Thinblade (44 page)

“Agreed, but how can we do that?” Duncan asked.

“I don’t know, but I think Mason might have an idea or two once he finds what he’s looking for,” Alexander answered. “Let’s table that for the moment. I’d like to get back to the question of what I am. Lucky, you said there are many ways a person can interact with the firmament. Tell me about some of them.”

“Elemental wizards are the most common. They deal in things like fire, water, and air. There are enchanters like my Guild Mage, Kelvin Gamaliel, and alchemists like me who imbue items with magic but wield very little influence on the firmament directly. There are conjurors who summon creatures to do their bidding. Necromancers deal in forces from the netherworld; they can summon creatures like the nether wolves and worse as well as wield dark powers directly. There are generalists who can wield magic from most of the different disciplines but cannot attain great levels of power in any one area, due in large part, to the general nature of their study. Generalists are often the most versatile wizards but they can’t rise to the level of power wielded by a mage. There are those who specialize in divination, others who focus on evocation, and some few who practice transmutation. Then there are specialist wizards who have very narrow and specific ways of using their connection to the firmament. The battle wizard you fought is a good example. He had great power but it was limited by its narrow focus. Specialist wizards are very rare and often quite powerful within the confines of their abilities. Then, of course, there are witches. Women who have survived the mana fast like your mother. Witches tend to manipulate the firmament in very different ways than wizards, but that doesn’t pertain to you.”

“So what does that make me?” Alexander asked.

“If I had to say right now,” Lucky mused for a moment, “I believe you are a specialist wizard but I couldn’t say what type. In truth, you may have a unique connection to the firmament that has never been seen before. Whatever the case, I believe we can rule out the more common classifications because you’ve proven unable to master basic spells that would be easy for a novice wizard of a more common variety to learn. More importantly, you’ve demonstrated that your connection to the firmament is surprisingly powerful with the sheer range of your clairvoyant experience. Mason is a Master Wizard of significant power and experience. I doubt he could project a clairvoyance spell farther than a mile or so and then only with great effort and preparation. You looked across the ocean and into just the right room thousands of miles away, and you could hear what was said, as well. That is no small feat.”

“So how do I control it? How do I use it to fight?” Alexander asked.

Lucky looked helpless as he shrugged and slowly shook his head. “I don’t know, Alexander. Your abilities are different from any I’ve even heard of but perhaps Mage Gamaliel will know more.”

“You’re not still thinking about leaving Glen Morillian, are you?” Bella snapped.

Alexander looked at his mother with gentle determination and nodded.

“Alexander, you said yourself Phane has sent something else, something worse than nether wolves, to kill you. How can you leave? You must stay here where it’s safe,” she said in half plea and half command.

Alexander sat down with a sigh. He spoke quietly but with conviction. “Mom, during my mana fast, I saw what will happen to the world if Phane wins. I’ve been chosen to stop him. I didn’t ask for it but the duty is mine nonetheless. If I hide here in the safety of Glen Morillian while he ravages the rest of the world and inflicts unspeakable suffering on thousands of innocent people, then I’m no better than he is. He’s evil and he intends to impose his will on every living thing in all of the Seven Isles. I have to do everything I can to stop him, no matter the cost.”

A tear slipped from her eye and she hastily brushed it from her cheek. “I’m very proud of you, Alexander, and I know what you say is right and true but I’ve already lost one child to this monster and I can’t bear to lose another.” Her voice trembled as she spoke and another tear slid down her face. Alexander took a seat next to his mother, put his arm around her and pulled her head gently to his shoulder. She cried quietly for a few moments in silence.

When she looked up, Alexander whispered softly, “I love you, Mom, but I have to do this.”

She nodded, still wiping tears from her face.

Mason bustled up with excitement and exclaimed, “I’ve found it!”

Everyone turned to look at the court wizard. He held up a very old-looking book. “It’s a dream whisper spell. We may be able to use it to deliver a message to the House of Karth.”

Alexander stood, suddenly quite interested, “How so?”

“I’ll have to study the spell to see if it’ll work and then I might need to make some preparations to adequately power it, but I believe I can send a message into the dreams of the King of Karth.”

“Even over such a great distance?” Duncan asked.

“Distance matters much less in the realm of dreams,” Mason said. “I have a projection spell but I can only throw my image for several hundred feet, so that would never work, but I may be able to reach him in his dreams.”

“All right, then,” Alexander said with renewed enthusiasm, “we’ll still leave for New Ruatha as planned. Mason, when you figure out the dream whisper spell, send the King of Karth this message: Lord Alexander, King of Ruatha, sends warning. Prince Phane has taken command of the Reishi Army Regency and they will attack you on the new moon.”

Mason took a piece of parchment from a nearby table and copied the message. “I will send him your words,” Mason said. “On another subject, I’ve studied the skillbook and I believe it might still be of great use to us. There are very clear instructions for fighting with a blade in ways that are probably not known by any in the Seven Isles, save a few. I could translate the basic instructions and use it as a basis for a training manual for our soldiers. It may better prepare them for the battle ahead.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’d like Hanlon and Anatoly to be the first to study it.” Alexander paused for a moment. “Mason, I need to know how to use my connection to the firmament. I need to be able to control it and fight with it. Anything you can offer on the subject would be helpful.”

Mason deflated slightly. “Alexander, I understand how important this is to you but I’ve searched my memory and my library for any insight into your abilities and found none. For now, trust your instincts. Take mental note of how you feel when you connect with the firmament and practice recreating those feelings. Your relationship to the firmament is unlike any I’ve encountered, but it also seems to have the potential for great power. Be open-minded as you try to master it; you might be surprised at what you’re capable of.”

