“What’s a void beast?” Jez asked.
“Something that humanity would’ve best left undiscovered,” Besis said before returning his attention to Linala. “You can’t possibly have exhausted enough of your sources to have to resort to that. Not in a single hour.”
She sighed. “It’s more complicated than that. You don’t have to read every book in a library to know that the information you seek isn’t there. What we are looking for is very specific, and I don’t have to summon every being I know.”
“But surely you didn’t have to resort to that.”
“I have other sources, but some of them wouldn’t come. I’ll admit I didn’t expect to go so far afield. I took more risks that I would’ve liked. You should prepare yourself to deal with the aftereffects of summoning so many powerful beings so quickly, Besis,” Linala said.
“I’ll do that.”
“What aftereffects?” Jez asked.
“So many summonings weaken the boundary between worlds,” Besis said. “It’ll be easier for spirits to enter for a little while.”
A chill ran through Jez. “Sharim?”
Besis shook his head. “Sharim’s challenge was never to get into this world, but rather to get out of the abyss. No, we may have to deal with imps or other minor spirits, but it shouldn’t be anything major.” He turned back to Linala. “Did you find anything?”
She shook her head. “Only that Between is denied to most beings, and even those that can go there fear to tread on Gayel’s territory. I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to do.”
One by one, they all looked at Jez. He shivered under the weight of their gazes. He’d thought they’d been getting close, but that had been an illusion. Their best efforts had failed completely. Jez could only shrug. He had no ideas left.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“What do we do now?” Osmund asked. He and Lina had joined Jez in his room.
Jez let out a breath and shook his head. “I’m open to suggestions.”
Lina furled her brow. Her lips parted a little, but she closed them.
“What is it?” Jez asked.
“Your first term here, you made a painting.”
Jez nodded. It had been one of the first signs that he was something other than human. “My memories were leaking through, but even then, I couldn’t access them consciously. They just came out.”
“Have you tried again?”
Jez nodded. “In Rumar last year. It didn’t work. Sariel locked away Luntayary’s memories.”
“What about the information Enki gave you? Maybe if you paint, the knowledge will show itself.”
Jez and Osmund exchanged glances. “It’s worth a try,” Osmund said.
Jez nodded and went to his cabinet. He pulled out an easel and canvas along with several brushes and corked bottles. He hadn’t had much time for art in the past six months, and he found some of his paints had dried out, but it was a simple matter to pull water out of the air and bring them back to their proper consistency. For a second, he stared at them. Then, he chuckled.
“What is it?” Osmund asked.
“I was just wondering when using aqua magic to restore dried up paints became something I didn’t even find remarkable.” He grinned at Lina. “I guess I’m more than just a fisherman’s son.”
She made an effort of hiding her smile, and her cheeks reddened slightly, but she tried to keep her voice serious. “Maybe. A little.”
He set up the easel and sat before it. For several seconds, he just stared at the canvas. He looked over his shoulder at his friends.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” Osmund asked.
Jez rolled his eyes. “Talk to me. You have to distract me. Lina, why did you come to the Academy?”
She blinked at him. “Why?”
Jez let out a breath. “It’s something to talk about.”
She looked away. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Why?” Osmund asked. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. It’s just that I have two older brothers and one older sister.”
She went silent, and Jez looked over his shoulder at her. She was staring at the ground and refused to raise her eyes. “And?”
“And I had nothing.”
“Are you serious?” Jez asked. “You’re a lord’s daughter. You’ve had everything provided for you since the day you were born.”
“You wouldn’t understand. You went from being a fisherman’s son to the baron over an eighth of the kingdom. My father’s lands are only twenty miles. I’m the fourth child. Thane is the heir. He gets all of it as well as the title. Heelia has already been married off. I know the person my family wanted for me. Lord Ordon is twice my age and has had three wives. My father hoped I’d give him a son to strengthen his position. When I told my father I wanted to study here, he was happy. He thought that would only make me more attractive to Ordon.” She snorted, though Jez could see unshed tears in her eyes. “That’s not why I wanted to come, though. A full mage can decide her own future, regardless of what he said.” She glanced at Osmund but looked away quickly. “When I withdrew from the Academy after Ziary attacked, I thought I’d be forced to marry. That’s part of the reason I went with him to court last year. He wanted me to get more seasoned at court politics.” She gave Osmund a half smile. “I never thanked you for that. You threw everything into chaos when you got arrested.”
“You’re welcome, I guess,” Osmund said, but he didn’t meet her eyes. “Though if you remember, that wasn’t exactly my choice.”
His eyes wandered to the unhealable scar that ran from just beneath her right eye to the bottom of her chin. Jez could tell when she realized what Osmund was looking at, but she no longer flinched when reminded of the scar.
“Lina, I had no idea,” Jez said.
She gave him a forced smile. “Most people don’t. They think the life of the nobility is so easy. What is that?”
“What?” Jez asked.
