Wizard's Blood [Part Two] (41 page)

When Ronoran found him, he was in the magic spelling labs with Luzoke testing a couple of the new spells. The
Rejuvenation
and
Levitation
spells were simply something that would have to sit for now. There wasn’t anyone of an appropriate level and, while they held some interesting promise, he couldn’t see much direct application for their current concerns. The
Reflection
spell seemed to work, although they’d been careful with what they tried. Luzoke could send a beam his way, and Jolan could cause it to turn on the sender. They hadn’t tried anything at full levels, but there was no reason to expect it not to work. There were some aspects about the spell that concerned him, however, because it seemed to be somewhat randomly successful. He could turn a couple of attacks, and then it would miss one or more attempts. Since it always seemed to turn the first attack he could rely on it that far, but he dearly wished he understood the subtleties of the spell rather than simply trying to apply something he memorized. He would need to talk with Vaen and see if the team to whom she’d given the task of studying the Mages’ language in known spells, had started to make any progress. When this war was over, he promised himself a bit of time to pursue that area of study as well.

Shieldlock
had more potential than he’d originally expected. It not only locked the shields around a mage or wizard, but from his experiments with Luzoke, it appeared to prevent the shielded magician from executing any additional spells. One could only perform the spell on someone who was less powerful, but that still made it useful. Jolan had also discovered that it could be used with the
Level-Boost
spell, which gave him even more advantage. Like several of these spells, the increased level that came from using his staff didn’t seem to count. There had to be some convoluted rules about how the spells and staff interacted. For the most part, he tested without the staff, since he wanted to know what the spells would do for those without the staff.

Level-Boost
required a mage to be at least a level five, and seemed to weaken one’s efforts with other spells for a unpredictably irregular period after it was executed. The time other spells were affected seemed to depend on what spell was executed with the boost, and what level of power was drawn. The spell also seemed to boost his effective level differently depending on the spell he desired to execute. Jolan had the odd suspicion there might be other side effects, but hadn’t been able to pin anything specific down. It was an incredibly powerful spell, allowing him temporary access to spells he couldn’t otherwise use, but he was uncomfortable using it since he didn’t understand all of the consequences of its use. Once again, it was there in emergencies, but he felt more time was needed to study this spell.

One spell that seemed very interesting, and seemed to work all of the time was the
Deadened Magic Zone
. The region affected, the distance the caster could reach with the spell, and the duration of the effect depended on the mage’s level and his general strength, but both he and Luzoke had been able to cast the spell with no observed side effects. The parameters were interactive, so projecting the effect to a further target, meant the effect lasted a shorter period. Within the region where the spell was in effect, he’d been unable to initiate any other spells, even using the amplifier, which he’d been careful to reset for operations on Gaea when he’d arrived here.

The final new spell was the Travel Box, which was clearly related to the Mage’s Box. It also became clear that while he could create the artifact, no one else seemed to be able to do so. As in the case of his Mage’s Box, this was a unique skill, and he was glad Oscar had transferred a bit of knowledge about the object, or he’d have had a devil of a time figuring it out. The box he could create was actually a pair of boxes, one that was without a lid and the other which could easily be shrunk down to a small cube about one inch on a side. The maximum size was closer to fifteen inches. The full-size box could be left at any location he chose, and the collapsible version carried with him. What was put into either box was available at either end, although the box somehow prevented access from both ends simultaneously. Thus, if he left the box with Asari, and Asari later put something inside, Jolan could open the box wherever he was and remove the item. It worked in reverse as well, which meant he could place a note inside requesting an item, which Asari could later place inside and he could retrieve it from a distance. It would be quite handy for traveling. Leave the one box behind, and most of the supplies could be added as needed by a friend back home. As near as he had been able to determine, the collapsed box could be tossed around without any impact on the contents, but the feature of the Mage’s Box which kept things in time suspension did not seem to work with this box.

“
Are you sure you can’t make any more of those amplifier devices?” Ronoron asked after delivering his message that they should start making the modifications to the portal room, and that Jolan’s portal mapping teams should head out.

“
I only have the one core, which Oscar found somewhere over a hundred years ago. Without risking damaging that, I can’t make another. Perhaps later something will turn up that explains how the device is made, but until then it is a unique device.”

Jolan had been experimenting with the amplifier device over the past few days as well. While it mostly mattered what abilities it gave to him, he had been curious how it worked with others of different level and ability. The results were interesting, if not very enlightening. Oscar’s note had said the original device didn’t affect level, but this version, probably because he’d added the external “enabler”, did seem to support higher levels, but it varied with person and spells. In his own case he seemed to advance to a level six or seven, depending on the spell and what the staff did for him. It was going to take some time to fully map out the combined relationship there. Another level five mage he’d tried seemed pretty much limited to level six capabilities, although the maximum power draw of everyone was significantly increased. So was the range at which they could make their spells work. He didn’t have a level seven to test, but Vaen was curious about it, and the one spell she tried showed her at level eight performance.

The device seemed to have far less effect for those at the lower power levels, although for some reason it worked really well with Ronoron, and hence his interest. For his entire life he had been restricted to being a low level three except for his unique talents, but with the device in hand, he had jumped all the way to level seven, pretty much across the board. He could suddenly execute spells he’d never had a chance with, and do so at levels that exceeded virtually everyone. Like the ring, Jolan could tell he’d hated to part with the device after testing.

