Skyhaven

Chapter 30

Lumi and Rune sat for awhile, perhaps he was giving Lumi a chance to back out of going to Eira. It was a big decision to make, after all. Yet, it was something that had been lingering in the back of Lumi's mind since long before she had met Rune.

"How long is the trip?" Lumi asked trying to let him know that she was serious without actually saying it. He looked up at her from his lounging position, as if assessing her.

"It will take us about two days to reach the gate at Oberon, which is just outside Gwyn Dinas, then from there we will arrive at Eira." Rune explained perhaps more in depth because she was an outsider to mage colleges, but it was about the wrong things. Lumi struggled to grasp how she could simply arrive at Skyhaven within two days.

"A gate?" She muttered half to herself.

"A portal of sorts, you walk through it and the mana moves you quickly along a set path." 

"Then why doesn't everyone use it?" Lumi asked astounded that it wasn't a common mode of transport already.

"Well if you can't manipulate mana, you would just step through the gate and end up staring at the wall behind it."

"Hmmm, like activating an enchantment?" 

"Yes, but it uses a lot more energy, typically only mages can manipulate enough mana to use them, hence them only connecting mage colleges."

"So amazing!" Lumi exclaimed, "It's kind of like putting healing mana into a stone right? Each arch is imbued with a set destination, but instead of in the body, it is space! Oh, I really want to try it!"

"Wait, wait, so down" Rune said sitting up hurriedly and grabbing her hands that where looking frantically for a stone.

"Why?" 

"You are messing with space and you don't know how? How far will away will you end up, what will you do if you take more or less of you than you thought? There is a reason there are set arches imbued with this power and there aren't just mages transporting themselves everywhere they want with their own enchantments." He was clearly angry at her, and Lumi felt her excitement shrivel at the sight of it. 

"I'm sorry..." She replied, dumbfounded.

Rune let out a sigh and racked a hand through his hair, "I just don't want to go on a wild goose hunt to try to figure out where you threw yourself. Also, not that it matters, but unless you are ranked as an archmage or given a license, using transportation spells is illegal."

Lumi stared even more blankly at Rune and could only ponder how little she knew, regardless of the books she has read. She never really considered studying magical laws and legislature. 

"Can you tell me the basics of what I can and can't do, or even a book would be good? The last thing I need is for Acacia to feel justified in calling me a witch, or giving her an excuse to not let me go to Skyhaven." Lumi was quiet in asking, she didn't want to hear him say no.

 There was a short pause before the answer fell on her ears, "This week, I will teach you, but only this week. I don't need you getting expectations that I will always help you now that we will be attending the same school." It was supposed to sound stern, but the threat felt very hollow to Lumi. 

"Thank you, I will do my best to not ask for anything else then." 

The afternoon passed by quietly as Rune produced a notebook and began writing quietly and Lumi continued researching other medical enchantments she could add. She was thinking of buying some unenchanted quartz for cheap and imbuing them with smaller heals to be activated in an emergency. She was also considering what herbal teas and medicine to make. She figured she would include a small bottle of high proof alcohol and a jar of oil salve. Pain killers would be ideal, and Lumi still had lots of willow bark stashed away from her journey to this point, but her brain wondered if she should include poppy milk as well.