"Yes." Chatta paused, but decided she might as well be frank with him. "Just as a warning, when you meet Garth, don't call him the Advent Mage to his face. He hates that title."
The three exchanged puzzled glances. "We were given the impression that he was a man of great power and reputation," Terran commented, his eyes studying her carefully. "Is this in error?"
Chatta couldn't help but smile. "His reputation doesn't match reality at all," she laughed, shaking her head ruefully. Chatta was more aware of how Garth was perceived than her quiet friend was. Garth was under the impression that everyone viewed him as some sort of demi-god of tremendous power. And that was true, to a point. What he wasn't aware of was the rest of his reputation.
"Perhaps you can tell us just how much of his reputation is off course?" Hay-el suggested. "And what your relationship is with him?"
That seemed perfectly reasonable to Chatta. "Certainly. I'm Garth's best friend. We went through part of our schooling together, and we are usually paired up on projects. I've known him almost two years now. As for how much of his reputation is right…" She started ticking points off on her fingers. "It's true that he's insanely strong, but he isn't egotistical about it. He really did turn a coast city into an island, but he didn't just bounce up and go slay a dragon afterwards. It took him a while to recover." She paused, trying to think of all the rumors she had heard. "He really is a Jaunten, and he really does have white hair. He really has saved about twenty people from Chahir, but he had a lot of help doing that, too. Have I missed anything?"
A wicked smile darted over Hay-el's face. "Is he secretly engaged to you?"
Chatta blinked, briefly stunned. "Um. Haven't heard that one. No, we aren't. Actually, our relationship isn't like that at all. We really are friends…" she trailed off, cocking her head to one side. "Was there truly a rumor about us?"
"Several," Terran drawled in open amusement. "Guin's keeping your real purpose in Chahir secret, so all the public knows is that you and Magus Rhebengarthen have been off somewhere for two months now. Some people think your father refused to give the Magus permission to marry you, so you two eloped."
That was so different from reality that Chatta nearly fell out of her chair laughing. It took several deep breaths before she felt like she could talk coherently again. "Oh dear. I've got to tell him that when I get back." She giggled again when she pictured what his reaction would be. "He'll be completely dumbfounded." She was sure that Garth would have a good chuckle, after he reattached his jaw and put his eyes back in their sockets. Maybe she could buy a fake engagement ring to tease him with…hmmm, now there was a thought.
"So what is he really like?" Tyvendor leaned forward slightly, eyes bright with interest.
Chatta softened, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. "Kind. Patient. Quiet. He's the type of person that will help you, no matter what the cost is to him. And he has no tolerance for people who abuse their power, or deliberately hurts others." Memories flashed in the back of her head, of times when he had leapt to someone's defense. "He is the kindest and best of men."
"You love him a great deal," Terran observed quietly.
"Yes I do," she agreed without hesitation. "It's not difficult—even his enemies eventually learn to respect him. That's the kind of person he is. Perhaps you can tell me why you're asking me these questions?" Chatta figured it was about time to turn the tables.
"How much have you been told about us?" Hay-el countered.
"The basics," Chatta responded carefully. "You are descendents from the magicians that survived the last battle on the Isle of Strae. Your ancestors settled in a colony on Bromany soil. You've come here to speak with the Mages, Garth in particular. Perhaps you could give me more detail?"
"Tyvendor, you tell her," Terran ordered with an expansive wave of his hand. "You're the best storyteller out of us."
Tyvendor rolled his eyes. "You're only saying that because you don't want to do it." With a dark look at his friend, he began anyway. "Our ancestors didn't actually fight in that last battle. They went to the Isle of Strae as ordered, but they had no desire to fight with comrades or friends. They chose to leave instead.
"One of them was a Water Mage, and it was he that gathered everyone up, and traveled along the water path through the Stagway Ocean to Bromany. There were eight of them, and several dozen children.
"They went straight to the Bromanan government and offered them a deal. In return for land of their own, they would work for the government for one year. The offer was accepted with alacrity. A year later, they were given a huge valley in the BankNoren of Ordan."
