Mutante

Chapter 30

Copyright 2023 Elizabeth Frerichs

Crossposted on elizabethfrerichs.com and fanfiction.net

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After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, they prepared to journey to Vana. The perpetual cloud remained above the kelp forest, but Rina's darkness was gone. Rosie nearly swam circles just thinking of how lovely it was to be setting out with Robert and her own dear Grandma Essie. Not to mention that she had managed to avoid sitting through another of her mother's matchmaking attempts while Alan studied her like a portrait that was sadly lacking.

"Now, Rosie-girl, I should like to see your control of magic. If you wouldn't mind, please create a path for us," Grandma said as she locked her house up.

Rosie glanced around a little anxiously. She didn't see any of Rina's magic, but that didn't mean her aunt hadn't hidden something around. Theoretically, her grandmother was more than capable of finding and disabling said traps. It was just—maybe she hadn't quite adjusted to having her uncursed grandmother back.

She slowed her gills. "I can do that." Rosie took a moment to visualize exactly what she wanted: another opaque tunnel—no need to tempt fate just in case Rina tried something . . . . She glanced at Robert, who was staring into the forest as though his own eager thoughts could will the path into existence. It would be quite nice if there were a gentle current pulling them along towards their destination to speed the trip. And preferably some sort of reflected lights. Once she had the image firmly in mind, she said the spell.

"Grant us passage that is safe

through this dark and gloomy place

To Robert's house we want to go

through all the currents, high or low.

Take us on the way that's true

through the realm that's deep and blue;

allow no dangers, vast or small,

to reach us on this path at all.

And let no creature see where we go;

we need to hurry and not be slow."

The path immediately popped into existence, sweeping everything away from it. Without thinking, she had imagined something wide enough for all three of them to swim abreast, so it was rather wider than her usual path, but still smaller than it had been right after Farfandal changed her.

Grandma Essie hung there, gaping at the path. "What did you do? I've never seen a path like this one."

"Um, well, I—with the kelp being so hostile, your path started looking like a tunnel, so I started thinking about it like a tunnel. And I made the walls opaque because we had some trouble with sharks trying to break through the barrier. They don't seem to bother if they can't see us though."

"How did you get the light in there?"

Rosie shrugged. "I don't know. I just imagined a tunnel with opaque walls that still let in the sunshine. The glow-lantern was enough for me since magic glows, but I figured you and Robert might prefer more light."

Her grandmother's laugh was incredulous. "I've never heard of anyone having that level of control over their spells." She pulled Rosie into a hug. "I'm afraid, my darling, that this means you'll have to be trained. You'll have to drop whatever you're doing for the foreseeable future, but that can't be helped."

"I know," Rosie said with a sigh. "Thomas told me that I'm a danger to the people around me as long as I remain untrained."

Grandma Essie hugged her tighter for a moment and then let go. "He told me that too, but I suppose I had to see it for myself."