Wizard's Blood [Part Two] (32 page)

The second crystal contains a variety of information. I have tried to include bits and pieces of what I have learned of the ancients and possible locations of some of their lost cities where I had hoped to find more clues to our past. I have also included several spells that I have uncovered along the way that are not generally known to others. A couple are unique, and I have never encountered others with a knowledge of them.

The ring with the red stone is one of the unique rings created centuries ago. Like other rings that use the power, this one adds or boosts a mage’s ability. Rings never add to a mage’s effective level, they provide their own ability or boost one’s ability in one area. The red is the fire ring, and greatly enhances one’s ability with all of the spells involving fire. I was particularly adept at a spell called fire-wrap, and with this ring my ability was virtually beyond the abilities of my enemies to resist. It served me well for many years.

The second ring, if that indeed is what it is, was not intended for humans. I have long sought the origins of the stories of the dragons on Gaea, and this appears to be an artifact of their presence. The pattern on the ring is something I have encountered several times in reference to the dragons, but have yet to unravel the mystery surrounding them. It is clear they existed, and had a strong influence on the development on Gaea. I am told some of the ancient maps are marked with this symbol to locate their private city on Gaea, but unfortunately I never found such a drawing.

The staff is also very old, and is one of a dozen that were created, each with different abilities. This was the Staff of Destruction, and wields powerful forces for a mage of the proper orientation. It can only be used by a mage who is a true level seven or greater. That means any of the magical items that artificially boost one’s level will be of no use to one wishing to access the power of the staff but lacks the appropriate ability. These days there are almost none who have reached such a level, so for most it will serve as only a support for hiking. My own line is blessed to have come from the more powerful mages, although I fear that over time the ability will become diluted by the mixing of my blood with those here on Earth who are lacking in any magical ability whatsoever. All who have the ability with the power have subtle differences inherent in their brains which allow the ability to function, and which can be passed on to their children, but those who are able to grow to high level supposedly have a detectable growth in one area of the brain. I know this through my studies of the old mages and not through any direct experience. I was never keen on allowing the medical types to poke around in my innards, especially my brain. I felt it best to keep some secrets to myself.

I wander from the subject at hand. The staff was designed to allow one to combat enemies, but also to control and destroy if needed some of the magical creatures that were foolishly brought into being by some of the wizards around the time of the War of Mages. Staffs do not truly boost a mage’s level, but they often allow him to operate selective spells as if he were a much stronger mage than he truly is. It was so with the Staff of Destruction. While I am actually a level seven, with the staff I could execute certain spells as if I was a nine. I often wished the staff and the ring were effective with the same spells, but unfortunately the areas the staff is effective does not overlap the abilities of the ring. The staff saved me more than once when I explored a region of wilderness known as the Land of Giants where I discovered the existence of the long lost node that could transfer one between worlds.

The pendant is the source of my imprisonment, such as it is. I had counted on the pendant to aid me in my adventures here on Earth. It is the result of long years of study of the ancient sciences and luck in finding a key element in one of the lost cities. I was fortunate to be one of those who was asked to search the newly discovered ruins, and my line has always had an intuitive ability to find items of great use magically. It is an inherited trait. Although there are those that disbelieve the evidence, some magic is passed through birth. I know several spells that I have never learned, and which no one else has ever been able to duplicate. I can explain no other way I can have such knowledge. It is an imprecise mechanism, for my father could do things I cannot, and he was unable to duplicate some of the skills I was able to demonstrate at a young age.

The pendant is an amplifier of magic. I know little of how it actually works, since I copied the design and used the central core I found in the ruins for it’s construction. The core is key to the amplifier, but the specifics of the layout are very important. I had to replicate the design a dozen times to get it to function at all, and only then, as I learned what small changes would do, was I able to tune it very carefully and through much experimentation, to work as well as it did.

The device increases the power available to a user somehow. It greatly increases how much magical power can be drawn and passed safely by a mage. It doesn’t affect one’s actual level or add to the spells that a mage can use. Sometimes I felt as if the device extended the reach of my power as well, but that might well have been the result of simply having more available to command. I have never seen another like it, and suspect the technology, like so much else, has been lost. Without the critical component I found, I would never have been able to built it myself. Needless to say, I have not shared the secret with anyone. It is the sort of thing that would be coveted greatly, and there are enough dangers these days without offering more.

I knew that the power here on Earth was severely restricted, but I expected with the amplifier that I could tap Earth’s limited reserves in a way that would grant me some of my normal power. Enough power that I was certain that I would be able to execute the simple spells necessary to return home when my explorations here were complete. I was not prepared for the device to heat up to the point it couldn’t be held when I attempted to use it. After it cooled, I found it no longer functioned at all. That is why I have been forced to remain here, an exile from my home.

The last item I brought with me to ponder since in all the years I had carried it with me, I have never been able to make it perform any function. It also came from the ruins, and is supposed to be some form of “enabler ring”. I don’t know what that means, but once again my intuition told me it was important, and I have never been able to part with it. Perhaps whoever reads this log will be more successful in understanding the device than I.

Finally, to whomever is reading this, I hope you are one of my descendants. If so, you potentially have great ability, and since you have managed to open my log you have discovered some of your ability already. I have included the spells to return to Gaea in the next section along with the specifics of the node location, which should be on the property I have claimed for our family and which I hope is still in our possession. To activate the spells means you need to have sufficient power. I don’t know how you would be able to do that, unless something on Earth has changed, or the advancing technology here allows you to fix the amulet. I wish you luck. The next section also lists the basic spells that a mage can learn along with the level required. If you haven’t advanced far enough, these will be meaningless to you. I just hope that isn’t the case. As I wrote at the beginning, the last section of the book is a diary of important events. I don’t know as I write this what will be there, but read it in case I learned something over the years that might aid you.

Utar

Boulder, Colorado, Earth

1862