Page 65 of A Tower of Half-Truths
“Today, I am presenting to the High Council an incantation that will not only reveal the auras for the basic types of Gardemancy spells, but will differentiate them by color. This is based on the work of Enodus the Second, a Senser who left his own aura-detection spell unfinished upon his death in 804. I have completed the spell using techniques based on Venetum’s Principles, as well as an adaptation of Ardemin the First’s Hue Shifting Augmentation. ”
He extended an arm toward Mavery.
“To begin the demonstration, my assistant, Ms. Culwich, will perform basic resonating, detonation, fireproofing, and protective wards. I will then perform my spell to reveal the auras of her wards, as well as the soundproofing wards surrounding this room.”
He turned to Mavery and nodded before stepping away from the podium.
She’d recited the incantations so many times over the past week, she’d memorized even the detonation ward.
When she completed the final incantation with the numbness of her tongue that she’d grown accustomed to, the podium was aglow with red, pink, and gold auras that the Elder Wizards couldn’t yet see.
She then raised her hand and summoned a protective ward.
Alain began the spell that he had likewise practiced scores of times, though Mavery had yet to grow tired of hearing it. Her heart soared as she watched his performance. Because, at the end of it all, wasn’t this meeting just a spectacle?
While light flooded the room from the podium to the walls, she spared a glance at the Elder Wizards. Most of them were focused on taking notes, but some watched Alain intently. That included Seringoth, who peered at his former assistant over his steepled fingers.
At last, Alain finished speaking Etherean. He walked around the podium, gesturing to the wards as he spoke.
“Blue for protective wards, red for detonation, gold for resonating, pink for fireproofing, and violet for soundproofing.” For the latter, he gestured at the shimmering walls.
“These colors are based on the observations of my assistant, a Senser who came into my employ two months ago.
Her observations are consistent with the ones documented by Enodus and other Sensers before her.
“Up close, we can study the subtle differences between the wards, and how they interact when combined. We can also see the ley lines of augmentations, and trace them to the locations of their anchors. This incantation would serve as the baseline for more complex spells that can reveal the smell and taste of magic as experienced by Sensers. This is but the beginning to understanding magic in ways that only a select few have ever experienced it.”
He stopped pacing and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Mavery dismissed her ward and mimicked his pose.
She hadn’t expected the wizards to fall over themselves in adoration, but she’d hoped for at least some polite applause.
Instead, there was silence interspersed with hushed whispers and shuffling papers.
With each passing minute, Alain’s shoulders sank a little deeper, his neutral expression shifted more toward a frown.
Was it normal for the High Council to go this long without asking a single question?
Mavery flinched as, without warning, a male Elder Wizard’s voice cut through the chamber like a gunshot.
“What would be the practical applications for this spell?”
Alain cleared his throat. “Within the spell tome, I discuss at length some of my theories pertaining to its—”
“I did not ask you about theory. I asked you about practicality.” As the wizard leaned forward, his hood shifted, revealing a dour face framed with dark, bushy eyebrows. “Have you even performed this spell outside of a controlled environment?”
“Yes, Elder Lythandus. Before today, I performed it many times without protective wards in place.”
“You have performed it on wards that you or your assistant did not place?”
“With the exception of the soundproofing wards in this room, no, sir, I have not.”
His answer sparked some low grumbling from at least half of the High Council. Their voices were predominantly male, but the next Elder Wizard to address Alain directly was a woman.
“This spell, you intend to let anyone use it?”
She had a haughty manner of speaking that had nothing to do with her Dauphinian accent.
A high-ranking noblewoman, if Mavery had ever heard one.
Furthermore, the twin moon pendant around her neck marked her as a follower of the Church of the Dyad.
She had to be the Elder Wizard representing the Soudremancy School.
“Yes, Elder Thedonus. Anyone with a wizarding ed—”
“Then how can you be certain it won’t be used for nefarious purposes? This seems a dangerous spell to release into the wizarding community, given the political unrest here in Dauphine. I can only imagine what would happen, were this spell to fall into the hands of those treacherous anti-Royalists—”
“Elder Thedonus,” Seringoth said sharply, “how many times must I remind you to refrain from voicing political opinions in the presentation chamber?”
