The memories bolstered his resolve. He tugged on his tunic and straightened his back. All he needed next was the courage to leave Donya behind when the time came. To let those first tender moments be their only ones. No, he couldn’t drag her all the way up to the masters. There was no reason to subject her to their wrath. She may never forgive him, but he knew it was what he had to do.
Chapter 8
The Masters
Donya was ready to go and she greeted Delminor with a tender smile, her cheeks lighting red as he appeared. He approached her, wanting to forget the whole plan and take her in his arms, but he stopped himself.
“Are you ready?” she asked, her eyes darting back and forth between his.
He touched her hand gently. “Yes.” They lingered for a moment, then Delminor drew a deep breath, his face becoming stern. “Let’s get to it.”
She led him up to the sixth floor, the social area. They needed to pass through it on their way to the hidden stairs. Though the masters had other avenues of egress, this was the one Donya knew.
The social room was relatively quiet, as if anticipating their need for secrecy. A few acolytes were engaged in some of the games, and others were in conversation, but the duo walked through the room unhindered.
Donya fiddled with a bookshelf, reaching for a catch on the side. With a click, the bookcase swung open and a dark stairwell lay beyond it. They entered and pulled the door closed behind them.
It was impossible to see. Delminor wondered if they needed a lamp or if mages were expected to light the way through magic. He didn’t know any spells for luminance, but Donya tried.
She spit into her hand. “Russallia luminoris imprasallious vizae hessashassa sheeliar sessallia.” The spittle emanated a soft glow. It was barely any light at all, but it was better than nothing.
Her face lit in the dim glow. “That’s beautiful,” he said, tracing her cheek with his eyes.
She followed his gaze and turned away. “It’s just a spell.”
“It sounds so different than earth spells,” Delminor noted, taking her lead. “Softer words.”
“It’s true. But do you know what else? The spell is much longer than that. I did what we’ve been working on. I was able to shorten the incantation.”
Delminor’s heart lightened. He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. “You’re amazing, Donya. You did it.”
She melted at his touch, then focused on their mission. “That’s why I’m coming. You’re right. The masters must have condensed spells in their library. I want to know.”
Delminor considered for a moment. “But I wonder why the pellet spell didn’t work for me.”
Donya shrugged. “Maybe because the movements for the pellet spell are more complex than this spell. All I need to do for this is move my hand in a wave.” She mimicked the movement for him. “It’s incredibly basic.”
Delminor’s eyebrows shot up. “That must be it! There must be a shortened set of steps, too. The words and the motions must link together. Maybe the spell components as well. All those hand gestures for the pellet spell, and the rag around the dirt. Maybe they aren’t important after all.”
“I did try the spell without the motion, but it didn’t work. So I guess that’s still important to some degree. But it does make sense that fewer steps may be needed.”
Delminor leaned against the wall, lost in thought.
Donya stood close and held her hand up so she could see his face. “Do you want to go back? We can dwell on this some more and try another time.”
He stared into her eyes, wondering what he should do. The temptation was there to pursue his ideas further, to spend the time getting to know Donya better as they worked together. He could set time aside to take meals with her, just the two of them. Maybe venture out of the Magitorium one night to gaze at the stars.
He shook his head. “No, I committed myself to this and I’m sticking with it. We’re still only theorizing here. I want answers.”
She smiled softly. “Then let’s get moving.” She moved away and kicked the first step. “Ow. Hold on.” She spit on her shoe and repeated her luminance spell. The life energy within the spittle responded and glowed dimly.
Slowly, they made their way up a winding staircase, spanning a few floors at least. An odd intermittent scratching sound kept coming from ahead of them. It sounded like a small rodent scurrying away, yet when they stopped to listen, there was no noise.
They felt occasional doors along the walls and they peered into them to get their bearings. They saw barracks like theirs below, but these were only meant for sleep. Another floor housed the laboratories and they ducked back into the stairwell quickly for fear of being seen.
Each time Donya leaned into a doorway, Delminor looked at her rich, flowing hair, which spilled like waves from her head to beyond her shoulders. More than once he missed the room entirely, he was so focused on her.
Up they went a bit farther. Through the stone, they thought they could smell the aroma of old books, and they wondered if the library was on the other side of the wall. But there was no door to allow them entrance. They would have to find another way.
Donya stopped periodically and reset the luminance spell. Each casting took some energy from her, but she didn’t complain. She sat on a step and he took a seat beside her, leaning in.
“Delminor…”
“I can’t help it.” He smiled and leaned further, finding her lips in the dark, his hand touching the softness of her cheek and lighting a fire within him. She echoed the gesture and they stared into each other’s eyes for a time.
“We should get moving,” he said at last. “Let’s continue around.” Unlike the lower level, this hallway sloped with stairs periodically. They ascended another two floors before they reached another doorway.
This did not open into the library. The scent of books had vanished, and they figured they had passed it and didn’t want to go any higher.
Donya sighed. “We’ll have to take our chances on one of these floors if we’re going to get there. Where do you want to try?”