She pointed at the canvas, and he gaped at it. A woman in a bright yellow robe faced away from them. Her steel gray hair reached halfway down her back. Her robes were ripped in several places, and she was covered in dust, as if she had just fallen and picked herself up. Immediately before her was a wide swath of blackened earth and beyond stretched a pristine meadow, shrouded in fog. Jez didn’t know what gave him the impression, but he thought she was sad. His paintbrush still dripped with blue paint intended to color the sky.
“She’s the afur I saw in my vision,” Jez said. “I think this is from when she was cast from the Keep of the Hosts.”
“Okay,” Osmund said. “How does this help us?”
“I’m not sure it does, except maybe by telling us that we need to find her.”
“Do you have any idea where?”
Jez shook his head. He was about to suggest trying again when the canvas tipped over onto him. The paint was still wet, and it got on his hands as he raised them to catch it. There was a high pitched growl, and Lina yelped. He threw the canvas aside and saw a creature two feet tall with long pointed ears. Its arms looked too long for its body and it waved them as it jumped up and down. Red, blue, and green scales covered its body, though the colors seemed to be scattered at random and gave the creature’s hide an eye-jarring pattern. It leaped at Lina, but before it covered half the distance, Osmund threw his right hand forward, and a fist-sized ball of red flame rushed at the creature. It squealed and went up in a puff of smoke, leaving behind an acrid scent that faded after a second.
“What was that?” Osmund asked.
“An imp,” Jez said as he got to his feet. “I should go down. You too, Osmund.”
“Why?” Osmund asked.
“This has to be those aftereffects Linala talked about. The spire is protected, so if an imp appeared up here, there are probably dozens of them around the Academy, and Besis will need all the help he can get.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Dozens had been an understateme
nt. They could barely walk ten feet without running into one of the creatures. An individual imp was a minor irritation, only slightly more dangerous than a house cat, but hundreds of them were another matter. Imps had a tendency to tinker with magical and mechanical constructs, and there were permanent workings aplenty around the Academy for them to meddle with. If the imps weren’t dealt with quickly, they could wreak havoc.
Everyone, aside from summoners, who had even the slightest ability with battle magic was recruited to help. Students shifted into the forms of lions or bears and prowled the streets, hunting down the spirits as if they were mice. Balud’s adepts, those who had more aptitude with plants than healing, worked alongside sapphire-robed students who fought with earth and water. Students of destruction flung air and fire, though those who had greater aptitude with conventional weapons dispatched their fair share with steel alone.
Jez and Osmund, along with some of the more advanced students, stayed near the summoner’s practice house. Though the two of them held the lowest ranks of those stationed there, they had had more practical experience battling demons than almost anyone alive. Since the summoning house was the site of all the workings that had made the weakening of the boundary possible, it was the most likely location where greater threats would manifest themselves.
The pair talked idly while banishing any imps that got close enough. The rest of the students, who kept their attention focused outward toward any possible threat, constantly threw them uneasy glances, and Jez almost laughed. He and Osmund had waded through an army of deadly demons in the capital city of Rumar when the demon general Maries had been unleashed. Compared to that, this was nothing special.
“Do you ever wonder why you haven’t been promoted to adjutant yet?”
“Not really,” Jez said as he hurled a minor binding that banished four imps that had leaped off a nearby roof. “I thought Besis would promote me when I was ready.”
Osmund gaped at him. “Are you serious? Jez, you’re probably the most capable binder at the Academy.” Some of the blue-robed students glared at him, but he huffed. “Oh please. Which of you thinks you’re better than he is?”
Almost as one, the students of protection looked away, and Jez’s face flushed. He coughed. “It’s not just about binding. There are three other schools of magic not to mention the conventional subjects.”
“I still think you should’ve been promoted. You were already at an adjutant’s skill when Besis made you an adept.”
Jez laughed. “You didn’t see how close I came to failing my trial. Believe me, I wasn’t ready then, and I don’t think I am now.”
“But you’re a...” Osmund glanced at the other students.
Jez shook his head. “Not anymore.”
The ground rumbled, and the obsidian covered ground churned as if it were water. A pair of sharp horns rose out of the stone. Before the bull-shaped head had fully revealed itself, Jez idly flicked a hand. What appeared to be a ball of electric blue string shot forward and wound around the horns. The partially formed demon bellowed in pain and faded. Osmund cocked his head.
“Are you sure you’re not?”
Jez realized everyone was staring at him. Others had been closer to where the demon had appeared. He’d just realized what kind of binding was needed first. He waved at where the demon had been appearing. “It was a minos demon.” Someone who Jez couldn’t see let out a laugh. “You could tell by the shape of the horns.” Several shook their heads and started walking away, and Jez called after them. “It’s not like any other kind has horns like that and manifests by coming out of the ground.”
“You could really tell the kind of demon just by looking at the horns?” Osmund asked.
Jez looked around to make sure no one could overhear. Then, he stepped in close and spoke softly. “I’ve been studying what kind of demons Sharim might use.”
“Speaking of which,” Osmund said, “have you figured out what kind of demon he is?”
