Emonael nodded, feeling slightly amused as she followed her teacher’s directions and began to wait.
Despite the occasional sound of the horns approaching, the wait seemed to drag on and on, and she could hear the others shift uncomfortably from foot to foot as they waited. Emonael managed to quell her own unease, and Marin seemed almost entirely unaffected by the wait. At last, the sound of hooves echoed from down the path, and a dozen mounted soldiers in deep blue and silver uniforms came into view, each wearing expensive metal armor and wielding swords and bows. Behind them came a carriage pulled by a half dozen fine horses, the conveyance a beautifully crafted work of art in its own right, though the gilding on it was kept to a minimum. A dozen more soldiers followed the carriage, and Emonael couldn’t help but straighten slightly as the carriage pulled up to the tower and slowed.
For several moments no one spoke, but a footman unfolded a set of wooden stairs and opened the door so that a man could step forth from the interior of the carriage. He was tall, Emonael noted as her pulse suddenly quickened at the sight of him. King Elladan Pharos was fit and handsome, with tanned skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair to the middle of his back, and he moved with the graceful stride of a trained soldier. The monarch wasn’t wearing too formal of attire, but the deep blues outshone all but Marin’s garb easily, and he was wearing a simple presence crown atop his head. As he stepped out of the carriage, he nodded in Marin’s direction, smiling.
“High Mage, it’s good to see you once more. You’re as beautiful as always,” he said, his voice surprisingly deep. “How are you?”
“I’m as well as can be expected, Your Majesty. Welcome to my humble home, or what there is of it. Your decision to visit came as something of a surprise.” Marin replied, giving a graceful curtsy, and Emonael hastened to follow her example, hoping the others would as well.
“Thank you. Who might these people be, then? The students I’ve heard about?” King Elladan asked, looking at Emonael and the others.
“That would be correct,” Marin said, stepping forward and resting a hand on Emonael’s shoulder. “This is Emonael Teardrop, and she’s both my apprentice and heir. The other magi have acknowledged her as a Magister in her own right, but she chooses to remain as my apprentice. When I pass on, she will inherit that which I leave behind.”
The public acknowledgement brought something of a stir from behind Emonael, and she couldn’t help but stiffen in surprise herself. While she knew that Marin intended as much, that had been a private acknowledgement, not in front of the king of the realm they were living in!
“I see. She must have impressed you, to gain such an inheritance,” King Elladan murmured, looking Emonael over, and she could feel him weighing her. “What of the others?”
“From right to left, we have Uthar, Christoff, Andrew, Damiya, and Nia. They are Emonael’s students, not my own,” Marin explained, looking at the king seriously as she continued. “I state that so that you understand that while I’ve given occasional advice or explanations, their accomplishments came from someone who I taught, not my own teaching. I consider it another layer of proof showing whether or not my methods are accurate. That is why you are here, is it not? To see whether or not the ‘outlandish’ claims from High Mage Firestorm are accurate for the Court?”
Emonael’s breath caught as she stared at her teacher in disbelief, and she swore that even the wind itself quieted as if it’d held its breath. The temerity of her teacher’s comment had the guards on edge, and everyone was waiting for their monarch’s reaction. Then he chuckled softly.
“As direct as always, I see. You took the same tone with my father when I was a child, and according to Grandfather, with him as well. I had a conversation with each of them before coming out here, you know, just so I knew what to expect,” King Elladan said, and looked at Emonael curiously. “Emonael, you’re her student, so I imagine you know her better than anyone else. Is Marin always like this?”
“Ahh . . .” Emonael nervously glanced at Marin, who nodded, the shadow of a smile on her face, and the demon swallowed before speaking. “No. If anything, she’s currently being far more polite and reserved than normal.”
“I prefer saying that I’m old enough that I don’t have time to beat around the bush anymore,” Marin added, and the king laughed again.
