The Dreamer's Curse (Book 2) (7 page)

“Ah,” Krause raised a finger hesitantly in the air. “That’s
not true?”

“Well, it is,” she felt forced to admit, “But hot water and
strong soap does the job just as well, you know? And if it doesn’t come into
direct contact with the person, then it’s highly likely it’s not carrying the
disease.”

Krause and Decker exchanged a speaking look, their
expressions saying
oops
. Which poor blighter’s house had they torched in
order to keep a disease from spreading? Rolling her eyes, Sevana moved on. “At
any rate, we the magical community lost more in sheer knowledge than I can
begin to describe. The whole system of magic that our ancestors used became
lost almost overnight. The survivors and newly awakened magicians had to
experiment and forge their own system of using magic as the old ways no longer
made any sense to them.”

“So the magic that you use now,” Decker summed up quietly,
“is entirely different.”

“As day is from night,” she confirmed grimly. “That artifact
dates to the time right before the plague spread, so it was likely used only
once or twice before being stored away. For some strange reason, it had been
sealed inside of a stone as well. Perhaps to keep it out of the wrong hands?
The purpose of doing so died with the creator. At any rate, it’s lain dormant
until you people moved it and fulfilled the conditions it needed.” She could
tell from their blank expressions she would have to explain
that
too.
“Any magic used, no matter how ancient, has certain conditions that must be met
before the magic is activated. This artifact seems to need reflected light—sunlight,
in this case—running water, and direction.”

“That,” Krause said emphatically. “That’s the part that I
don’t understand. What direction?! We haven’t given it any!”

“You have,” she denied flatly. “This part is half-conjecture
on my end, but it makes sense from what I know of ancient artifacts. There are
two things you must understand. Magic is not stagnant, like a tool, but is a
living thing itself. It’s as alive as water or wind. It likes to
move
.
It likes to be used. This artifact was lying in the ground for six hundred
years and was dying to fulfill its purpose. It leaped at the chance as soon as
the conditions had been met. And I’d lay good money that to use the artifact,
one would simply picture within their mind’s eye the place that they wanted to
go in order to direct it.”

Decker slumped so that his head hit the table’s surface.
Against the wood he complained, “Even in
dreams
?”

“As I said, magic likes to be used,” she responded tartly.
“It might be overreaching its designed bounds, but it’s also not unusual for
magical things to develop quirks over the years. I have a pair of mud-off boots
that now rejects not only mud, but any dirt whatsoever.” They were rather fun
to wear, too, as it felt like she walked on air. “And those boots are only
eight years old! Can you imagine what would happen to something that’s several
hundred years old?”

“I don’t need to imagine,” Decker grumbled.

“While all of this is fascinating, does it help in any way?”
Krause asked.

“I won’t really know until I can consult Jacen, our
historian in the Artifactor community.” She looked up with a smile as the girl
came back with their food, efficiently plopping it down in front of them with a
clink of china. Mmmm, it smelled heavenly. Not bothered that she didn’t
recognize anything on her plate, she picked up a spoon and dug right in.

“Did you find a way to stop it?” Krause pressed, ignoring
the plate set in front of him.

She had to swallow the mouthful she had—pleasantly spicy—before
she could respond.

“Yes and no. Apparently, the maker gave his toy a shield to
erect while it was in use to prevent someone from tampering with it
accidentally. Smart, in a way. I imagine that if someone did knock the thing
over or hit it with another spell while it was transporting, the result
wouldn’t be pretty. But that makes our job harder. We have to get around that
shield first. Once we do that, we can either work a spell directly against it
to counteract its elements and neutralize the artifact’s power—”

“Or?” Decker prompted impatiently when she took a long pull
from her tankard.

“Or we wear away the power that it’s using slowly and remove
one of its conditions so that it can no longer work,” she finished. Just how
they would manage that, she didn’t know offhand. She had a few notions to try
out, though, assuming Sarsen didn’t come up with something better once he got
here. “At that point, I’m going to take great delight and pleasure in digging
that artifact free and taking it apart. We hardly ever find a still functioning
artifact to examine.”

