Michael Manning - The Archmage unbound

“I agree, you needed to snap out of your self-recriminating and take action, but why would you say that you are the ‘only’ one that could make those decisions?”

I blinked, “Because it’s my wife and my friend that are being…” Before I could finish her hand came up and I thought for a second she would attempt to strike me. Her eyes were full of fury.

She took a deep breath and settled her hand by her side again. “Sometimes Mordecai, you go from being brilliant to being a moron in the span of two seconds. Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that you are the only one that cares about those two. It’s insulting to the rest of us.”

I realized the truth of her words even as she said them. “I apologize Rose. That was thoughtless of me. I thought you were about to take a swing at me for a moment there.”

“I almost did,” she said, “but I remembered your shield. Doubtless I would have only bruised my hand.”

I nodded in agreement and then smiled at a sudden thought.

“What was that smile for?” Rose asked as she saw my expression.

I laughed, “I was just thinking that Penny would have taken a shot at me anyway.” I opened the door and we both stepped out.

As we made our way toward her house we didn’t bother trying to evade the men that followed us even though I could clearly see them with my magesight. Instead we kept up a brisk pace and followed the most direct route. Those following us kept to a respectful distance.

After we reached Lady Rose’s home the men following us took up positions to keep an eye on the house. They did their best to remain inconspicuous but since I was already following their movements mentally they didn’t really have much chance of hiding from me.

“Do you have a quiet place I can work until Marc and the others get here?” I asked Rose once we were inside.

“You seem very confident they’ll actually find the man they need,” Rose observed.

I shrugged, “I have other things to worry about. Between the three of them the worst that can happen is they could be discovered and have to fight their way out and with Harold there that wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Wouldn’t that ruin the rest of your plan?”

“Only if their identities are discovered and the news is carried to the palace before tomorrow morning. With Walter there I don’t think there’s much chance of that happening,” I replied.

Her eyes narrowed, “You mean before tomorrow afternoon don’t you?”

“No, I mean before three in the morning,” I said giving her a tight smile. “I really need to get started. Do you have a place I can work? I only need a desk or table and some quiet.”

Rose sighed but led me to her study and gave me the use of her desk. Then she found her maid, Angela, and gave her stern instructions to make sure we weren’t disturbed.

“We?” I asked amusedly.

“Yes, I plan on watching you,” she answered.

I sat down and drew out the silver stylus and the two boxes. “Suit yourself,” I said. “Personally I think you’re going to be very bored.”

Rose sat down and fixed me in her gaze. “I doubt that. Very little that you do fails to keep me entertained.”

I ignored her after that and set about inscribing the two boxes with the rune diagram I had planned out earlier. It was a basic variation on something I had already done so I wasn’t worried that it wouldn’t work, rather I was more worried I would slip up and have to start over. I didn’t have enough time to waste it correcting errors.

Two hours went by and I had nearly finished when I realized I needed something else. I set my stylus aside and glanced around. “Rose…” I began slowly, “do you have any glass beads or cut glass jewels lying around?”

She gave me a funny look, “Do you think noblewomen just keep such things lying about?”

I had encountered the difficulty finding cut glass or beads previously, when I had needed them to make explosive iron balls that I could detonate at a distance. This time I had a different use in mind but I still needed something clear and gem-like. “It doesn’t have to be glass per se,” I explained, “just something like glass.”

“Do you mean something like a gem?” she said with a mischievous grin.

I answered a bit reluctantly, “Well yes, but I wouldn’t want something as valuable as that.”

“Goodness darling! Why didn’t you simply say so? Let me check the cushions over here. I’m sure there must be a few. I’m constantly losing them you see,” she said with an air of nonchalance. “Would you prefer a diamond or something with more color?” She rose and pretended to fluff the cushions of one of the chairs in the room.

“Very funny,” I replied dryly.

She straightened up. “All jokes aside, I don’t have any glass here but I do have a few cut gemstones that might do. If you had to choose between a ruby or a sapphire which would you prefer?”

I stared at her for a moment before answering. “I guess if I had to choose… a ruby. Red would be a better color for this I think. Surely there’s something else…” She was gone from the room before I could stop her. What sort of woman keeps cut gemstones lying about? I wondered silently.

She returned a minute later carrying a ring and an ornate letter opener. Using the letter opener she bent the soft gold setting as she tried to prize the stone free.

“What ring is that?” I asked in alarm and I felt suddenly foolish for having thought she might actually have loose gemstones in the house. Obviously she would be removing the stone from something else.

She turned her head my way and I noticed she had her tongue sticking from the side of her mouth in a particularly unladylike expression as she concentrated. I had to stifle a laugh. A few seconds later the stone came free and she caught it before it fell to the floor. Placing it in my hand she spoke again, “Will that do?”

I held in my hand what appeared to be a sizable square cut ruby. I didn’t know much about stones but I would have guessed it to be at least three or four carats in size. “It should work perfectly. Are you sure?”

Her eyes met mine. “Yes, now finish your work, your work that you have steadfastly refused to explain thus far.”

“Your wish is my command,” I replied in an overly formal tone. Resuming my seat I held the gem in the palm of my hand and focused my attention firmly upon it, listening until I could hear its voice. Once I had it firmly fixed in my mind I spoke to it and a moment later it split cleanly in two. The division was so perfect it looked as though a master jeweler had cut and polished two separate stones. The two parts were identical and each had a flat side, the side that had been where they were joined.

I placed one on to top of each box, in the middle of the lid and listening more closely to the wood I caused them to sink in a bit, until they were firmly affixed. Sometimes being an archmage had its advantages. Using normal wizardry I would still have needed a separate spell or even mundane glue to join the gems to the boxes. Doing it this way they were joined so perfectly it almost seemed that the gems had grown directly from the wood.

From that point it only took me another half an hour to finish my enchantment. Finally I looked up at Rose, “Do you have a small piece of paper I can use?” As I asked the question I noticed she was no longer watching me. She had been staring at the ring and its empty setting.

“Certainly,” she said and moved to open the drawer next to me. I was sitting at a writing desk after all. I immediately felt foolish.

“Where did you get that ring?” I asked her.

She put her hand up to brush her hair back, a gesture I wasn’t used to seeing from Rose. She was normally far too poised to fuss with her hair like that. “It was in my jewelry box.”