The Laws Of Elios (Book 2) (31 page)

Kaysee leaned forward in earnest, “so it can be done?

Leo leaned back in his squeaky chair and rubbed his chin.  “Yes it can and has been done.  A simple crystal is all that is needed to contain the information and the mastery to accomplish the process is relatively simple.  Beyond creating the container and transferring the knowledge the simplicity ends there.  The complications begin with the ethics.

Once information is contained it is available to anyone who has possession of the container.
  Therefor the container should be well guarded as to not fall into unsuspecting or unprepared hands.  It is thought by the Elios that too much knowledge too fast and too soon to one that is not prepared both mentally and morally can be harmful.  It was determined that this moral immaturity was in part the cause of the fall of the Allyant – a group of mages that chose the quick and easy soul magic over the more stronger, stable and more ethical magic of pure lumen – They were cast out from Elios due to their perversion of lumen and their disregard for the lives that were lost practicing soul magic.  These soul mages not only stored their knowledge into their crystals, they began to store lives or the souls of others; which they used like normal lumen in their magic.  They used them to control others and even to prolong their own lives by storing a copy of themselves and later restoring it to another body.  The warnings state quite convincingly that only mages with an internal secure steadfastness of their embodiment of the Laws of Light should ever attempt the process.”

Kaysee was beginning to have a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. 
“Can you make a crystal,” asked Kaysee, unable to disguise a concerned expression on her face.

Leo thought for a moment.  “I can,” he paused.  “But I’m not prepared to go beyond that.
  The warnings are very serious and before I begin that level of magic I would want to consult my instructor and even Shane on something this potentially damaging and dangerous.”

“
May I watch?” she asked hopefully

With a nod Leo began. “It isn’t very complex,” he said with a shrug, “let me get a piece of copper for a substrate, I’m going to be transmuting without mastery so you can see the whole process,” he said slipping as he often did into his professor mode.  “The glyphs are going to generate some heat.”

A few moments later he placed a small board onto his desk to protect the finish and then placed a thin square sheet of copper on top of the board. Taking out his scribe he began writing glyphs on the metal surface.

Kaysee watched with not just her eyes as he completed the inscriptions but also magically as Brenner had shown her.  She looked into Leo as he began to imbue the glyphs.  She saw within him the rainbow of lumen that she saw in herself
; his golden glow was significantly brighter than hers but other than the intensity of their lumen auras were identical and both of their center sparks seemed nearly identical as well.  Then she saw him withdraw from his golden aura and extend a shaft of the golden lumen and imbue the glyphs.  She didn’t even see the crystal form because of the tears that began to stream uncontrollably from her eyes; she was not a non-potent, but quite the opposite – she had been tricked.

A shocked Leo looked at his sobbing assistant.  “Kay! What is the matter?  Are you okay?”

“Oh Leo,” she continued to sob.  “I have done something terrible.”  

The entirety
of the D’roe fishing family and relatives soon swarmed the stacks of their belongings that Shane had just moved from Jehhet; being organized and directed by Leslie and Laura.  Noting Ava’s absence to his mother she informed him that she had gone to the village of Red Oak Glen to enlist their help in getting the D’roe clan relocated.

Shane and Ari pitched in by helping magically to enchant wagons
or create portals to help with the transport of the mountain of belongings to the new residences assigned by Laura.  While Leslie helped others understand the way the magical plumbing, lights, and other appliances, worked, as the families began to start getting settled in.  Shew expertly supervised in a way that only a man nearing his eighties can do and get away with it; his language constantly halting as he continually modified his vocabulary in front of the children that were running to and fro, continually expressing their delight at the newness and the adventure that had been sprung upon them.

Shane had just finished helping move a heavy bed to the new home of Oscaar Senior when Ari walked up and pulled him aside.  “It’s after sunset in Jehhet. We need to get going.”

Shane nodded and hollered for Shew then began following Ari towards the Senior D’roe.

Ari held out his hand to the tall elder and shook it briskly.  “Well, Oscaar, I need to get back to Jehhet and see what we can do about getting your son Ren free of the control of the king.  It looks like you are well into getting settled.  Your son said we need to take proof.  That proof is supposed to be his little brother,” Ari concluded holding out the note written by the captain.

