Essalia stepped forward. “It seems you’re old friends. I am Essalia, a healer from Magehaven. I look forward to working together.”
“Healers,” Gallena rolled her eyes. “Can’t stand friendly banter, always trying to fix things.”
“I wouldn’t be much of a healer if I didn’t. Delminor, Donya, perhaps we should settle in as the chancellor suggested and get started on a shopping list?”
Donya agreed. “But let me make something very clear. Gallena, Arenda, if either one of you steals a single thing from any of us, I will personally chop off your hands.”
Her tone was deadly, and the entire room was taken aback. “Donya…” Delminor said.
“I refuse to look over my shoulder for anything anymore. We will share our work openly. Even without the king’s decree, we would have had you asked instead of sneaking around. The last time led us all to being thrown out and having to start over. I’ve had enough restarts, enough pain. I won’t tolerate any more. Am I clear?”
Gallena swallowed hard, all her mirth gone. “You are clear. We won’t cross you again.”
“You had best mean all of us.”
“I do.” She prodded Arenda who made the same promise. “How long will you need to make an initial list?”
Her tone said much. “An hour at most,” Delminor answered, his eyes darting back and forth between them and Donya.
“We will return then.” They bowed their heads and left.
Essalia put her arm around Donya. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know what came over me. I was just so angry.”
“It’s all right now,” Delminor said. “You covered the ground rules pretty succinctly.”
Essalia agreed. “I doubt they’ll want to step foot in here after that.”
Donya forced a laugh. “Come on, let’s get settled in.”
Chapter 28
Impetus
Delminor sat at a grand table with the fire jade and his piles of notes, which he had been diligently taking. He glanced up at the six guards in the room; three soldiers and three mages. They offered no help to him when he needed extra supplies, for they were tasked to observe him closely. That he possessed three jades from the two nearby magic towers was cause for concern that he could make off with the fire jade as well.
He had never intended to take any jades without permission, nor would he risk the wrath of the king in taking this one. All the same, it was uncomfortable having guards oversee his progress, and it slowed him down greatly.
He hadn’t gotten as far along as he would have liked. He refused to bring the other jades along with him to this chamber, worried the other guards might see reason to confiscate them. He instead left the jades with Donya and Essalia.
He wasn’t allowed any weapons with him and he’d had to cut his hand before entering the room in order to connect himself to the fire jade. But he had done it early on to unlock the power within.
The jade was fickle, he discovered. Where the other jades offered a near constant whisper, the fire jade flared here and there, offering little inspiration for his work. He found it infuriating.
Although he wasn’t allowed weapons, he was able to cast spells in the room. At these times, the mages went on alert, ever vigilant for foul play. Delminor could sense the mistrust and it kept him on edge. For more complex spells, he enlisted the other mages to help contain energy flows in the room, but they otherwise remained dormant.
“Fallahassalor grienan reshta shaie.” He curled his fingers over a flask of water, closing to a fist. The water condensed to a small block of ice within. He mentally thanked Donya for the spell.
Placing the block of ice on top of the fire jade caused it to melt slightly, as the shard permeated heat at all times. He recast the spell, encasing the jade in ice.
He closed his eyes, feeling the jade pulsing within its confines, as if trying to escape. Then all at once the ice exploded outward, painfully cutting him in several places.
The fire jade refused to be contained, he commented in his notes. He found it interesting, as the other jades hadn’t reacted in such a way. In fact, the water jade almost preferred having a container hold it so it didn’t have to cohesively keep itself together.
The ice barbs stung and were a strong enough distraction that he ended his research for the day. He gathered his belongings and silently left the room, the guards stepping closer to him and forming a barrier between him and the jade. It didn’t matter; he was already near the door, but it was their ritual.
He trudged back to this room and tended to his wounds, grumbling at his failed attempt.
He had lost track of the months, dividing his time between the jades and working to discover their inner secrets. He knew he was missing something important and he refused to quit. But it meant that time was flying by.
The king had requested his presence at numerous magic-related meetings, more so as time went on. His advice was invaluable, particularly as his work with the jades continued. The king was curious to know how his findings could benefit them in the war against Kallisor.
Days after his trial with the fire jade, he left to attend to such a gathering.
“Delminor, you have arrived at last,” Ieran said. The chancellor seemed to be in a dour mood. “We thought you weren’t coming.”
He ignored the tone, absently rubbing his arm. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
King Pennithor sat at the head of a large oaken table, Queen Ruann to his right side. She often attended the meetings, interjecting only occasionally. Pennithor gestured toward Delminor’s seat. “We would hear of your progress, to start.”
He sat heavily in his chair. “I’m doing what I can to discover what the fire jade has to offer. You’ve had it here for a long time and it seems content with that. If I only had more time with it.”
The king glowered. “We’ve been through this.”
“Yes, sire,” he bowed his head. “My time with the jade does prove productive. I am learning more about how the energies exude from each shard, which will benefit us all. The more access I have to the jades, the better. With that, I’d like to seek out the nature jade. I just don’t know where to look, except to the west.”
