Evumeimei "Evvy" Dingzai is an ambient stone mage, originally of a Yanjingyi family[1]. She meets Briar Moss while living as a street rat in Chammur, and being the first to discover her magic, he's compelled by his former teacher Rosethorn to take her on as a student. She later leaves with Briar and Rosethorn and accompanies them on their further travels. Upon their return to Winding Circle Evvy stays at Discipline cottage and later accompanies Dedicates Myrrhtide and Rosethorn to the Battle Islands.
Biography
Early life
Evvy's family left Yanjing when she was about six years old. She had at least two older brothers and was the youngest child of the family. Her family sold Evvy in Chammur for two silver dav's because the family needed the money and she was a financial burden to them. For about three or four years, she lived on her own in a cavern in the Old City of Chammur.[1] There the stone walls responded to her ambient magic, hiding the entrance to her room and becoming tensile to allow her to sink rocks she'd collected into them. She raised six cats, providing for them and herself by shining gemstones for Nahim Zineer, who paid her small coins for the work. Her magic strengthened the potency of the stones, allowing him to sell them more easily. By 1039 K.F. Evvy has already lost some teeth[2].
Learning her magic
Briar discovered her when she was shining stones, when his ability to see magic revealed the effect she had on them. He lured her to his house and gradually gained her trust by giving her food. Although he tried to convince her to accept Jebilu Stoneslicer as her teacher, she refused to consider it, effectively forcing Briar to become her teacher himself, teaching her meditation, reading and, much to Rosethorn's amusement, table manners.
Once Briar had taken her as a student, she caught the attention of Zenadia doa Attaneh, who wanted to use her skill with gems to benefit her gang, the Vipers. Lady Zenadia attempted to trick Briar into letting her adopt Evvy and, when that failed, ordered her gang members to kidnap her. Briar tracked her to Zenadia's villa and extracted Evvy, destroying the house in the process.
Shortly thereafter, Evvy and her cats joined Briar and Rosethorn in their trip east to Yanjing and was present during their escape from the war in Gyongxe. Upon their return to Emelan she moved into Discipline cottage with Rosethorn and Lark, taking up residence in Briar's room.
Soon after Briar and the rest of the circle go to Namorn, Evvy gets into a fight with boys who were bullying her friends. Since she beat them up after she disarmed them, she is in disgrace with Winding Circle, and a lot of people are mad at her. In order to keep her out of trouble, Rosethorn and her strange friend Luvo (the heart of a mountain) take her to the Battle Islands where she discovers the beginnings of a volcano, and meets two fire/magma spirits, whom she names Flame and Carnelian. She helps prevent many people from being killed, and creates a new island/volcano in the battle islands.
Abilities
Evvy's ambient magic causes her to think of stones and rocks as alive, and treat them as such; in Briar's presence she's referred to plants as "rock killers," because of the ability of mountainous trees to set roots into cracks in the rock-face, cracking the rock as they grow. When tested by Jebilu Stoneslicer she was able to differentiate stone from petrified wood, although she didn't know what it was. She can also affect the solidity of rock, and make crystals hold light as well as heat, so much so that she shatters diamond.
By 1043 KF she is able to talk with rocks and magma. She is able to arm herself in stone magic in order to keep magma spirits from burning her up. She uses diamond armor in order to survive other magma spirits. Evvy is an extremely powerful stone mage who is able to talk with the ancient spirits of the Earth, such as Luco (the mountain heart), Starns (the island), the surrounding island spirits, and magma spirits.
Relationships
Briar Moss
Briar is the mage who discovered Evvy while in Chammur. She was afraid of him at first, but he saved her from the gang called the Vipers, and connected to her street roots. He was the first one who had ever been kind to her, and spent money on her that he didn't expect back. This made her emotional throughout their travels, but she was careful not to show it in front of him, because she knew he would be embarrassed and brush it off. She misses Briar while he is away in Namorn with his foster-sisters, and blames herself, thinking that he doesn't want to be with her anymore. Their relationship is not a romantic one, but one between an older brother and a sister.
Rosethorn
She is Evvy's secondary teacher of sorts. She is with Briar and Evvy in Yanjing and Gyongxe, where they are sucked into a war. The war had made them closer, but was quite scarring. Evvy loves Rosethorn, and takes it upon herself to care for the woman while Briar is away. On the island of Starns, she urges Rosethorn to care for herself. Evvy's blasé remarks about human life are looked down upon by Rosethorn, who tells Evvy that she must choose between becoming a builder or a destroyer - a lecture that Evvy thinks is piffle, but she doesn't say it. Rosethorn also trusts Evvy in her magic, something Evvy enjoys. When she disappoints Rosethorn by driving Meryem away accidentally, she stays on the island when their boat leaves, hoping that she can save Starns, herself, Meryem, Nory, and Jayat. She ultimately decides to become a Winding Circle dedicate, like Rosethorn.
Luvo
Evvy met Luvo when she was captured by Yanjingyi soldiers and tortured for information about the whereabouts of Rosethorn, Briar, Parahan, and Soudamini. When the torturers threatened to kill Evvy's cats in front of her, Evvy used rock magic so her brain would become stone and she would seem dead. This called Luvo who took her bodily to his mountain to treat her feet and her mind. He became quite interested in humanity after meeting Evvy, and left his home in the mountain to travel with her. In Melting Stones, Luvo is a clear and patient voice, and urges Evvy to become a better human (but in a different way than Rosethorn). He trusts Evvy's magic and word as well, in that he allowed himself to be close to Carnelian and Flare in order to trap them in quartz. When Evvy decides to stay and stop the magma spirits, Luvo is resigned but says his farewells. He saves Evvy by allying himself with the island spirits, who manage to stop the magma and put them out to sea so that they make create a new one.
Appearances
Notes and references
See also
| Street Magic | |
|---|---|
| Set in the Circle Universe in Chammur (1039 KF) | |
| Mages | Dedicate Rosethorn • Briar Moss • Evumeimei Dingzai • Jebilu Stoneslicer |
| Vipers | Lady Zenadia • Ubayid • The Mute • Ikrum Fazhal • Sajiv • Orlana • Yoru • former Camelguts: Ayasha • Hammit • Mai • Douna |
| Others | Nahim Zineer • Qinling • Kemit doen Polumri • Turaba Guardsall • Gate Lords; Gods: Shaihun • Lailan • Mohun |
| Places | Chammur (Sotat): Golden House • Jeweled Crescent • Market of the Lost • Grand Bazaar • Princes' Heights • Fortress Rock • Heartbeat Heights • House Attaneh • Evvy's squat |
| The Circle Opens novels: Magic Steps • Street Magic • Cold Fire • Shatterglass | |
| Melting Stones | |
|---|---|
| Emelanese Characters | Evumeimei Dingzai • Rosethorn • Myrrhtide • Luvo |
| Battle Islanders | Oswin Forest • Azaze Yopali • Jayatin Holly • Tahar Catwalker • Nory • Meryem • Treak • Dubyine • Karove |
| Spirits | Flare • Carnelian • The Sea • Starns |
| Places | Battle Islands • Starns • Moharrin • Makray River • Mount Grace • Sustree • Lake Hobin |