Will covered his smile. “We all are.” Just to be safe, he stood on the other side of Janice after that.
At the Administration building, they quickly learned that the chancellor had called an early meeting, but it had already ended. Dulaney would be found in his office within the General Class building next door. It was an office Will had been to many times in the past.
The door was open when they arrived, and the professor seemed to be in a rush, collecting books and papers and piling them on his desk. Will knocked on the door to catch his attention.
Professor Dulaney looked up with distracted eyes. “William.”
“I need your help, Professor.”
“This isn’t really a good time, William. The king has called on the school to cease educational activities and provide manpower for his new war effort.”
Will was stunned. “War effort? We haven’t declared a war.” Yet.
“We are to provide two hundred senior students, though I don’t think you need to worry about your name being put on the list, given your wife,” said Dulaney brusquely.
“Two hundred? That’s nearly—” His mind went blank.
Janice finished his thought for him. “—A third of the student body. What good will wizards do him in a war, though?”
“His Majesty plans to elevate them, this afternoon. Each will receive an elemental before being assigned to work with various parts of the military. I daresay it’s a great opportunity for most of them, assuming they aren’t killed.”
Will’s mind was running in other directions, though. How many Driven did he lose last night that he’s that desperate to create new sorcerers? He stared at Dulaney. “Sir, the reason I came is regarding a task that His Majesty has given me.”
That got the man’s attention. Dulaney put the books down and straightened up to look directly at him. “What task?”
Will explained it to him with as much detail as he could manage.
“You. You’re supposed to come up with a ritual large enough to purge the entire city?” The professor gaped at him as though he had grown an extra head. “Why would he even expect something like that from you?”
“We disagreed on some things.”
“And he’s punishing you by putting the fate of thousands in your inexperienced hands?” demanded the professor.
Will shook his head. “I pleaded with him for a delay. If we can’t come up with a better solution, His Majesty is ready to implement some rather drastic measures tomorrow.”
“How drastic?”
“Very drastic. I can’t say more than that, but it will be very bad for most of the city if we don’t find a better solution.”
Dulaney ran his hands through his hair. “This kind of thing isn’t done in a day. I’m not even sure we can create such a ritual. Modern rituals don’t compare to what was supposedly done in the past. The old designs claim to get far more from fewer people. We would need to design a complex circle and use a ley line to achieve something on a city-wide scale.”
“And there’s no time for that,” said Will. “But we can do something like they did in the old rituals. I just don’t know how to design it.”
“How?”
Will pointed at himself. “Me. If I’m the center, I can provide the control that a ritual like that needs, though I’ll need to have a lot of people to support it and provide the power required.”
The professor stared at him for several seconds. “Mister Cartwright, if it wasn’t for all the peculiarities I’ve learned about you over the past few years, I’d think you were mad, but this—this just doesn’t make sense.”
“I’ve kept some secrets, Professor,” began Will. “My differences aren’t from some accident of birth, they came from the way my master trained me. Eventually I could teach others, if they’re young enough.”
His teacher squinted at him. “What are you saying?”
“I wasn’t taught by some ordinary hedge wizard. I was trained by one of the old masters, the kind you’d find in the history books.”
“Who then?” challenged Dulaney.
“Arrogan.”
“The Betrayer? He died. If he were alive, he would have had to be—”
“He was a little over six hundred and ninety years old when he died,” finished Will.
“Not only is that impossible, but even if it were true, do you expect me to believe you were taught by the Betrayer and yet you came to this school not knowing how to do even the simplest magics?”
Will nodded. “Imagine how frustrating it was for me. He refused to teach me anything until he thought I had what he considered to be the ‘foundations’ ready. I was just beginning to learn the runes when the Prophet invaded and my teacher died.”
“And this deludes you into thinking you can control something like one of the old rituals?”
“Yes, sir.”
The professor sighed. “At least you’re an honest lunatic. Here’s the truth, though. Unless there’s already a ritual designed, there’s no way I could create one quickly enough. My field is Spell Theory, but I’ve never put much time and energy into ritual design. You’ll need more expertise than I can provide.” Reaching into a desk drawer, he drew out a ring of keys, then headed toward the door. Tiny and Janice stepped aside to let him through. “Come with me,” he told them.
“Where are we going?” asked Will.
“To see Master Courtney. If anyone can design such a thing in such short time, it will be him. He’s also better qualified to decide if you’re insane.”
***
Lord Alfred Courtney’s office was a study in dark colors—dark wood paneling, dark maroon rugs, deeply stained bookcases, and a floral wallpaper that might once have been a light tan but had been stained by time and pipe smoke.
The Head of Research at Wurthaven had a desk that was massive and heavy, constructed of black walnut, and at the moment its owner sat behind it, his favorite briarthorn pipe in hand. The smoke curled up past his face, highlighting the man’s bushy brows, which had unruly tufts that reminded Will of a horned owl. Courtney exhaled, then leaned forward with an unsettling smile, his eyes fixed on Will. “I knew you’d come to me eventually.”
