Storm Warning - Mercedes Lackey [187]
He’s—by the Sunlord, he sounds older, that’s what it is! He doesn’t sound like a half-child anymore! He sounds-yes, and he acts—his true age! Karal didn’t say anything, but the change delighted him; so far as he was concerned, this was all to the good.
:One wonders what Firesong is going to make of an independent An’desha,: Altra remarked, as if to himself. The same thought had occurred to Karal, just as Altra made the comment.
Well, there was nothing to be done about it. Firesong was just going to have to cope. Whether the Adept liked it or not, Karal was certain that this change in An’desha was not going to be temporary. Firesong should be allowed a little time to recognize it and deal with it in private.
:Or not,: said Altra. Karal aimed a sharp thought-jab at the Firecat; once in a while it would be nice to have a private thought or two!
“I’ll go tell the others that we’ll have a meeting in the morning,” he said, getting to his feet. “And I’ll be back only when I find them all. Don’t bother to wait for me.”
He trotted off down the hall and down the stairs without giving either of them a chance to reply.
But was it his imagination, or did he actually hear An‘desha say “We won’t,” and chuckle?
By the time the morning was half over, the Master Craftsmen had narrowed down the “necessary” key points for the new shields from several dozen to the absolute minimum. There would be three major, essential points of blockage, and several minor points. The minor points could all be handled by sets of Master Mages, and all of them were within a few days’ ride of Valdemar.
“We have enough mages here, between Herald-Mages and the envoys, that we can post people to each of those minor points,” Elspeth said, pursing her lips over her list of available personnel. “This shouldn’t be a problem.”
“But here, here, and here—” An’desha pointed on the map to the three major points—north, in the heart of the Forest of Sorrows—south, at the border of Karse—and east, at the place where the borders of Iftel, Hardorn, and Valdemar all met. “These are problems. The breakwaters are unstable in their first stage; they actually require the energy from a wave to stabilize them and make them self-supporting. You will have to have either two Adepts or one Adept and two Masters to create them, join them to the two others, and hold them until the wave comes.” He studied the map, and put his finger on the third point. “This one will be the easiest, but the most vulnerable; it’s like the keystone of an arch. It will need less power, and more craft. And the mages will have to be at the site in order to create the breakwater and join it into a whole.”
Elspeth grimaced. “We only have four Adepts,” she pointed out gently. “And we only have a few days to get them in place, before the next wave comes.”
An’desha took a long, deep breath. “You have two Adepts, one Healing Adept—and me.”
Firesong turned to stare at him, and it was as clear to Karal as the color of his eyes that he had no idea what An’desha meant.
“You have a Sorcerer-Adept,” An‘desha elaborated. “A creator. The kind of mage who actually made living beings. All of Ma’ar’s knowledge is mine, now. I know how to build these breakwaters because in a sense, I’ve done it before. I can work with two Masters; you don’t have to pair me with Firesong.”
Firesong paled but said nothing.
Elspeth’s mouth formed a silent “oh,” but she wisely bent her head over her list. “Right, then—let’s think about how we get the Adepts in place.” She bit at the end of her quill, and looked at the map. “For obvious reasons, at least to some of you,” she said, finally, “I think that Firesong and I should go north. We can Gate there—”
“We’ll probably have help,” Firesong muttered. Elspeth’s mouth quirked, although Karal had no idea what he meant; evidently this was a private joke.
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