Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(35)

“And how did you come to this realization?” Garrett probed, sounding highly skeptical.

“The Ur-God came to me in a dream last night.” Father Calmias lifted his face to the ceiling, a misty sort of awe in his eyes. “He showed me a grand vision, where the three races existed together in harmony, and taught me that my real purpose was to help guide my parishioners toward peace, rather than turning their hearts against their neighbors.” He bowed his head in shame. “I cannot believe it has taken me all this time to see the path to true wisdom.”

“By the Lady,” Fenris said to me in mindspeak, sounding astonished. “He really went through with it! That Tua spell works even better than I imagined!”

“He must have,” I agreed, turning my attention to Iannis. His eyes were twinkling with delight despite the calm mask he wore. “When did you do the spell on him?”

“This morning,” Iannis said, “after I came back from the temple. It would seem that you and Fenris were right to insist—the change is remarkable,” he admitted reluctantly. “But we shall see what happens.”

“Father Calmias,” I said, deciding to test out his new personality, “I attended one of your sermons in Maintown, not long before you were imprisoned. It was very interesting, and I’d like to ask you about some things that were said.”

“I’m sure I said many things of which I am now ashamed,” Father Calmias said heavily. He clasped his hands together atop the table and met my eyes. “Please ask whatever you wish, child.”

I cleared my throat, trying not to be thrown off by his drastic change in attitude. He seemed wise and gracious now, almost grandfatherly. “I overheard some members of the congregation gossiping about secret weapons being developed by the Resistance. Do you know anything about this?”

“Other than the viruses?” Calmias asked, and I nodded. He hummed under his breath for a moment, thinking. “I’m not sure—I was never personally involved in any of that, though I heard many things. A few of my parishioners were indeed Resistance members, but the viruses were the main thing they had up their sleeve. If they are still around, I will talk to them about letting go of any malicious intentions, and returning to a normal life.”

“If you are serious about peace,” Iannis said, “you should gather your parishioners and give them the same message. Do a radio broadcast and tell them about your vision from the Ur-God. If you do not spread the message far enough, there will continue to be unnecessary loss of life.”

A tremor shook the walls as he spoke, and Father Calmias paled a little, gripping the edge of the table.

“Yes, of course. You are right, Lord Iannis,” he said faintly when the shaking had subsided, his eyes wide as he looked around in shock. “It would seem that the Ur-God agrees. I shall follow your suggestions immediately.”

“Are you certain there was no other weapon in the works?” I pressed. “Nothing else that Thorgana might be planning to use against us now?”

“Well, the viruses were never delivered to Solantha’s Resistance chapter,” Father Calmias said, eyes far off in thought. “And when they field tested the few vials they did have, they found that the viruses were insufficiently powerful to cause a real epidemic. Only a few dozen mages and shifters died, and the improved versions they were waiting on never arrived. As you can imagine, the Resistance soldiers administering the tests were very disappointed. So you should be safe on that front.”

“Thank you, Father. You have no idea how much that gladdens my heart,” I said, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Wait!” Father Calmias exclaimed, jerking upright in his chair. “I do remember one other thing. There was another secret weapon, of which Thorgana showed me pictures once, that was said to be very effective. She called it the Magic Eraser, or the Eraser for short.”

My mouth went dry.

“The Magic Eraser?” Iannis demanded. “Surely that title is a misnomer. There is no device that can erase magic.”

“This one can,” Father Calmias insisted. “Or at least, Thorgana seemed to think so. It certainly doesn’t look magical, though—the pictures showed a strangely shaped metal object, about the size of a human skull. Thorgana said it is very heavy, and that placing it close to a mage for a mere twenty minutes results in irreversible erasure of his or her magic. The older ones die soon after, since the magic is what unnaturally prolongs their lives.”

“Preposterous,” Garrett exclaimed, his eyes wide with anger and alarm. “If such a metal existed, it would be strictly regulated, perhaps even banned by the Accords.”

“It could be a new discovery,” Iannis said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. “The humans have always been more interested in technology than we are. As unlikely as it may seem, they may have found some naturally occurring metal capable of such devastating power.”

“Are there any other side effects?” Director Chen asked Father Calmias. Her face was paler than normal, and I could smell the shock and unease coming off her. “Any kind of warning sign that would tell mages if the object is near?”

Father Calmias shook his head. “It is noiseless and odorless. Thorgana said that the victims feel a terrible nausea, but only once the damage is done. By then it is too late. She also said—” and here, his gaze turned to me, “—that if used on a shifter, it results in them permanently being fixed in their current form.”