Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains (18 page)

"If that is how you feel,
then you should not leave," Holli finally answered. "You have to do
what you feel is right. I would assume those that have left their homes also
did what they believed was right."

"Or they just ran,"
Brenn asserted, almost as if to endorse the courage of his own decision.
"They packed up and took off, but where did they go? West? What's out
there but empty plains and then mountains."

"And why do you think they
left? Did their homes mean less to them?"

For the first time, Brenn appeared
more than just hesitant in answering. Anxiety flushed his face and he stumbled
over his words.

"No... maybe... I don't know.
They were worried about... there was just too much going on."

"Too much of what?"

"Too much of everything. Too
many goblins, too many inferns, just too much trouble."

That was all Brenn was going to
say and Holli knew it. She was about to leave, believing she learned as much as
the sorcerer was going to allow and there was no point in pressing Brenn
further. Before she left, however, she refocused her attention on the question
that brought her to the spell caster in the first place.

"Do you know the magic is
being manipulated all around the city?"

"I do."

"May I ask what you
sense?"

"The magic is being bent
inward and then released. I assume you sense the same?"

"Yes. Any ideas on what is
causing it?"

"I have not tried to track
the flow or analyze it, if that's what you're asking."

Holli noticed the resoluteness had
vanished from Brenn's voice once more. He wasn't falling back on belligerence
again—or fear—but he was holding something back.

"That was not my question. I
have already followed the path of energies in hopes of finding an explanation.
I know that is futile. I asked if you had any ideas about it."

"What good are vague
guesses?"

"You are being evasive."

"If I am, it's because I
don't see how my guesses can help you in any material way. They're just that...
guesses. Nothing more."

"But they are worth more than
my
guesses," Holli countered.
"You have lived in Ashlan... spent time here. You have worked with the
magic under the circumstances I have described. You must have some perspective
toward the anomaly."

Brenn was growing tired of the
questions. The elf was not an invited guest, she was a trespasser.
Unfortunately, she was also linked to a wizard of phenomenal power and Brenn
did not wish to make an enemy of the guard of Enin. He also understood that she
held him at an advantage. The elf knew he experimented with spells and that
could cause him more trouble than he wanted. He decided to answer her question
in a way that would make her come to her own conclusion.

"Fine, you want a guess?
Think about it. What's the magic doing? It's bending into the city and then
leaving, but what does it feel like to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I asked. What
does it feel like?"

In allowing the magic to pass
through her essence, Holli could understand its flow and the potential
distortion caused by spell casters. Throughout Ashlan, she sensed the bending
of the magic, but there was no hidden spell, no taint. It was pure, but it was
also concentrated and that came from the simple truth that magic was being
directed into the city. In her mind, it simply felt like magical energy—nothing
more and nothing less.

"It does not feel like
anything. It is magic."

"Oh, come on. You're not
thinking. Does the magic feel the same outside the city?"

"Yes. It is exactly the
same."

"No, it's not," Brenn
corrected her.

Holli disagreed.

"But it is. It is just
stronger here because..."

"Stop right there. If it's
stronger than it's not the same."

"That's not what I am talking
about," Holli stated. "There is no influence inside the magic. It is
not being shaped into some spell or used to power some enchantment. It is
simply being directed into the city. I admit it is flowing in great quantities,
but..."

"That's the difference!"

"I do not understand."

"It's like a shove, a push, a
reminder."

Holli began to see. While there
was no spell or enchanted item that was attempting to utilize the magic or to
alter it for some distinct purpose, the flow of magic itself offered a possible
explanation. The magic was being drawn into the city and released, but such a
directive was, in itself, a distortion to the magic.

"The magic is being turned
into Ashlan to let those that are sensitive to the energy know that the power
moves through the entire city," Holli finally admitted. "But
why?"

Brenn agreed with the assumption,
but would go no further.

"And for that I don't even
have a guess," he said with certain finality.

Holli might have pressed him for
more, but she never got the chance. Just as Brenn made his declaration, the
single signal of Ryson's beacon stones became two distinct pulses. She knew he
had discarded one of the stones. She was not supposed to meet him until the
following night. Ryson was calling out to her, which meant he had information
for her or he was in trouble. She could not delay in finding him, even if it
meant leaving certain questions about the magic unanswered.

"Thank you, Brenn," she
said as she turned to the window to leave.

"Thank me by not returning.
Enin or not, I think trouble is following you and I don't want to be caught in
it."

"Very well," Holli
offered. "I will leave you be."

Brenn hoped that was the case.
Goblins and inferns were an inconvenience he could accept. He bristled,
however, at the thought of being forced from his home, or worse, struggling
against powers that made inferns seem like nothing more than harmless camp
fires in some distant park.

"Didn't mean to wake
you."

"It's okay. Just taking a
little rest."

"I'm sorry it's so late, but
it's getting more and more difficult to see you," Sy Fenden said, barely
attempting to hide his frustration.

The captain of Burbon's guard had
passed through throngs of people and questioned dozens. Connel was bursting
with crowds and activity. Just finding Enin had been an accomplishment. After
wasting an entire afternoon and much of the evening on fruitless searches, Sy
eventually located the wizard dozing in a temporary office set up to handle
delivery contracts with farmers far to the east.

"I know, I know," Enin
offered in an apologetic voice. He fought back a yawn as he tried to explain.
"It's not that I'm avoiding you. There's just so much going on. I've got
humans on one side and dwarves on the..."

"I understand," Sy
interrupted, "Really, I do. I've just made my way through the southeastern
section of the city. I saw the people. I also know the kinds of problems this
is causing you. I'm dealing with it myself, and I don't have a lot of time.
It's late and I have to get back to Burbon, but we have a big problem and I
need your help."

