"Yes. We call these elements ganglia. A ganglion can even be a notation referring to another simple spell, representing a sort of junction. But more often they are a simple change in the flow of energy."

"We also cannot form truly permanent artifacts. Bone is the best medium for anything long-term, and it is hard to shape, and will still grow depleted in time. And as a ward it is more... vulnerable, than blood."

"Of course, great circles and spirals are unwieldy for notation purposes. What I record in my journal is a sort of mathematical shorthand that would allow me to reconstruct the spiral and its ganglia. The formula must record the starting elements as well as the rate of decay, as measured by the tightening of the spiral. Once the starting elements are in place, you must only notate future ganglia and the length of the intervals between them."

"It sounds complex when I say it aloud, I suppose, but I have been reading spell diagrams since I could read English. At first you translate from notation to diagram to energy flow--drawing the spiral can help--but in time it becomes just a second language."