Chapter 11
Mother and Daughter
Bianca finished her incantation and there suddenly appeared, on top of Moss's spread-eagled body, a figure. It was dressed in the same dark tunic and grey cloak that Moss wore, but had the pale features of Bianca. She immediately rolled to one side, every muscle taut, eyes somewhere between crazed and wary. After a brief look she ducked again behind Bianca, hands near her throat. Once more a quick survey, and then she leaped, back against the overhang, crouched in a defensive posture. Moss continued to writhe and scream.
Bianca stood stock still during this, only moving her eyes. After a few jumps and twitches, the woman grew calmer. She stepped from the rock, and a surge of magical energy flew from her fingers, engulfing Moss. When it faded he was locked completely inside faceted blue crystal. She stepped over to him and examined him, visually and magically, from head to toe. When she finished she turned to Bianca and crossed her arms.
“Mother”, said Bianca. Goatha nodded. Her face was as pale as Bianca's but with additional lines and wrinkles. High cheekbones framed eyes of the same ice blue, but with more depth of years to them. Her hair was not so much pale, as colorless, tied back in a simple, utilitarian knot. The stoic, wary expression she held her daughter with was the same.
“The war proceeds apace. The Oath has been successful removing fighters permanently from their ranks. But not stopping them committing magical atrocities. We repair as far as the strategic mana reserve allows.” There was no reaction.
“We've approved thirty mages in the Academy for Biblica Hexapla study. Lilly discovered an ideal form that can amplify and focus mana. Jacques' multiplexer has been deployed in artifact creation and two more armies have full equipment.” Again, Goatha gave no evidence she heard.
“My own studies of the Ævatar project have had difficulties. My attempts to operate it were aborted due to excessive stress on my Soul. Curiously wild fluctuations in Will were observed in the construct before they fully drew my Soul back from it. The cause is unknown but will almost certainly complicate things.”
“Have there been any further Grey Elf encounters?” asked Goatha brusquely.
“No”, said Bianca.
She snorted and gazed at the surroundings. “Moss's progress?”
Bianca looked around as well. “He did this in a minute with one or two ergs of mana. He says the growth is self-sustaining, but not the expansion without additional mana.” Bianca followed the older woman's gaze to the horizon. The magical vortex spun there, lazily at this scale. On the ground it would be a massive maelstrom of chaotic magical energy.
“We can use the vortices for power, but they will perturb the results. That's the next problem to solve. Tell him I think he has made enough progress with this to try that power source and see if we can make it a viable approach”, she said.
“We could use your help”, said Bianca.
“His work is more important”, said Goatha. Bianca raised an eyebrow. “I believe that the emancipation of all Souls from the gods is in Swan's interest.”
“He has not been clear”, said Bianca. That was an understatement. You could read almost anything into what he said. “He is also not the only Grey Elf.”
“The rest consider us a 'failed experiment'.”
“And bringing every dead person who has ever lived back to life will make us successful?” asked Bianca, critically. “Swan has been vague in the extreme.”
Goatha fixed her with a stare. “The First Cataclysm was an expected result of The Experiment. As a direct reaction to that, the Hundred and Forty Four set themselves up as the gods. Reincarnation ceased to be the norm. Souls 'passed on' to the domain the 'gods' had set apart for themselves to be accumulated like gaming chips. There are two significant results of this. Firstly, the number of Souls in existence is no longer zero-sum. Children continue to be born, and they all have new souls, instead of reincarnated ones. Secondly, mana is generated by Will from a Soul. So the total mana that humanity has at its disposal has been increasing.”
“Elves still reincarnate”, said Bianca.
Goatha shrugged. “When I asked, Swan said something that might translate as 'diversity is good for the system'. It is a mystery to be solved later.” She sighed and watched the vortex. “If all the Souls the gods have been accumulating for the last two thousand years were released, and their mana used for the strategic mana reserve, rather than brewing ambrosia, the estimated potential dwarfs even the largest vortex we've measured. Everything I've known in life is about power and leverage. That's a lot of power that we have the potential to harness. If we can't leverage it, then I would certainly consider us to have failed as a species.”
“They have not approved enhancing the soldier's kit to contribute to the reserve”, said Bianca. You had to be a mage to consciously use the mana generated by your Soul. However, everyone generated mana. In the devout, it went to the gods. But it was a fairly simple spell with the New Magic to divert it elsewhere. But although technically feasible to turn every soldier into a mana generator, it proved to be highly controversial. Goatha scowled at her. “And there are those who advocate returning the entire system to one where reincarnation is the norm” continued Bianca.
Goatha snorted. “Devonshire?” Bianca nodded. “She needs to be persuaded”, said Goatha and looked at Bianca meaningfully.
“We cannot win against the gods without the Ævatars”, said Bianca.
Goatha shook her head. “That is not true. The people of our tribe killed their gods centuries ago. They did not even have New Magic.”
“And look where they are today” sneered Bianca. “Primitive barbarians living in the cold wastes.” Goatha inclined her head. “The Book of Creation was written by the Grey Elves. It is the clearest statement we have of their intents.”
“Such as it is”, said Goatha dryly. “It is not clear they wrote it for us. Or even lead us to it. It was found in a vault of some long dead mage. We inherited the Ævatars we have from the same source. We do not even understand the book well enough to re-create what that person did. Not even with New Magic.”
“Given the complex interactions it generates between Soul, Will and Animus, we stand to learn much by investigating it”, said Bianca, trying a different angle.
“I agree that the results may have potential elsewhere, but I do not think it is profitable as a primary course.”
They stared at each other for a long while. No one else saw what was so obvious to Bianca. She grew frustrated with the continual hedging in everyone else. But her Mother that the most clarity of thought of anyone she knew. It was even more frustrating that she did not agree with her.
“You will not return with me?” asked Bianca, trying one last time. Goatha shook her head. “Then I will go now.” With a wave of her hands Bianca disappeared.
Goatha looked down for a while at Moss, static in his blue crystal shell. She gazed around at the new growth and sighed. Lifting a boot she scraped a bit of the green loam off with her finger. Her eyes focused on it and her irises dilated to wide pools as her vision zoomed in. She surface rushed at her, resolving into hills and valleys of an intricate surface. Zooming further the surface resolved into strangely shaped lichen life growths, branching and supporting each other. Deeper again and odd and unusual creatures wandered over the newly created realms seeking their place in their new life.
She shook her head and her vision returned to normal. The clod of green fell from her hands to join the rest. She paced up and down for a while, doing deep stretches and limbering up. Bringing her hands together in a sudden clap there was a surge of energy and the blue crystal shattered. Moss was released and Goatha had disappeared.
ARC 2
Red Queen Page 11