“I thought you said the old magic didn’t make sense to you
anymore,” Krause objected, still ignoring his plate of food.

“Well, not all of it,” she admitted with a blasé shrug. “But
given enough time and experimentation, we’re able to figure out a great deal.
Those charms you’re wearing around your neck are a result of such research.”

Krause and Decker both touched the two small metal charms
with surprise and looked at them far more carefully than when she’d put them on
the first time.

She ate peaceably while they mulled over everything she had
said. Eventually, Krause picked up his spoon and started eating as well.

“After lunch, what do you plan to do?” the ombudsman
inquired.

“Nothing more I can do at this moment,” she denied,
seriously considering finding something to satisfy her sweet tooth. Apple tarts
sounded good. “Right now, I’m just waiting on Sarsen to arrive.”

Sarsen had more or less stolen her idea of using clouds to
fuel an airborne vehicle to create his own version of transportation. Instead
of designing something he sat on, however, he had made a very long glider that
let him hang underneath the wings. He claimed that because his glider didn’t weigh
as much and had a more streamlined design, it could go faster than either her
skimmer or mini-skimmer. She hadn’t yet had the chance to race him and prove
him wrong.

His glider didn’t have the same on-the-spot landing ability
as the mini-skimmer, so he came in along the main road, lowering his legs from
the back harness and running along, slowly coming to a stop. With such a showy
entrance, most of the village came running to see who approached, alerting
Sevana as they went.

She had to push through a crowd of spectators, ruthlessly
using her elbows to move people bodily aside, and even then she had to squeeze
through. With a grunt of effort, she almost exploded out of the crowd and into
open air. By that time, Sarsen had unhooked himself from the glider and taken
off the goggles he wore while flying, letting them hang around his neck. He
waved when he saw her and started jogging forward.

“Sev!”

Decker, from behind her, leaned forward slightly and asked
in an undertone, “He’s close enough to you to call you by nickname?”

“We trained under the same master.”

“Ahhhh.”

Sarsen hadn’t changed much since she’d last seen him, back
when Bel and company had finally left. He wore black leathers over his lanky
frame, probably to protect him from the chilly wind, wiry black hair still
cropped razor-short, and dark brown skin looking paler after going through the
winter months indoors. His beard was stubbly and his eyes bloodshot, both signs
that he hadn’t slept well since she’d called him. He slowed to a stop in front
of her, looking her over from head to toe, eyes strangely penetrating. “Tell me
you didn’t try tackling that thing on your own.”

“Do I look suicidal to you?” she retorted dryly. “I gathered
information and made a rough plan of attack while waiting. Well, that and drank
mulled cider. It’s quite divine here. You must try it.”

Sarsen let out a breath of relief. “Good. Master beat it
into my head before I left that we are
not
to try and deal with this
alone. In fact, he said if we could borrow the help of other magicians that
would be wise.”

“There’s two more in town,” Decker offered.

“Thank mercy.” Sarsen belatedly held out a hand in greeting.
“Sarsen Vashti, Artifactor.”

“Decker,” the hunter responded, accepting the offered hand.
“I’m one of the hunters of this village.”

“He’s also our volun-told guide while we’re here,” Sevana
added, still amused by that turn of events. Turning, she spotted Krause headed
their way at a quick walk, girth shaking under the force of his pace. “And that
is the Ombudsman of Chastain Village, and acting mayor, Krause.”

Krause practically beamed up at Sarsen as he held out a
hand. “A pleasure, sir. You must be Sevana’s colleague that she was expecting.”

“Sarsen Vashti, Artifactor,” Sarsen introduced himself again
patiently. “Pleasure is mine, sir.”

“Now that we’ve made nice, let’s get to work,” Sevana
suggested, wanting to move the pleasantries along. “Get that contraption of
yours out of the road first, though.”

Sarsen shot her challenging smile. “A contraption that is
superior to yours.”

“That is a point you have not yet proven, my friend.” An
anticipatory tingle went up her spine. After the fountain was properly slayed
and defeated, she had every intention of challenging Sarsen to a race.