Oscaar read the paper and then with a loud voice called for one of his sons.  “Junior,” he bellowed and within a moment the man that Shane had referred to as ‘Top Grand’ hustled up to stand next to his father.  “You are to go with these men and tell your brother that we are all safely out of Jehhet, that they have removed whatever magic the king had placed on Chy’nette and the entire family is well out of reach of the king.  Do what they tell you until they can get you safely back. Also tell your brother that Chy’nette, your mother, and I, send our love.

~~~~~

Ari, Shane, Shew, and Oscaar Jr.
ported to the far side of the Jiri River Bridge.  Before the three others could stop him Junior started walking toward the lights of the bivouac on the other side intent on seeing his brother.  By the time Shew, Ari and Shane had thrown up their invisibility and caught up with him. The Large man was subdued and weakened by the power of the wrist bands of two sentries that had been posted to watch the bridge.  One of the guards was just about to attempt a second slap across the face of the subdued Oscaar when from behind him Shew placed a forceful kick high and in between the guard’s legs.  The man seemed to deflate and collapse; rolling silently in agony until Shew calmly dispatched him.  The other sentry turned to see the source of his partner’s demise reaching for his sword and finding an empty scabbard.

“Looking for this?” Ari said with a glint in his eye.  With an audible swish the tip of the sentry’s sword now wielded by a very deadly looking man in black
, was now a shadows width away from piercing his throat.  The second sentry never got the chance to answer.  Shew walked behind him and dropped him with a single blow with a cudgel.

While Shane helped Junior to his feet Ari looked at Shew with a severe look and asked, “What the enfer did you do that for?”

Shew glared right back.  “They had it coming.”

“Yeah, I’ll just hang back with you guys
from now on,” Junior said perking up as Shane re-energized him.  I forget there is a war on and that a lot of people are using magic these days” He shuddered as if shaking off a chill.

“Here, take this,” Shane said as he offered him a ring
that grew to match his large finger.  “Wear this on the right hand and the wristbands wont effect you anymore.  It should even things out,” Shane paused looking up and up at the massive man, “more or less,”

Junior put the ring on with a pleased look on his face and slapped Shane on the back nearly knocking him over the
side rail of the bridge.  “Thanks Shane, I owe ya.”  Then with a mischievous grin added, “I’m thinking I could take you in an arm wrestle now, eh Warball?”

Shane grasped the big man by the forearm and with a blast of his
repel glyph shoved the big man nearly over the bridge like what he had done a moment earlier to Shane.  At the last second Shane grabbed him by the belt and stopped him from going over the side and pulled him back.  “I don’t use wristbands, so don’t bet on it,” he winked.

“Will you two stop messing around,” Ari hissed.  Something’s not right.

The four huddled low and began scanning the dimly lit shelters of the bivouac area.  Ari’s suspicion had been correct.  Instead of the expected five hundred or so soldiers, there were closer to five thousand.  “Shew you and Oscaar hold the bridge.  Shew give the fisherman a spare utility ring and a comm.  Show him how to use them.  I’m thinking the king is wise to the fact that we are up to something involving the captain because I’m sure he has noticed the absence of the D’roe clan from the wharf.”  Ari paused as he examined a small metal square that he retrieved from his pocket.  “Guys, I have bad news and really bad news.  As much as I saw it coming and hoped that it wouldn’t.  The kid was found out by the Allyant spy.  It appears that he was successful in keeping our puppet king occupied for most the day but the king evidently got tired of the lack of information that the kid had.  The bad news is he took off the rings.  The really bad news is the kid is dead or under the Allyant’s control and by now has what he needs to find the Arc. 

Change of plans.  Shew
, you and Junior, need to take your portal and sneak into any possible location where the artifact manufactures could possibly have a mechanical lumen activator and destroy them all.  That ring was set up so that only Shew’s Ring could power it.  I don’t know if Allyant mages can even use our lumen or glyphs; I suspect that they can but he needs the glyphs to be activated.  That is if he knows enough to make a power glyph; I’m not going to rule out that he may be able to power it with his own brand of magic if the glyphs can be activated.    

“What about the bodies?” Shew asked,

“Dump em into the river.  First take off the wristbands, I don’t want them falling into the hands of an innocent.” He added hastily.  If things go crazy fall back to the sloop and comm us every fifteen minutes.  We’re going after D’roe and as many of the troops here we can disable wristbands on.  See if you can get ahold of Roger and see if the border activity has increased.  Ari turned to Shane.  “What do you think?”

“How many dots do you have left?  Shane asked calculating figures as fast as he could.

“Only a handful,” Ari replied handing the nearly empty pouch to Shane.

Shan
e ignored the pouch for a moment and summoned his instructor.  “Instructor, how can I contact Kuo’irus?”

“
The instructor is able to communicate with the Star Seed Kuo’irus through the Arc. Would you like me to arrange for such a communication?”
the device replied.

“Yes,”
said Shane, “as quickly as possible please,” he replied and leaned over and took the pouch that Ari had been waiting for him to take.

Instantly a clear crystal the size of a warball was levitating in front of Shane and Ari.  “How fare thee Shane,” spoke the voice that Shane knew to belong to the gryphon, to both of the minds of Shane and Ari.  Hail to thee as well Sicam.  I see that thou art before a small Army is this to be our first battle then?”

Shane shook his head.  “Not today Kuo’irus, I am here to try and free them from the captivity of the soul mage.”

“It is well that thou seek to save the lives of thy enemies - Especially those that are of no contest to battle.  It is most valiant to spare thy foe and seek to reform them.

“The reason I reached out to you,” Shane continued, “is to see if you had had a chance to duplicate some of the blue glyphs that we discussed.”

“
Of that you can be sure.  Kolaria and I both played with the task this day after out meet.  We made exactly ten groups of one hundred groups of one hundred.  Will that serve for the present?” 

Shane was aghast at the number that the gryphons had produced in less than a day. 

The Creature continued.  “You were most accurate when you stated that they were powerful glyphs and would stretch the abilities of the creator.  Both Kolaria and I required rest after our task; fear not, we are refreshed and are now returned to our normal lumen strength plus we have an increase.  Once again you have gifted us.  After tomorrow we will have thy remaining nine times what I present thee with today that thy task may be complete.  I have studied thy glyphs.  They have many properties that you did not mention.  They are most potent.  Are thou then of the brotherhood of Eno Like thy grandfather?”  The Gryphon paused, “I stand by my boast, I have chosen well.  Here art thy glyphs Lumen Mage.  The lumen contained therein is now yours to wield. I will let thee to thy task.  Fare thee well.”  The crystal popped from view and a large cloth bag tied with a string appeared at Shane’s feet.

