“Even so, that adds some possibilities, doesn’t it?” Emonael spoke brightly, grinning as she got the door. “Do you mind if we do some experiments, while I’ve got some inspiration going?”
Marin laughed, smiling and nodding. “When have I ever objected to that?”
Chapter 8
The fireball detonated in a dense cloud of smoke that flooded the room so rapidly that Emonael almost didn’t have time to react. Smelling of brimstone and clouding the entire testing room, she found her vision completely obscured as she covered her mouth and coughed in irritation. Smoke couldn’t hurt her, unlike most mortals, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t obnoxious and irritating!
Making mental note of the gesture that had led to this particular result, Emonael flicked her fingers through the motions of another spell that had been well-used the last few hours, speaking the words to conjure a gust of wind to usher the smoke out the window. At first she’d been skeptical when Marin had insisted on teaching Emonael the wind spell before testing the variations on the fireball, but now she was thankful that Marin had possessed the foresight to prepare for the smoke that had been raised, even when there hadn’t been any fuel to create it! That was magic for you, though. Emonael half-suspected that it was transporting the smoke from some unknown dimension of fire and smoke, though that was unlikely.
“Emonael? Did something go . . . oh, that was a nasty one, wasn’t it?” Marin asked, blinking and raising her eyebrows as she opened the door. “Did that one create a lot of ash and smoke?”
“How did you . . .” Emonael began, then glanced down, letting her voice trail off. Her simple robes were covered in a fine layer of dust or ash. She scowled and asked, “It got into my hair, didn’t it?”
“Yes, it did, along with the rest of you. I’m glad that we have some spells to clean up, or I swear that half of our time would be spent trying to get various nasty substances out of our clothing or hair,” Marin confirmed. “What part did that, out of curiosity?”
“I used a curve at the end of the fourth gesture of the spell, and spoke in an E-flat,” Emonael replied, starting on a spell to clean her clothing to begin with. A veritable cloud of fine ash was forced from her clothing, and Emonael winced as she carefully directed it over to the waste bin that Marin had set up, forcing it to settle down properly.
“Well, at least that tells us what part not to alter, though I imagine that Valis is going to be delighted about the possibility of blinding some of his targets,” Marin murmured, pulling out her notebook and jotting down the information. “Let’s see . . . I’m sure you have others, but the first element controls the temperature of the explosion and can alter it to other elements if a sufficiently different gesture is used, the second controls the size of the explosion, the third seems to control the range, and the forth how substantial the effect is, yes?”
“Approximately, yes. There’s a lot more to it, of course. I have to wonder what would happen if I did the same with a frost version of the spell?” Emonael murmured, tilting her head. “Do you think it’d coat everything with ice? Or send a hail of ice everywhere?”
“Whichever it is, that experiment is not being performed inside, or anywhere near the grounds themselves. Even a small fireball is a bit on the extreme side, and they’ve gotten us a lot of attention that I’d rather not have,” Marin replied, shaking her head. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if that one doesn’t get us—”
A knock on the front door interrupted her, and Marin let out a growl of annoyance, glaring toward the front of the building. After a moment, she spoke again, quite tartly. “I regret telling them anything, the nosy bastards. I think I got a visitor a month before I told the other High Magi about how things were going, and now I think we’ve had three a day. Maybe I should threaten to incinerate everything again, since at this rate I’m going to die before finishing!”
“Please don’t do anything rash, Teacher. You’re almost done collating everything you needed for the first volume of your research, right? I’ll deal with the visitor, and you can get back to work,” Emonael quickly soothed her, finishing the spell to get rid of the rest of the ash.
“Fine, you can deal with them. But if it’s Hothar again, you can tell him that if he keeps interrupting I’ll share any results with him last, behind every last member of the Association, including the apprentices!” Marin said, glowering still more.
