“Hey, come on, Amelia, it’s not as bad as all that,” I said, trying to sound cheerful. “At least it looks cool. Maybe I can gain a Cold affinity at some point in the future?”
“Gain an affinity? I’ve never heard of that happening before.”
“Well, maybe I’ll get lucky.” I grinned at her in the firelight, and I saw her smile.
“I’m glad you’re not too upset.” She sounded relieved.
I pulled my shirt off and set about cutting strips from it to bind up my tattoo. It was a long garment, falling almost to my knees, as was the style for farmer’s clothes in Aranor. I could take some fabric off the bottom to use as a binding without ruining it.
When I glanced up, Amelia was staring wide-eyed at me. She seemed a little out of breath, and I was suddenly aware of how the firelight played across my broad chest and flat belly. I restrained my desire to grin at her flustered reaction and pretended I hadn’t noticed how hot she was getting at the sight of my body.
“It is a pity,” I admitted as I bound the strips of cloth firmly around the fresh tattoo, “but it’s not too big a deal.”
I finished binding up my arm and pulled my shirt on again. That was when the last cold Beast Core, sitting beside Amelia’s book, caught my eye, and a new thought struck me.
“Hey,” I suggested, “why don’t I try giving you a tattoo with the ink from the other cold Core?”
“Me?” Amelia sounded shocked.
“Yeah, why not? Do you have any affinities that you know of?”
“Not that I know of. I was never tested. I’ve always been classed as Sensitive to the elements, which helped in my work as a scholar, but I’ve never tried to cast anything.”
I remembered something.
“Wait a minute,” I said, “remember when the boar came near us?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, you felt it first, didn’t you?”
“I guess so,” she looked unsure, thinking back. “Yeah, you’re right, I did feel it first.”
“But when the fire Beast attacked us later, it was me who felt it, not you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I think that our Elemental Sensitivities are strongest toward the elements which we may have affinities for. We’ve seen that I have the fire affinity, and I sensed the fire Beast much more strongly than you, but you sense the Cold Cores in Beasts much more strongly than I do. I think that suggests that you do have a Cold affinity, which you’ve just not discovered yet!”
“You mean you don’t feel a strong attraction to this Core?” she reached out and picked the Cold Core up from where it lay beside the book.
“I can sense it, but not strongly.”
“For me, it’s like an almost irresistible pull… You really think this means I might have a Cold affinity? That I could do spells if I had a tattoo as well?” she was beginning to sound excited.
“There’s only one way to find out,” I said. “I’m supposed to be able to give tattoos, since I’m an Ink Mage. I think we should try it. At the very least, it would look great on your arm. I think it would suit you.”
“Do you think so?” Amelia blushed slightly. “But the Cores are worth so much; we can’t just waste one on giving me a tattoo for looks. Not that I don’t like the look of them, mind you. Your tattoo makes you look very... dashing.” She reddened even more at that before she blurted out, “I don’t want to waste so precious a resource.”
I laughed lightly at her embarrassment. “Don’t worry; if it works and you can cast a spell, we’ll be able to collect the Cores again quickly enough. Come on, I want to see if this works. You saved my skin a couple of times today, and I want to give you something in return.”
“If you insist,” Amelia said. Her expression was tentative as she sat down at the fire, but her eyes were shining with eagerness. She’d always studied magic, but never been able to cast it herself. I hoped I could change that for her.
“Give me your arm,” I said, picking up the knife again. “This will sting a bit. Let me know if it’s too much.” I did my best to infuse my voice with confidence. I’d given Katlyn a tattoo before, but I wouldn’t say I was hugely experienced. But after seeing Amelia’s eagerness about receiving a tattoo, I couldn’t let her down.
We opened the second cold Core, and Amelia gasped with her Elemental Sensitivity as the ink flowed up into the dagger, ready to begin the tattoo.
I laid Amelia’s right arm against my knee and held the dagger tip over the pale white skin. I could see blue veins underneath. Evidently, she spent a lot of time in the library. I could feel her arm quivering as I pressed the point of the knife against the skin. I pushed the knife a bit harder. A drop of bright red blood welled up on the skin, and the blue ink slipped into place, spreading and glowing slightly with its own uncanny light. Amelia sucked in her breath.
“Does that hurt?” I asked, looking up at her face.
Amelia shook her head. “A little. I’ll be fine. Please, keep going.”
The fire flickered, casting shadows over us as I worked. I had to pause a couple of times to throw a bit more wood on the fire.
I continued drawing the tattoo, pricking the basic snowflake and spear design into the skin, and regularly dipping the dagger tip into the last Beast Core to replenish my supply of sticky ink. Occasionally, I heard my stomach rumble. It was an odd way to spend the evening when we were both so hungry, but we were both keen to see if this would work. It wouldn’t
