"Yes, Master Ninian," Jhond said with grin. Ninian shrugged. "I think you miss those times when I was ignorant and you seemed so wise."
"
Seemed
wise, eh?" Ninian raised an eyebrow.
Jhond grasped his arm. "I don't know what I'd do without you. Eynan or not, I always value your advice."
"I always thought you were smart." Ninian grinned. "Then come and let's begin. I'd better add some warmer clothing to my spell as well, since it's going to be a lot colder where we materialize."
They casually walked to the inn, the front of which was quite busy with people going in and out, and even a few men leaning against the wall drinking as they chatted. Jhond and Ninian passed the stables at the side and sauntered around to the back. There were crates and barrels stacked by the back door and lots of noise could be heard from inside the kitchen, but they were relieved to find the rough area at the rear was empty.
Quickly drawing a few sigils and murmuring the words of magic, it took but an instant for Ninian to spell them both. A couple of minutes later, safely invisible and wrapped in thick woolen cloaks, Jhond removed the pendant from around his neck and placed it face down on top of the ring on his finger.
They moved swiftly from the rear of the inn back to the pillars in front of the halls of justice. Choosing a position off to one side and away from the flow of people, Jhond prepared to take them to Garileon. With a last glance at Ninian, who placed his hand on Jhond's arm, Jhond saw an image in his mind's eye of the castle at Garileon and then twisted the pendant one quarter turn against the ring. Jhond felt the familiar heat emanating from the ring as their journey through space began.
Jhond knew Ninian ensured that his invisibility spell would still be in force when they arrived in the precincts of the castle in Garileon. However, it was soon very clear there was no one else around. The once beautiful building, which had been home to the Thail family as the rulers of Garileon, was now in ruins and long abandoned.
"Not quite what I expected," Ninian commented, as he removed the invisibility spell.
"No, but ruins or not, this is the correct place," Jhond said, glancing around, letting his senses free to confirm there was no one else about. All he could sense were small animals and insects.
Glancing around, Ninian said, "No, I mean this is not quite right in terms of what I saw in my vision. There does seem to be some similarity in style to the place I saw, the architecture, even the dilapidation, but this is certainly not where I saw the young mage." Ninian frowned. "This does seem to confirm what happened to the Thail family though."
"You're thinking they are no more, but just because the building is in ruins doesn't necessarily mean the family has died out."
"Possibly, but this isn't encouraging." He shrugged. "Let's put that to one side for the time being and see if we can't find the female mage."
"Very well, time for a little investigation." Jhond strode off farther inside what had once been an ornate castle. It had been stripped of anything remotely valuable; all that was left were moss-covered stones, dust and cobwebs, insects and a variety of small animals, which had made the ruins their home.
Jhond automatically made for what was left of one of the towers. Their climb was well lit due to the chunks of wall missing, which allowed the sharp light of the cold day inside. It was still necessary, though, to be careful, as some of the rubble had fallen inside, blocking portions of the steps. With a wave of his hand, Jhond blasted away the larger blocks, Ninian coughing behind him the first time because Jhond didn't warn him what he was about to do. Jhond flashed him an apologetic glance, but couldn't hide the smile, and Ninian cuffed him on the back, eliciting a laugh.
It wasn't long before they reached the top of the tower, open to the elements now as most of the roof was missing.
"It'll suffice," Jhond said, drawing his cloak tighter about him.
"It'd be better to create a heat spell for ourselves," Ninian said.
"Yes, but better create them on the stairs," Jhond said, moving a few steps down.
Standing beside him, Ninian began to cast the spell, Jhond copying him immediately.
"Ah, that's better," Jhond said, taking off the heavy cloak once his personal heat wave took effect and leaving it to one side. He picked up his satchel because he'd need its contents to make preparations for the spell.
Climbing back to the top of the tower, they quickly brushed away the dirt from the center of the floor. The floor could have been cleaned more easily and much faster with a spell, but any such magistry might interfere with the protection circle they were going to create. They had done this together quite a few times now and worked in perfect harmony to draw the outer circle in rock salt and the inner circle with black basalt, painting the sigils of power in between the two circles. Then they sat together in the precise center, facing each other, but not quite touching.