“If it’s him, I’ll tell him what you said,” Emonael promised, though internally she wasn’t terribly happy with the idea. The shapeshifting that the High Mage had pulled off stuck in her mind from before, and the last thing she wanted was to get him angry with her. Still, if she ever wanted Marin to finish the research so that she could make proper use of it, Emonael needed to keep everyone off her back. The thought of Marin actually destroying the research honestly horrified her, and added to her determination to keep the mage alive as long as possible.
Just as Emonael turned to leave the room, Marin suddenly spoke, her voice softer, almost chagrined. “Wait a moment, if you would? I . . . want to apologize for you getting caught up in this, Emonael. I’m not good with abrupt changes to my life, especially when they’re beyond my control. You’ve helped me immensely, and I probably don’t show how much I appreciate that as often as I should.”
Emonael stopped and blinked at Marin, utterly flummoxed for a moment. She received compliments on a near-daily basis from others, and was confident in her own abilities, but somehow Marin’s praise had a greater impact than any that she’d gotten from the others. Why was a question that Emonael would have to consider, as it was slightly troubling to her, but in the end it didn’t truly matter. What mattered was that Marin had said what she did.
“Thank you, Teacher. That means a lot to me,” Emonael replied after a moment, ignoring the second knock at the front door. Grinning, she teased, “Does this mean you won’t be incinerating the library after all?”
“That’s something to discuss later, Emonael. Go get the door and distract our visitors. With any luck, we can revisit the conversation by the time I’ve finished writing the first volume,” Marin told Emonael, grinning as she added. “I might even use your suggestion for the name.”
“Whichever you like, Teacher. I’ll take care of things up front. Have fun writing,” Emonael teased, shaking her head as she left. It was quite fortunate that Marin had grown to be a much faster writer than she was at casting spells. Otherwise it was quite possible that her research would die with her . . . unless the mage was using magic to write it all down, which was an interesting thought on its own. Marin had already come up with a spell to bind her books, after all.
Quickly moving through Marin’s home, Emonael got to the door just as whomever was outside knocked again, and quite firmly this time. She sighed, calling out. “One moment, it takes some time to pull myself away, you know!”
Unbolting the door, the demon opened it and her eyebrows rose slightly, looking at High Mage Valis and blinking at him. The man barely hesitated, nodding as he spoke. “Apprentice Emonael, it’s a pleasure to see you today. Is everything well? I saw an immense cloud of smoke come from the tower and grew worried.”
“High Mage Valis, it’s a pleasure to see you as well!” Emonael replied, smiling more broadly as she nodded, glancing toward the tower before explaining. “As to the smoke, I’m afraid it was just a spell that produced far more smoke than anticipated. That’s why we perform them in the tower, after all; it’s kept clear of things that might be damaged by experiments gone awry.”
“I see. It puts my mind at ease to hear such. Is Marin available to speak? I had hoped to talk to her today,” Valis asked, looking Emonael in the eyes.
“I must ask if it’s important. She has expressed displeasure with recent interruptions, and placed me in charge of visiting with those that come calling,” Emonael replied smoothly, shrugging helplessly as she continued. “I’m afraid she’s at a critical point in her research, so if it isn’t of particular import,
I can’t see disturbing her. She’s been making dire mutterings about incinerating everything if people won’t leave her alone.”
“That . . . seems a trifle excessive.” Valis blanched at the comment, shaking his head. “No, what I wished to speak with her about isn’t that important. I do hope that when she speaks of destroying her research she isn’t talking about what she’s taught you either, because that would be going too far!”
“Oh, certainly not! I made an oath not to share her research until she’s done or gives me permission, so I’m afraid that such would prevent me from sharing it even should the worst come about.” Emonael explained, carefully neglecting to mention that she’d realized that she had a slight loophole there. Should Marin cease researching, that would effectively release Emonael from the bindings of her oath, a fact which she suspected that Marin was quite aware of. “Is there anything I can help you with, though? I hate to have you visit and go away completely empty-handed.”
