Delver Magic Book VII: Altered Messages (2 page)

"Linking
to others with magic is no alteration. Magical links have endured for ages."

"No, not like this," Desiv argued.
"Ansas took pure magic of his own and placed it in the core of other casters. This was the step that alters the way magic can bind those willing to join together, for it was not a link created by some spell that could be manipulated. This was a direct connection into the depths of each caster's core. Under such circumstances, nothing could be completely hidden."

Macheve
began to see the direction of Desiv's scheme.

"Go on
," she allowed.

"
We will do the same. We will find a single magic caster who will be used for our benefit. We will each take a piece of pure magic from the core of that caster and place it within ourselves. It will bind us together in a way that treachery would become impossible. Our thoughts, plans and desires would be obvious to each other. There is no scheme that would be hidden."

While comprehending the benefits in such an arrangement,
Macheve also noted the detriments.

"Such a magical connection would reveal our inner most contemplations,"
Macheve argued. "As serps, it is in our nature to be devious. We would not be able to control our thoughts of treachery. A magical binding of such strength would only keep them from being hidden. We would remain deceitful and underhanded. None of us could avoid thoughts of betrayal."

"Your honesty proves my plan would work."

"How so? The magical link would not alter our devious nature. With each stray thought, we would still be at each other's throats."

"Would we?
Overcoming that obvious barrier is at the heart of my plan. If we all understand certain undeniable truths, then our deviousness could be handled in the open. We would have to accept that we each might wish to betray the alliance, but we would know that any such move would be rendered impossible. None of us could act against the other without the rest knowing. We would simply have to agree that the notion of treachery was an acceptable transgression, but the act itself could never be forgiven."

"Thoughts of deceit would be disregarded, but actions would be punished?"
Macheve asked, intrigued by the proposal.

"Exactly."

"Interesting."

Desiv turned to the others
who were contemplating the suggestion.

"You see? We admit simple truths and then we can deal with them. We accept we are an untrustworthy lot,
a group of thieves and murderers, but we create the means to prevent our own failings."

The other serps no longer wished to kill Desiv on the spot. Some even found the concept
captivating, but Samk retained his suspicions.

"
Your scheme is still flawed. A magic caster needs to be utilized. Who shall we trust to pick that sorcerer? You?"

"He has a point,"
Macheve acknowledged. "If this notion is to work, we must all accept a slice of pure magic from a spell caster. That in itself is a risky proposition. While we can utilize safeguards to ensure the magic is pure—to guarantee that no spell has been placed within the magic—we would still be linked to the magic caster as well as each other. How are we to know the spell caster has not already entered a bargain of his own... perhaps with you?"

"If such a bargain existed, it would be revealed the moment the link between us was created.
Who would make such a bargain knowing that the revelation would lead to immediate extermination?"

Macheve
nodded with even greater interest in the plan. If their thoughts were all magically linked, betrayal would become virtually impossible. While it once seemed an unattainable goal, she began to believe she could actually work with other serps. She would never trust them, but she wouldn't have to. She would know their thoughts, as well as their actions.

Desiv could sense her grudging acceptance, as well as the hesitant concurrence of many of the others gathered in the dimly lit room. With growing confidence, he set out the first step of his plan.

"With complete consideration for Samk's reservations, I believe that the selection of the magic caster must be the first consideration of this council. Once we can agree on this matter, then we can move forward with much more profitable designs. You see? We accept what we are, and then, we find the means to overcome it."

Samk frowned, but the other serps revealed a growing inclination toward Desiv's proposal. Doubts, however, remained and they needed to be addressed.

"Your scheme deserves consideration," Macheve admitted, "but there remains questions and obstacles."

"Such as?"

"Why six serps? Why not five or seven? With six, we could easily come to a stalemate, three against three."

"It is exactly for that reason six is necessary.
Our plans must never come down to one deciding vote. Our own selfish nature would entice us to manipulate such a situation. Even if our thoughts were magically linked, we would instinctively grasp for an advantage, and it would be an act that would not necessarily reveal pure treachery. With six members, four must come to an agreement for us to advance any plan, and it would take more than one vote to change our direction. Anything else?"

"How would we divide our gains?"

"Equally."

"Easier said than done," Macheve pointed out.
"What is of value to you may be of more value to me. Determining equal value could lead to considerable arguments."

"You forget about the connecting magic. We would all know exactly what
we wanted and how badly. These would not be some delicate negotiations where bluffing would be rewarded."

All of the other serps appeared to lose their reluctance, save for Samk.
He remained not only unwilling to trust Desiv, but openly defiant to recognize the advantages of the scheme.

"Even if you have devised some way to overcome our own natural tendencies, why should we bother? What is it a group of us can do that we cannot
achieve on our own?"

"Are you jesting?" Desiv shot back. "Do you really believe that the combined guile of six serps would not be a
n overwhelming force? If the six of us worked in concert, who could stand against us? Even the wizard in Connel would eventually fall to us. Could you make that same claim on your own?"

"Of course not, but why would I want to challenge a wizard on the other side of the mountains? And even if we conquered more, it would still be split among the six of us."

