Two days passed in seemingly the blink of an eye.

Despite his overwhelming interest in the artifact that Macannan had left with him, Verdan was forced to leave it to one side. He couldn’t afford to waste the Aether experimenting with it.

Verdan didn’t know nearly enough about Sigils to understand how it could break all the enchantment rules and still work. For now, it was more of a curiosity than something he could try to figure out.

With the City Council were recovering from the loss of one of their own, Verdan had little to do while he waited for his different projects to finish, so he spent the time developing his spiral.

With two days of concerted effort, Verdan completed his fourth spiral, bringing a much-welcomed increase to his Aether recovery speed.

Each new spiral was worth less than the first, but the true diminishing returns came after the sixth spiral.

Having six spirals was the mark of a true Wizard, and it provided a high enough recovery rate that far more Aether could be applied to spells without concern.

Verdan’s years of experience helped keep his Aether costs low, so he could cast spells as though he had twice the number of spirals.

Still, gaining his fourth spiral was a notable achievement, and it was one step closer to Verdan being able to cast a variety of larger spells, not just the ones he had the best visualisation for.

A few well-timed energy spells had let Verdan power on despite a lack of sleep, and he was already almost two dozen layers into the fifth spiral.

However, Elliot had left a message for him this morning, so Verdan put his spiral work on hold for now.

Hopefully, Elliot was calling on him to say that the physical housing for Verdan’s version of a magi-tech device was complete. If so, they would be able to start producing the enchanted bolts in job lots.

Supplying the guard with enough ammunition to get through the fight was one of Verdan’s key goals while they had time to prepare, and this device was crucial to how he would do it.

“Hi, could you let me know where Elliot is?” Verdan asked a passing worker as he reached the area where Samuel and his people were based. The worker didn’t stop but pointed to a building off to one side.

The glasshouses were busy, bringing a level of industry to this part of the city that was sadly absent elsewhere. It was a welcome reminder that Verdan’s actions were making a difference.

Heading to the building that the worker had pointed to, Verdan found what seemed to be an old storage spot that had been converted into a workshop.

Elliot had mentioned that Samuel was setting him up with some space, but this was beyond what Verdan had expected.

Stepping inside, Verdan felt the warmth of the workshop wash over him. Elliot was working in the corner of the room, reshaping a few pieces of metal that were glowing with heat.

“Elliot, I got your message,” Verdan called out, watching as the big man casually placed the hot metal on a nearby anvil and dusted his hands off.

“Verdan, thanks for coming, I’d shake your hands, but that might not be a good idea,” Elliot said, giving Verdan a tentative smile as he held up his bare hands.

“Probably not, no,” Verdan said with a chuckle, wondering internally just how hot his hands were after handling the metal, which was only still glowing a dull red on the anvil.

“This way, I think your machine is ready,” Elliot said, some tension fading from his posture as he led Verdan into a back room.

The machine was everything Verdan had asked for.

The core housing was the size of a small person, made with multiple metal struts supporting it and wooden panelling covering the machine's back and sides.

The machine's interior resembled a pair of open jaws, with a curved slot in the middle for the bolt to sit, suspended on several metallic contacts.

There were handles on either end and a lever to pull the jaws closed. It was just as complicated looking and bulky as Verdan had wanted.

“What do you think?” Elliot asked, moving over to pat the top of the metal jaws with evident pride.

“I think you’ve done a great job,” Verdan said, pulling on the lever and admiring the smooth action of the jaws closing. “I’ll enchant it this evening, if that’s okay, and ship it to the workshop tomorrow?”

“Whatever’s best for you,” Elliot said with a wave of one hand. “Is there anything else you need me to do? I’ve got a few orders for repairs with the lumberjacks, but otherwise, I have time.”

“Glassware for Natalia,” Verdan said immediately, keenly aware that they had nowhere near enough for what they needed. “Potion bottles, really, as many as you can make.”

“I can do that, but I won’t be able to do too many,” Elliot said with a grimace, heading back out to the main room and shutting the door behind them.

“Why not?”

“The lumber is green, none of it is seasoned, so it doesn’t burn well. Samuel’s getting more blockages, more smoke and less to burn from each log.”

