The Eynan 2: Garileon (5 page)

"Do not fear," Ninian said. "It's impossible to create a negative spell within the Temple, and such a powerful spell can only be to protect something vital."

Jhond nodded, his face a mask of concentration again. "No wonder it takes the power of the Eynan to break through."

There was a bright flash and where once there had been what appeared to be a section of wall of stone blocks there was now a heavy wooden door. "This is the ideal place to store the chest until we can return and research it properly," Jhond said, as he entered, Ninian close on his heels.

It was a small area, as wide as the wall through which they had passed, but only two arm widths' deep. The sole thing inside was a stone bench topped with a large, iron-banded box.

Jhond reached out a hand, stopping before touching the box, and said, "The box is spelled, too. I'm curious as to what's inside, but we don't have time now to investigate."

Ninian moved closer, a strange feeling stealing over him. "I... There's something odd." He slowly laid a hand on the box, which shimmered at his touch, then he sucked in a breath as he removed his hand. "Hartees," he murmured. He turned to stare at Jhond. "I sense the power behind this. It's from my house...it's Hartees."

"It's becoming clear that the more we discover, we find we have much yet to learn," Jhond said thoughtfully. He regarded Ninian, who was still staring intently at the banded chest. "Tell me, Ninian, do you still feel the need is urgent to travel north to find your female mage?"

Ninian glanced at him, knowing Jhond understood the quandary he was facing. Ninian stared again at the large box and let his talent loose. He sensed there was something special, almost personal inside, something important, but as it had been sealed up in this place long ago, he couldn't claim it was urgent he investigate immediately. He sighed and said, "I do. I admit I'm consumed with curiosity. This is an unexpected mystery, but it's been here a long time. I suppose it will have to wait a little longer."

"Good! I feel a tremendous pull to track down whatever I saw via that cracked crystal." He removed the small chest from his pocket, placed it on the floor by the stone bench, and Ninian restored it to full size. "We'll have much to investigate when we return from the north."

Meanwhile, Jhond created an identical chest alongside it and together they transferred those items they were taking with them to the new chest, which Ninian shrunk and stored in his pocket.

Ninian slowly backed out of the small space, and Jhond allowed the original spell to reform. As the door disappeared behind the fake stone wall, Ninian's sense of what was trapped inside faded.

"I'm still going to add another layer of magistry to ensure the crystal library is doubly protected," Jhond said.

Ninian might have lost any sense of what was hidden inside the secured chamber, but he was determined that one day he would know all its secrets.

The first few days at sea were fairly uneventful. Amired was an excellent captain, and his crew might grumble from time to time, but they obeyed him implicitly. The weather was fine, and they were making good time.

Jhond and Ninian were able to relax, and after the chaos of the last few months, it was wonderful. They spent a lot of time talking, both men filling in some gaps from their past that hadn't come up during their struggle together against the Illurian empire. Ninian learned more about Jhond's somewhat privileged childhood in the noble circles around the royal family of Timendra, while Jhond discovered more about Ninian's travels as he had searched for leads to help him trace the mage destined to be named the Eynan. Ninian admitted he had despaired of ever finding anyone who could fill the role, even beginning to wonder if it was only a legend to give hope to future mankind. Jhond had grinned at him, and Ninian had shrugged.

They also talked much about their present mission--or should that be missions? Ninian searched his memory for information about Garileon, and Jhond learned much about the world beyond the southern continent, which had been his whole world until his romance with Gallia had come crashing about his ears.

On the second day Ninian suggested investigating some of the crystals they had carried with them since their first visit to the Isle of Truth. He and Jhond had given the contents a cursory check when they'd been searching out artifacts and information to assist in Jhond's training, and there had been a few crystals stashed in there by chance with no link to the Eynan. They had just been pushed aside and almost forgotten. Now they had plenty of time to examine them thoroughly and, though it seemed unlikely, there was an outside chance one of them might contain some information regarding their current quest.

