Free Endless Night by D.K. Holmberg

confronted by a man more skilled than him but learn?
    “Then you can repeat it. This shaping can guide you and can give you the chance to separate others if you need it. Do you see how it can be used?”
    “I see how you separated me from water.”
    “Yes. And you can do the same with others.”
    “That’s not—” He stopped himself, realizing that it might not be what he wanted to learn from Cheneth, but it might be useful nonetheless. “Can it be used against anyone?” he asked instead.
    “You may try, but there are certain shapers where that sort of attack will not be effective. Some are too powerful for such a simple measure.”
    Simple. Oliver would not have called the attack simple. He hadn’t even known that separating a shaper from their ability was possible, but now that he did, he still didn’t view it as a simple attack. Using a sharp edge as would be required needed superb control of shaping, enough that it could slip beneath the shaper’s ability to counter.
    “That’s not why I summoned Eldridge,” Oliver said. “I’m not sure that I can return to the tower.”
    Cheneth leaned in, carrying his stench with him. “You will return, Oliver Bestrun. If the Seat of the Order is compromised, more than you realize is at stake. Darkness threatens, and we must be ready.”
    Oliver tensed. Darkness. What did Cheneth know?
    “You know of it,” Cheneth said.
    Oliver frowned. “I have seen evidence of it,” he said. “Shadows that should not be there. Power that seems to pulse in the back of my mind. I do not know what it means.”
    Cheneth finished his ale and set the mug down on the table. “It means, Master Bestrun, that you must remain vigilant. If that power has taken hold within the Seat, we may already be in more danger than we realize.”
    Oliver rested his hands on his belly. “I can’t return. I already escaped the Seat once. If they summon me again—”
    “You will remain, and if they summon you again, you will avoid the summons. It is as simple as that.”
    “I think you mistake my talents for yours.”
    “There is no mistake, Master Bestrun. If you escaped once, you are as capable as any to remain here. And you need to remain here. You have control of water. There are certain things that you can do to help disguise yourself.”
    With a wave of his hand, the old man disappeared. In his place was a young woman, her face reminding him, with her raven hair and full lips, of his long-departed sister. The woman waved her hand and changed again, this time taking on the appearance of Eldridge. Another wave of the hand, and the old man reappeared.
    Each time, Oliver had detected the barest whisper of water shaping, but it was water that he used.
    “You see that you can be more hidden than you realize,” Cheneth said.
    “How… how is it that you know these things?”
    “I know a great many things, but there are certain things that I do not know. That I have not discovered. And that is why you must remain here.”
    Oliver sighed. “I can try to do this,” he started, but then thought of the way Cheneth had entered his mind, “but what if they do something that I cannot withstand?”
    Cheneth reached across the table and handed him a slender rod. Patterns were etched into the metal that reminded him of what decorated Cheneth’s cane. “This can help you counter spirit. Use a shaping of each element—it does not take much—and you will be able to call on spirit. You can use that to defend against such a shaping.”
    Oliver took the rod. His fingers trailed along the edge of it, tracing the patterns. “What is this?”
    “There are those who specialize in forging artifacts like this,” Cheneth said. “You may use this if you remain. This can help if spirit is used against you. Carrying it will protect you.”
    “You said that I could call on spirit with it.” Even saying that seemed odd. There were no shapers of spirit, were there?
    But then, he had never met anyone like Cheneth