“Well . . .” Valis hesitated, seeming to debate before he asked. “Do you know much in the way of divination spells?”
“I’m aware of a few, yes. It really depends on what you’re wanting done. While I know some, we haven’t gotten to the more advanced spells yet,” Emonael replied, her curiosity roused.
“It’s the crystal we found in the drake nest. We’re trying to figure out if it’s natural or artificial, and if we can determine what region it comes from. Unfortunately, divination is one of the rarest arts of magic, and we don’t have any magi who specialize in it in the kingdom or Association,” Valis explained, shrugging helplessly. “If it weren’t for Marin’s research, we would have given up there, but when it occurred to us that she might be able to help . . .”
“Ah. A moment if you would. I’ve been learning a lot lately, so I’m going to have to think and determine if I know a spell that might be of use,” Emonael told him, frowning and considering for a long moment.
“Take your time,” he assured her, standing there patiently.
Emonael carefully sorted through the various spells she’d learned from Marin, as well as the variations she’d gone through in their experiments. Even with an excellent memory of her own, Emonael found that, at a certain point, the spells began to blur together, which was frustrating at times. There weren’t many divination spells among those they’d tried, since such spells were generally a more advanced form of magic, and Marin was going more with the basics to start with, but there was the spell that Marin used to examine magic more carefully.
“I know a spell that might allow me to tell you something about the crystal and the magic in it. I’d have to talk to Marin more to see if she has a more appropriate spell in her books, but I haven’t learned any yet,” Emonael finally explained, looking at Valis and shrugging. “I’d be happy to take a look at the crystal if you’d like me to, and to tell you what I can about it.”
“That would be quite appreciated! If you have time later, you can ask her more about it, but if she’s at a critical point in her research, we’d best not bother her,” the man replied, his eyes brightening happily at her words, and Emonael grinned in return.
“Very well! I’ll let her know and we can go see what we can learn,” Emonael said, and at his nod she closed the door and went to do as she’d said she would. She was actually curious about the crystal, so in her view this was the perfect opportunity.
Chapter 9
The exterior of Valis’s tower was extremely different from the inside, at least in Emonael’s opinion. Where the exterior had been almost pompous, with the obsidian walls and crimson drapes, the inside was much saner than she’d expected. Oh, the drapes were still crimson, but the solid, well-fitted stones were largely white and the rooms were furnished with fine woodwork, though not quite as ostentatious as she’d anticipated. It spoke of a man who was much more complex than she’d initially believed.
“May I ask why the exterior of your tower is so . . . imposing, High Mage?” Emonael asked curiously. “The interior is much nicer, at least in my opinion.”
“Of course you can ask! It isn’t terribly important, at least in my opinion. Tell me, when you look at High Mage Hothar’s tower, what do you see?” Valis asked, nodding out the window at the slightly shorter, rougher tower. “What impression does it give you? Oh, and please, call me Valis, at least in private.”
“Well, when I looked at it, it’s slightly shorter and less . . . refined, but it gives the impression of deliberate strength to me,” Emonael told him, shrugging at his surprised look. “Just the construction and everything.”
“Hmm . . . you must be more perceptive than most people are. Yes, it reflects his personality and power, but most people can’t see that,” Valis replied, shaking his head. “They see the rough construction as shoddy work. Perceptions mean much, and I learned that at my mother’s knee when I was young. A small city that’s clean and of fine construction is far more impressive than a large but squalid one, at least to outsiders. For all of Pharos’s power, and we’re fairly strong for a nation of our size, most of our neighbors underestimate us. My tower is intended to portray a view of imposing arrogance, to make others pause when they think of me. I feel such is important to continue keeping our homeland safe from outsiders who might look on it with covetous eyes.”
“Ah! That explains much. I’ve often felt there was something of a . . . dichotomy between your personality and how you presented yourself to everyone,” Emonael replied, tilting her head and nodding. “It’s also why Marin has faced so much criticism, isn’t it? She doesn’t present herself in such a way as to demand respect, and others tend to view her as being weak because of it.”