Delminor wasn’t sure. “We don’t know what these floors are for. We’re blind one way or another. Since we’re here…”
They pushed into a large wooden office. A broad, ornately carved desk stood in front of them; leather chairs and potted plants were scattered around the room.
And so were three masters.
“Who are you?” asked a woman with auburn hair that nearly matched Delminor’s. Anger lit her dark eyes. “Neophytes sneaking in?”
“Forgive us,” Delminor said. “We took a wrong—”
“You sure did,” another mage interrupted, waving his hands and muttering a spell. A plant in the room sprouted vines and lashed out at the duo.
Donya grabbed Delminor and ducked out of the way, barely missing the vines. They dodged ice darts from a short man at the back of the room, who had moved to block the main exit. The woman swept her hands in large circles and summoned a miniature whirlwind, disorienting the two as they tried to run for the door.
The vines shot out again and this time connected. Delminor fell with his ankles fastened together. Donya collapsed on top of him painfully.
“Bannitt, set them on the chairs,” commanded the woman.
The taller mage complied. “Yes, Una.”
“Varrus, close that door.”
Una pulled a chair in front of the two captives. “What are you doing up this high? You aren’t masters.”
Delminor considered his answer quickly. “We know the books downstairs are a lie. I only want to visit your library.”
Varrus laughed. “Only? You’ll be lucky to ever see anything again.”
“Quite so,” Una agreed, though her tone held a certain curiosity. “But tell me, why would you think something so outrageous?”
“The three of you just cast spells in rapid succession. There’s no way you used a full incantation.”
Bannitt stepped closer. “Bit of a cocky one,
this kid.”
“And what of you?” Una asked Donya.
Delminor answered for her. “I dragged her along against her will. She has no part in this.”
Donya gasped. “Delminor!”
“I see,” Una said. “This complicates matters.”
“He’s lying. I am here of my own volition.”
“That much is obvious,” Varrus chimed in. “He doesn’t have a weapon in hand and you pulled him out of the way of the vines to protect him. No more lies, you two. It’ll only make your punishments worse.”
Delminor’s head lowered. “I only wanted to protect her. But what I said was true. I just want to see the books here. To learn properly without wasting time on drivel.”
Una eyed him carefully. “To what end? What would you do with your findings?”
He faced her squarely. “The same as all of you. I want the knowledge. To further magic itself.”
“And power.”
“To some degree,” he admitted. “Doesn’t everyone want enough power to protect themselves? That’s all I’m looking for. Why do you pursue magic? To what end do you engage in your studies?”
“Brazen, this one,” Bannitt said. He smacked his fist into his palm.
“It’s only my question turned around,” Una said. “It is as you say. We wish to further magic itself.”
“Then why is the upper library restricted? Why populate the lower library with time-wasting nonsense?”
“Your impertinence is trying.”
“Delminor, calm down,” Donya pleaded. “Please.”
He looked at the concern on her face. “I’m sorry. But I can’t. I need to know. Why is there such a division here?”
Una laughed. “It’s obvious. Not everyone is ready for real magic. Break your teeth on the basics and maybe you can prove yourself.”
“To whom? Let me prove myself.”
Una gestured to Varrus. “Release him. Go ahead little mage.”
He wasn’t entirely ready. “I need some dirt.” He moved over to one of the plants and took a small handful. He closed his eyes and drew several deep breaths of air, trying to calm his racing heart and clear his mind. This wasn’t a good time to recall his recent failure.
“Today would be nice,” Bannitt prodded.
Varrus laughed. “He doesn’t know what to do. Let him struggle.”
Delminor would not fail this time. He recalled the keywords he had discovered and ignored the possibility that he had missed any. There was no time to puzzle that through. He focused instead on the gestures for the spell, playing them over in his mind and wondering which ones were just for show.
He considered what the spell was meant to do. He was essentially tossing a pile of dirt and it was intended to solidify into one or more pebbles, depending on his choice of words. He had to push his hand out to toss them, but he knew deep down there was more to it.
The body twists and hand curls. Holding the dirt in one hand and curling the other represented the crushing of dirt and solidifying it into stone. But he didn’t need four iterations. He was sure of it. One would suffice. He also doubted it was necessary to first wind himself up by shifting to the right before turning left.
His decision made, Delminor clutched the dirt in his left hand. He started the incantation, twisting his body only to the left and twirling his right hand into the spiral once.
“Jalicorith kaie formitherien fabronie engor shai.” He twisted his body, extending his left hand forward and releasing the dirt. He felt the rush of energy rise up through him, from his feet, through his heart, and out his hand. The dirt condensed into a single stone and shot across the room.
Una was impressed. “You say you came to this realization on your own?”
“He did,” Donya answered. “We’ve been working on it together.”
“Let’s see another,” Varrus demanded.
“I can’t do another. That’s why I came up here. I could spend years parsing out other incantations, but why? You already have a treasure trove of them.”