There hadn’t been enough chairs or space in the room, so Tiny waited in the hall, while Janice and Dulaney occupied the other two chairs beside Will’s seat. Dulaney had finished describing Will’s request a moment before, and he responded first. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I do have some reason to give credence to Mister Cartwright’s claims.”
Master Courtney’s attention never left Will. “You wouldn’t tell me his name before, are you ready to share now? I promise not to tell the king.”
Dulaney glanced at Will, but said nothing rather than betray the young man’s trust. Will’s response was unexpected, though. “You can’t make a promise like that when he could compel you to reveal what you know.”
The Head of Research laced his fingers together. “You’ve learned some unsettling things then, haven’t you, Mister Cartwright? I assume you’re referring to the graduation seal?” Dulaney’s expression turned to confusion when he heard the last question.
“You mean the heart-stone enchantment,” corrected Will.
“Even so. I assume this is the source of your long-standing conflict with the king then?” asked Courtney.
“I won’t abide slavery,” said Will. Meanwhile Dulaney’s eyes went back and forth as he began to piece together the meaning of their conversation.
Master Courtney chuckled. “And yet, it is sorcery that we require to survive our present crisis, is it not? If we can construct this ritual it will need the input of hundreds of sorcerers to power and control it. No simple wizard could maintain the energy required for any length of time.”
“True wizards could,” countered Will. “If there were any these days.”
“Apparently there is one,” said Lord Courtney. “Or is it two?”
“My teacher died, but there might be another in a few years.”
“The princess?”
Will’s lips formed a hard line, but he didn’t answer.
Master Courtney’s eyes turned to Dulaney. “Mister Cartwright trusts you. He told you the name of his teacher, did he not?”
Professor Dulaney lowered his head. “Yes, Master Courtney, but he told me in trust.”
“I won’t ask you to reveal it then,” said the old wizard. “Was it a name you recognized?”
“Yes, sir. I scarcely believe it, though I don’t doubt he believes himself.”
The Head of Research rose from his chair and went to the door. Looking out, he spotted Tiny. “Make sure no one eavesdrops.” Then he closed the door and began constructing a spell. A few seconds later the room was enclosed in a rectangular structure of force that closely conformed to the walls of the office. The sound in the space also became strangely muffled. “This is a spell I designed myself, for moments when I desire absolute privacy.” The old educator returned to his seat and leaned forward.
“The king cannot ask about a thing if he doesn’t suspect its existence.” He paused and let that sink in. “I have been aware of the nature of elementals and the cruel truth of the graduation seals for much of my career. In fact, I’m an accomplice of sorts, and have been for many years. When I first confronted His Majesty about my suppositions, he quickly took steps to ensure my loyalty, first by demonstrating the efficacy of the heart-stone enchantment on me and also by reminding me of my duties to my family.
“So, you are absolutely correct, Mister Cartwright. I cannot be fully trusted, and neither can Professor Dulaney.” At the same time, Dulaney started to rise from his chair, a question on his lips, but Master Courtney waved him down. “Sit, Franklin. I know some of this is a shock to you, but I can answer your questions later. Right now, I need to make my position clear and settle the matter of how we can help the boy.”
Dulaney closed his mouth and sat. Will tried to hide his surprise. Franklin? Professor Dulaney’s first name is Franklin?
“From this point forward, you are all part of a new cabal,” said Courtney. “A conspiratorial group with the express purpose of undermining the status quo. Does that sound sinister enough for you?”
Janice stifled a faint laugh. “Yes, sir.”
Lord Courtney continued, “The risk here is mine, for the moment. I’ll help you and I’ll share my own small betrayal of the king so that you can find some small amount of trust in me. I won’t ask you to share your own secrets. I have been seeking the secret to unlocking the feats of wizards-past for most of my career. That interest is what led me into my present field of research, and it has in fact driven all my studies since I was a young man.
“Initially I sought that knowledge for the sake of knowledge itself, but after I deduced the nature of elementals and the graduation seal, I gained a second motivation. I wanted to find a way to overturn the status quo, to undo the unnatural grip that the king has over wizardry in Terabinia. That confession alone is probably enough to warrant a death sentence, if the king ever considered me a real threat. As it stands, however, he knows I can never openly defy him.
“The course of my research has been mostly a failure, for I have never discovered even the smallest clue as to how our forebears managed their seemingly impossible feats, but I have advanced the state of Magic Theory considerably. I have codified and calculated what they could do. As I sought to understand, I was able to clearly define the strengths and abilities that were necessary to enable the spells, potions—and most importantly at this moment—the rituals of the past.”
The old man’s gaze focused on Will. “Mister Cartwright, do you truly believe you can perform in the same capacity as one of those wizards of old? I’m not asking rhetorically. I need to know because it will greatly affect what is possible if we try to create a ritual for this situation.”