Chatta stiffened in her chair. She'd heard of the BankNoren of Ordan. It was a huge mountain range that had played a part in the protection and defeat of several armies in the history of Bromany. In recent times, it was a famous place for bandits and the like to hang out. "But isn't that a dangerous place?"
"For normal people." Tyvendor flashed a smile that was as feral as any wolf's. "For us, it was merely a…challenge. Anyway, for the past two hundred years we, the Remnant, have lived there and cultivated the land as we wished. It is now a city in its own right. We call it Coven Ordan.
"Five years ago, one of our Wizards began to carefully keep watch over Chahir. He had a feeling that magic would again live in that land. Then two years ago, we were all surprised when he reported that a Mage had awakened. We went looking for him, of course, but we couldn't find him again in Chahir after that first sighting."
Reality hit Chatta about who he must have seen, and she whispered breathlessly, "Garth…"
"Yes, it must have been him," Tyvendor acknowledged. "We have spoken with King Guin, and the timeline fits too neatly for it to be anyone else. That is one reason why we wish to speak with him. Over the past two years, we all kept a closer eye on Chahir, and we saw more and more magicians awaken. But they never stayed in the same place long. We kept losing them, which was quite frustrating. Three weeks ago, it was decided that we couldn't continue to just sit and watch. Hay-el, Terran, and I decided to come over and see for ourselves just what was going on. We approached King Vonlorisen first, but…" his face gathered in a fierce frown. "That man was not helpful."
"I can imagine so," Chatta sympathized. "He probably threw an absolute tantrum that three foreign Mages showed up at his Palace."
"Tantrum is a good word," Hay-el growled darkly.
"While he was ranting, he mentioned something about King Guin, so we came to Del'Hain," Tyvendor continued. "King Guin was much more helpful explaining what was going on. He was genuinely glad to see us, too. He explained how he needed help training all of the Mages that were being discovered, so we decided to come here to the Academy and help out until we could find a way to contact the Advent—er, I mean, Rhebengarthen. Two days later, you show up." Tyvendor smiled, relaxing back into his seat. "Now you know everything. You said he was in Q'atal now. Doing what?"
"The Q'atalian borders keep getting overrun with bandits," Chatta explained. "A lot of their people keep getting hurt. They asked that Garth come up and put a barrier around the country."
One would think, judging from the frozen horror on their faces, that Chatta had just suggested setting the Academy on fire.
"He's setting up a barrier around a whole country?!" Terran demanded. "ALONE?!"
"Garth is the only trained Mage we have," Chatta pointed out, confused about their reactions.
"Your King just finished telling me two days ago that no one here could really train the Mages!" Hay-el retorted. "So how is your Mage trained?"
"Experimentation, mostly," Chatta muttered. "He was given some guidance, and a rough idea of what he was capable of from the little bit of history that survived the Magic War. He just kind of took it from there. Experience has helped hone his control."
"That's not proper training!" Tyvendor protested. "And barrier magic is the most difficult magic of all!"
Chatta abruptly lost her temper. "What do you expect us to do?" she snapped at him
. "No one here can help Garth! No one, do you hear me?! We've tried! I've personally tried, and passed out from the attempt! If you're so worried about him making a mistake, then you go help him!"
"Excellent idea," Hay-el declared firmly. "Tyvendor, you'll be able to get there faster than us. Take Witch Delheart with you, and fly there as quickly as possible."
"If we're lucky, he hasn't started yet." Terran scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands.
Chatta privately thought it was probably too late to help Garth. He'd had more than enough time to get up to Q'atal and set to work by now. The deed was probably already done. But she didn't say any of this out loud. She had a feeling that her protests would have fallen on deaf ears.
Chapter Ten: Barriers
I was beginning to understand just why no one wanted to leave Q'atal. It really was a wonderful place to live.
It wasn't just the beauty of the land that made me say that, although that was certainly a factor. I've never seen prettier country than this. More than my surroundings, it was the Q'atalians that truly influenced my opinion.