“I see. Well, it’s good to see you as well. Might I have a few minutes to speak with you in private, High Mage?” King Elladan asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “I’d like at least a little time to recover from the journey before moving on with matters.”
“That’s perfectly reasonable, Your Majesty. I even have some fireberry cordial that I recently acquired, should you like a glass.” Marin offered, leading the way to the house.
“Indeed? I certainly won’t turn that down. Not much makes it this far from the coast.” King Elladan agreed, and both of them paused to let a pair of guards precede them into the building.
Only once the soldiers had cleared the way did they enter, and after a few moments, Emonael chivvied her nervous, silent students into the front room of the building, thankful that Marin had a proper receiving room. And then she could do little but wait, wondering how this would turn out.
“I don’t know why you claim I’m beautiful, when we both know that it isn’t true,” Marin said, pouring the glittering red-orange liqueur into a pair of glasses before setting them on the table of her receiving room, allowing the monarch to take his pick of them. The guard in the corner twitched at her words, and Marin grinned slightly, shaking her head as she added. “I see you have a new guard as well. No one warned him that I only respect titles in public?”
“He was warned, but I don’t think any member of the Royal Guard will ever be happy with your insistence on ignoring them in private,” Elladan replied, taking one of the glasses and raising it to smell the liqueur, letting out a sigh of pleasure before taking a slow sip. He savored it before swallowing and continuing. “As to beauty, I recall seeing you in that dress when I was no more than fifteen, and almost instantly falling for you. You’re not plain, Marin, but you’re also not stunning. Despite that, your dress is made such that it accentuates all of your best features. I wish I could afford to buy a similar one for my wife.”
“That would be a long, dangerous trip for a mere dress,” Marin murmured, taking the other glass and sipping at it. “I’m even more surprised that you didn’t check the cordial for poison, if I’m being honest.”
Elladan snorted, shaking his head. “As if I’d worry about that with you here! You cured Illa’s infertility, and you’ve never given me or my family the slightest reason to doubt you. I’m more surprised that you had this at all. I’ve never heard of you being particularly fond of fine liqueurs, and not much fireberry cordial is made each year.”
“Yes, well . . . I was friends with Master Jace Brewer. He passed on a few years back, but he left instructions for his family to set aside a half dozen bottles of his last batch for me,” Marin told the king, staring at the glass and sighing softly. “Humans are so short-lived, but they live so vibrantly . . .”
“I see. I’ve heard a few tales of Master Jace, but I hadn’t realized that he was a friend of yours,” Elladan murmured, looking at the glass in appreciation, then turning more solemn as he leaned forward. “More to the point, I felt I should ask in private, Marin, how serious are you about the results of your research? Is it really as incredible as Valis has suggested?”
“I’m not certain how much Valis has told you, Elladan, but I know it can’t have been much, considering the oaths which he and the other High Magi are operating under. However, I can guarantee that, if anything, he’s understated what the results will be,” Marin replied, glancing at the guard, then continuing her explanation. “You’re going to see some of the results from Emonael and her students, but I freely admit she hand-picked them to have the traits most necessary for what I’ve learned. Each has near-perfect grasp of musical tones and can make precise gestures, bu
t I guarantee that unless someone has a horrible memory, she could teach anyone to be a mage. Unless they’ve been maimed, I suppose.”
“Why . . .” Elladan paused, taking a deep breath and letting it out before continuing. “That was about to come out wrong. I’ll freely admit that my family has always been skeptical about your research. It was your mastery of healing magic that made us happy that you settled into the kingdom, even though you were originally an orphan and have nothing to tie you to Pharos. I just have to ask, what are your intentions with your research? You’ve bound all those you’ve shared it with to secrecy so far.”
“Intentions? My goal has always been to complete my research, Elladan. To prove that it was possible. But by the same token, I will not abide my research being hidden away for a few powerful people to wield. When my research is complete, it’ll be distributed far and wide, for it will change everything. Academies will teach generations of students, and magic will rise to heights that I cannot even begin to imagine,” Marin told him, smiling as he looked at her in worry. “That being said, I can assure you that I’m not going to spread it immediately to Tethlyn. With the difficulties there, and their attempts to cause damage, I have no problem with letting Pharos get a year head start or more on them. The basic volumes, though? Those will spread quickly, and need to be spread.”