Jhond saw Ninian close his eyes as he searched out the seat of his talent. Quickly closing his eyes, Jhond did the same. He wondered if he would ever get used to the feeling of power surging through his body. He remembered the thrill he had experienced when he'd felt the first trickle of power back in the Temple of the Magi when Ninian had taught him he was a mage. There was no comparison to the power he had now. Would that thrill ever leave him? Would he ever become so used to wielding his tremendous power that he gave it no thought at all? That idea chilled him. Power such as he could wield should never be used thoughtlessly.
Dismissing his errant thoughts as he sensed Ninian reaching for him, Jhond merged his power with Ninian's. In this way, they could share the search and both see any resulting visions. Once they were ready, they recited the words of the spell in unison and let it loose to search.
It wasn't long before Ninian murmured, "There."
Jhond followed Ninian as his essence swiftly moved down into yet another ruined stone building, deep inside, then outward, until he saw the young woman who had drawn them so far north. There was no doubt that she was a mage. Even in her resting state, she exuded power, more power than Jhond had expected. It was easy for him to attach a tracking spell to her.
"Done," Jhond told Ninian, and they both withdrew.
Jhond opened his eyes to find Ninian staring at him. "So much power," he commented. "More than I felt from her before and this time she was sleeping. How can that be?"
Jhond knew Ninian wasn't really asking him. Ninian knew more about power and its uses than Jhond did, even though he was the Eynan.
"I have a direct link to her now," Jhond said. "So let's go and get some answers."
"Where?" Ninian asked.
"A little farther north. At the edge of the mountains bordering the icy wastes."
"Did you get enough of a feel for the place to use the pendant to take us there?"
"Yes, and I wouldn't particularly wish to travel through those mountains by the more mundane method anyhow," Jhond said.
Ninian nodded his agreement and, with a quickly murmured spell, removed all trace of their power circle and returned the tower room to its previous filthy state. When they were both ready, Jhond removed his pendant and affixed it to his ring. As soon as Ninian grasped his arm, Jhond closed his eyes and brought to mind the vision of the young woman, but found it seemed hazy, as if he couldn't see her clearly. He shook his head and tried again, but with the same result.
"What's wrong?" Ninian queried.
"I'm not sure why, but I can't get a clear view of her and don't want to risk using the pendant without being certain of my destination."
Ninian frowned, chewing at his lip. "What if you tuned into the building rather than the woman? Would that work?"
"I'll try." Jhond closed his eyes again, this time aiming for the ruined building. "Yes, that's good. Hang on."
When he opened his eyes, they were standing in the courtyard of yet another old building, this one with a mountain towering alongside it. It was similar in style to Garileon Castle, but this place appeared less ornate, simpler somehow. The damage here was not quite as severe as had been seen at the castle. There were four towers, square rather than round and not so tall. The building in the center of the grounds was simple, without any of the attractive lines of the castle. It was also decidedly colder here, and everything was dusted with the snow that was blowing in the wind. Jhond was grateful for the heat spell Ninian had suggested they use. The snow was no longer falling, but was being shifted about as the wind swirled around.
"Is this the place?" Jhond asked.
"Oh yes. This appears more like the location where I saw the young female mage, though I don't remember the snow when I looked down on it from above."
"Where did you see her?"
"It was as if she was deep underground; cellars or maybe even dungeons if there was such a thing in this place." As he was speaking, Ninian moved toward the nearest archway into the building. There was no indication there had ever been a door there. It was possible there used to be guard posted there, checking anyone who entered. Now it just seemed eerie and a little sad.