“Some things are self-evident,” Sarsen informed her with
mock-gentleness, as if explaining a difficult thing to a child.

“Ha!”

Chuckling, he went back to his glider, shifting it about by
the nose and rolling it well free of the road. As he did so, Krause leaned in
closer and asked quietly, “How long have you two known each other?”

She opened her mouth, frowned, and mentally added it up.
“Thirteen years.”

Krause gave her a knowing smile and nod. “That’s why you act
like siblings.”

They were very much like siblings, actually, despite having
no blood relation whatsoever. But Master treated all of his apprentices like
his own children, so developing such a relationship didn’t surprise anyone.

“But you’re not actually related….” Decker sounded unsure of
that even as he said it.

She gave the man an exasperated look. “I’m short, blond, and
fair while he’s tall, lanky, and looks Sa Kaon. How can you possibly think
we’re related?”

Decker raised his hands in surrender, not even daring to
comment.

Sarsen came back to them with two large bags slung over his
shoulder, one of which Decker stepped forward immediately to help carry. Sarsen
handed it over with a thankful nod but didn’t slow his pace. “Alright, Sev,
tell me some good news.”

“I already did,” she replied as she turned and started
shoving her way back inside the village. Seeing as how the show was over, most
people made way for them automatically.

“What, that you didn’t start working on your own?” Sarsen’s
mouth crimped into an unhappy line. “Is that really the only good news you can
share?”

She gave a shrug, wishing she actually had something but bad
news to report. “I researched extensively yesterday and this morning and
analyzed the fountain as much as I could. Here’s what I know: the artifact is
hidden in one of the stones that make up the central fountain for the
courtyard. It’s dated at the end of the eighth century—”

Sarsen winced at that.

She caught the expression and paused mid-sentence, clapping
in mock-applause. “Oh good boy, you actually remember enough about history to
know that’s a bad thing!”

He rolled his eyes in a clear bid for patience. “I’m not
completely hopeless when it comes to history, Sev.”

“Can’t prove that by me. Anyway, continuing on—the artifact
works on the elements of its own power, reflected light, and running water.
Hence the power level of sixteen. There’s also a very strong shield up around
it at all times.”

“Probably to prevent accidents from happening while its
magic is active,” Sarsen said aloud in a rhetorical tone.

“That was my guess as well. But the shield poses a serious
problem. Getting around it will not be an easy task.”

Sarsen gave her a long look as they headed toward the main
square. “Is this easier or harder than Bel’s curse?”

“I’m still debating that.”

Krause, following along behind them, piped up. “Was the
prince’s curse truly so terrible?”

Sarsen looked over his shoulder long enough to answer, “In
terms of power, no. Bellomi’s curse was somewhere around a ten when Sevana came
in. But because it had been attached to him so long, we had to borrow the power
of a dragon in order to break it.”

“It’s not the power levels that make a job easier or
harder,” Sevana couldn’t help but add. “It’s the danger level involved. Right
now, I don’t know which one I would rather deal with: a man-eating dragon with
a touchy temper or an equally cantankerous artifact with a high power level.”

For some reason, this made Sarsen chuckle. “Well, Sev, you
were complaining you were bored.”

“Not
that
bored,” she grumbled under her breath.

In the next moment, they rounded the building and came into
the square, letting Sarsen get his first proper look at the fountain. Unable to
resist seeing it for himself, he pulled out a wand from his belt pouch,
pointing it at the fountain and activating the spell: “
N E  FO LE
.”

Numbers and words in pure white light traced themselves in
the air right in front of his nose. He read them as quickly as the wand could write
them, expression becoming grim and set. “You said you had a rough plan, Sev.”

“Either find a way to break the shield first, separately, so
we can attack the artifact directly, or we attack the elements that are
attached to the fountain and slowly wear out its power source.”

Sarsen let out a long breath as he put his wand away again.
“That’s a very rough plan.”