Ruann leaned forward. “You’re certain it’s to the west? Then I would venture a guess as to the Great Forest, if the jade is to be anywhere in particular.”
“It does seem to be the most viable place,” he agreed. “Perhaps if I could—”
Ieran shook his head. “You serve as magic counselor to the king. You can’t go galivanting off in random search of some treasure.”
Pennithor placed his hands on the table. “Perhaps we can send a search party out to locate this fragment.”
Delminor perked up. “Indeed?”
“The research related to the jades is of vital importance to the survival of all Hathreneir. It may be a worthwhile venture. I will assemble a team and send them forth. Now, on to other matters. The mages in the northern quadrant are in need of support in their efforts with the crops…”
Delminor was distracted for the rest of the meeting, chiming in when he was prompted for feedback, but otherwise thinking of the nature jade.
Once the session adjourned, he returned to his chamber instead of working with the fire jade again. Gallena and Donya were having tea and playing a game of Toppled Tower with stones Essalia had crafted with earth magic, with Delminor’s help. They looked up when he walked in.
“Short day today,” Gallena commented. It had taken time for them to work through the issues of the past, but they agreed that they had all been a bit naïve then and eager to impress the masters who lorded their power over them. They had all made choices they regretted, and they sought to move on. Having pressure from the king to work together was a strong motivating factor.
“There wasn’t much to discuss. But I could use a drink.”
Donya headed to a cabinet and poured a glass of wine. “We need to make sure you’re happy, you know.”
&n
bsp; He laughed. “Just me?” He kissed her gently.
Gallena groaned. “Oh dear, this? Right now? We’re in the middle of an intense match. Can’t it wait?”
Donya chuckled. “As if you and Arenda are any better.”
“Whatever. Are we finishing this?”
Donya sat back down to play the game and Delminor adjourned to his laboratory, sorting his notes and binding them together. He looked at his bookshelves at all the tomes he was creating. Soon he would have his own library.
He pulled one of his works from the shelf and sat with it at the table, flipping through the pages absently. Then one of his passages caught his attention.
The power within the jades is constantly reflected on the outside of the jade. The earth jade is constantly dirty; the water jade is wet, and so on. This is a curious thing, for where do the dirt and water come from? Surely the jades cannot create matter on their own but must draw it from somewhere. This bears further investigation.
“And I’ve yet to figure it out,” he muttered. He surmised that the jades drew the energy inward from the surrounding environment, from dust and moisture in the air, for instance. But the fire jade had exploded outward, not inward. It violated his postulate.
He wondered at the nature of the fire jade, how its power was more energy than material. Perhaps that was a key difference. Because it was energy, it emanated from within. Yet he felt all the jades pulsing from within. But maybe it was those pulsations that pushed and pulled the energies into the world for mages to utilize.
Donya came to the room sometime later. “Gallena wasn’t happy today.”
“Congratulations,” he said. “She never did take well to losing.”
“It’s true, but it was a close game. Well, close set, I should say. You’ve been engrossed over here. Is everything okay?”
“I need to spend some time with the fire jade without the watchers. I need to see how it reacts with the other jades to determine if my theory is right. I have the notes here, but I can’t test it.”
Donya shrugged and sat down. “You should bring the jades with you, Delminor. They know we have them and there’s been no attempt to take them. It should be fine.”
He nodded slowly. “I suppose you’re right.”
She grinned. “Get used to saying that. Mothers are always right.”
“Mothers…? Wait. Donya?”
She beamed. “Yes.” She took his hand and placed it on her belly. “I wasn’t sure I should say anything after what happened before. But it’s been a long time now. I think— No, I know I’m ready now. I hope you are, too.”
“Of course!” He kissed her and held her tightly. “And here I was having a difficult day. Thank you for always bringing the light.”
She handed him the water jade. “Essalia only confirmed it this morning. I don’t know how she uses her nature magic to read the pattern, but she manages it somehow. It takes a toll on her, though. But after last time… Del, I can’t risk it.”
He took the jade and wrapped his fingers around it, unable to argue. He still believed his convoluted spell had caused their baby’s death, and he didn’t want to risk it either. “Is this why you think I should take the jades to the fire chamber? So these aren’t here as much?”
She touched his hand. “That’s a part of it. But I think it will help you more than leaving them behind.”
“Very well.” He smiled and brushed her cheek. “Mothers are always right, aren’t they?”
* * *
She was correct about bringing the jades with him. Feeling the interactions of the energies allowed him to fine-tune his postulate about the energy flow. Fire and air both emitted a certain energy, whereas water and earth absorbed it. He had encased all four shards in ice and, with the earth jade nearby, the air jade also exploded the ice, though not as violently as the fire. It was as if it called to the earth jade, while simultaneously canceling it out.
