The Spell Realm (The Sorcery Code #2)(35)
There was dead silence. “I see,” Ganir said after a few moments. “Barson is smarter than I thought. Is he alive too?”
“I don’t know,” Blaise replied coldly. “I was more concerned with helping Gala than paying attention to the individual soldiers trying to kill her.”
“Well, it’s my problem now,” Ganir said with resignation. “I guess I will have to deal with them directly after all.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Blaise, my son, come back to Turingrad, please.” Ganir’s voice turned cajoling as he issued his request. “There’s trouble brewing, and I could use your help . . . your help and that of your creation—”
“Her name is Gala,” Blaise said icily, “and trouble for the Council sounds like good news for me. I wish you all the best in dealing with Augusta and her Captain. It sounds like she finally found someone ruthless enough for her tastes.”
Gala frowned, detecting an unfamiliar note in Blaise’s voice. He sounded angry with Augusta, and Gala could tell that the news that she was with someone else bothered him—and that bothered Gala for some reason.
“I must go now,” Ganir said, interrupting Gala’s thoughts. “Take care of yourself and Gala. Once you’ve had a chance to view the droplet, please contact me and let me know the name of the informant. It’s very important, my son.”
“All right.” Blaise sounded curt. “Now go.”
Gala remained silent until she heard the old man leave. Blaise called out her name, but she remained silent and hidden. She needed to digest what she had just learned—and she also wanted privacy for what she planned to do for Blaise.
After a few minutes, she heard the swooshing sound of a chaise returning. Blaise must’ve gotten on it, because she heard him saying the oral spells that directed the flight of the chaise. When there was silence again, Gala undid her light-bending spell, turning visible again. She could see Blaise’s chaise flying over the canyon in the distance, but for now, she was alone.
It was the perfect opportunity to do what she intended. From what she’d read, gift-giving required reciprocation, and she had an idea of what Blaise might want.
She began by trying to calm her mind, as Blaise had taught her. When she was sure that she had her emotions under control, she began doing the calculations for a complex teleportation spell. The mathematics behind this were quite intricate, though she had no doubt that she could do them correctly. She’d had a good look at the object she was thinking of, and had been inside it, too. Mentally double-checking everything, she let the spell loose.
When it worked, she was overwhelmed with glee. This was her first serious attempt at controlled magic, and the result of it was quite spectacular. She knew Blaise would not believe his eyes when he saw what she had done for him.
He’ll love this gift, she thought, gazing at the immense object in front of her.
Emboldened by this success, she looked at Blaise’s chaise flying in the distance. If she was able to do the prior spell, this should work too. The complication came from the fact that the chaise was moving—but that speed was fairly constant, and she was able to account for it in her mental calculations. It took no time at all before she was sitting on that chaise next to him.
“Blaise, I did it, I teleported myself here from the ground,” she told him, looking into his startled face.
Chapter 19: Barson
Barson frowned, looking at the map of the Tower spread out before him. The place was, quite literally, a fortress.
“Are you sure this is the right time?” Dara asked, looking worried.
“I don’t think we’ll be able to find a better moment,” Larn replied, giving his future wife a reassuring smile.
Larn and a few of Barson’s closest lieutenants had finally arrived in Turingrad disguised as peasants. Barson was glad to see them there, even if it increased the risk of exposure. At this point, no one outside their immediate families knew that the majority of the Guard were alive, and they needed to keep it that way for a while longer.
“I have some interesting news concerning Ganir,” Larn said, turning toward Barson. “We had Mittel follow him again. It looks like Ganir took a long trip.”
“A trip where?” Barson asked, looking up from the map.
“To the mountains in the west.” Larn reached for the larger map of Koldun lying on the other corner of the table. “Mittel flew behind him, and he saw Ganir land right there.“ He pointed at a mountainous area beyond the Western Woods.
“Interesting,” Barson said thoughtfully. “I remember seeing Blaise and his creature flying in that general direction. I wonder if there is any connection.”
“Even if there isn’t, you might want to share this information with Augusta,” Dara said. “There is already tension between her and Ganir, and I think it might not be a bad thing if she accuses the old man of trying to undermine the Council’s latest mission.”
Barson mulled it over. “Yes,” he said after a few moments. “That is a good idea, indeed. In fact, I think it’s time I bring Augusta up to speed on everything.”
Dara looked taken aback. “Are you sure she’ll side with us?”
“No,” Barson admitted truthfully. “I’m not. But at this point she’s in too deep. The fact that she wanted us to remain dead and her prior request to go up against the creature . . . Well, let’s just say she wouldn’t be too eager to reveal her involvement with those matters to the rest of the Council. If nothing else, self-interest will keep her from betraying us.”