I am. Go on, try it.”

“Okay.” I curled my fingers around the necklace, making sure that the pendant was touching my palm. “Iannis ar’Sannin.”

Instantly, a sense of intuition activated inside me, and it was as if a map unfolded in my mind’s eye, revealing a pulsing dot where Solantha Palace was. I couldn’t actually see the map though, nor the pulsing dot; it was more like I could sense it, and I had the idea that if I wasn’t actually at the Palace, something inside me would tug me towards Iannis’s location, even though I wouldn’t actually know that’s the location I was headed.

I let go of the pendant, and the feeling faded away. “Whoa. That was weird.”

Iannis cracked a smile. “But it works, does it not?”

“It sure does.” I grinned. “Does this mean you’re going to remove the tracking spell now?”

“It does.”