I've never, as long as I've known Xiaolang, seen him say one harsh word to someone. He can tease a body to murder, but he's never unkind to anyone. I thought that was just how Xiaolang was—I've now discovered that his entire culture is like that.
Maybe it's because they are all empaths, or maybe it's for some other reason entirely; all I know is that this is the most peaceful, loving people I've ever met. I found myself acting with more patience and tolerance than I thought possible, just because of their influence.
It would have been entirely too easy to become distracted by the people, and forget my true purpose here entirely. I didn't intend to become lazy, however, and on our second day in Q'atal I got up early.
I have work to do.
The entire team had been put into this large building in the center of the city. I think it was normally a Hall, or some sort of formal meeting room, but it had been made over for our use. Someone had placed several mattresses and chairs and tables in there for us. In the center of the room was a large fireplace, which kept the place warm during the cool nights. Hayate, to my lack of surprise, was snuggled up in front of the fire. I looked around as I rolled out of bed, checking on everyone. They had given Night a huge mattress next to mine. He was still out, snoring like a wounded banshee. Everyone else was asleep as well, the one exception being Xiaolang. That didn't surprise me. The Captain was very much a morning person.
Since I wasn't a morning person, it took some time and effort on my part to get moving. I stumbled into some clean clothes, splashed water on my face, and headed outside.
I was barely two steps out the door when someone spotted me.
"Garth! You're up quite early." De Lien summoned me with a wave of her hand, a gentle smile on her face. "Come eat breakfast with my family."
I'd met De Lien —and the rest of Xiaolang's family—yesterday, and had liked her. That feeling went up a notch when she offered to feed me. "If I'm not imposing…"
"Nonsense, child, you are quite welcome here. Now come, I left a pot on the stove, and I don't want it to burn."
I didn't either, so I hurried to join her. The De family had this huge house that they all lived in, which fortunately wasn't far from where I had stayed the night. It was only one story, but it sprawled out into every conceivable direction. I had the feeling that additions were just added on as the family grew.
De Lien ushered me in through the front door, and into a bedlam of noise and confusion. The house was laid out so that the front door would dump one right into the dining room. At that moment, the table was crowded with people ranging in age from infancy to tottering old men. De Lien gestured me silently toward the table, and then she scurried around the corner, and presumably to the kitchen, before her pot of food could burn.
In the midst of this madness was Xiaolang, sitting at the table with a little girl snuggled in against his side. He looked up as I came in, smiling in greeting. "Good morning! Now this is rare, I never see you up this early."
"I have a lot of work to do," I responded with a shrug. "I figured I should get an early start." I didn't get a chance to say anything else before I was tackled on both sides. I stumbled back a little at the impact, looking down sharply to see what had hit me. Two pairs of big blue eyes were staring up at me innocently.
"De Shin, De Chan, stop that," Xiaolang ordered in exasperation. "You'll make him uncomfortable."
Actually, I didn't really mind. The twin boys were barely three years old and cute little rascals. They had followed me around all day yesterday before their mother had carted them off to bed. Apparently they were intent on following me today, too.
I bent and gathered them up in each arm—which made them giggle and squirm—and made my way to the table. As soon as I was seated, they glued themselves to my sides. Again, I didn't really mind, although I was beginning to wonder how I was supposed to eat when I couldn't easily move my arms.
"Boys!" a grandfatherly man to my right reproved. "You must give the Magus a little breathing room."
This didn't get much of a response, aside from twin stubborn looks.
Xiaolang sighed as he watched this. "Sorry, Garth. They're too young to understand."
So was I, apparently, because that statement didn't make any sense to me. "Understand what?"
He blinked, studying me thoughtfully for a moment. "Ah, you probably don't know, do you? I don't think I ever said much about it. Remember that first time that we met? I told King Guin that you and Chatta were excellent people."
I vaguely remembered him saying something to that effect. "Yes. And?"