Will blinked, then answered in deliberate fashion. “Yes, Master Courtney. I am inexperienced, but Arrogan told me the foundations were solidly laid within me.”
The old scholar smiled faintly. “I appreciate your trust, Mister Cartwright. I’ll do my best to remain worthy of it. When this is over, do you think you would consider sharing more?”
He frowned. “What do you want to know?”
“How it is done, how you were trained. Every year I see hundreds of students pass through these doors, lambs to the eventual slaughter, either in this life or the next. Imagine what could be done if we could teach them another way in secret. Imagine if those same students began leaving the school without graduating. It might be the slow but inexorable beginning of a revolution.”
Will smiled. “I think I’d like that.”
“Then we’d better start working on this ritual,” said Lord Courtney, his face lighting up with unconcealed enthusiasm.
Chapter 50
Tiny had gone back to the house, having nothing he could contribute, and Will and Janice now sat at a large table with Master Courtney, Professor Dulaney, and two of Courtney’s senior research fellows, David McCandish and Elizabeth Sundy.
Lord Courtney took charge of the meeting. “First, we must decide what spell effect will be central to the ritual. Naturally, it would be best to have a complete and balanced spell in advance, one we could work upward from, though I can’t think of anything currently known that could fit those requirements. Second, we need to decide where the epicenter will be so that we can plan the geometry and calculate the power and control requirements. It goes without saying that the physical design elements will have to be minimal since we have little time to work.”
Will had been thinking about it for some time already. “Have you looked at the works of Linus Ethelgren?”
Professor Dulaney coughed. “His Majesty has had us digging for information regarding him and other important figures from that era for days now. Unfortunately, it appears that someone has carefully removed every volume related to Ethelgren and his work.”
Slouching, Will reached under the table and activated the limnthal. When he straightened up, he held Battling the Darkness in his hand. “Do you think this might help?”
“Where did you get that?” demanded Mistress Sundy.
He and Janice glanced at one another, then he admitted the truth. “I stole it.”
“From the restricted section?” The senior researcher seemed incredulous.
He nodded, and Master Courtney intervened. “Elizabeth, let’s table those questions for now. It’s more important to stick to the matters at hand.”
Will opened the book and thumbed to the location of the spell he had been thinking about, then he pushed it across the table. “I’ve used this spell several times in the past few days. It kills vampires without hurting humans. It also passes through solid objects, so if it could be made larger, and extended in the vertical as well, so that it will pass through the sewers and hidden underground areas, it might do the trick.”
They studied the spell for several minutes, then David McCandish asked a pertinent question, “How long do we have to design this thing?”
Master Courtney looked pointedly at Will. Swallowing quickly, he hurried to answer, “Until tomorrow morning. If we don’t manage to do this and clear them out before then, the king plans to do something drastic.”
“Define drastic,” said Elizabeth.
“I can’t,” said Will. “But it’s safe to say there might not be a city here anymore.”
She frowned. “So, he’s planning a ritual of his own, but with less selectivity.”
Will shrugged. “I don’t know the specifics, but in my experience he rarely bluffs.”
David nodded. “It makes sense, according to a certain brutal logic, though the idea is horrific.”
Master Courtney had been busy sketching something out on a large sheet of paper. He pushed it over so that his two associates could examine it. “I’m thinking something roughly along these lines, but we’ll need to do the calculations carefully to sort out the specifics.”
The two o
ther researchers glanced at one another, then Elizabeth pointed something out. “The tolerances are too tight. This looks like an imitation of some of the old historical rituals. We need to think in modern terms if this is to be doable.”
Alfred Courtney lifted his brows and sat back with an air of resignation. “Go ahead and do a rough estimate of how many sorcerers we will need to do it in ‘modern’ terms.”
Elizabeth and David both set to with pens and paper, muttering and drawing. In the end, after fifteen minutes of figuring and quarreling with each other, they had reached different conclusions. David spoke first. “It can’t be done.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No, it can, but we need time to build a ring and significant control structure.”
David glared at her. “He just told us we don’t have the time for that.”
“But it is technically possible,” she remonstrated her colleague.
“Don’t be such a pedant!”
Master Courtney leaned in to stop the fight that was brewing. “We are going to do it and we will only rely on quick chalk markings and human participants. Pretend you’re making this thing according to the theoretical tolerances we’ve discussed in my research.”
“But that’s all speculative,” argued David. “We don’t really know how they did those things.”
“We will when we succeed,” said Lord Courtney. “Because we have here someone that can replicate what our forebears used to do routinely.” His eyes fell on Will.
“Surely you jest,” said David. “He’s just a student!”
Master Courtney ignored him. “We should get to work. It might take the rest of the day to work out the details.”
Janice and Will looked at each other, then she asked a question. “Should we leave? We don’t really know enough to help.”
Elizabeth gave her a stern glance. “Stay quiet and do as you’re told. There’s no better time than the present for you to learn a little.” She addressed the Head Researcher. “They might be handy doing some of the brute work.”
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