“Stop.”
Oz jolted. He looked up at Aisling.
She stepped away from him, removing his hand from her arm. “Stop. I have my own methods. Don’t hurt yourself, pushing yourself too far to cast a spell you can’t afford.”
“But I—”
Aisling gave him a firm look and shook his head. “You’re too young and too weak. I can find my own method. Once you become older and stronger, then ask me to rely on you.”
Oz bit his lip, but said nothing. He cut the spell back, only spreading it over himself, and the burden lessened. The circulation still weighed heavy on his body, but no longer did it push him to his absolute limits.
Although…as much as I would have liked to have the solution for everyone, the spell was destabilizing. It wouldn’t have worked for Aisling. Oz lifted his hand, as if he could feel the mirror still resting on his palm. If I wanted to expand it to more people, I think…I would have to replicate their qi flow on the far side of the mirror as well. It would be easiest if they sat in front of the mirror and let it copy their qi as well, but I have no idea how, er, how people see that, societally speaking.
Fflyn piped up. You want to know her exact qi flow? Most people won’t tell you, since it’s easier to target their weak points if you know how their qi moves. If she trusts you, she might tell you…but then, that’s…
He fell silent. A strange aura emanated from his thoughts.
What? Oz asked. Why did he hide his thoughts from me?
It’s…something adults do, or something like that. One of my masters mentioned it once. A shared form of cultivating, with your bodies in sync. That’s the other reason you’d need to know someone’s qi flow.
Oz lifted his brows. Keeping his thoughts to himself, he put a hand on his chin. Haa…okay, message received. It’s sexual, as expected. I can’t be surprised, since it seems about as intimate as knowing everything about someone else’s body, but…well, extenuating circumstances aside, I probably shouldn’t expect everyone to share their qi flow with me.
Thinking so Fflyn could hear him again, Oz asked, So…why does the spell work on you?
You haven’t noticed? You’re completely suppressing my qi flow and soul. Aside from the tiny place you’ve forced me into, you can consider this body’s qi to be identical to yours.
Oz scanned their body for a moment, then raised his brows. Huh. I’m sorry, Fflyn. Is it uncomfortable?
Yes? Not that bad, though. Don’t worry about me. I signed up for this. As long as I end up freed from the Black Blades, I won’t complain.
He nodded. Of course. It might take time, but I’ll work on that, I promise.
First, let’s keep the Mages’ Quarter from getting steamrolled by a surprise necromancer attack, Fflyn urged him.
Yeah, yeah. Oz looked at his transparent hands, then snapped his fingers, deactivating the spell. He smiled at Aisling, a little embarrassed. “I can make myself invisible, at least.”
“That’s a success! A huge success. I couldn’t see through it, either. It’s a formidable technique,” Aisling assured him.
Oz ducked his head, rubbing the back of his head. Ahh…I hoped I would solve everything, though. Unfortunately, I’m still weak, just like Aisling said. I need to get stronger. Keep reading, and read all the books, and break through the first level!
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
In his mind’s eye, the empty field with the four cornerstones appeared once more. Oz took a deep breath, looking over it. Once I finish the foundation, I step onto the first stage. Power surged within him, wanting to fill the frame he’d set, but he held it back. Not yet. I can’t form it perfectly yet. Not until I read all the books, not until I have at least an inkling of the Universal Theory of Magic.
Returning to the real world, he looked at Aisling. “Do you really have a way to hide your presence?”
Aisling hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”
Oz squinted. I’m not sure I believe that. But I don’t have an easy way to pass the spell on to Aisling. Even if I told her the formula, I would need to show her the book for the secret formation to pass on to her. She’s too far away for me to realistically bring the book to her. When I get back to the library, I can show it to her, but it’ll be too late by then.
Though, if she learned the spell and didn’t cast it on herself from within the barrier, it wouldn’t do her much better than an ordinary glamour, probably.
Come to think of it, I really ought to enchant this spell so I can leave the enchantment inside the barrier for the bonus layer of spell hiding. Though…right now, I can cast spells from inside the barrier because my real body is inside the barrier, and I’m projecting my soul outside to possess Fflyn. If I want to cast the spell from within the barrier in the future, I’ll have to come up with a way to cast remotely.
Lots and lots of future projects. Sigh. I need so much time.
Hopefully, this scandal will buy me some time. If nothing else, it’ll stop a necromancer from attacking the Mages’ Quarter, which, well, it…it probably isn’t good for me.
Huh. If a necromancer attacked the Mages’ Quarter, wouldn’t I not have to worry about the mages’ scheming?
Oz quickly shook his head. No, no. That’s stupid thoughts. I benefit from stability and peace! It is stability, peace, and the status quo which keeps the powerful mages from exerting their full strength and simply mashing their way through the library’s barrier. Right now, I have to worry about the powerful mages inside the Mages’ Quarter. But if the Mages’ Quarter falls, there will no longer be the passive deterrence of the other mages in the Quarter to keep the library safe. After all, there’s no way the mages of the Quarter would allow their reputation to be trashed by standing by while some rogue mage attacks an asset like the library.
Without that passive deterrence, though, anyone from anywhere in the world who wants a crack at the library will have nothing to stop them from attacking the library. As annoying as the Mages’ Quarter is, it’s still better for me to negotiate the library’s future with them than to go it alone.
Loup broke through the underbrush. She looked at Aisling and Oz. “Nothing.”
“No undead? No bad things?” Oz clarified.
Lifting her head, Loup gazed to the horizon. “Near. I didn’t find it, but close, there’s a horrible smell.”
“What kind of smell?”
Loup wrinkled her nose. “Death.”
Oz and Aisling exchanged a glance. Oz nodded. “That’s the direction we want to go. Lead on.”
Loup nodded. She took the lead, looking back at them over her shoulder. “Once we get close, I’ll go. The wolves don’t like the smell, and neither do I.”
“Understandable.” Jogging to catch up to her, Oz reached into his robes and pulled out a small piece of paper. He scribbled a quick note, then passed it to Loup. “If you want to take me up on that offer of safety, come to the location on that note. I’ll vouch for you.”
“When I return, I’ll ask my Master to do the same,” Aisling chimed in.
Ah, that’s right. Ossian’s promises don’t hold much weight, after all.
Loup took the note. She looked at it, then stuffed it in her shirt. “I hope you don’t die.”
“Same,” Oz muttered.
Without another word, Loup walked on again. The oppressive silence of the stifled lands fell over them once more, nothing but the brush of the long grass on their pants and the occasional crunch of branches underfoot to break the rush of the wind.
A strange smell wafted on the breeze, sweet-rotten and sickly. The longer they walked, the thicker it became, sulfur and something deep and dark mixed in. Oz lifted his shirt over his nose, grimacing. We’re getting close to something.
Abruptly, Loup stilled. She left the path, cutting a sharp line through the woods to the side instead. Oz followed, barely daring to breathe. What is it?
Loup came to the top of a ridge and froze. Lifting her arm, she pointed. “There.”
Oz drew up alongside her and frowned. Below them, a valley of tangled forest spread below them, not even a hint of anything untoward mixed among the undergrowth. “I don’t see anything.”
Aisling shook her head. “Me either.”
Loup squinted at them as though they were stupid. “Are you blind?”
Wait. If Loup can see it, and we can’t… Oz activated his fey eye, and immediately caught his breath. Holy shit…