Osric knew the key to charming the inanimate was matching his mind to the object. He had to become mindless, and in doing so, he could hear the vibration of the object’s elements. Each sound was different, and by matching them in pitch, tone, and volume, he could add the spell to its essential nature. Success meant the object had no apparent magical qualities but would affect the one who possessed it in ways so subtle they were undetectable.
The ring was difficult. Precious metals had a tight structure that was difficult to hear, more difficult to match. Osric emptied his mind of sensation, listening for the silver to call out to him. The first sound was a high ping, like metal striking metal. It reverberated through him, and he drew himself to it. Once matched, that sound revealed others, and Osric connected his mind to each of them like the strands of a spider’s web.
Osric’s mind was now inside the ring. He visualized himself as caught in an actual web, stuck and unable to move. Then he imagined himself suddenly free of all restraints, and a sense of joy and elation overflowed from him. He poured these feelings into the sounds in the ring, matching his happiness to its harmony.
He opened his eyes. The ring shimmered and vibrated for a moment, then lay still and silent. He picked up the ring, and the joy of freedom he had imagined filled him again. The charm had worked.
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