“I can’t say that your intentions make me happy, but there’s little I can do to stop you, not without ruining my chances of getting copies of your research sooner,” Elladan said, sighing and sitting back. “So, what are the heights of your research that you see it reaching? I’m not asking for details, Marin . . . I wouldn’t understand them even if you told me. I’m just curious how powerful of magic you’re truly speaking of.”
“After word of your visit came, Emonael decided that the clothing of her students was . . . inadequate for your visit. She was right, but that’s beside the point. We needed good fabric that could be turned into clothing for her students. So we teleported four times in total, all the way to Port Tarth and back. It took us about a quarter-day in all, but the time spent in transit was less time than you’ve spent here. The mana expenditure was another story, but the time it saved was impressive,” Marin said simply, smiling at the look of shock on Elladan’s face as she continued. “The information on how to do that is in the next volume I’m going to be working on, the fifth volume of what we’re calling Marin’s Codex. I expect it to be eight to nine volumes in total, Elladan . . . and the highest end ones? The discussion of mana on such a fundamental level . . . I cannot begin to imagine how people will reshape spells with what it will go over. With sufficient preparation and mana, I can imagine a group of High Magi raising an island from the seas, or sprouting a forest in mere moments. The preparation for such a task would be beyond my current comprehension, but I can see it happening. Do not underestimate magic, for everything we’ve done, everything we’ve learned . . . it’s been scratching the surface of what’s possible.”
“Gods above, that’s . . . the idea of unleashing something like that on the world, Marin? Are you certain that it’s a good idea?” Elladan asked, staring at her, seeming almost to have forgotten about his drink. “Such powerful magic could lead to unimaginable destruction!”
“Or it could lead to creation. Everyone forgets, magic is a tool. A tool is no better than its wielder,” Marin snorted, leaning forward and setting her glass down, her tone growing harsh as she stared at the monarch. “I’m a powerful healer, yes, but much of what I do could be turned to harm as well. A powerful healer could enhance a disease to be almost immune to natural remedies, it could be used to stop a victim’s heart . . . many people may not realize it, but healing magic is largely dark magic, Elladan. Not all of it, mind. But the spells which heal a person, the ones which are easiest to learn? They draw on the rest of the body, or on the living creatures in the area to give the body enough strength to heal. Light magic healing is the exception, and it’s hard to use, taking much more mana and skill. An earth mage could build a tower, or they could create a pit under a castle wall to collapse it. There are good and bad uses for almost anything.”
“I . . . I suppose you’re right about that. The scale of what you’re talking about frightens me, though. If someone can raise an island, what’s to stop them from doing that outside a harbor or the like?” Elladan asked, settling back in his chair as his concern seemed to ease a little.
“When I say ‘sufficient mana and time,’ I sincerely doubt that you could do something like that without the cooperation of at least a dozen, if not two dozen, magi on the level of myself and the other High Magi of the Association,” Marin told him gently. “Beyond that, they would have to build the spell. I don’t know what would go into it, not entirely, but a ritual spell on that level . . . you would have plenty of warning that it was coming, Elladan. Nothing on that scale could possibly be prepared without a hint of it coming. Not unless you hid it beneath a mountain or something!”
“Oh. That does help. I haven’t heard of anyone with that many High Magi. Getting them to cooperate . . . it was bad enough convincing the five of you to get together!” Elladan chuckled in obvious relief. “Now, with that out of the way, why don’t we go see the demonstration? Your apprentice seemed anxious about things, from what I can see.”
“She would be. Emonael really wants to finish my research, and has been trying to get things perfectly in order ever since we got word that you’d be coming,” Marin laughed, taking her glass and drinking the last of her cordial. The king followed suit, and they left the room, far more relaxed than before.