Jhond followed, still searching for any possible threat, but he sensed nothing untoward. Neither was he aware of any other persons in the vicinity. Apparently, the young woman was no longer in the building. The corridor was dim, as very little light could penetrate the filthy, narrow windows along the right side. The other side was lined with dark wooden panels. Ninian was already using a jewelite to illuminate the path ahead and ease his way. The floor was thick with dust, but it had been disturbed by numerous footprints. Small sized, so probably those of a woman or child, Jhond thought.
Ninian hadn't walked very far when he paused, glanced back at Jhond, who also saw the opening to Ninian's left. Ninian turned into the entrance, and Jhond realized it was the top of a set of stairs.
"I haven't sensed anyone," Ninian commented.
"Neither have I."
Ninian sighed, but proceeded down the stone steps.
Ninian was frustrated. He had hoped--expected--to find the young woman from his vision waiting for him when he arrived, but now it seemed fairly obvious she wasn't there. He was positive he would be able to sense her, and certain Jhond would have, if she were anywhere near. Still, it was best to be sure so they kept moving down, lower into the bowels of the building. Finally, they reached the bottom of the steps to find themselves in a narrow corridor curved off left and right from the stairs.
"Can you tell which way?" Jhond asked.
Ninian didn't hesitate to turn right, following the light from his jewelite, which sent back shadows that danced along the walls. The corridor came to an abrupt end at a thick wooden door, standing slightly ajar. With a quick glance over his shoulder at Jhond, Ninian pushed the door farther open and found another set of steps. With a sigh, Ninian continued on down until at the bottom he found a large open area.
"This place feels familiar," Ninian commented, as he looked around.
Jhond tossed another jewelite into the air to better illuminate the space. They were inside a chamber that appeared to have been carved from the rock. It was quite large, with a domed ceiling. Of course, there were no windows, but every few feet were carved niches of varying sizes, but as they were empty, their purpose was a mystery.
"From the vision?" Jhond asked.
"Yes, but there is something..." Ninian frowned, trying to understand what it was that was wrong, that
felt
wrong.
As if reading Ninian's mind, Jhond said, "Something is wrong here." He stretched out a hand, as though feeling the very air, and his eyes took a glazed far-away look. "A spell, a very strong spell." Jhond drew his hand into a fist, closed his eyes and muttered a few ancient words in the magi tongue, opening his eyes as his voice faded away. He flung out his arm, opening his hand when he did so. A blue haze spread from his fingers until it encompassed the whole chamber and then vanished in a flash of white light.
The two jewelites were suddenly brighter, and the atmosphere in the place had definitely changed. It was now less oppressive, and it was only then Ninian realized how heavy the air had felt before. He recognized it also explained the difficulty Jhond had in tracking the female mage more directly: something had been shielding this place, thus hiding her from Jhond's magistry. And now there it was--
"How did you do that?" an awed voice whispered.
Ninian swung around to find a young woman crouching by the wall in one of the corners; the corner, which had appeared empty before, though it was now clear it hadn't been. How was it possible? Whatever spell had hidden her from him and Jhond, from the
Eynan,
so comprehensively had to be particularly strong.
The young woman looked both fascinated and frightened, and though he hadn't been able to see her clearly in his vision, he knew her immediately. She appeared to be around twenty years of age, of about medium height, of slim build and with long hair worn loose. At first glance, he thought her hair was light brown, but then he noticed the red tints. Her eyes were grey and large. She was dressed in a very simple dress that fell to about mid-calf, with a fine-knit shawl around her shoulders. Ninian couldn't help but think she was a rather attractive young woman.
"There you are," Ninian said, sighing with relief.
However, the young woman's gaze was not on him, but on Jhond. It was obvious she knew he had been the one to dispense the powerful blue haze, the spell breaker.
Jhond held her gaze for a few seconds and then it was as if he shook himself. He took a deep breath. "The better question to ask," Jhond replied, "is how you managed to ward the room so well?"
"What?" She stared at him, her brow creased in puzzlement.
"Yes," Ninian said, his relief giving way to confusion. "There was no indication before that you had such power to ward yourself from us, from Jhond." His voice faded as he studied the floor more carefully before he added, "And there's no sign of a power circle."