Una stood and paced the room, making Delminor and Donya nervous. “I will admit that we have other tomes with shorter versions of spells. However, they aren’t perfect. Many need further tuning still.”
“Una…” Varrus muttered.
She silenced him with a glance. “I will grant you this, young mages… I will give you certain guides as I see fit and it will be your task to minimize them to their smallest components. You will report your findings to me only.” Then she added as an afterthought, “Or these two,” gesturing to Bannitt and Varrus. “You will not speak of this exercise to anyone.”
“What if I seek certain spells of my own? How will I learn of those?”
Her tone sharpened. “You will have access to the spells I give you. No more. No less. Do you find these terms acceptable?”
Her eyes were lit with both anger and hope. He realized she would take credit for his findings, perhaps becoming a renowned mage like Regnard. He didn’t like it. But he also felt he didn’t have much choice.
At the same point, it meant they wouldn’t be ejected from the tower. They could continue working together. He tried to hide the relief from his face.
“Donya? Are you okay with this?”
“I can abide.”
“Then we agree to the terms. But forgive me if I make a request here and there. If you deem it worthy, maybe you’ll oblige.”
“Cocky to the end,” Bannitt muttered.
Chapter 9
The Rats in the Hall
The trek down to the social room was quiet. Neither wanted to breathe a word. When they reached the end of the stairs, Donya pressed a latch on this side and peeked out into the room. They hoped to slip away without being seen, but they were not fortunate.
“Well that’s dangerous,” Gallena said shrilly. “Are you two looking for trouble or for a private place to spend together?”
“None of your business,” Donya snapped, her face burning red.
Jaffral hurried over. “Whoa, what’s the noise? And whe—?” His face stiffened. “No, you two didn’t…”
Pyron appeared. “They did. I tried to stop them, but they went anyway.”
“Oh man,” Jaffral complained. His voice hardened to anger. “They’ll come down on all of us now. Do you know what you’ve done?”
Delminor shook his head. He didn’t trust the interrogation he was under, especially with the fury in Jaffral’s eyes. If they knew the truth, they might report him to Xervius themselves. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We didn’t see anything. It’s pitch black in there.”
Jaffral seethed. “But you tried, didn’t you?”
“And you haven’t?”
“No, are you crazy?”
“Gallena? You haven’t?”
She stiffened her back and refused to answer. “You’d best hope none of the masters knew you were in there. If they suspect for a minute, we’re all in trouble.”
“I don’t see how,” Delminor said. “The only involvement you’ve had is asking about it now. Not that it matters.”
“You’re sure you weren’t seen?” Jaffral asked, his eyes darting around nervously.
“Would we have been allowed to come back down if we were? Come on, you guys want to play a game of Toppled Tower?”
“No,” Galeena said. “We were just checking on you.”
Delminor looked at Pyron, who refused to meet his gaze. “How would you even know?”
Gallena saw the look and groaned. “Don’t blame him. Only fools try to encroach upon the masters. He didn’t want you dead and he couldn’t keep it to himself.”
“I get it.” But he didn’t. He thought he could trust Pyron not to say anything, but now with the rest of the gang informed, it would be more difficult to keep Una’s mission secret. They would all be looking over their shoulders.
“Where’s Arenda?” Delminor asked.
“No idea,” Gallena said. “Look, I’m not in the mood for a game. You
two look tired from your… adventure. Why don’t you go on and get some rest?”
“Probably for the best.” Donya said, heading out.
Delminor hesitated, trying not to appear too eager to leave. “You guys heading for food soon, then?”
“Ate already,” Jaffral said, his voice tight. “I’ve got some work to do, so, later.” Pyron left with him, his head down.
Gallena stood still, arms crossed. “You gonna stay and hang out?”
“What’s with you, anyway? Always so angry.”
“What’s with you? Always so nosy.”
“Never mind,” he grumbled and walked away. He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder, but he casually drifted to the side and ducked behind a protruding bookcase. He waited a moment before turning around. Why hadn’t Gallena left if she wasn’t in the mood for a game? Something didn’t feel right.
He waited a minute more and then carefully peered around the bookcase. Gallena was walking away from the secret stairs, Arenda in tow. She must have been in the stairwell ahead of them. The scratching sounds hadn’t been rodents after all. The two whispered conspiratorially and Gallena’s face turned to a mask of rage.
Delminor scurried from the room. Trouble indeed.
Chapter 10
Elemental
Confluence
Days after the meeting with the masters, Delminor returned to his room and a spellbook was propped on his desk, a sheet of parchment poking out partway through with a maroon ribbon. He knew instantly what it was; Una’s first demand.
He opened the book to the noted page and his shoulders sank. There were three spells listed on the parchment, and the one marked in this book was three pages long. The incantation was enormous and the diagrams for the body movements were intricate and numerous.
He flipped to the second and third versions of the spell and saw similarly huge listings. Una was determined to slow him down as much as possible, that he could see. And then he realized that the spells were those of water. He had no experience with that.
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