The Archmage Unbound (53 page)

I had taken them begrudgingly, since I knew she
treasured the boxes, but even after I had told her I would ruin them she
insisted. The two boxes were actually smaller than I had planned but they met
my most important criteria, they were nearly identical in size and shape, each
being three inches square and one inch deep.

Since I wasn’t sure how much longer Rose would be I
began by using some paper to do calculations and plan out my runes before
attempting to do anything to the boxes. I had learned from my prior work that
it didn’t do to start inscribing runes before I had them exactly planned out.

Rose returned before I had quite finished working
out the details, so I had her wait for a few minutes. It would have taken me
longer to regain my train of thought if I had tried to stop and start again
later. Once I had the runes diagrammed I double checked my notes and put them
in my pouch along with the boxes and my stylus.

“Alright, I’m ready to go now,” I told her. She had
been watching patiently while I worked at the kitchen table.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to share the
significance of your arcane scribbling?” she said with an anxious tone.

I winked at her. “You’ll see,” I said with more
confidence than I really felt. Picking up my staff I headed for the door.

“Are you worried about being seen leaving?” she
asked as I set my hand on the door.

“Not this time,” I replied. “In fact it may be
beneficial to have them follow us to your house.”

She gave me another of her raised eyebrow looks, “I
don’t suppose you plan on explaining any of this beforehand do you?”

I gave her a steady look, “Sometimes it’s better to
act decisively. With some luck and quick action I think we can save them and
put Edward in his place, but I won’t explain it all now. You will have to
trust me.”

She nodded thoughtfully, “I like it when you’re
assertive and confident Mordecai, but I do have one question.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“How did you regain your confidence? When you left
our little meeting earlier we all thought you had finally cracked under the
load, but when you came back downstairs you were commanding and assertive. What
set you in motion again?” Her blue eyes were full of curiosity. That and her
intelligence were the two things that had always defined Rose in my mind.

I thought about her question seriously for a moment
before replying, “I finally realized that no matter what happened I had to do
something and the only person that could make those decisions was me.”

“I agree, you needed to snap out of your
self-recriminating and take action, but why would you say that you are the
‘only’ one that could make those decisions?”

I blinked, “Because it’s my wife and my friend that
are being…” Before I could finish her hand came up and I thought for a second
she would attempt to strike me. Her eyes were full of fury.

She took a deep breath and settled her hand by her
side again. “Sometimes Mordecai, you go from being brilliant to being a moron
in the span of two seconds. Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that you
are the only one that cares about those two. It’s insulting to the rest of
us.”

I realized the truth of her words even as she said
them. “I apologize Rose. That was thoughtless of me. I thought you were
about to take a swing at me for a moment there.”

“I almost did,” she said, “but I remembered your
shield. Doubtless I would have only bruised my hand.”

I nodded in agreement and then smiled at a sudden
thought.

“What was that smile for?” Rose asked as she saw my
expression.

I laughed, “I was just thinking that Penny would
have taken a shot at me anyway.” I opened the door and we both stepped out.

As we made our way toward her house we didn’t bother
trying to evade the men that followed us even though I could clearly see them
with my magesight. Instead we kept up a brisk pace and followed the most
direct route. Those following us kept to a respectful distance.

After we reached Lady Rose’s home the men following
us took up positions to keep an eye on the house. They did their best to
remain inconspicuous but since I was already following their movements mentally
they didn’t really have much chance of hiding from me.

“Do you have a quiet place I can work until Marc and
the others get here?” I asked Rose once we were inside.

“You seem very confident they’ll actually find the
man they need,” Rose observed.

I shrugged, “I have other things to worry about.
Between the three of them the worst that can happen is they could be discovered
and have to fight their way out and with Harold there that wouldn’t be a
problem.”

“Wouldn’t that ruin the rest of your plan?”

“Only if their identities are discovered and the
news is carried to the palace before tomorrow morning. With Walter there I
don’t think there’s much chance of that happening,” I replied.

Her eyes narrowed, “You mean before tomorrow
afternoon don’t you?”

“No, I mean before three in the morning,” I said
giving her a tight smile. “I really need to get started. Do you have a place
I can work? I only need a desk or table and some quiet.”

Rose sighed but led me to her study and gave me the
use of her desk. Then she found her maid, Angela, and gave her stern
instructions to make sure we weren’t disturbed.

“We?” I asked amusedly.

“Yes, I plan on watching you,” she answered.

I sat down and drew out the silver stylus and the
two boxes. “Suit yourself,” I said. “Personally I think you’re going to be
very bored.”

Rose sat down and fixed me in her gaze. “I doubt
that. Very little that you do fails to keep me entertained.”

I ignored her after that and set about inscribing
the two boxes with the rune diagram I had planned out earlier. It was a basic
variation on something I had already done so I wasn’t worried that it wouldn’t
work, rather I was more worried I would slip up and have to start over. I
didn’t have enough time to waste it correcting errors.

Two hours went by and I had nearly finished when I
realized I needed something else. I set my stylus aside and glanced around.
“Rose…” I began slowly, “do you have any glass beads or cut glass jewels lying
around?”

She gave me a funny look, “Do you think noblewomen
just keep such things lying about?”

I had encountered the difficulty finding cut glass
or beads previously, when I had needed them to make explosive iron balls that I
could detonate at a distance. This time I had a different use in mind but I
still needed something clear and gem-like. “It doesn’t have to be glass per
se,” I explained, “just something like glass.”

