Side A – Yasgrid
King’s claim was ludicrous. The idea that Nia had worked Shatter magic without a Shatter Drum? Years of lessons from her mother, from Hafhid, and Pelegar, and all her other drum instructors warred against the idea.
The magic of Shatter Drumming came from within the drummer, but it was called forth by the Shatter Drums. They weren’t simple inert objects. They were special. Sacred even.
Yasgrid caught a memory of Nia marching across a stage, wreathed in flames hot enough to leave molten footprints in stone.
But that had been the Trouble she’d borrowed.
Hadn’t it?
“This is unprecedented?” Naosha asked. She put her special tea back on a warming plate, less because any of them required a libation and more to reinforce the tea’s aroma which blocked scrying attempts.
“I believe so,” Yasgrid said. “When we play the drums, we speak the magic into the world through the rhythm and intensity that we play. Working Shatter magic without a Shatter drum is similar in concept to holding a conversation without words.”
Naosha smiled at this and it occurred to Yasgrid that the woman sitting across from her was capable of conveying tremendous volumes of information without ever making a single sound, at least if her intended audience was sufficiently attentive.
“Maybe tell her not to try it again,” Kayelle suggested. “It was odd seeing two of you.”
“I believe she will not feel inspired to take that particular action again,” Naosha said, carrying her smile inwards, though Yasgrid could still see glimpses of it in her eyes. “Advising her of the dangers involved might not go amiss though.”
Yasgrid flickered her attention over to Nia and caught enough of the conversation there to feel comfortable focusing back on the Darkwood.
“It seems that Pelegar and Margrada are handling that for us,” Yasgrid said. “Which is good. They can give a much better technical and historical explanation for why what she did shouldn’t have been possible.”
“But it was,” Kayelle said. “Will they be able to explain that?”
“I doubt they will need to,” Naosha said. “Anymore so than we need to be able to explain the feats Yasgrid has performed with Endings.”
Yasgrid blinked. The two things weren’t at all the same. She was tempted to hold back on trying to explain that though. The last thing Naosha needed was more reasons to worry about her daughter.
“What I’ve done with Endings has all been in keeping with the blade’s design though,” she said, casting aside the idea of attempting to conceal anything from someone with far greater experience and awareness than she possessed.
“It would be more accurate to say you haven’t violated Endings purpose yet,” Kayelle said. “Healing the Fate Dancer boy though? That was a good deal more complicated than anything any of the recent Bearers even attempted.”
Naosha raised a finger in disagreement.
“Leaving Elshira aside as an anomaly, there have been Bearers who attempted complicated uses of Endings in the recent past,” she said.
“You’ve spoken with them?” Yasgrid asked.
“That would be difficult,” Naosha said. “The ones I am thinking of all perished.”
Side B – Nia
Nia’s head was spinning to the point where the mountain below her seemed much less solid than it had a few hours ago.
From what Pelegar and Margrada were saying, Nia’s simple little bit of magic to give her mother a hug had been miraculous to the point of calling into question whether she’d ever been Shatter Drumming at all.
The prospect of not being a real Shatter Drummer loomed over her taller than the mountain she stood on. Of course she knew it was true on some level. Could she really call herself a Shatter Drummer with as few proper lessons as she’d had?
Yes.
Yes, she could.
Whatever else she’d done, she was damn sure she’d played the drums. Maybe not correctly, maybe not like all the other drummers, but there was no denying and no doubt within her that it was through the drums that she truly came alive.
Her first experience with them had been terrifying and painful, but also a triumph. Her first real one. A victory of who she was and wanted to be over who she’d let herself become, and she was not going to give that back.
“There is a simple option we can use to prove I’m actually drumming,” she said, her fingers itching to start on it.
“Is there?” Pelegar asked. “After all that I’m not sure if I can even guess at what you can do.”
“No, she’s right,” Margrada said. “There is a simple test that’ll prove it out. But we’ll need a second Shatter Drum.”
“Of all the foolhardy,” Pelegar rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Not that I wouldn’t want to squash your terrible idea for a host of other reasons but you might notice that I’m not carrying one of the pack wagons with me, so we’ll all out of Shatter Drums aside from my traveling one there.” She pointed to the one Nia had not yet relinquished her hold on.
That should have been enough to squash the idea, but Nia smiled and shared a glance with Margrada who nodded in agreement as they both turned their gaze on Gossma’s parents.
“Oh, well if it’s a Shatter Drum you need, I suppose we have one packed away still,” Gossma’s mother said.
Pelegar scowled but Margrada said, “She was a Shatter Drummer. It makes sense she’d want to keep one around right?”
“So, let me get this straight,” Pelegar said. “Your brilliant idea is to take someone who’s doing the Bound-Gods-knows-what with a Shatter Drum and ask her to play something difficult and challenging with it in order to prove she’s got real skill?”
“I don’t think that’s her idea,” Margrada said.
“It’s not,” Nia confirmed with a smile. “All I want to do is play and have you listen.”
“I just heard you play,” Pelegar said.
“Yeah, but that was my song. Or mine and Yasgrid’s,” Nia said. “I’m not going to lead this next song. Margrada will. She can play something clean and smooth. Something that speaks the native language of the drums, not the pidgin of Stoneling and Elf that I played just now. All I ask is that you listen as we play and when we’re done, you tell me if what you heard was real Shatter Drumming or something fake.”
“And if I say it’s fake?” Pelegar said.
“Then I’m not a Shatter Drummer and I should never touch one again,” Nia said.