Feat Completed!

  For your Feat of casting the spell shown in the Spirit Tree of the Spirits of the Woods Challenge, you have been granted a reward!

  This Feat is awarded to anyone who casts the Spell Fragment Spirit Lullaby while near the Spirit Tree of the Spirits of the Woods Challenge without having cast it before or gained it as an Ability previously.

  Reward: Spell Fragment: Spirit Lullaby

  Spell Fragment: Spirit Lullaby is a Fragment of the Grand Spell: Part the Veil.

  Soothe spirits to sleep with your song. The effect is strongest for spirits. The effect weakens with lower ability to hear the song.

  Sophia stared at the Guide’s information in shock. It was definitely not the effect Sophia expected. In fact, it was almost the exact opposite of what she expected, lulling spirits to sleep instead of harming those with no Spirit Abilities. She wondered what would cause a lower ability to hear the song; that part wasn’t obvious. Maybe it was talking about non-spirits?

  “Spirit Shriek is exactly what I thought it would be,” Dav said from Sophia’s side. “It sends shockwaves using something called a spirit voice, injuring those with no ability to resist but with no effect on actual spirits. Is that what you got?”

  Sophia shook her head. “I got a lullaby. Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be nearly as useful in a fight.”

  Dav shrugged and grinned at her. “Might keep us out of one, though.”

  Sophia nodded a silent agreement. She couldn’t think of when that would be important, since she was perfectly willing to fight spirits, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen.

  “Do you think there’s time for me to try to get another spell?” Sophia asked Dav. He was the fastest, which meant he probably had a good idea how long the others would take; they couldn’t afford the time at the other stops since they were saving time for the end, but maybe they had some extra time?

  “It won’t matter,” Si’a answered before Dav could. “Even if you come back, a different variation on the same pattern will not grant you a new Feat.”

  Sophia frowned, then objected. She might not know what they were, but she did know how many there were. “Taika got three from the Spring Pavilion!”

  “Three Abilities that were either unrelated or with a significant difficulty increase, yes. He will also be unable to gain more Abilities from this Challenge.” Si’a answered. Her voice shifted to being a soft whisper that Sophia wasn’t certain even Dav could hear for her next words. “And you gained a Grand Spell and three Ability Fragments. Do not be upset that the Guide expects you to put them together.”

  If that wasn’t a confirmation that Si’a was a manifestation of the Challenge, Sophia wasn’t sure what would be. It didn’t really make her feel better; it was a very arbitrary limit and she’d never liked those. Still, complaining wasn’t going to help.

  Sophia sighed and plopped into a sitting position on the ground. There was no reason at all to stay standing.

  Dav settled down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. He didn’t say anything, which was probably for the best; she was annoyed and all too likely to take it out on him. Instead of that, his wordless support helped her feel better.

  Before she knew it, Dav was shaking her awake. Sophia stirred blurrily then sprang to her feet. She wasn’t sure how she’d fallen asleep; while she was tired, this wasn’t exactly a good place for sleeping. Had she missed anything?

  Well, apparently she’d missed both Amy and Taika finishing their Feats. That had to be why Dav had woken her up; as she glanced in his direction, he was setting Taika into his pack.

  “Here is my gift to you,” Si’a stated calmly, then walked over to Sophia. She held out a cord that looked like it was shimmering pastel ribbon braided around a flexible central support, though the ribbon was longer than the support. There seemed to be three loose ends, one on one side and two on the other, made of some sort of nearly clear crystal with a bluish center, almost like ice. The various ribbons seemed to melt into one side of the crystal.

  When Sophia accepted it, it was cool to the touch, but like the Winter part of the Challenge, it was not nearly as cold as ice should have been.

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  “This is a Cord of Spirit Ice. It can do two things. First, if you bind a spirit with it, it will freeze them in place until you bind it; beware, for it will not bind all spirits, and some who are bound can still escape.” Si’a waited for Sophia to nod, then continued. “If it binds someone who is not a spirit, it does nothing. If that binding is then cut, it will melt into them and push them past the Veil into the spirit realm, where they will stay until the cord freezes again. It freezes quickly; a day should do, perhaps even the span of a night if the spirit realm is cold.”

  “That is not nearly as good as a Starlight Sword,” Larryt muttered almost angrily.

  Sophia saw a flash of anger cross Si’a’s face.

  “Then you will be happy that you will never receive one,” Si’a spat at the Cloud Clan guide. “If I could, I would ban you from this Challenge. I cannot, but I will never guide you through this Challenge. That much I can say.”

  Larryt gaped at the venom in her voice. Sophia wasn’t sure what to say, either; the reaction was unexpected in the previously calm Spirit Guide.

  “Please ignore him,” Amy said and stepped forward. “We can see how good it is; I can think of a dozen different ways to use it already if we’re dealing with spirits of any sort, and if we aren’t, it seems like a good way to escape a dangerous situation, and one that can be used more than once at that. Thank you.”