Despite the fact that the wizard
faced growing demands from many directions, Enin did not show any exasperation
at the news. He even seemed to wipe away any sign of fatigue. He stood up and
walked directly over to Sy showing a determination to listen to the request.

The wizard had taken on a great
deal of responsibility in Connel, not that he assumed any true authority. He
let the city's mayor and council make the decisions as to policy, and he
allowed the city's soldiers to coordinate the safety needs, but he offered his
services and his near infinite magical abilities to assist in all matters. He
offered himself as an asset to be utilized for Connel's welfare, and with the
growth of the city, his talents served many.

The dwarves' presence had increased
dramatically, as did the trade between Dunop and Connel. Pioneers and merchants
flocked to the city, but it did not end there. The wave of refugees from the Great
Valleys grew daily with no sign of
abatement. Enin's guidance—born of a his unique perception—assisted in reducing
conflicts and in maintaining a semblance of order. His talents with magic
enhanced the city's ability to manage the robust growth, and it seemed every
day brought ten new requests for his aid.

It would have been more than
understandable if Enin sighed in frustration at Sy's appeal. One more request
was like another straw on the camel's back. The wizard, however, disregarded
any such selfish distress. Instead, he revealed genuine concern toward the
well-being of Burbon.

"The town is in some kind of
danger?"

"It's the refugees."

At that, the wizard appeared
almost relieved.

"Yes, it is a problem, but I
assure you I am focused on that crisis. As you saw, we're inundated with them
here as well. Feeding them has not been an easy prospect, but I'm working on
that issue right now." He waved over a slew of papers strewn across a
makeshift table. "I can add Burbon's needs to these delivery contracts. I
assure you, you won't run out of food."

"I appreciate that, but it's
not just the food."

Enin's mind fixed upon the issue,
and his thoughts—as they were known to do quite often—took their own direction.

"Yes, yes, yes, we have to
understand the cause of the problem. You know I'm working on that as well. I
have Holli and Ryson out searching for answers. Once I know the truth behind
the troubles in the Great Valleys,
we can stop the exodus and perhaps start returning many of these people back
home. It's just that..."

"I don't think you
understand," Sy interrupted again. "My problem is an immediate one
and I can't wait. Look, I see what's going on here. I know refugees are pouring
into Connel, but Connel's a city that's growing with the help of dwarf
construction. I'm talking about Burbon. We're a small town, a town that we had
to wall off for protection against the creatures in Dark Spruce. We have a
limit to how many people we can hold."

"Have you really reached that
limit?"

"You tell me. You can see
them if you use one of those sight spells. You don't have to take my word for
it."

"No need for that. I always
trust your judgment. How bad is it really?"

"Bad. We've got people
camping outside the wall. We bring them in, but the empty space just fills up
again. Goblins make raids and take their food, but it's not going to end there.
It's an invitation for every shag and river rogue to show up for dinner."

"That does seem
dangerous."

"It's getting worse every
day. More keep coming." Sy then fixed a stare upon the wizard's face. He
didn't want to place blame, but he had to make certain Enin understood the crux
of the problem. "They think they're safe at Burbon... even out in the
open... even with Dark Spruce within sight. They believe you're watching over
the town."

"I do, you know," Enin
said almost apologetically. "I haven't forgotten about my first home. I
know I spend all of my time here in Connel. I even brought my dogs here, but I
always keep an eye on Burbon."

"I know... and so do they,
but there's no room for them."

"No room," Enin
announced more to himself, as if he began to see the true issue. "Yes, I
can imagine. Your wall sets a boundary. We have a wall here, too. The old stone
bulwark built eons ago by the dwarves. They remain very proud of it. I think
that's why they're so willing to work with Connel. There's a genuine link
here."

Sy did not wish to downplay the
relationship with the dwarves, but he needed to address his own problem before
Enin wandered too far off on another tangent.

"That's fine for the dwarves,
but what about Burbon? We can't just build outside and beyond the wall like
they did here in Connel. We don't have the resources to defend outside the
wall. We start putting up shacks that we can't protect and that really would be
like ringing a dinner bell."

Enin let out a heavy breath—not a
sigh of frustration, but a realization that the problem required more of his
focus. He placed an image of Burbon in his mind. He didn't cast a sight spell
that would allow him to see the specific conditions, but he allowed the
reflection of magic to fill his consciousness with the proper perspective.

A general image of the small town
filled the wizard's thoughts. He could see the straight roads and the evenly
spaced houses. He saw order in design, and stability in practice. The walls and
towers surrounding the town offered defense, but they also placed strict limits
on the population.

"Hmm... lack of space is what
it really comes down to. I wonder if I could address that with a spell. I don't
think I'd want to actually alter the geography. The consequences would be worse
than the original problem. The walls would probably collapse... buildings,
too."

"That's not going to
help," Sy agreed.

"Well, if I can't make Burbon
larger in reality, perhaps all I need to do is adjust the perception of the
people. Maybe just a simple illusion spell would work—make everything
seem
larger. The space would really be
the same, but it would feel as if there was more room. People don't really need
all the space they think they do, they just like extra room. The illusion spell
could handle that. What do you think?"

"Messing with our perception?
I don't like that at all. How are my guards supposed to handle threats if
they're under some spell that affects their perception of space?"

"The spell wouldn't quite
work that way. People wouldn't start running into each other or even buildings
because they thought things were further away. It's more of altering their
comfort level. It would be like removing the fear from someone who couldn't
stand being in a tight place. They would know exactly how far something was
from them, but they wouldn't feel threatened by close proximity."