Page 79 of An Archer's Reckoning

She flapped back to my arm. “I will remain with my Bond-Mate, but if your kitchen has a few chunks of raw meat about, I would be grateful.”

A half hour later, a large platter of roasted fowl sat beside bowls filled with a wide variety of vegetables, nuts, and fruits. I hardly knew where to start, or why the Arch Mage had such a spread laid out only a few weeks before a siege. Food would be their most precious resource. Why weren’t they conserving it?

Quin peered over the rim of the cup of magical wine I had shared, his eyes wide with awe and pleasure.

“It has been a very long time since I enjoyed this . . . vintage. Where did you find it?”

I smiled and shrouded my answer. “I found many interesting things on your mission.”

Quin laughed. “I see you learned to answer questions like a Mage, too. That may prove frustrating for others over time, but I suspect you will learn to enjoy their annoyed glares as much as I have over the centuries.”

I grunted and shoved another bite into my mouth. “I’ve seen the physical preparations, but you said little about what your Mages are doing. Given what I learned on Rea Utu, I would think our magical advantage should be put to good use.”

Quin pulled a small gilded box from his robe and muttered a few words. A rune on the box shimmered with golden light, thenfaded. “Now we may speak freely. With the enemy approaching, wemustbe more vigilant than ever. There is no way to be sure we discovered all their spies in our midst.”

My eyes widened, feigning surprise. “Spies? Here?”

Quin described those they found among Burner’s staff, and how they had stolen the seal later used to frame the Triad for the kidnappings in the Kingdom.

“That created the whole basis for their invasion, at least initially. Something like that took years of planning and preparation. There is no telling how long that spy was in place before he gained access to the private quarters of the Guildmaster. Even then, he had to learn to defeat the Enchantments I personally placed on Burner’s chamber and desk. The implications of how deeply they have penetrated our government are troubling.”

Quin savored another sip, then set his cup down. “You asked about our magical defenses, not spies. I think our guests may come to appreciate the ingenuity of Melucia’s Mages’ Guild. I doubt they will like us much but may earn a touch of respect.”

The sinister look in the Arch Mage’s eyes caught me by surprise. “Really? I never saw that much military prowess when I lived here, just a bunch of old men playing with magic. Granted, they’re smart old men, and they’rereallygood with magic, but they’re definitely not soldiers.”

“No, they are not soldiers, but one of the first lessons a Mage learns is how to take instruction. They simply need to be guided on how to redirect their magic to more helpful uses. Take Fergus.”

“Uncle Ferg? Seriously?” I barked a laugh. “He might slay a dinner roll, but he’d still struggle with the butter knife.”

Quin’s ageless skin crinkled. “You might be surprised. Did you ever ask him about his Gift?”

I thought a moment. “No. I don’t think we ever talked about magic. No one saw much use in talking to me about that, not once they thought I wouldn’t be getting magic of my own.”

“He can purify water or food. That has certainly come in handy over the years here in the guild, especially when the larders ran out of ice, or cooks forgot to put everything away. How do you think we might use that Gift in our current situation?”

“Well, the enemy will probably try to starve us out, so he can stave off that problem. With the rivers running through Saltstone, and the snow on the Silver Mountains, we should never run out of water. I can’t say the same for their side. There’s no fresh water anywhere outside our western wall.”

“Yes, all true. Thinkoffensively. How could Fergushurtthe enemy?” Quin sat back.

I thought through my next few bites as Quin sat patiently.

“I don’t know. Everything Fergus does helps people. He cleanses. I don’t know how that could be used to actually harm someone.”

Quin leaned forward again. “Declan, any Gift can be inverted.”

“Inverted?”

“Yes, inverted. Stay with Fergus. He uses his Gift to cleanse and purify, but what is the opposite of those actions?”

“I guess to make something go bad or . . .” Understanding spread through me. “Arch Mage, the Phoenix would never—”

“The Phoenix would allow us to defend ourselves,” Quin said flatly. “Imagine the havoc our innocent little Fergus could create if he had access to the enemy’s supplies, or their water source. Could that same ability weaken the properties of glues or leathers or wood? We are not sure about those last things, but that is how creatively we are thinking. Now, apply that to every Gift you know. That is your Mages’ Guild turned martial.”

My head swam at the possibilities.

I chewed faster and downed the last of my wine.

“I knew I could draw air and water from most anything. That could be devastating. It is almost impossible to control, and I would likely end up killing our own people.” I thought a moment. “If we could make their horses sick, or mentally disrupt their Mages, or make their generals hated instead of Charismatic, or flood their men with Empathetic power so the fear was overwhelming, or—”

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