Page 129 of A Tower of Half-Truths
Alain avoided gazing upward, as if making eye contact with any of the Elder Wizards would shatter his already fragile resolve.
“Welcome back, Aventus the Third,” Seringoth said. Despite his advanced age, there wasn’t a trace of feebleness in his voice; it resonated through the chamber like the pealing of a church bell. “Per your written request, this presentation will be conducted in Osperlandish to accommodate your assistant. However, the High Council requests that your assistant attain basic fluency in Dauphinian prior to your next presentation.”
The Archmage looked to Mavery, and she suppressed a shudder. She now understood why Alain refused to look upward. To be under that man’s employ—and his piercing stare—for nearly three years… The thought alone turned her stomach.
“Today, you will present an original spell in the School of Gardemancy,” Seringoth said. “You may begin when ready.”
Alain nodded, then cleared his throat as he opened the spell tome. Mavery hoped the High Council was too high up to notice his trembling hands. But when Alain spoke, his voice carried through the room clearly, unwaveringly.
“Arcane hypersensitivity—or Sensing, as it is referred to in the common parlance—is a hereditary condition that allows mages to detect magic in ways that are impossible for even the most highly trained wizards.
“This condition is exceptionally rare: in the past century, there have been only fourteen known Sensers across Tanarim. The formal study of Sensing is equally rare, as the general consensus among the wizarding community is that the centuries-old practiceof attuning oneself to the Ether is sufficient. But, I argue, why continue limiting ourselves? Seeing magic as Sensers do would be a tremendous boon to our understanding of every School of Magic, beginning with Gardemancy.”
This garnered a few murmurs. Seringoth raised his hand, and the Elder Wizards fell silent. Alain continued, undeterred.
“Today, I am presenting to the High Council an incantation that will not only reveal the auras for the basic types of Gardemancy spells, but will differentiate them by color. This is based on the work of Enodus the Second, a Senser who left his own aura-detection spell unfinished upon his death in 804. I have completed the spell using techniques based on Venetum’s Principles, as well as an adaptation of Ardemin the First’s Hue Shifting Augmentation.”
He extended an arm toward Mavery.
“To begin the demonstration, my assistant, Ms. Culwich, will perform basic resonating, detonation, fireproofing, and protective wards. I will then perform my spell to reveal the auras of her wards, as well as the soundproofing wards surrounding this room.”
He turned to Mavery and nodded before stepping away from the podium. She’d recited the incantations so many times over the past week, she’d memorized even the detonation ward. When she completed the final incantation with the numbness of her tongue that she’d grown accustomed to, the podium was aglow with red, pink, and gold auras that the Elder Wizards couldn’t yet see. She then raised her hand and summoned a protective ward.
Alain began the spell that he had likewise practiced scores of times, though Mavery had yet to grow tired of hearing it. Her heart soared as she watched his performance. Because, at the end of it all, wasn’t this meeting just a spectacle?
While light flooded the room from the podium to the walls, she spared a glance at the Elder Wizards. Most of them were focused on taking notes, but some watched Alain intently. That included Seringoth, who peered at his former assistant over his steepled fingers.
At last, Alain finished speaking Etherean. He walked around the podium, gesturing to the wards as he spoke.
“Blue for protective wards, red for detonation, gold forresonating, pink for fireproofing, and violet for soundproofing.” For the latter, he gestured at the shimmering walls. “These colors are based on the observations of my assistant, a Senser who came into my employ two months ago. Her observations are consistent with the ones documented by Enodus and other Sensers before her.
“Up close, we can study the subtle differences between the wards, and how they interact when combined. We can also see the ley lines of augmentations, and trace them to the locations of their anchors. This incantation would serve as the baseline for more complex spells that can reveal the smell and taste of magic as experienced by Sensers. This is but the beginning to understanding magic in ways that only a select few have ever experienced it.”
He stopped pacing and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Mavery dismissed her ward and mimicked his pose.
She hadn’t expected the wizards to fall over themselves in adoration, but she’d hoped for at least some polite applause. Instead, there was silence interspersed with hushed whispers and shuffling papers. With each passing minute, Alain’s shoulders sank a little deeper, his neutral expression shifted more toward a frown. Was it normal for the High Council to gothislong without asking a single question?
Mavery flinched as, without warning, a male Elder Wizard’s voice cut through the chamber like a gunshot.
“What would be the practical applications for this spell?”
Alain cleared his throat. “Within the spell tome, I discuss at length some of my theories pertaining to its—”
“I did not ask you abouttheory.I asked you aboutpracticality.” As the wizard leaned forward, his hood shifted, revealing a dour face framed with dark, bushy eyebrows. “Have you even performed this spell outside of a controlled environment?”
“Yes, Elder Lythandus. Before today, I performed it many times without protective wards in place.”
“You have performed it on wards that you or your assistant did not place?”
“With the exception of the soundproofing wards in this room, no, sir, I have not.”
His answer sparked some low grumbling from at least half ofthe High Council. Their voices were predominantly male, but the next Elder Wizard to address Alain directly was a woman.
“This spell, you intend to letanyoneuse it?”
She had a haughty manner of speaking that had nothing to do with her Dauphinian accent. A high-ranking noblewoman, if Mavery had ever heard one. Furthermore, the twin moon pendant around her neck marked her as a follower of the Church of the Dyad. She had to be the Elder Wizard representing the Soudremancy School.
“Yes, Elder Thedonus. Anyone with a wizarding ed—”