Fire and water interacted more violently overall. He produced basic candle flames, once he mastered some basic fire spell patterns. Bringing water nearby created turmoil for the flames, more so than the sputtering of a regular candle flame. The power of the fire jade struggled for dominance.
As he continued working with the ice, he entrapped each shard more tightly. When the fire jade exploded, he noticed that the shard was damp, as if it had used some of the energy from the ice itself to power the reaction. Though the jades didn’t seem to need spell components, they did need something to draw some energy from, even if from the ice itself.
He made use of Donya’s divination spell, hoping the guards in the room wouldn’t realize what he was doing. It was harder to read the movements of four jades floating in the water, but he was sure they pointed toward the Great Forest, as Donya’s sister had said. The king’s search party was due back soon, and he was eager to explore the new shard. The power of five shards would certainly help him locate the others. He was certain they were out there.
At last, the party returned and Delminor was summoned to the meeting chamber to discuss the events. Though he responded immediately to the summons, he had missed part of the recitation and from the stern faces, things hadn’t gone well.
“There wasn’t much else we could do,” a soldier was saying. “The beasts kept attacking and we did what we had to to defend ourselves. We took down a good number of them.”
A mage spoke next. “It angered the forest people. They came at us with weapons at the ready. We defended ourselves, but some lives were lost and the forest was burned.”
“Is that why only the two of you returned?” Pennithor asked.
“It is, your majesty.”
“The forest burned?” Delminor asked. “How bad was it?”
“The entire place isn’t gone, if that’s what you’re asking,” the mage snarled. “But we did need to survive. Fire was the best way to hold them off and for us to escape.”
Delminor pressed, “Did you get the jade?”
The soldier looked to the king furtively and then answered with a level voice. “We weren’t able to get the nature jade.” He looked again at the king, who grinned and nodded.
Delminor caught the glance and thought it was odd, but he was too disappointed to pay it much attention. “That’s a pity. I was certain it was there.”
The mage chimed in, “Oh, I’m sure it’s there. We just didn’t get it. Perhaps the forest itself didn’t want to give it up.”
“Have you any other questions, Delminor?” Pennithor asked. “Then you are dismissed.”
Delminor returned to his chambers and pulled out the large bowl and set his three jades into the water. He cast his divination spell, noting that they pointed toward the king’s chamber more sharply than before, but thinking nothing of it. They then wavered and aimed pointedly to the west.
Days passed and the more he used the divination spell, the more acutely he wanted to pursue the jade.
“Then go,” Donya offered kindly. “The forest isn’t that far away. You won’t be gone for more than a month or two.”
“But how can I leave you right now?”
“Dearest, there’s nothing you can do now anyway. I have enough with Arenda doting on me. Who knew it would take this to soften her up a bit?”
“She’s wanted a child of her own. They both have. They just have to… make certain arrangements for it.”
Donya laughed. “And spending quality time with a man isn’t what either of them are into. But still. Considering how badly they want children, it seems a small concession.”
He appreciated the distraction, but he brought the conversation back into focus. “You’re certain you’d be all right without me?”
“You know you have to go. It isn’t a choice right now, Del. You’ve only grown more frustrated. You need to get out, and you need that shard.”
Delminor petitioned the king for a loan of the fire jade, but he was refused.
“I will, however, permit you to pursue the nature jade, as requested. Perhaps you
will be more successful.”
“Thank you, my liege.”
“Ieran, see to his travel needs and assure him that his status here will remain.”
“Your majesty.”
Chapter 29
The Great Forest
Delminor left for the Great Forest two days later, equipped with a full pack of provisions and one of Donya’s swords, at her insistence. “I can’t go with you, but take this instead.”
He used the sword as much as possible, trying to get a feel for it. He was used to fighting with daggers, typical for mages who spent a lot of time cutting up spell components. The sword felt cumbersome to him, but he managed.
The land surrounding the castle was thick desert, spanning out wide. He remembered the stories of droughts and of mages trying to aerate the land, drawing too much power and killing the soil instead. He wondered if it could ever be restored.
More than that, though, he was curious why he couldn’t use the sand as an effective earth spell component. He had tried before his time at Magehaven with minimal success and though he and Donya had discussed it, he still believed there should be enough of an overlap to allow him to use it more effectively.
Unable to stop himself, he conducted research along his journey to the forest, which delayed him somewhat. He made camp one evening, using a candle-lighting spell to start a fire. He placed a small metal bowl atop the flame and threw sand inside.
“Karrisorical falarron repturious kreth.” He fanned his fingers, aimed at the fire, and spurred it to greater temperatures. He knew most things either melted or burned, and if he could get the sand to do either, he might be able to harness it.
He could feel the heat from the blaze, but the fire wasn’t hot enough to melt the sand. It just sat there in the bowl, mocking his efforts.
Night after night, he tried different methods of breaking through the structure of the sand, making notes in his journal and often leaving himself exhausted for the feral creatures that crept out to deter him. He nearly fell to a sand rodia that slipped through his defenses and it was then he recognized just how exhausted he was. His nightly research ended.
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