Jacob pulled open the barn, too excited to wait for Arthur, only to realize that the big tools were not prepared at the workbench.
Arthur came in behind him. "They are too big for me to move on my own, and the farmhands are all with their families. We will have to go to them."
He led Jacob around the workbench to the greater part of the barn, passing the plough in the process. Jacob ran his hand along the large metal piece that was starting to gather dust.
Arthur had grabbed the lamp that hung from the workbench as he passed, lighting it to cast light into the dark depths of the large barn.
Jacob ran his hand along the plough, fingers tracing the faint lines of rust starting to form.
"We'll get to you soon," he muttered.
Arthur glanced back. "Still not today. That one's got to be perfect."
He motioned Jacob forward, deeper into the barn, where larger equipment was stored.
"This way."
Jacob followed until they stopped at a heavy wooden wheelbarrow. The handles were worn, the basin reinforced with metal plates.
"This one," Arthur said, slapping the side of it, "we use to haul crops to the wagon. Gets heavy real fast when it's full."
Jacob crouched, inspecting the metal braces and wood grain. "Lightness enchantment?"
Arthur nodded. "Exactly. Just like the hammer, but think bigger. You won't be able to pick it up while enchanting, so you'll need to move around it as you work. Take your time."
Jacob nodded, already pulling out his tool.
He thought of a hydraulic lift this time, not just a jack, to try to emphasize the feeling of lightness of the wheelbarrow, but also possibly on the crops that would fill it.
Once the pattern was laid and pulsed into the material, Arthur led him further down to a large cast-iron component resting on a pair of supports.
"This is part of the grain grinder," Arthur explained. "One of the old farmhands used to be able to carry it around by himself with no problem, but that man had arms like tree trunks. We're not all built like that."
Jacob stepped up beside it, running his hand along the curved edge. It was dense, the kind of weight that wanted to stay exactly where it was.
"This one might be harder," Jacob said, thinking through the enchantment. "I'll use the same approach from earlier, but I'll have to think bigger."
Arthur gave him a nod. "Good. You're starting to think like a proper enchanter."
The barn filled with quiet concentration as Jacob got to work, the oil lamp flickering gently overhead.
He laid down the base runes for strengthening with practiced ease and then added the runes that help reduce how heavy it feels to the user.
'I'll use the same visualization this time, but I need to use more power with each rune. Just let it flow . . .'
His hands began to glow as he channeled his magical power through the inscription tool. The runes shone brighter than normal, and when he was finished, the runes glowed brightly but reached a peak unlike the rock earlier.
There was no heat being given off by the wheelbarrow, so Jake was not worried. He looked over to his father, who seemed to be fascinated by the runes that were still glowing brightly.
"Well, if this doesn't allow me to lift it by myself, then I don't know what will."
Once the runes finally calmed down and seemed to be absorbed by the metal of the part for the grinder, Arthur squatted down and wrapped his arms around it.
He used much more force than necessary to lift it, which resulted in a comedic lift-off as he was launched into the air by the enchantment, nearly touching the roof of the inside of the barn.
Luckily for him, it seemed that he and the grinder part were being treated as 'lighter' by the magic, and he landed without injury.
"Whoa! That was a great enchantment! I bet you could even lift it as it is. I could tell you were using more power; it seems you are getting the hang of channeling your magic into the enchantments."
After setting the grinder part down, Arthur reached over and mussed up Jake's hair. This caused Jake to chuckle a bit as he walked over to try to lift the part as well.
"Be careful, son, I was mostly joking, but if you want to give it a try, I won't stop you."
Jake nodded to his father and gave the part a tug. It seemed to lift itself off the stand that held it, and Jake had no problems with moving it around or setting it back on the supports.
"Well, I'll be. It looks like you are ready to enchant the plough already."
This caused Jake to smile bigger.
"You know, I am not sure if I say this enough," Arthur began. "But I really am proud of you, son."
At this point, Jake had to run over to his father for a big hug. Arthur bent down and embraced his son, patting his back.
Arthur ruffled Jacob's hair once more before standing and dusting off his hands.
"That's enough for today. You've earned a bit of rest."
Jacob glanced at the plough as they passed it.
"Tomorrow," Jacob said quietly, "we should start thinking about the plough."
Arthur nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Soon. Very soon."
They extinguished the lamp and walked side by side through the quiet barn, leaving behind the now-lighter wheelbarrow and the grinder piece, with the plough awaiting tomorrow.
As they stepped out into the cool night air, Jacob looked up at the stars and smiled.
He was getting closer.