Page 3 of Invocation

“Welcome back,” the mage said quietly.

“Kadaki,” Novikke said, “I’m so glad you’re all right. What you did back there was—”

“Amazing,” Neiryn supplied.

“Yes,” Novikke agreed.

“Yes, it was,” Kadaki said blandly, looking back at the fire. “You have no idea.”

There was a faint air of unease among them. Aruna seemed satisfied with the situation, but Neiryn looked tense and Kadaki looked unhappier than ever. Perhaps it was just exhaustion.

“Then you really fixed it? Everything is all right now?”

Kadaki’s face darkened. “Yes. Everything is fine, Novikke.”

“There’s not going to be any kind of…magical disaster, anymore?”

“Isn’t that what I said?”

Novikke gave an uncertain nod, relieved. “That’s great news.” She looked around at all of them. “Then…this is all over. Really, this time. Right?”

“I should damn well hope so,” Neiryn said.

“What happened to the others?” she asked. “Where’s Thala?”

“There was a disagreement between ourselves and the other Ardanians,” Neiryn said, rolling his eyes.

Novikke sat on the bench beside Aruna. He remained silent, content to have Neiryn to explain everything. “What happened?”

He crossed one ankle over the other and turned his gaze upward, as if organizing the events in his head. “After you lost consciousness, Kadaki finished closing the leak in the ruins that your captain created. Then, after all that, she still managed to heal you enough to keep you alive. Then Vissarion and Aleka tried to kill Aruna, but I stopped them—you’re welcome—”

Novikke’s eyes widened. Neiryn sighed.

“I didn’t burn them, Novikke. If you so much as hold a tiny flame in your hand, humans go running. And that’s exactly what they did. We…” He glanced down at Kadaki, who didn’t appear to be paying attention. “We asked Thala to come with us. She refused.”

“You didn’t go with them?” Novikke said to Kadaki.

“I thought you might need me again,” she said, and swallowed almost nervously. Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t try to kill yourself again.”

“I…wasn’t trying—”

“I thought what you did was ingenious,” Neiryn said. “Stupid, but ingenious.”

“Thanks,” Novikke said uncertainly.

Kadaki’s tense shoulders relaxed a little. “You did save his life,” she conceded. “It was still a foolish thing to do. I’ve worked on you a few times since then. You were much worse off when we first got to the village. We weren’t certain that you were going to make it.”

Novikke glanced guiltily toward Aruna. She hadn’t meant to cause anyone to worry.

“That sword is a curious thing,” Kadaki said. “I’ve never seen an enchantment like that. Where did you get it?”

“It’s Varai-made.”

“Figures. It’s a horrible design. No one in their right mind would make a healing spell that only works when it’s attacking something.”

She didn’t disagree with Kadaki’s assessment, but she was shamefully reluctant to part with the sword. “But that exchange is what powers it, isn’t it? It wouldn’t be as strong otherwise.”

“Yes,” Kadaki admitted. “Normal healing spells don’t hold up well as enchantments. They’re magic-hungry and unstable. You might get a single use out of it, and not a very good one even then.” She looked up at Novikke, the lines of her face grave. “There are many things that are possible with magic but are simply not done. There are infinite opportunities for unethical uses of it. It is not a tool of goodness in and of itself. We must make it so ourselves.”

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