~~~~~

Shew and Junior each grabbed a guard and hurled the bodies over the side of the bridge.  Shew then opened a portal to the sloop and beckoned the tall fisherman to follow.  Junior had to stoop a bit to make it through the doors and hallways but he was able to stand in the wheelhouse without his head grazing the ceiling.

Shew
turned on the viewer and began searching for the likely locations of the artifact activators that Infin had been using to restore artifacts.  As he worked he began explaining to the impressed fisherman. “According to my knowledge there should be three in existence.  There were four but the king had Tanners destroyed.”  After a few more prods of glyphs on the viewer he had three locations selected.  The manufacturing locations of Thoreau and Monnet looked barren.  As he searched through the empty buildings with his viewer he saw that they were burned out and desolate.  “Looks like the king consolidated everything.”

“Where and what are these thing we are looking for,” asked Junior.

Shew explained what he was looking for and what needed to be done.  “All I need for you to do is stick close and watch my back.  Once we find these I’m sure they are going to be guarded with swords, magic, or both.  We need to be as sneaky as we can.”  Selecting the destination for the warehouse that he and Ari had been at earlier he used the viewer to locate where the activator would most likely be.  “This is where we need to go - you ready, big guy?”

Junior nodded gravely, “as ready as I’ll ever be.”

Suddenly a bright light flashed and a large part of the bow of sloop, including the front of the wheel house, was blown away and vanished; followed by crushing sonic boom that echoed like a peel of thunder.  Both Shew and Junior had been hurled down the stairs into the hold, followed by a rush of water.  The men quickly stood; badly shaken.  As they got their bearings they saw a bright red machine with three wings hurtling across the evening sky, change directions and begin flying toward them.  Another flash and this time the stern of the boat was torn loose.  The sloop was all but destroyed and was sinking fast.  Shew grabbed the tall fisherman, “how long can you hold your breath?” he asked Junior who looked near panic.

“A while,” he stammered. “I’ve been on the water all my life.”

“Good, follow me.  If we get hit one more time by that thing we’re history.”  Shew immediately headed towards the flooding store room – shoving Junior inside he followed and pulled the door shut after them.  The flow of water lessoned but the water at the floor was rising past their knees and climbing fast.  Shew immediately began clearing the way to the port side of the hold.  Due to the concussion of the blasts much of the equipment and other goods in the store room had shifted and were blocking the portal door.  By the time the men had cleared away enough debris to access the portal glyphs the water was up to Shew’s chest.  Taking a deep breath he dove under the water line and activated the door.  With a rush of water the door opened and the two men were flushed out of the hold through the portal to the basement in Lu Y Onton.  Coming to a stop across the room they stood and watched as water rushed into the room and threatened to soon fill every open space.  Just as Shew began to tread his way to the wall glyphs that would close the portal there came another bright flash through the opening; the boom that followed was abruptly silenced as the portal vanished.

Taking out his hand held portal Shew tried to locate the sight of were the sloop had been.  The area was filled with the visage of five ships surrounding a wide area of floating debris.  There was no sign of the deadly flying artifact.  Closing the viewer Shew opened a portal in the floor of the
basement into the harbor and soon had the basement clear of the seawater.  Activating his Comm ne called Ari.

Ari answered
in a hushed tone as Shew gave him an update and described the demise of the sloop. “Ari, you better tell the warball player that his magic boat just got blown out of the water.”  Shew explained the ordeal that they had just experienced ending with.  “We’re going after the last activator, but if that giant flying dart comes your way you might want to have an escape route planned.”