Jolan hated to disappoint his friend, but it seemed to be happening a lot lately. He’d built the device to support his time on Earth and to hopefully help him match up against Cheurt, something that he hoped wouldn’t be too long in coming. He couldn’t simply pass it on to Ronoron because it made him stronger. That wasn’t the only disappointment for his friend. Ronoron was hoping to be on the team going into Kimlelm, since that was his home, but he was assigned to the much safer task of mapping out areas of Seret with Asari. Only a single mage was required to activate the portals for the mapping, and Luzoke’s power made him the obvious choice for going into occupied territory. If an altercation developed, Ronoron simply wasn’t equipped to handle the battle. Jolan knew his friend felt he was being slighted, but there was nothing he could see to do about it at the moment. He kept hoping something would turn up to give him his chance to really shine, but it hadn’t happened yet.

When Jolan walked into Vaen’s office, he saw that Major Wylan was already there. He half expected more of the group would be arriving soon, but once he was inside the room, Vaen nodded to her assistant, who left, closing the door behind her. Vaen smiled at Jolan as he took his seat.

“
The Queen appears to have matured a bit of late,” she said.

Wylan looked pleased as well. Whatever had finally been decided, he appeared to be satisfied with the outcome. That probably meant Jolan would be as well, because the two men were of very like mind on these matters at least.

“
As you have probably noticed, this matter has taken several days, far longer than would seem necessary, but the various factions needed to be heard. The Queen listened to all. We also had to make her aware of many of the recent developments, so she is knowledgeable about most of our secrets. Not being a mage, she cannot know some of the critical information, but there are few secrets now. I know that makes you a bit uncomfortable, but there is no avoiding it. She is our ruler, after all.”

“
And how did she react to what she has learned?” Jolan asked. He was still uncertain about Queen Sayusta. She had changed her mind a bit too often for his tastes, and he had felt the brunt of her actions before.

“
As a start, she indicates that the Council of Mages has been taking too much authority upon itself in some matters of late. The realm of magic and its guidelines fall to the mages, but the matter of the war does not. She made it quite clear that the planning of the war effort does not fall within the area of responsibility of the Council. Planning and conducting the war is the responsibility of herself and Major Wylan. She expects from this point forward that this distinction be observed.”

“
What does she see as the function of the mages in this matter?”

“
The Council of Mages and all the resources commanded by it are to serve in a supporting capacity to the throne, and to Major Wylan, as his needs demand.”

“
What exactly does that mean? She doesn’t want to use the teams we have developed or the ideas based on experience gained on Earth?”

“
Quite the contrary,” Wylan said. “She sees some of this as very positive, and wants us to press forward with our plans. The mages are to be advisors and, as they have in the past, are to provide mages who have the capabilities the crown or the military require. The Council of Mages does not set policy.”

Vaen flashed one of her wry smiles. Jolan had the feeling that despite the fact she headed the Council of Mages, she’d had no little influence on the Queen and some of the rulings that had come down the last couple of days. She certainly didn’t seem particularly bothered by what some might see as a reduction in her power or influence on the matters at hand.

“
The Queen has stated that the Council is free to determine their standards and beliefs but, at the same time, they serve the throne and are expected to provide mages capable of pursuing the war as the throne decides is prudent,” Vaen said. “Basically, the Queen was intrigued by some of your arguments which were relayed to her, and has ruled that magical power may be used to a far greater extent than some on the Council would like. Ships, facilities, implements of war, are all fair targets for magic. If soldiers are killed in taking these items out, that is simply a side effect of the situation, as it would be if more conventional means of destruction were applied. She stopped short of advocating direct use of magic against troops, but it is quite clear that even that would be considered if the situation turned dire enough. Our new Queen has a practical streak. She has also stated that while the Council of Mages may disapprove of the use of magic in such a manner, any mage who individually decides such usage is necessary or prudent for his own protection, or that of the kingdom, shall not be punished for doing so. The use of magic is to be a much more individual decision than it has been in the past.”

“
The Queen has given us the chance to make a stand,” Wylan said happily. “We aren’t staying out of this war or merely trying to defend. We are going into it to win.”

“
What changed her mind?” Jolan asked. “Last year she was very much against risking Angon being attacked.”

“
Much of that was Lonid’s influence. She now understands that allowing Ale’ald to take Seret would leave Angon alone, and it would only be a matter of time before Ale’ald would grow even stronger as it assimilated the captured territories. Soon enough, it would turn to taking Angon. With the surprises we hold secret and the power technology that we can surprise Ale’ald with, the chances of winning will never be better than now. She is not willing to surrender.”

Jolan hadn’t thought about Lonid in some time. When he’d returned last year and found Vaen recovered, he’d been told the discredited council member had disappeared. As far as he knew, he still hadn’t been heard from. “So how do we start?”

“
One of the first things is to proceed with your mapping of the portals. We need to know where key portals are located and know in advance they can be accessed. I’m putting Buris in charge of rating our mages. I want to know what abilities we have, and which of the mages are clear in their own minds about the task ahead. I’m not sure if some on the Council might drag their feet if involved. I would like Luzoke to be involved in setting up teams of these mages. He is as powerful in the skills that matter as any we have.”

“
We have already started mapping the portals,” Jolan responded.

“
I thought you weren’t going to take any action that might alert Ale’ald until we had this matter approved,” Vaen said, surprised at Jolan’s disclosure.