"And what will you be reading today, Little Hijla." Urgl's voice came out like it was made from two rocks smashing together. Long gray hair draped from his wizened head. Despite being a scholer Urgl was huge, bigger than even my father. I had heard a rumour that circulates every few months or so that claims that Urgl had giant blood in him. Looking up at his craggy face I had to admit he did bare a certain resemblace to the giants of myth. Not the Frost Giants of the Unending Glacier, but the Stone Giants of the deeps. Of course, no one has seen a giant in hundreds of years so it was unlikely that Urgl bore their blood. I personally think he suffered from some variation of smallpox as a child. The librarian was also nigh on ancient. I don't know his actual age as none of the other servants know it, but the rumours do claim that he was the librarian before my father was born and as such can call every one of the Norlands whatever he damn well pleases.

His question was, of course, a formality. He knew that I had recently gone through my naming day ceremony and like my sisters before me it was my turn to attempt some sort of plan for getting a specific class. Teller stood behind and to the side of me with Astrid to the other side. I held Urgl's hooded gaze as my two followers stared daggers at each other. I will not lie. Their relationship is nothing if not tiring. The corner of the old man's mouth quirked up slightly, but it seemed he was content to engage in this silent contest of wills. I, however, did not have to play along.

Wisp, the little blood red jewel, seeped out of the back of my hand. One of the benefits of being Spirit Bonded was the ability to view the world through Auga's vision. Auga is the name I decided to grant my little wisp. It means eye in Old Heimál. In a manner that I was found disorienting, Auga's vision laid over mine. I know what it feels like to have double vision. This feels much the same. It was difficult when I first learned to share Auga's senses to keep my food in my stomach, but after several years most of the stress has seeped away. As long as I don't do anything strenuous I'll be fine. Auga didn't realize the kind of discomfort I used to experience. He just ran around looking at different things. Wisps do not see the world as humans do. They see the impressions of reality along with the physical form. To attempt to explain it fully is fool's errand. Imagine if you could read a book on an ancient war, but as you read you could smell the war, hear the shouting of men, feel your lifeblood seep from between your fingers, but all of this is distant as if you were experiencing it through a microscope. That is how wisps see the waking world. I have found that it is difficult to not becoma detached from the people around me when I spend time in Auga's world.

None of this means that Spirits like wisps are cold and unfeeling. They are not. Most spirits are filled to the brim with emotion, but their emotions simply don't translate to the waking world well. Take wild wisps for example. They are defined by their communal nature and near perpetual joy. Wisps are creatures of celebration and are born from such events. Of course, this is where the danger lies. They want to share their joy with the mortals they dance around. When the find one who is receptive to their advances wisps will band together and celebrate with the mortal. But humans tend to be weak willed and lose themselves in the wisps' celebrations. They forget to eat and drink, eventually the effected mortal will dance and sing themselves to death with a smile of pure child-like joy on their faces. The wisps are not cruel or evil. They simply don't understand that mortals cannot dance unending like they can.

Auga's red-tinged vision scanned the bookshelves behind Urgl. The single best part of the wisp's eyes was that I didn't need to actually pull the book down for a glimpse between it's covers. As soon as I read the names on their spines certain impressions would assault my senses. When I first discovered this function I used it to help me pick the books that now stayed in my personal quarters. Another useful quirk was that Auga's vision was not limited in the same manner as my own. Wisps perceive everything around them in a perfect sphere. My brain cannot yet sort through the different impressions and sheer amount of sensory information so I have to limit myself to which ever section I deem as the wisp's front. Eventually Auga makes it to the library's center. Several tables are arrange in the clearing between all the shelves. On the center one is an especially large tome. There is a smaller one next to it. As I focus on them their impressions flit through my senses. In the first, larger tome, I can see people doing different tasks. Some are baking, others fishing. I can see a boy with a wooden sword, feel the stars in the night sky. I can smell freshly turned soil as it awaits the first rains of spring. The images keep coming until Auga turns to the second tome.

This one is a lot like the first but has two common themes. Steel and Ice. The pounding of metal and sewing of furs. A woman singing guttutral songs and a child roaring at men three times his size. I can feel the blood red rage of the northmen. The mana of ancient wizards calling on the powers of frost and fire. The unbending wills of shamans as they beseech the spirits.

Teller's cough brings me out of my visions. Urgl and I both look to the man as though he barged into a conversation between two kings. As unflappable as ever he speaks. "Urgl, in case you've forgotten our Lady Hijla is a mute." My lips thin into a line. I did not like the way Teller stressed my name. My name didn't bother me before the naming ceremony. What I had not been told beforehand was that the child being named was expected to respond during the ceremony. The reactions of the commonfolk when I didn't say anything and merely nodded were palpable on my skin. Mutes, while uncommon, are not unheard of except in the most remote of places. There are alternative practices for mutes. They still go through the ceremony, but it is done slightly different to account for the child's lack of voice. I do not know why the priest conducting the ceremony was not informed of my condition. I can only imagine that it was some ploy between my father and Teller to try to uncover whatever secrets I had. Still, the look of shock and discomfort on the priest's face when I failed to speak the response was somewhat worth the humiliation.