“That, and because despite being a powerful healer, she’s largely seemed to ignore her gift,” Valis added, sighing as he shook his head. “She could have joined a kingdom ten times as powerful as Pharos centuries ago and built a dynasty of incredible strength if she truly wanted to. Instead, she continued with her research, despite the opposition she faced. Plenty of magi have theorized that there must be unifying principles to the use of magic over the centuries, but none of them have felt it was something that could be solved in a single lifetime, or even a dozen. None believed it worth the risk of spending their lives and being wrong. Yet she isn’t, is she?”
“No, she isn’t wrong. I’ve only scratched the surface of her full work, yet even the tiny amount I’ve learned will change everything,” Emonael replied, smiling brightly. “I look forward to seeing it, if I’m being honest. Even more, I’m looking forward to being part of it.”
“Based on what she said the other day, I was suspecting that was the case,” Valis said, letting out a heavy, frustrated sigh. “I admire her courage and persistence in following the course which she charted, but it does somewhat frustrate me that she refuses to share what she’s learned so far. Just the idea that you can learn any form of magic is astounding.”
“It is, isn’t it? When I first met her, I was skeptical, but none of what the rest of you were offering to me felt like it was enough, if that makes any sense. None of it could satisfy what I wanted to learn, while the depths of Marin’s ambition impressed me,” Emonael explained, examining a painting of what looked like a manor house as she thought about her experiences. With a soft laugh, she continued. “I wanted to believe that what she was trying for was possible, so I decided to become her apprentice. After all, if she was wrong . . . what was a decade or two of my life, at most? That’s a minor price to pay for the opportunity she was offering.”
“It turned out to be a wise decision as well,” Valis told her. “That’s a picture of my family’s manor outside the capital. Have you ever been to the capital?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t. While I haven’t exactly lived a sheltered life, I haven’t traveled far, either,” Emonael said, shaking her head as she turned away and smiled gently at him. “It’s a lovely home, but we were here to examine the crystal, were we not?”
“Yes, of course! Please, follow m
e,” Valis replied quickly, the flicker of his embarrassment passing so quickly that Emonael only barely caught it.
She followed the mage through the tower, descending into the basement and to a room filled with a large number of shelves that held various items. She saw hides of monsters, claws, what looked like a dwarven timekeeping device, and dozens of crystals and ores that sparkled with various types of magic.
There was an open space on the other side of the room, and Valis led the way toward a table there, explaining with a nod, “These are various items I’ve come across over my life. Most of them are magical in some way, but I haven’t found a use for them as of yet. I’m hoping to find a stone like the one that Hothar did for magical testing, but I haven’t had that much luck. Most of mine just glow randomly, not in response to someone with magical talent.”
“I see. What about that over there? It looks like it was made by dwarves.” Emonael said, nodding at the strange contraption.
“Ah, yes. They called it a timekeeper; it would measure the passage of time for you. I bought it, but about six years ago one of the springs broke and I haven’t had time to get it fixed,” Valis said, sighing dramatically as he added with a grin. “I’ve been forced to go back to using hourglasses ever since.”
“Oh, that would be useful, I imagine! Especially when you’re measuring the time something takes,” Emonael murmured, but when he stopped at the table, her eyes fell to the crimson crystal laying on its surface, pulsing softly with red light. “And there it is.”
“Indeed. This foul thing was what nearly got you students killed,” Valis replied, the hints of relaxation to his manners fading as he glared at it. “I’ve been quite irritated to even think about it, since the Association is here to teach you, not endanger you!”
“Accidents happen. There was no way to know what was coming ahead of time, not without having the entire area patrolled daily,” Emonael murmured, studying the crystal for a long moment. Something about it felt off to her, but she couldn’t quite tell what. Finally she spoke again. “Well, let’s find out what we can about it.”
Marin's Codex Page 9