“Do you mean something like a gem?” she said with a
mischievous grin.

I answered a bit reluctantly, “Well yes, but I
wouldn’t want something as valuable as that.”

“Goodness darling! Why didn’t you simply say so?
Let me check the cushions over here. I’m sure there must be a few. I’m
constantly losing them you see,” she said with an air of nonchalance. “Would
you prefer a diamond or something with more color?” She rose and pretended to
fluff the cushions of one of the chairs in the room.

“Very funny,” I replied dryly.

She straightened up. “All jokes aside, I don’t have
any glass here but I do have a few cut gemstones that might do. If you had to
choose between a ruby or a sapphire which would you prefer?”

I stared at her for a moment before answering. “I
guess if I had to choose… a ruby. Red would be a better color for this I
think. Surely there’s something else…” She was gone from the room before I
could stop her.
What sort of woman keeps cut gemstones lying about?
I
wondered silently.

She returned a minute later carrying a ring and an
ornate letter opener. Using the letter opener she bent the soft gold setting as
she tried to prize the stone free.

“What ring is that?” I asked in alarm and I felt
suddenly foolish for having thought she might actually have loose gemstones in
the house. Obviously she would be removing the stone from something else.

She turned her head my way and I noticed she had her
tongue sticking from the side of her mouth in a particularly unladylike
expression as she concentrated. I had to stifle a laugh. A few seconds later
the stone came free and she caught it before it fell to the floor. Placing it
in my hand she spoke again, “Will that do?”

I held in my hand what appeared to be a sizable
square cut ruby. I didn’t know much about stones but I would have guessed it
to be at least three or four carats in size. “It should work perfectly. Are
you sure?”

Her eyes met mine. “Yes, now finish your work, your
work that you have steadfastly refused to explain thus far.”

“Your wish is my command,” I replied in an overly
formal tone. Resuming my seat I held the gem in the palm of my hand and
focused my attention firmly upon it, listening until I could hear its voice. Once
I had it firmly fixed in my mind I spoke to it and a moment later it split
cleanly in two. The division was so perfect it looked as though a master
jeweler had cut and polished two separate stones. The two parts were identical
and each had a flat side, the side that had been where they were joined.

I placed one on to top of each box, in the middle of
the lid and listening more closely to the wood I caused them to sink in a bit,
until they were firmly affixed. Sometimes being an archmage had its advantages.
Using normal wizardry I would still have needed a separate spell or even
mundane glue to join the gems to the boxes. Doing it this way they were joined
so perfectly it almost seemed that the gems had grown directly from the wood.

From that point it only took me another half an hour
to finish my enchantment. Finally I looked up at Rose, “Do you have a small
piece of paper I can use?” As I asked the question I noticed she was no longer
watching me. She had been staring at the ring and its empty setting.

“Certainly,” she said and moved to open the drawer
next to me. I was sitting at a writing desk after all. I immediately felt foolish.

“Where did you get that ring?” I asked her.

She put her hand up to brush her hair back, a
gesture I wasn’t used to seeing from Rose. She was normally far too poised to
fuss with her hair like that. “It was in my jewelry box.”

“No, I mean before that. How did it come to you
originally?” I clarified though I already knew she was avoiding the question.

“My grandmother gave it to me,” she replied
smoothly, “as a present when I turned sixteen.”

The look on her face gave away more than she
intended. “And where did she get it?” I asked.

“My grandfather gave it to her as an anniversary
present one year, or so she told me. She’s dead now so I can’t ask her how
long ago it was,” she answered. “Is that what you wanted to know?”

I felt terrible for destroying her grandmother’s
ring. “Rose why?! I could have used something else!”

Before I could continue she put her hand over my
mouth. “Don’t Mordecai. If there’s one thing you need to learn it’s that
other people have a right to make sacrifices too. My grandmother would have
been proud to see her ring used so, and I am more than ready to give it, if it
will bring Dorian and Penny back.”

I stood carefully and studied the woman in front of
me. I had always known Rose was beautiful, but the past few days had shown me
the depths of her spirit more clearly than ever before. She was more than
simply lovely, she was a creature of compassion and possessed of a nobility of
spirit that was seldom seen, in anyone, man or woman. “I can’t be certain any
of this will work Rose, and if it fails there won’t be any second chances.”

She never faltered, “I am not a child Mordecai. I
know there are no certainties. I know what will happen should things go badly
tomorrow.” She stared upward at me and for a moment our faces were so close I
could feel her breath on my face. A long moment passed before she looked away
and I let out a sigh of relief… and to my eternal shame, some regret. “What
will you use the paper for?” she asked suddenly, breaking the tension in the
air.

“Let me show you,” I said and folding the sheet into
a small square I opened one box and put it inside. The ruby set in the lid of
the other box began to glow with a soft red light.

“What does that mean?”

I pushed the box with the glowing gem toward her.
“Open it.”

Lifting the lid she looked inside and gasped softly
when she saw what was inside. Reaching in, she pulled out the small folded
piece of paper. “That’s very clever!” she announced. “Does it work both
ways?”

I nodded and she placed the paper back in the box
she was holding. As soon as she closed the lid the light on its gem went out
and the gem on the first box lit up. She opened it and removed the same piece
of paper. “So using this you can send messages between the boxes,” she
observed.