"It is a rare gift to listen more and speak less." Urgl's eyes sparkled a bit. "Come Little Hijla." The man turned to head down the aisle that my wisp had already flown down. I was relieved to find that both Teller and Astrid stayed behind as I followed the librarian. Usually this process would have been between me and my parents, but my father has already made it abundantly clear that he wants nothing to do with me. I found myself perfectly alright with his choice. Had he been here he would have pushed me into following my sister's or his own footsteps. While I did want to learn the skills of a Shield Maiden at some point they would not be my immediate focus. "Do you know what path you wish to follow?" This time I could see the old man's smile as he asked the question. He was making fun of me. Before my face could twist into a scowl he pulled out a cup of ice seemingly out of his pocket.

That stopped me in my tracks for two entirely different reasons. The first obviously being how he could possibly have kept a cup of ice in the pockets of his robes. The second was how he knew I could manipulate Ice. Only two results popped in my head. Either I was not nearly as secretive as I thought I was or Urgl could see every corner of the building. I knew he couldn't see my Character Sheet, children were shrouded during their growth levels. Even Angard's evaluation of a child's Health was due to years of practice and educated guesses. The librarian merely smiled as I took the cup from him. I debated inwardly how I wanted to respond to his question. I could ask him how he knew but I doubted he would tell me. The fact that Teller showed no inclination towards knowing my abilities meant that the librarian had not informed anyone else. He knew at least some of my abilities, but how much did he really know.

HOW MUCH

The ice cracked and popped as I forced it into shape. I had to stop walking otherwise my concentration would have failed. Despite having both a Feat and a Trait that made this process supposedly easier it was still mindbending in its difficulty. Ice did not like to be molded like clay and it fought against change. Even stone changes over time. Ice just melts. However my gifts do not extend to unfrozen water. It doesn't make much sense but it is how the magic of this world seems to function.

Urgl laughed. It sounded like a landslide and grated upon my ears. His voice drained away as he regained control of himself. At this point my temper was suitably short. This man had in his palm the keys to my freedom. If my father found out about my wisp he would surely denounce me as a trickster spirit. From the way most of the servants in the keep looked at me it wouldn't be terribly difficult to convince them too. On the one hand I wouldn't be killed or burned at the stake like a witch, but I would be exiled to the glaciers.

"I know about the little wisp in my library." Urgl's voice came quietly. Like pebbles were crashing together instead of boulders. "Red is a peculiar color for them, wouldn't you agree?" My breath quickened. One word form Urgl and I would be marched from the keep in chains, my name stricken from the Imperial Records. My throat swelled shut as my mind raced. I needed to think of a way to keep Urgl silent. Violence popped into my mind first, but what could I do? I was five with a lower strength score than the average. I had been investing points in ensuring my chances of survival if something went wrong. I had magic, but it was only in the form of Ice Manipulation and the process was far too slow. Not to mention that I couldn't do anything else while I was focusing on it. No, violence wouldn't get me anywhere. I was simply too weak. Before I realized that the man moved I could feel his palm resting on my head.

"You overthink child. Your secrets are safe with me." My mind ground to a halt as his words reached my ears. Urgl's face had softened. It was usually set in a scowl and as unmoving as bolted stone. It looked like some fledgeling stone molder had attempting to make his face look caring. It was terrifying. "Now, tell me, what path do you wish to follow?" The giant of a man was sitting on his heels, his eyes parellel to mine. With the same mindbreaking work of earlier I remolded the pieces of ice that fell during my inner turmoil.

LEARN BEST

The process of forming them took its toll. It was never easy to use my abilities outside of winter. As summer comes it will get to the point where the ice won't even twitch at my command. It will come back as soon as winter returns. I hurried after Urgl once I picked up the shards of ice. He was mumbling something to himself when we entered the clearing in the middle of the library. Auga still hovered over the books on the center table. Urgl walked past the wisp to sit on the opposite side of the table from me.

"You should already know what these two books contain within. The large one is the Imperial Index of Skills and the thin one has no name, but it is an Index of Skills that has survived since the days of Heim." The same twinkle appeared in Urgl's eyes. I was starting to feel that it appeared whenever he did something that wasn't proper, strictly speaking. Which meant that he probably wasn't supposed to have the second book out. "Within these we will find whichever skills will come together to give you a class that fits your description of 'Learn Best'."