“My sincerest apologies, Archmage.” Her tone was decidedly insincere and unapologetic.
“Elder Thedonus does raise a valid point,” said another male wizard. “Aventus, how would you ensure that this spell does not pose any security risks?”
Alain wrung his hands as he opened and closed his mouth, but seemed no longer able to speak. The High Council’s disgruntlement grew louder the longer Alain failed to articulate a response. Mavery’s heart raced. She had to do something before he fell apart entirely.
She stepped forward.
“Excuse me.”
If anyone on the High Council had heard her, they were choosing to ignore her.
She cleared her throat. “Excuse me!”
At last, the nine wizards ceased their muttering and looked at her. Their expressions ranged from faint surprise to utter repulsion. She was probably breaking a dozen of their sanctimonious covenants, but it was too late to do anything but forge ahead.
“If I can lend some of my expertise—”
“And what expertise would that be?” another of the male wizards snapped, as if Mavery had insulted his manhood and spat in his face.
“Before becoming Aventus’s assistant, I worked as a freelance wardsmith. I know firsthand the importance of protecting the lives and valuables of Tanarim’s highest-ranking citizens.”
Flattering the nobility soured her stomach more than the half-truth about her former profession.
“Continue, Ms. Culwich,” Seringoth said.
“This spell would be completely impractical for would-be thieves and spies. First of all, the incantation itself is quite complex; only a mage with advanced Etherean training would be able to pull it off. Secondly, the spell has a range of…” She looked to Alain.
“Approximately thirty feet,” he said.
She nodded. “Not only that, the spell permeates walls and other barriers. And as you can see for yourselves, anyone within the spell’s range will be able to detect the wards—not just the spellcaster. It would draw too much attention to someone who’s trying to rely on stealth.”
The wizards resumed talking amongst themselves, but their overall tone seemed slightly less hostile, with more nodding than before. Mavery gave Alain a sidelong glance.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“Of course,” she whispered back.
Seringoth cleared his throat, and in unison they snapped their attention back to the High Council.
“Ms. Culwich, have your Sensing abilities been evaluated by a Mystic?”
Mavery raised her brows. That was not the question she’d been expecting.
“Er, no—”
“That’s entirely my fault, Archmage,” Alain interjected. Rather than looking directly at Seringoth, he looked straight ahead, focusing on the speckled granite of the High Council’s bench. “I didn’t think it would be worth the trouble.”
“You didn’t think confirming the authenticity of one of your primary sources would be ‘worth the trouble’?” Seringoth asked flatly.
“N-no, Archmage, I misspoke. I only meant that I had no reason to doubt my assistant’s authenticity, based on my own observations. Therefore, I didn’t think burdening the Mystics would be worth the trouble.”
“Elder Yuriva, as Tanarim’s highest authority on the School of Mysticism, what do you make of this? Would confirming whether a mage has arcane hypersensitivity be a ‘burden’ as Aventus claims?”
“Not at all,” replied the serene voice of the woman sitting on the far right end of the bench. “As a matter of fact, I could perform an evaluation right now. It would take but a few minutes.”
“Precisely as I suspected.” Seringoth turned to Mavery again. “Ms. Culwich, if you would please follow Elder Yuriva into the antechamber.”
As the Mystic descended the stairs behind the bench, Mavery looked to Alain. His face was even paler than usual.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should have listened to Kazamin and had you evaluated right from the start.”
“I’ll be fine,” she whispered back, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.
She knew the stories from Neldren and countless others who had been unlucky enough to be interrogated by Mystics.
None of those stories were pleasant. She tried to push all that from her mind as she crossed the chamber and met Mystic Yuriva at the bottom of the stairs.
“Right this way, Ms. Culwich,” she said. She placed her hand to the stone wall, and a section of it shifted aside, revealing a wooden door. She opened it and gestured for Mavery to enter first.