Alexander spent the next few days trying to control his connection to the firmament without any luck at all. He could still see the living aura of everyone and everything around. His second sight had merged with his normal vision. At first, it took some getting used to, but it became normal and natural over the course of a few days. Other than that, he couldn’t produce or cause any magical effects whatsoever. He tried to meditate the way he did the night of his clairvoyant experience but had no luck reproducing the effect, which only led to greater frustration.

Mason succeeded at sending a message to the King of Karth. At least he’d been confident that the message had been delivered. Unfortunately, there was no way to determine if it worked, if the king heard the message in his dreams, if he believed the message, or if he chose to act on it. Alexander consoled himself with the knowledge that they had done all they could and shifted his focus to more immediate concerns.

He was ready to be on his way. Lucky was working hard preparing potions and other concoctions for their journey. Abigail and Isabel were training with Hanlon and Anatoly in some of the new blade techniques from the skillbook. Alexander was trying without success to produce even the simplest magical effect. Jack had made friends with every cook, servant, valet, stableman, and groundskeeper in the entire palace. He was in his element at court. He knew how the place worked and played it like a fiddle.

What spare time Alexander had, he spent with his parents or Isabel but he was distracted and anxious. He felt like he was wasting time. He came to believe that his magic would come or it wouldn’t. No amount of time spent trying to make it work seemed to have any effect. The day before they were set to leave, Alexander revealed his plan at breakfast.

“We’ll be going on foot from the north fortress gate and traveling through the forest. I believe that’s our best chance to avoid Phane’s hunters. At the same time, I need Erik to take a hundred good Rangers and ride out from the eastern fortress gate to draw the enemy away.”

Erik smiled proudly, “I’ll make sure they see me.”

Hanlon and Emily looked less enthusiastic about the assignment but they didn’t object.

“Erik, this task will be very dangerous,” Alexander said seriously. “I don’t know what Phane’s sent to hunt me but I’m certain it’ll be deadly. I want you to ride fast. Take spare horses and don’t let up. Do not engage unless you have no other choice. I want you to run from whatever is chasing you. Don’t put yourself or your men at risk if you can help it.”

Erik sobered slightly, “I understand.”

Alexander considered for a moment before continuing. “I’d like Kevin and Duane to stay here.” Both of Erik’s younger brothers looked upset and started to object, but Alexander stopped them with a raised hand. “Your father will need you both to help him build and train the army.”

Both looked disappointed but nodded their agreement. Emily looked a little relieved that at least two of her children would be safe for the time being. Alexander feared that wouldn’t last. All too soon the world would be caught up in a war that no one anywhere would be able to escape.

“Our first stop will be the Wizards Guild in New Ruatha but I don’t plan on staying there long. I want to talk to Mage Gamaliel to see if he can offer any suggestions or insight. My primary goal is to get to Blackstone Keep. I believe the second of the Bloodvaults is there. Whatever Mage Cedric left me there will be useful and we can use Blackstone Keep as a source of authority to help bring the territories under the banner of Ruatha and to house the army we’re building.

“Erik, you’ll ride straight to the base of Blackstone Keep and scout the area. Don’t stay in one place long and keep your force intact as much as possible. Once I arrive, you’ll help me secure the interior of the Keep and establish basic defenses. Hanlon, once you have a significant force assembled, I want you to secure the forest road. It’s the main overland route from north to south and will provide us with a strategic advantage if some of the territories are reluctant to accept my leadership. After you have sufficient forces to control the road, begin assembling legion-sized units and sending them to Blackstone Keep but be sure to keep adequate forces to defend Glen Morillian.”

Breakfast the next morning was somber. Everyone said their goodbyes and then Alexander and his companions were on their way to the north fortress gate. The ride was pleasant enough. Alexander’s mind wandered while they meandered through rolling farmland, past herds of cattle. He wondered about his calling. It troubled him that he was so different from other wizards. He needed guidance but didn’t know where to find it. He hoped that Mage Gamaliel would have the answers he needed, but for some reason that he couldn’t quite define, he doubted it.

Most wizards could alter the nature of the world around them through a process of vivid visualization of the outcome they desired, coupled with a deliberate and controlled connection to the firmament. Alexander remembered how it felt to connect to the timeless realm beneath reality but he wasn’t able to make it happen again. Most novice wizards were easily taught how to make that all-important connection. In fact, the biggest difficulty for most wizards was in controlling the degree of the connection. The firmament was virtually infinite and offered such an impossible variety of possibilities that wizards had been known to get lost. It was as if their consciousness, sentience, and even soul simply lost hold of their physical being. Those wizards died slowly.

Alexander couldn’t seem to create a connection and yet his second sight had become a permanent fixture of his life. Now he could simply see the colors around all living things without effort or concentration. It troubled him because he knew that the source of his aura reading had to be a connection to the firmament but he couldn’t feel it or control it. It was simply there. He didn’t do anything to establish the connection and he couldn’t stop it, yet he didn’t feel any sense of risk. He didn’t feel anything different at all except for the colors he could see.

Then there was his clairvoyant experience. Besides the unsettling encounter with Phane, he was bewildered by the fact that it happened at all. He tried over and over to recreate the experience but failed every time. He went over the feelings of the experience a hundred times, trying to identify exactly what it was that caused it to happen, but he couldn’t seem to figure it out. When he took inventory of the things he could rely on for sure, he could only name his second sight and his newfound skill with a blade. He hoped it would be enough, but he knew that it wouldn’t.

He needed to know what he was.

What troubled him most was that Phane did know. Alexander presumed he meant what type of wizard he was, what his magical calling was. He tried to reason through it and could only assume that Phane had encountered wizards like Alexander before. The idea that Phane knew more about his abilities and limitations than he did scared him. He knew at a basic level that the key to defeating an enemy was knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses. Phane was several steps ahead and gaining ground quickly, while Alexander was floundering.