“Right, so the logs need to be dried out? Is there a specific process, or do they just need the moisture removed?” Verdan asked, thinking of what he could do to help.

“That’s right, it’s a drying process, but it takes a lot longer than we have to do properly.”

“Alright, I need an enclosed space, a large metal spike and some logs,” Verdan said, already designing the proper construct for what he wanted.

“Will do,” Elliot said simply, reaching over to grab a length of metal and put it into the small forge he had before heading to the door and yelling for someone to get Samuel.

Heading back to the forge, Elliot rolled the metal in place, eventually pulling it out once it was glowing brightly. Using his bare hands, the Idrisyr shaped the hot metal, forming a two-foot-long spike while Verdan watched.

Samuel arrived just after Elliot quenched the spike, and Verdan was guided over to a smaller storage shed after explaining what he needed.

There were already a few fresh logs inside, so Verdan got to work making sure the space was as sealed as possible.

“Garec sia,” Verdan muttered, running a hand over the cold stone of the building’s wall as he pushed both Aether and the metal spike into it. The stone rippled and shifted as it was distorted by Verdan’s Aether, flowing around the spike until the whole thing was halfway through.

Releasing the spell, Verdan leaned against the wall for a moment, rubbing his tired eyes as he tried to create the visualisation he needed for what he wanted next.

He spotted Samuel and Elliot exchanging concerned glances off to one side, but Verdan tiredly waved for them to relax. Everything was under control.

Still, he could do with clearing his mind a little.

“Hyn,” Verdan whispered, turning slightly away from them as he tapped one leg and sent a pulse of Aether through his body, revitalising himself.

The lack of sleep had definitely caught up with Verdan today; he was weary and struggling to focus, and even the energy spell was only taking the edge off now.

“Are you alright, Verdan?” Elliot asked with concern, making the Wizard push off the wall to stand upright before turning to give them a reassuring smile.

“I’m fine. Now, Let’s add the finishing touches. Wyr liff gward.” Verdan ran a hand down the metal spike as he spoke, forcing his tired mind to layer the Aether construct around it and direct the gradient of moisture that it would maintain.

Verdan could feel the ambient Aether slowly shift as the construct attached to the spike began to draw it in to power itself.

“There, that should do it,” Verdan said, turning back to the others with a strained smile. “The spike will draw out the room's moisture and transfer it to the exterior section. Leave that door firmly shut, and it will suck all the moisture out of the air in no time.”

“Impressive,” Samuel said, a little wide-eyed after seeing Verdan turn the wall malleable. “I can see it working already.”

Verdan frowned and turned back to look at the spike, unsure what Samuel meant. None of it should be visible from this side.

There was moisture beading on the metal spike.

Verdan stared dumbly at the tiny droplets of water forming on the metal, utterly confused. The moisture flow should be going out of the building, not coming in. This didn’t make any sense.

Walking over and examining the construct with his Aether senses, Verdan felt the blood drain from his face. He’d screwed up the visualisation somehow. The construct was inverted, bringing moisture into the building.

Verdan stared at the spike in shock, the weary fog in his mind burnt away by adrenaline surging through him.

He’d cast it wrong.

Verdan hadn’t miscast a spell in years, not since he was a novice. It was a dangerous mistake that could have caused the spell to go wrong in unforeseen ways.

“Everything okay, Verdan?” Elliot asked, though the words barely registered with Verdan.

“Yes,” Verdan said faintly, still staring at the spike. “Everything is fine.”

“Good, well, we’ll get back to it. Let me know when you want that shipment moving,” Elliot said, stepping out of the building as he started to discuss the amount of glass they could make with Samuel.

“Wyr liff gward,” Verdan intoned clearly, focusing on the visualisation as he tossed aside the other construct and repurposed the Aether for the new one.

Almost immediately, the moisture that had built up around the exterior of the spike vanished as it was pulled through to the other side. The correct way this time.

Verdan looked down at his shaking hands and took a steadying breath. He would do some meditation this evening before he slept. That would help with the tiredness.

This had been a stupid mistake, but that was all it was. He’d just been relying on the energy spells too much; a few hours of good meditation would make the world of difference.

Verdan clasped his hands behind his back to conceal the adrenaline-induced tremors and started back out the door. He still had a lot to do today.