Chapter 26
“Do you have any requests, Your Majesty?” Emonael asked, her tone eminently polite as she bowed her head toward Elladan.
Marin found it somewhat amusing, as to a minor degree the demon was showing knowledge that her cover shouldn’t possess. If anyone chose to investigate Emonael’s background, it wouldn’t take long for her story to come unraveled, and that would be quite distressing, mostly because there was no chance of the other magi putting up with a demon in the Association!
Hopefully she could head off any untoward incidents, but Marin wasn’t going to spend too much time worrying about it yet. The discussion with Elladan had gone well enough that unless Emonael’s students suddenly forgot everything they’d been taught, it should do little more than confirm her words and gain the monarch’s approval.
“I’d like to see a variety of spells from you and your students, Magister,” Elladan replied simply, keeping a pleasant smile on his face. “As I understand you’ve been teaching them spells of each element, I’d like to see at least one of each, if possible.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I should warn that darkness magic was the most recent of subjects we’ve addressed, so it’s the most . . . limited in our repertoire,” Emonael explained, shrugging as she added, “While I have somewhat more knowledge of it than the others, the only spell that they’ve a good handle on is manipulating their shadows.”
“Understood. But there’s a wider variety with the other elements?” Elladan asked, raising an eyebrow at Emonael curiously.
“Yes, Your Majesty. To start with, we’ll perform one spell of each in tandem. We’ll begin with light, by weaving an illusion of our favorite trees around ourselves, then move to water, where we’ll conjure a cloud of mist. Following that display, we’ll move to wind, where we’ll blow the mist away,” Emonael explained, her words also obviously instructions for the students, and Marin smiled as she saw the looks of concentration on the faces of the five students. “Using earth magic, we’ll create a raised earthen basin on a pillar, into which we’ll conjure a bright crimson flame. The last will create large enough of shadows that the shadow manipulation should be quite visible when we cast that spell.”
“Emonael, what if one of your students manages to make a mistake?” Marin asked, her voice unhurried as she interrupted. “It’s quite possible, under the circumstances.”
“If that happens,
don’t panic, take a deep breath, and start on the spell you made a mistake on before, and finish the set of spells.” Emonael told them, looking at her students seriously. “Remember, this is a demonstration of your magic. I’m not expecting you to perform flawlessly, just to show the variety of magic which you’ve learned so far. We’ve still a long way to go in your training.”
Elladan didn’t say anything, but Marin saw the slight nod of approval he gave, standing back with one of his guards at his side. The rest of the guards were scattered around the field where the demonstration was taking place as well. After a moment, Marin asked softly, “Your Majesty, may I ask why none of the other High Magi are present?”
“I asked them not to come, as I didn’t wish for there to be any appearance of them interfering with my visit or the results,” Elladan replied quietly, smiling at her. “Valis was a little put out, but all of them were understanding. Do you really expect them to mess up on one of the spells?”
“Yes. Andrew looks like he’s about to faint, and Damiya isn’t much better. The only two that I’m certain won’t mess up are Christoff and Uthar. Christoff because he’s steady as a rock, and Uthar because he’s a former bard. Three if I count Emonael, I suppose,” Marin told him.
“Interesting. It’s part of the reason I put on a royal appearance, though,” Elladan murmured, nodding. “Ah, they’re about to start.”
Marin nodded, folding her hands in front of her as the six magi began to cast their spells. As she expected, Andrew’s voice was unsteady, but somehow he managed to get through the spell without issue, and the light around each of them shifted and warped imperceptibly, as six trees materialized into existence around the casters. A mix of oaks, cedars, and willows, the trees made Marin smile, for aside from Christoff’s and Emonael’s, each had obvious flaws that showed that the caster didn’t have a proper image of the tree they wanted in their minds. In particular, Damiya’s illusion had branches that were shaped as though they were caught in a tornado.
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