  Si’a snorted at Larryt, then turned to Amy with a nod. Her expression eased a little. “Well enough. I should have known he would not see the value in it; he sees no value in this Challenge, other than the one Ability he learned here that he uses poorly.”

  Sophia snuck a glance at Larryt. She tried to hide her amused smile at the insult.

  Larryt seemed unbothered by it. He shrugged and said something, but whatever he said was inaudible. A moment later, he vanished.

  “You removed him from the Challenge?” Dav was the first to say what everyone had to be thinking.

  “Of course.” Si’a gave Dav a bright grin and seemed to relax even more than before. Sophia thought she looked almost comfortable, without a tension that wasn’t obvious until it was gone. “You are done; there is no reason for any of you to stay. You were polite, unlike him. He does not need to hear what else I would say. You four were a pleasure to guide; few attempt all of the tests and fewer still succeed. Of those who do, very few are enthusiastic and throw themselves at every challenge. I have not given out a Cord of Spirit Ice in decades; most times, I give a Spirit Ice Crystal. The Cord of Spirit Ice has three.”

  Sophia glanced at the cord in her hands, then back at the Spirit Guide. She knew exactly what Si’a was talking about, but she didn’t know why it was important.

  “A Spirit Ice Crystal on its own simply cools the spirit. The physical effect is limited, but the effect on the emotions of a physical being is more profound. It cannot change your mind, but it can make it easier to think in tough times. While they are part of the Spirit Cord, they will have no effect on anyone unless they are bound by the Cord.” Si’a smiled at the group. “I am not sure any of you need that, but it may still be useful.”

  Sophia glanced at Amy. If anyone in the group was emotional when she probably shouldn’t be, Amy was the likely culprit. At the same time, Sophia wasn’t sure she’d say Amy’s outbursts were that bad; she was outspoken, but it wasn’t like she went into a blind rage. The only person Sophia had seen do that was Dav, and she couldn’t entirely blame him for trying to chop the giant snake into itty bitty pieces after it fell on her.

  “For a Cord of Spirit Ice, the Spirit Ice Crystal does three other things. First, if you break one while it is wound around a spirit, the spirit will be frozen even after the cord is removed. Second, if you break one while it is melted into you, it will almost instantly freeze the Cord and push you back to your proper side of the Veil. You can affix another to the location where a Spirit Ice Crystal once was, but the one you broke will never recover.” Si’a glanced around the group. “The last thing to know is that while the Cord of Spirit Ice normally requires some time to recover between uses, that changes if all of the Spirit Ice Crystals are broken. The first time it is used without one will be the last; it will evaporate into mist after it is used.”

  Dav waited only a moment after Si’a stopped talking to ask for clarification. “Does that mean that someone can be stuck on the far side of the Veil, as a spirit?”

  Si’a shook her head. “No, you will return as soon as the Cord no longer has the ability to keep you there. It will likely be faster than the time it would take to properly freeze again.”

  Sophia frowned back down at the Spirit Cord. How exactly had Si’a handed it to her? Was that also one of the properties of the Spirit Ice Crystals? Did they somehow let someone who was physical or a spirit touch them? Sophia had heard of things that could do that, but they were rare. If they could, that might be more useful than all of the special properties Si’a had already mentioned.

  Before she could ask, the snow-covered forest disappeared and Sophia once again stood on the trackway that led into the Spirits of the Woods Challenge. Si’a’s voice whispered softly in her ear, “I wish you well, young one. I have given your Bonded a gift as well, though one I doubt you can use. It cost me nothing but may mean a great deal to him.”

  “Dust take it,” Dav muttered. “I didn’t have the chance to ask how long we needed to wait between uses.”

  Sophia blinked at Dav, then muttered the question she knew she’d forget to ask if she waited. “Cliff? Did she mean you?”

  “I can modify my templates to create spirit and winter versions,” Cliff answered in Sophia’s mind. He sounded absolutely thrilled. “Not for Abilities or Spells, but for Monsters and Beasts. The Winter Spirit Rage Beaver is very interesting. Not very powerful, but completely different from the original.”

  That was more words than she’d heard from Cliff in weeks. It might even be more words than he’d ever said at once; Sophia wasn’t sure. The one thing she was certain of was that he was definitely the person Si’a meant and he was very happy with her gift. Well, she was sure of one other thing; there was nothing she could do with it for now. “I’m glad you like it.”

  Cliff didn’t respond, but Sophia had expected that. He never did.

  They’re definitely not going to be able to sell the information that the Challenge can give items for full completion … even if Larryt didn’t know, someone clearly already does. Whoever that is will likely also value the Cord of Spirit Ice more than Larryt does. They may still think it’s less valuable than a Starlight Sword … but he’s still an idiot to say it the way he did.

  They can probably also answer Sophia’s last question … but the odds are against it actually getting answered any time soon.