Reciting the magical words to center his power and link to the wired oval, Ninian restored the chest to normal size before he carefully removed everything from it to ensure nothing was missed. Then he returned the items linked to the Eynan to the chest. There were four scrything blocks left on the table, half-a-dozen small crystals in one cloth bag and a large crystal individually wrapped in oiled cloth. There was also a large flat item stowed in a velvet bag.

"I remember this one," Ninian said, picking up the velvet bag.

Opening it, he took out a flat metal case about the size and depth of a thin book. There was a snap lock at the front of one of the long edges, which opened easily. Inside was a sheet of what resembled metallic paper, not unlike one of those Jhond had used to point the way to the Reeve archive where he eventually found the clues for the sealing ceremony of the Eynan. Only this one was much thicker and not at all flexible.

"I'd forgotten about this," Ninian said, lifting it free. "Last time we touched this, neither of us reacted to it. I still don't. What about now?" he asked passing it to Jhond.

"Oh yes," Jhond said, smiling as his finger slid along its surface. He paused, mouth dropping open. "Lords, this is... it's--" He sucked in a breath, eyes darting from side to side.

"Jhond?" Ninian pressed when Jhond remained silent, caught up in whatever he was experiencing.

"Oh sorry, it's fascinating. In my mind's eye, it's like reading a book... no, not one book... a library of books. There's a list, like an index..." Jhond's expression softened, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"I thought we already had the complete crystal library," Ninian said.

"Oh yes, we do. This isn't about the Magi and their secrets of magistry. This is...ordinary, everyday life. History, geography, science, literature, oh so much more, but from so long ago. A lifetime of reading, Ninian."

"And for someone who loves to learn..." Ninian smiled at the joy on Jhond's face. "Fascinating indeed. Perhaps that really was meant for the Eynan, too."

Jhond returned the smile, his eyes dancing. "This Eynan certainly."

"Then all is as it was meant to be."

* * * *

On the fifth day of their journey, the
Horologue
was forced to move nearer to the coast than Captain Amired preferred, but there was a large, very dangerous maelstrom directly in their path. Amired did consider going east to pass it, but that would mean swinging around the large Maidoloss group of islands on the other side of the whirlpool. Amired decided that would take too long. He considered asking his magi passengers to intervene and quell the maelstrom somehow, but he was aware they'd been rather involved with the contents of the chest they had brought with them, hardly even venturing from their cabin.

Amired shook his head at his hesitation. What had happened to his temerity? Of what was he afraid? True, there were rock shoals along the shore there and he would need all his skill to choose the correct route between the shore and the vortex to avoid the rocks beneath the waterline, but he was confident of his own ability as a captain. When he lifted his hand to brush back his hair, the light caught the striking ring on his finger, a gift from Jhond when he'd returned from his farewells in Irobi and to which Ninian had jokingly referred as a safety net.

That's when Amired understood his hesitation. It came as something of a shock to realize how much he'd come to rely on the skills of Jhond and Ninian, as opposed to solving his own problems the way he always had. Well, no more! He was Teree Amired, Captain of the
Horologue!

He snapped out orders, and the ship veered west, closer to the coast, in preparation for the fast approaching maelstrom. Aldous approached him, his concern obvious.

"You're taking the inbound route, Captain?"

"Yes. Ninian was clear he wants to get north as soon as possible."

Aldous frowned, and Amired guessed he wondered why Jhond didn't use his power and take them straight there. Like most of the crew, Aldous didn't really know much detail about how magistry worked, and Amired never discussed his clients' business unless it impacted directly on his crew. However, Aldous rarely questioned orders. Instead, he commented, "Aye, going around the Maidoloss would certainly add days to our journey. I once sailed with a captain who thought to cut his journey short by sailing between Maidoloss Major and Maidoloss Quatre." Aldous shook his head. "A mistake he never repeated. Lost the ship, half the crew and his reputation. I'd avoid that place like the plague."

"So you don't object that I'm taking the shore route?"

"Can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I trust you, Captain." Aldous gave one of his rare smiles.

"Thanks." Deciding to throw his mate a rope, he added, "You've not asked why I've not called on our magi."

