When we speak of Masters, we often refer to a mage and their familiar having mastered a certain craft, but in the case of Ella and her mage, they have mastered something far more taxing, something that magic can only begin to direct and control – the very mountains themselves.

Mastery doesn’t have to come from some innate gift or talent, it can come from years and years of hard work and learning, experience, dedication. These two know how to traverse the tallest, steepest, sharpest mountains, how to survive up at their peaks, how to look for stranded climbers, how to tame the howling winds with a little bit of magic or, if it’s too strong, how to wait it out and rest in the snows. Of course not many can spend the hours needed to master the cruel strength of the mountains, but we all have our little mountains in life that we must master and overcome.