Page 174 of A Tower of Half-Truths
Mavery shook her head. “I think he feeds on it, just like he did with the paper.”
Nox seemed to notice her surprise. He stopped his frolicking and trotted over.
“This is ktonic magic. Whereas humans must draw arcana from the Ether, ktona draw arcana from stones, plants, any natural resource that is connected to the ground. As a Senova—Senser, in your tongue—you are capable of both. Does your magic not feel stronger here, surrounded by ktonic sources?”
Nox was right: her magichadalwaysfelt stronger whenever she was in the wilderness. She’d felt that way earlier that morning—and back in Weywode Forest. That explained why she’d always hated cities. She’d always blamed the filth, the crowds, the endless noise. But maybe there had also been a subconscious reason for it all along.
“That makes sense,” she said, “but I’ve never drawn magic from stones or anything like that.”
Nox cocked his head to the side.“Never?”
“What about anchors?” Alain asked. “That sounds like a similar process to me.”
“More than similar—the very same. How else did wizards learnto harness the power of natural resources?”
“Wait, so anchors are actually ktonic magic?” Mavery asked. When Nox nodded, she furrowed her brow. “Then why did the churches say that your magic—ourmagic, rather—came from the hells?”
Nox uttered a noise that sounded eerily similar to cold laughter.“Because once the churches and wizards leeched every last bit of knowledge from my kind, they discarded us, enslaved us, bred us with more subservient creatures. The Senova, being the only ones who communicate with ktona, were tasked with keeping us obedient. This was the way of Tanarim for centuries, until Master and his Order sought a different path.”
“What was the Order of Asphodel, exactly?”
“A group of twelve Senova that sought to liberate the ktona. They encouraged my kind to rebel against our enslavers.”
Mavery gawked at him. She was so stunned by his words, she forgot to interpret them for Alain.
“What?” Alain asked, tugging on her sleeve. “What did he say?”
“The Order…they were Senova, Sensers. That means…” She gasped. “That means there were once a dozen Sensers, right here, all at once!”
“A dozen in Master’s Order, yes, but there are hundreds across Tanarim.”He cocked his head.“You find this surprising?”
After Mavery repeated Nox’s question, Alain answered, “Incrediblysurprising. There might have been hundreds of Sensers when you and Aganast went into hiding, but those numbers have dwindled significantly over the past five centuries. Mavery here is one of the few Sensers currently living. I wonder…” He looked skyward with a laugh. “All along, the subjects most shrouded in rumors and secrecy—Sensing, the Innominate Temple, the Order of Asphodel—all shared a common thread…”
“What happened to the Order? Why did none of them disable the tower’s defenses, as Master had planned?”
Mavery frowned. “I’m sorry, Nox. They were all executed.”
Alain recoiled as Nox growled, baring his teeth. After regaining his composure, Alain turned to Mavery. “We still need to givethe library another look. It won’t be long until the High Council arrives.”
“The High Council of Wizards?”Nox arched his back and hissed. This time, even Mavery flinched. How easily she’d forgotten that this creature, though highly intelligent, was still a beast.“You cannot allow Master’s books to fall into their hands! Not the books he kept to sustain me, but his life’s work. He stored those precious tomes in the bedchamber.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, “we already found those. Is there anything else in the tower we should grab before the Council arrives?”
“Master’s remains. At long last, he ought to receive a proper burial.”
Mavery inwardly shuddered at the thought of touching that pile of bones, but then she nodded. “We’ll handle it. You ought to hide in the forest until—”
Nox’s wings retracted into his body, and he shrank to a quarter of his original size. Instead of an imposing winged beast, he now appeared a miniature panther—or an overgrown housecat. His eyes, however, retained their crimson glow.
“Master called this my familiar form.”
Mavery blinked at him. “Er, yes, that should work. If anyone asks, we’ll say you’re some sort of demonspawn.”
Nox sneered.“You would compare me to one of those abominations?”
“It’s either that, or let the Elder Wizards take you away.”
He gave a low growl—in this form, he sounded as intimidating as an angry kitten—but then trotted away and resumed stretching his muscles for the first time in over five hundred years.