“Needs refining,” she admitted with an unconcerned shrug.
“But I couldn’t do much planning until I knew what Master gave you. Let’s find
a place to sit and spread the goodies out so I know what we have to work with.”

~ ~ ~

They retreated to Sevana’s temporary workroom in the Hall,
and mysteriously gathered more people along the way. Goffin and Roland came out
of thin air, as far as she could tell, but she had no objection to them taking
a seat at the long table as they would likely be drawn into this fairly soon.
Why Krause and Decker wanted to listen in too she didn’t understand at all.
Most of their conversation would be in very technical, magical terms that would
go straight over both men’s heads. If they thought she would stop and explain
every little thing to them, they were sorely mistaken.

Sarsen took a look around the room as he stepped in, taking
in the size and shape of it, the things Sevana had already brought in and
scattered along one end, and the map of the village with all of its magical
markers that hadn’t been moved yet. He gave an approving smile. “This is quite
nice to work in.”

Krause seemed relieved. “I’m glad it suits you, Artifactor
Vashti.”

“Sarsen, please. And yes, better to work here than other
jobs I’ve had. Well.” He slung the bag on his shoulder into an out-of-the-way
corner before motioning Decker forward. The hunter handed over the bag he
carried and Sarsen started to unpack it even as he explained to Sevana, “You
told Master some of the elements of the fountain, but you weren’t sure then
what elements belonged to the shield and what belonged to the fountain.”

She nodded sourly. “They’re blended very well together. It
took me most of the morning to be sure which was which. I take it he threw in a
little of everything?”

“All but the kitchen sink.” Sarsen listed them off as he sat
different glass bottles and jars on the table in a neat row. “Fairy’s kiss,
acorn from a 1,000-year-old tree, piece of a fallen star, a word from the Book
of Truth—”

Sevana had a hard time biting back a gasp at that. Her eyes
flew wide as she stared at the miniature leather book on the table. A word from
the Book of Truth had a ridiculously high power level, partially because of its
rarity (it had been crafted during the time of great magic) and partially
because it took considerable skill to lift it from the book’s pages. “Master
had one of those?!”

“Very well hidden,” Sarsen informed her, still looking a
little awed. “He said use it only if it’s absolutely necessary, and if we don’t
use it, he
will
come hunting for us if we don’t give it back.”

She had an impulse to say she had used it and then squirrel
it away somewhere.

“Behave, Sev,” Sarsen warned her. “You know he’ll find out.
He always does.”

She let out a long, disappointed sigh. “You’re right.
Alright, what else?”

“Stillness of a moonless night and shiranui.”

“Moonless night was used as part of the shield,” she
informed him absently.

“What, really?” Sarsen let out a wordless growl. “It took
considerable digging to find that, too.”

“This is Master’s storerooms we’re talking about. It takes
digging to find
anything
.” Master could not claim to be organized in any
sense of the word. She was the queen of cleanliness in comparison to him.
Sevana had a working theory that the man kept accepting multiple apprentices
just so he always had a cleaning crew on hand.

Goffin cleared his throat to get their attention. “Sevana,
might we know what the shield’s elements are?”

“As I said, stillness of a moonless night, dwarven-made
mountain stone—”

“Wait, wait,” Roland protested, both hands up. “The fountain
is made from
dwarven
stone?”

“The ancient ruins lying off to the northeast of here?” she
said tartly. “Yes, that’s all dwarven stone. It’s a minor fortune lying about
and not a person in here recognized it for what it was. It’s also the reason
why the shield around the artifact stayed intact. If they had used any other
stone to complete that fountain with, the shield would not have had the energy
it needed to activate.”

Krause held up a hand. “Ah, ancient tales said that dwarven
stone would hold up to any amount of weather without wearing away. Is that
really true?”

“You looked at the ruins, didn’t you?” Sevana responded,
losing patience quickly. “It didn’t seem odd to you that all of the stone there
still had sharp, prominent edges?”

Krause looked sheepish and couldn’t quite meet her eyes. “We
didn’t think the ruins that old.”

Sevana lifted her eyes to the heavens, asking how she ended
up working with such ignoramuses.