The River District was darker than usual, a combination of the lantern-lighters refusing to come through the area anymore and the cloudy sky blocking the moons and their warm glow. It proved to be of little issue as Vivian pulled a dozen small Anam shards from her satchel and, after murmuring a short incantation, pulled brilliant light from the fragmented crystals. Each soldier, Lillian and Tobias included, let out a slight gasp of awe as the gems levitated out of her palm and moved to hover a foot over the respective soldiers’ heads. The light was brighter than any torch, stretching out with brilliant intensity that seemed to slice through the crawling darkness, chasing the shadows back into the distance as each person became accustomed to their personal torch.
“When did you learn this?”
