Wrede, Patricia C - Mairelon 02 Read Online Free

Wrede, Patricia C - Mairelon 02
Book: Wrede, Patricia C - Mairelon 02 Read Online Free
Author: The Magician's Ward (v5.0)
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exact center of the handkerchief. "There. Hand me that
scrap of cloth you found."
                "Mairelon,
I'm never going to learn any magic if you don't give me any explanations,"
Kim said in exasperation as she gave him the piece of wool.
                "And
you'll never be a great magician if you can't make half an understanding do for
a start," Mairelon said, dropping the scrap into the salver. "A competent one, perhaps, but not a great one. The
chalk, if you please."
                Sighing,
Kim handed him the chalk. He sketched three careful crosses in the remaining
corners of the table, then drew an unsteady circle
around the salver on the handkerchief. Absently, he stuck the chalk in his coat
pocket as he surveyed the setup. Then he looked up at Kim. "Now you may
demonstrate the results of your studies for me. I want you to set the
ward."
                "Me?"
Kim stared at the candle in her hand, suddenly appalled. The warding spell was
nearly always set when a complex or dangerous enchantment was being attempted;
in theory, it protected the mage from outside interference, and any bystanders
from the consequences of a spell gone wrong. In practice, the degree of
protection such a spell afforded was directly related to the skill of the
spellcaster. An apprentice's ward was unlikely to stand up to more than an
apprentice-level mistake. And Mairelon wanted Kim to set a ward while he worked
a new spell.
                "Don't
worry," Mairelon said. "This is a relatively simple enchantment.
Normally, I wouldn't bother with a ward at all, even though this is the first
time I've ever cast it. But you can use the practice, and it will keep our work
from disturbing anyone. Or from attracting attention outside the house,"
he added as an afterthought.
                Only
partially reassured, Kim nodded. She thought for a moment, to make sure she had
the steps of the warding spell clear in her mind. Then she took a deep breath. "Fiat
lux," she said, concentrating on the candle.
                The
candlewick burst into flame. Kim held it still for a moment, until the smell of
melted beeswax reached her and the tingly pressure of a spell in progress ran
up and down her arms. Then, keeping her eyes fixed on the candle, Kim turned and walked in a slow, clockwise circle around Mairelon and the
table. As she walked, she recited the words of the warding spell four times,
once for each side of the table. She had more difficulty than she had expected
in judging her speed correctly so that the words came out even, but she managed
it. When she reached the spot where she had begun, she turned to face Mairelon
and said the final "fiat." With considerable relief, she felt
the ward rise around them like an invisible curtain.
                "Very
good," Mairelon said softly. "I couldn't have done better myself.
Now, watch carefully, and try to split your concentration so that you can still
hold the ward while you watch. You may not always have someone handy to cast a
ward for you when it's needed, so you'll need to learn to hold it without even
thinking about it."
                "Sort
of like picking a lock and listening for the nabbing culls at the same
time," Kim said, nodding carefully. She felt the ward shift as she spoke,
and hastily returned her attention to it. When it was steady again, she
whispered, "Only trickier."
                Mairelon
laughed. "Yes, I imagine it would be. Very well; it's my turn."
                He picked
up the scrap of cloth and concentrated for a moment, then crumpled it and
dropped it into the salver. The springy wool flattened out immediately, but the
scrap was too small to cover much of the salver. Uncorking the bottle of ink,
Mairelon poured it slowly over the cloth. The ink soaked quickly into the wool,
then rose around it in a flat black pool. Mairelon studied it a moment, then picked up the salver and tilted
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