ocean-life Interlude [0.5] Astral Traveler Part 1
Interlude [0.5] Astral Traveler Part 1
Interlude [0.5] Astral Traveler Part 1
Explanation of the Interludes
Before we get started there are some things to know about the interlude chapters. These are not from the perspective of Tanisha/Freja or Bjorn but various other characters we may or may not have seen in the original story. All Interlude chapters are Cannon events that happened behind the scenes of the main book. Unless marked as a “Part” the chapters are not directly connected.
The chapters are numbered where they would start in the book. For example a chapter “[1.5]” means that the events of the chapter either started at the same time as [1] or in between [1] & [2].
“Again!” The man's voice was harsh but not overly so. “You have to ensure the spellform remains intact the entire time. Draw it out with your wand and direct the energy.”Alll latest novels at novelhall.com
The man was in a field outside of a large estate where he resided as a Hand. He was a nighthand wendigo whose skin was darker than charcoal, which was common for his ethnicity. The individual was the Left Hand of Lord Ulfar Salstar and so he wore navy blue robes with the insignia of the Salstar emblazoned in silver on his back. He, like all Hands, had to wear a veil over his face.
Eira was his student; she played the role of someone that was extremely talented but also unfocused. She could tell the man wanted to stop for the day, as she had not made any progress in their last few sessions. She didn’t care, however, and had no intention of learning more attack spells she pretended not to know. Seeing Sølve again felt nostalgic, and she would be happy if she was not currently starving; she hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was already noon.
“Sølve,” the young girl whined. “Can we take a break? I’m hungry.”
“We can go after you give it one more good try, Lady Eira,” Sølve stated firmly.
“You said that last time.” Eira pouted, crossing her arms. “It is not good to lie.”
“Have you seriously tried since I said that?” The voice sounded chastising. “I am pretty sure you have only half-heartedly wielded your magic since then. Lord Salstar said you can’t leave until you do this successfully twenty-five times, no exceptions. If you want to eat you need to do it right.”
“Ugh! Fine!” The young girl stomped her feet. “I’ll do it again, but this is the last time!”
Eira had already started walking off. “They were taking too long, let’s go!”
While she did feel bad, at the same time none of them were hurt and all Eira wanted at that moment was delicious red meat. She could practically taste it already. Then she could get back to what she really wanted to do that day: delve ever deeper into her studies of divining magic.
She knew father didn’t like that; he told her divining was the weakest aspect of starlight magic. It didn’t matter. He was just mad she was better at it than he was. She was better at it than anyone else on this side of the world.
The estate was large, but practical to the point where any human would consider it more of a compound. The walls were natural colors, the floors deep red wood. Furniture and fixtures only in places it served practicality, as wendigo design was by nature function over form. There was one area of the Salstar estate which had the opposite mentality; that was where they would serve foreign delegates in something more comfortable for them.
“Every time I come here it always looks so weird,” Eira mused.
“It is a necessity for talks with the neighboring nations,” Sølve stated.
“Humans are weird,” Eira said as she looked at the imported, uncomfortable furniture. “I don’t think I will ever understand it. Why spend so much money on something so uncomfortable and that won’t last long?”
“Humans also don’t live as long as we do,” Sølve stated, going into a teaching mode. “So they would rather have something colorful or require someone else to spend hours on small details to show that they can afford someone spending that time. Even if the product won’t be as long lasting, or in this case comfortable. Wendigo want practicality and longevity because we live so much longer.”
Eira thought about it for a little while. “That makes them shortsighted. Even if they don’t live as long they have children and future generations who could use it, like we do.”
“Yes, humans and many other short-lived races are like that. Hard to worry about something lasting two hundred years when you only live one, if that,” Sølve stated with a wave of his hand. “One day you will meet humans and they will find you equally strange.”
Eira finally had some time to herself and got the chance to explore the estate on her own, which was a nostalgic experience for her. She would eventually travel to the middle of the estate grounds, which was a dense forested area the wendigo called a garden. This was her favorite place in the entire demesne, as it had been for hundreds of years by that point. It embodied everything she was taught as the daughter of a noble. It was nature under control, a place where she went if she wanted to be the apex predator. By ordinance of the Forest Father it was the wendigo birthright to rule. Although she didn’t want to rule, the forest still filled her with wonder and delight.
There was more to the reason the young lady wanted to walk through the dense woodland. She could go there without question and usually without constant watch from her father’s Hands or servants. It was the only place she could freely practice the highest tiers of divining magic without giving away her secret.