"Of course it would, but we would have more than six times the spoils. In fact, I believe our potential is nearly unlimited. If we work apart from each other, we would also be competing against one another... at the very least, duplicating certain schemes. Efforts would be wasted."

"But I would not have to share my victories."

Desiv's eyes narrowed as he considered the statement. He chose the five serps carefully, but he began to worry if he had made a mistake about Samk. The dissenter's mistrust was not a surprise, nor was his greed, but Desiv took notice of Samk's seeming insecurity and that trait was very uncharacteristic of a serp.

"You seek some kind of independent glory?" Desiv asked. "
I understand that sharing is a disgusting concept for us, but dividing plunder is a necessary evil. Are you actually concerned with your own reputation? Is that what feeds your reluctance?"

"I seek what benefits me the most. We all
share
that desire. You admitted as much yourself."

"
Very well. If you honestly believe you can do better on your own, then by all means leave us now. You can be replaced by another serp who will understand the overwhelming benefits of pooling our talents."

Samk almost left. He even walked to the door, his tail thumping angrily against the floor as he stomped toward the exit. With his
clawed hand on the handle, he paused. He realized if he left and the others agreed to join forces, eliminating him would be one of their first acts as a united council. They would have to silence him. Several serps joined by magic would be a force he would never wish to face. And in that, he finally understood the benefits of Desiv's offer.

In a display of pure capitulation, he turned about and returned to his chair.

"Does this mean you accept my proposal?" Desiv asked.

"It means I will accept what this council decides
," Samk snarled.

"Very well put
," Desiv responded, realizing he had almost reached his goal of creating a council of serps. It might not last, but it seemed he had achieved initial formation.

Desiv then looked around the table at the other serps.
He placed the burden of rejection upon the others, made it clear they risked the very same fate Samk undoubtedly decided to avoid.

"And what say the rest of you?
Samk and I are willing to place our futures in the decisions of this council. Are you also ready to accept what this council decides?"

It was
Macheve that spelled out the way forward.

"Let us begin, as you said,
with deciding upon a magic caster. If the six of us can come to an agreement on that issue, then I believe you will have proved your case. If not, we will disband without ill will toward you or anyone else. This shall determine our ability to exist as a council. Agreed?"

Each serp accepted the proposal.

#

Macheve
arranged the meeting with the spell caster, for he was not her first choice, but one that ultimately met with her approval. The other serps believed that her initial desire for a different sorcerer made her the appropriate choice to approach the candidate.

She
decided to discuss terms with the magic caster in the common room of a large tavern. Walking through the front entrance, she kept the hood of a cloak over her head, but did nothing else to hide her identity. She had no desire to create a violent confrontation, but she doubted her appearance would raise anything beyond the usual repulsion to her snake-like features.

The humans would know she was serp, but the vast majority of citizens in Portsans
—the coastal city that enjoyed a moderate climate throughout the seasons—wouldn't rise up against her. People of the coast grew accustomed to dark creatures. The sea called to the more intelligent and less violent escapees from the dark realm. While goblins, bloat spiders, shags, and river rogues filled the forests to the east, serps, swallits and rogans roamed the coastline with much less desire to cause death and destruction.

Their i
nitial appearance certainly caused apprehension to the point of panic, but since the dark creatures that flocked to the coast remained much more restrained in their violent tendencies, they eventually gained grudging acceptance among the human citizens. They were not trusted, but humans had learned to deal with the cunning elements of their own race. If there was profit to be made—and serps and rogans were always ready to work a bargain—then the humans willingly adjusted their tolerance to deal with such creatures.

Waiting impatiently,
Macheve sat at an open table near the very center of the expansive room. Other patrons shunned her, as she knew they would. Very few risked public contact with a serp. Deals with dark creatures were usually made in lonely and shadowed corners, not in the middle of a bustling tavern.

Eventually, the spell caster entered
, and Macheve recognized him on sight. She almost laughed at his untidy appearance, round belly, and long unkempt hair. To her, he looked more like an extremely well fed beggar than a powerful magic caster, but Macheve understood that not all illusions were magical.

She did not motion to him. She sat silent and unmoving, appearing very much like a snake poised to strike some helpless bird. She kept her hands apart and resting on the top of the table before her.

The wizard grinned as he spotted the serp. He found the scene amusing. A snake sitting alone in a crowd of humans... waiting for him.

"I received your message," the magic caster announced
boisterously. "I assume it was from you. I was told to meet a serp here."

The wizard looked about with an animated head turn.

"Don't see any other serps about, so it must be you."

"You are Neltus?"
Macheve asked, but in a much lower tone and less energetic manner.

"Shhhh! I don't want people here to know my name." The wizard, however, spoke loud enough for people across the room to hear him clearly.
He was amused by the entire spectacle, and he had not a care for what people in the tavern thought of him. "Not when I'm meeting serps."

Macheve
had studied Neltus, and she was not surprised by his juvenile actions.

"Please sit down."

"Will you pay for the drinks?"

"Of course."

"And the food?"

"Yes
," Macheve replied with a sigh.

"Excellent," the wizard joyfully proclaimed and threw himself with a lunge into a chair opposite the serp. He called over a server and demanded an immediate ale as well as the most expensive meal available.