"Good people, to an empath, feels like a warm summer day," he explained. "It's very pleasant to be around people of good character. This feeling is especially enhanced if that person is some sort of magician."
I was beginning to see. "So to the twins, I feel good?"
De Lien appeared from somewhere behind me, chuckling. "You feel good to all of us, Magus. But we're better at restraining ourselves."
I was grateful for that, as it would be embarrassing to have Q'atalians ambushing me all day.
"De Shin, De Chan," De Lien's voice was soft, but there was a firm tone to it, "you must let the Magus eat. You may sit next to him, but only if you behave."
That had the desired effect, and both twins reluctantly sat back a little. To reward them, I ruffled both of their heads a little. That put a smile back on their faces.
"Good," De Lien stated in satisfaction. "Now everyone, let us eat."
I didn't recognize any of the food, but everything I tried was really good. Xiaolang must have realized that, because he was grinning at me. "Feel a little lost, Garth?"
"More like I'm repeating history," I sighed.
"Repeating history?" he parroted in confusion.
"Think about this, Xiaolang. You know that Chahiran food is completely different from Hain's."
"Ah," he said in understanding. "When you went to Hain for training. I bet the first few months in Hain were a challenge for your taste buds. Jaunten knowledge didn't help you at all?"
"It could tell me what the food was, just not what it tasted like." I cleaned up the last bite on my plate, feeling full and content. "I could wish Hain would adopt Q'atalian food for breakfast. Yours is much better."
"What a lovely compliment," a young woman at the table (her name escaped me) declared.
"It's the honest truth," I assured her. "Everything Hainians like to eat for breakfast is either crunchy or bitter. I've never understood why." That's why I was grateful that my family was settled in Del'Hain. I showed up at my parent's house for breakfast with religious regularity.
"So what exactly are your plans for today?" Xiaolang inquired.
"I need to do a thorough study of the land," I responded, mapping out a strategy in my head as I responded. "Judging from the little that I've seen, you have quite a few ley lines running all through this country."
"Very good," I assured him. "It means that whatever barrier I put up will have power to draw on. It will last a long time. My main worry is that the ley lines won't be in the right place for me to connect a barrier with them. That's what I'll try to confirm today."
"Do you need anything?"
I thought about that for a moment. "Time. Quiet. Chatta."
Xiaolang nearly choked on the water he was drinking. "Er…in that particular order?"
"I'll take them as I get them." I could just see that he was jumping to the wrong conclusion (probably several of them all at once) and decided that I better straighten him out. "Scrying always gives me the devil of a headache. Chatta's very good at mixing up a potion that gets rid of headaches. I didn't think to snitch a vial from her before she left, which is one reason why I wish she were here right now."
He was still giving me an odd look, but the only thing he said was, "You'll have to settle for the more conventional Q'atalian medicine. You'll be following the border, won't you?"
"I won't need to go anywhere," I corrected. "I can sit right here and do a scrying of the whole country. It's not that big of an area, after all. I just need some time to do it."
"Take it in easy forays," Xiaolang advised. "I don't want you to keel over. For one thing, without Chatta here, we'd have no idea how to help you."
"I'll behave," I promised, raising a hand in mock-solemn oath.
~*~
I found this nice, deserted shady spot to do my scrying in. It was remote, quiet, and had a nice thick patch of grass nearby where Night could graze while waiting for me. I settled in comfortably, closed my eyes, and put my mind into the earth.
After two years (nearly) of doing this, I'd gotten better at scrying. And while it was never easy, it was at least easier. I was confident that it wouldn't take long, or be terribly taxing to do a scrying of Q'atal.
Wrong.
I could not believe the sheer amount of ley lines in this place! Most areas, from my experience, had perhaps two or three ley lines within a twenty mile radius. That was normal. Q'atal had so many ley lines that it resembled a ball of tangled yarn. One played with by a rambunctious kitten, no less! This was just ridiculous. There was enough power here to blow my mind. Literally.
Magus (Advent Mage Cycle) Page 15