Aldous shrugged. "You have your reasons. I've never had call to query your orders, Captain, and I'm not about to start now. I'll keep the crew at it, never fear."

Amired clapped his mate on the back and went to take the wheel from Warkist, who was obviously happy to be relieved of the responsibility of steering the ship in the rough seas and was soon striding across the deck away from his captain.

"Stay close, Warkist, in case I need the strength of an extra pair of hands."

He scowled, but quickly answered, "Aye, Captain."

* * * *

Jhond was relaxed, eyes closed, a gentle smile curving his lips, as he worked his way through one of the books contained in the metallic sheet. Ninian had taken to calling it the metallic library in an attempt to give it context in relation to the crystal library.

Ninian was sitting at the table nearby, using one of the crystals from the new supply found in the chest. Ninian had tested each of the six small crystals and was only able to read three of them. The other three Jhond had garnered a reaction to, but he didn't consider them important enough to disrupt his reading to investigate them further at this time. Ninian had discovered Jhond was correct in his supposition that crystals might have been created for the ten prominent mage families at the time of the Withdrawal of magistry.

Of the three Ninian could read, two were linked to two families he'd already traced and of which he kept track: the Zimali and the Doirnan. Ninian had been surprised and delighted to discover a third crystal was for one of the missing two families. If it weren't for the quest they were on, he'd have wanted to follow its pull right away. As soon as their present mission was accomplished, he was determined to track down the Sheryn family.

Ninian was still coming to grips with what he'd experienced when he'd touched the larger crystal, from which Jhond had garnered no reaction at all. In Ninian, it had engendered a strong response, one such as he'd never encountered before.

He decided it was time he linked with the large crystal again, admitting to himself that he felt nervous at doing so, something he'd rarely experienced when using his magi power. Neither could he really explain why he got such a reaction. The crystal was powerful, true enough, but it was hardly the first powerful crystal he'd used, or the most powerful device.

Making himself comfortable, Ninian reached for the calm at the center of his talent. When he felt its perfection, he lifted the large crystal from its place on the scrything board. Immediately, warmth suffused him, and once again, the power of the crystal threatened to overwhelm him. He held onto it firmly, closing his eyes to hone his concentration and allow the power free rein, trying to discover the purpose of the magistry flowing through him, until the heat became so intense he dropped the crystal onto the table.

"Hellas!" he declared, opening his eyes to find Jhond regarding him steadily.

"That's very powerful. I could sense you fighting to control it."

"Control it? I was fighting to discover what it is!"

"You still don't know?"

"I felt its power," Ninian said, adding thoughtfully, "Perhaps the most powerful device I've ever handled, and that in itself is strange for a crystal. Mostly they're informative, pointing the way to use magi power, not the receptacle for the power itself."

"You did say it was one of the largest you've ever seen," Jhond commented.

"Yes," Ninian confirmed, his gaze sliding to the other crystals lying on the table near Jhond. "You still haven't told me what any of those are for," Ninian commented. "Nothing that can help explain this?"

"No, nothing like that. They're not important now. Later." Jhond flipped his hand to indicate their irrelevance. "You said you felt the crystal's power. Tell me about that."

Ninian frowned. Hadn't he already done that? He thought back to what he'd said, glanced at Jhond and saw the intensity in his young friend's expression. "I felt the power immediately when I touched it, knew how strong it was, that it was special. I knew I could channel the power, knew it was meant to be." Ninian's eyes widened as he spoke. "How can I know that when I don't know what it's for?"

Jhond cocked his head to one side. "When the time comes to use it, you'll understand what it's for."

Not for the first time Ninian acknowledged their places had switched. He was older, with much more experience, but Jhond consistently showed his strength. Ninian wasn't happy to be left in the dark about the crystal's purpose, but he understood what Jhond meant. There were times when the effect of magistry was only known at the time of need. If anyone knew that, it was Jhond, whose talent only manifested when he had first visited the Temple of the Magi with Ninian, the very mage searching for him.