Catalyst

It was in an old book that she found it, nestled in the back of a shelf in one of the Fielding libraries. It looked innocuous enough, when she first began reading.

But as she got farther into the old and worn pages, she began to catch odd phrases that, alone, wouldn't have given her pause, but, when taken together...

Was the author really saying what she thought they were saying?

A creeping, electric feeling ran up the back of her spine. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one could see her, and kept reading, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

* * *

That book was the catalyst. Before long, she knew what to look for, and became expert at spotting the signs. It was almost like a secret code, small hints left behind for others to find, others who Knew. No one book ever offered the complete picture, but she gathered every scrap of information she could, over weeks, months, years, before making her first secret attempt, then her second, then her third.

She made flowers from coins, copper from sprouting seeds, and dreamed of making metal gauntlets that molded to her hands, like she'd read of in storybooks. Perhaps there was truth to those tales she had heard as a child.

And, after all, if she could master one hybrid magic, then why not others?