Jez shook his head. “There’s no way to be sure. I even sent back to Korand and had most of Dusan’s library brought here, but if he did leave a record, I couldn’t find it.”
Suddenly, there was an explosion in the direction of the central spire. A thick column of smoke rose from the center of the Academy, partially obscuring the sun and casting a wide shadow across the city. Jez took a step forward, but Osmund grabbed his shoulder.
“We’re supposed to stay here. The masters are at the spire.”
Jez pulled away from him. “Do you have any idea how bad it could be if the wards in the lower levels are disrupted?”
He looked around at the other students who had been set to guard this place. They should be more than capable of handling anything that came this way.
“Jez, the masters said—”
“Since when have we let that stop us?”
Osmund thought for a second before nodding. “Fine. By the way, I think I figured out why you haven’t been promoted yet.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Most of the imps and other minor spirits had been dealt with by the time Jez had made his way through the Academy grounds. The buildings had come through the invasion more or less intact though he sensed the frayed edges of some of the workings scattered throughout the area. Other students quickly dispatched the few imps he did see. Everyone was looking to the spire, and a few people had started moving in that direction. When they arrived, they found an opaque dome of blue energy surrounded the bottom levels of the spire. Jez gaped at it.
“What is that?” Osmund asked.
“It’s a ward, the most powerful I’ve ever seen.”
He walked up to it and gingerly tapped it with is finger. Rather than shock him or send pain running up his arm, it just felt like he touched a wall of polished stone. It glowed brighter at the spot he touched, and he could sense the power thrumming within it. He had no idea where to begin if he wanted to take it down.
“I guess they really didn’t want us getting through,” Osmund said.
“Let’s move around it.”
“Why? It’s not like Besis would’ve left a hole.”
“Not deliberately,” Jez said, “but there have been imps all through here, and enough imps can bring any ward down.”
It only took them a quarter hour to find the flaw. It wasn’t so much a hole as it was a weakness, a slight discoloration in the ward at about eye level. It was no more than two feet across. When he touched it, the dome bent inward. Jez pushed harder. The ward stretched but did not break. After pushing a few inches, the tension became too great, and his finger tingled. Jez tensed his muscles and moved the finger across the surface of the dome, weaving a counter ward. He didn’t have the skill to take down a working Besis put up, but he could batter at it with raw strength. He thought he could get through the flaw if he hit it just right.
The discolored area dimmed. Jez made a fist and twisted and pulled. There was a sound like glass breaking, and pieces of the ward flew toward Jez. He didn’t flinch, and they winked out of existence before they’d gone more than a few inches. Without turning around, he crawled through the hole and started circling the tower so he could get at the entrance. Osmund caught up with him a few seconds later.
“Don’t you think you should close that hole?”
Jez shrugged. “I would if I had the slightest idea how to make that kind of ward.”
“Aren’t you worried people will come in after us?”
Another explosion sounded inside the tower, and Jez shook his head. “Nope. Most of the students are too smart to want to come close to whatever is in there.” Beside him, Osmund snickered. “You know what I mean.”
They ascended the stairs. Jez reached forward to touch the door, but it gave him a shock, and he pulled back. “There’s another ward.”
“They must really not want people to get in.”
Jez glanced up. The dome shaped ward they had already passed through went up three stories. He could just make out the windows on the seco
nd floor. Jez pursed his lips.
“Do you think the ward on the building goes all the way up?”
Osmund followed his gaze and let out a low whistle. “Jez, you can’t mean to climb the tower.”
“Actually, I was thinking of flying.”
Osmund cocked his head. “Doesn’t that burn your flesh away?”
“Not since I used Aniel’s power to reshape my flesh. I can’t use anywhere near Luntayary’s full power, but I can assume his form and draw on his strength a little. There are demons inside so I don’t think Ziary would have any problem with it.”
The door shimmered and opened. Besis stood inside. He seemed surprised to see them, but it faded after a second.
“I suppose I should’ve known it was you. You left a hole in my ward.”
Jez nodded and tried to look ashamed. “I didn’t know how to fix it.”
Besis let out a breath and closed his eyes. Jez sensed the protection master release power into the surrounding ward, though he didn’t recognize the configuration. After a second, Besis opened his eyes.
“No matter. That portion would’ve shattered shortly. It’s probably a good thing you discovered the flaw. Let’s go inside.”
“What?”
“It’s what you wanted, isn’t it? We could use the extra help.”
“What happened?” Jez asked.
“The imps collapsed some of the wards on the lower levels. Then, they proceeded to meddle with some of the artifacts we have stored there. There’s a lot of magic in them.”
“Isn’t it just the demon cages?”
Besis shook his head. “The demon cages are only the smallest portion of what is stored here.”
“Which is?”
Besis narrowed his eyes. “Not the business of an adept.”
His tone left no room for argument, and Jez could only nod. Besis led them inside. The first-floor chamber was in shambles. Pieces of the wall had been torn off, and cracks ran across the ground. It looked bad, but Jez knew Besis and the students of protection who specialized in terra magic would be able to repair it without too much trouble.
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