moment, you will be instructed to return to your dorms, and you are to remain there for the remainder of the day. I will treat very severely, anyone who flouts these orders. Do you understand?”
There were nods of silent compliance.
“Good,” said Dux, “then you will go now with your advocates. Refreshments have been laid out in your dorms. When the morning bell rings, unless you hear otherwise, you should congregate in the refectory as normal, where I will inform you of the outcome of the high council meeting. Finally, please, try not to worry too much. You can rest assured that the high council have your safety at heart, you are very much our priority.”
As he said these last words, his eyes remained solidly focussed on Rose.
Back at their dorm, Rose and the others quickly settled in around the roaring log fire. Hugging their knees, they picked at the veritable feast that had been laid out for them.
They all took up, what had become their usual positions. Auriel was curled up in the centre of the largest cushion with an enormous pile of books at her side. Picking up each one in turn, she flicked leisurely through the pages, reading through them in seconds. Ash and Lee played noisily with Sloley, while Rose and Arjan sat staring sleepily into the flickering fire. No one seemed to have much of an appetite for eating, despite having eaten nothing since breakfast.
“I guess this is it then,” said Rose turning to Arjan and breaking the uneasy silence. “This is why we are here and now we’ll be expected somehow, to sort all this out. I wish I had some idea of how we can possibly do it” she paused, taking his lack of a response for agreement. “I mean, how can we possibly take on Ka and the Djinn, when we haven’t even finished our induction classes? Surely they’d wipe us out in an instant and without even breaking into a sweat. How can Dux or anyone in fact, have any faith in us at all?”
Arjan laid a large log onto the dwindling fire.
“According to the prophecy,” he said, adding some smaller pieces of wood as the flames leapt and spit around the first. “Eldwyn the Whyte cast an incantatio that everyone, including Lord Dux, believes will enable you to combat such an occurrence. You are the incantatio’s procurator Rose, the power originates from Eldwyn, but he has chosen that it acts through you. You will know what to do when the time comes, just as you knew what to do today, when Baroque attacked you. You are the embodiment of Eldwyn Rose. People trust in you, because they have confidence in him.”
Rose frowned “You said before that the incantatio will seek me out. What did you mean; how would I even recognise it if I saw it?”
Arjan shrugged. “I, wish I could tell you that Rose. Incantatio are exceedingly rare spells, they can only be cast by very skilled and powerful wizards. To be honest, I am rather weak in Cognito, so I’ve not progressed on to the more advanced history of spells volumes.”
Auriel lifted her eyes from her book, its stream of golden, shimmering letters, falling and dissolving into the air.
“I have read quite extensively on the incantatio, actually,” she said with a hint of superiority. “The spells are usually cast in three or four parts, each of these are concealed within a different object. In the presence of a powerful ascendant, these enchanted objects emit some sort of luminosity. Apparently its pull is so irresistible that anyone with strong Magica potens, such as Mage ascendants, would be driven to possess it. However, the spell itself will only reveal itself to the incantatio’s procurator and will do so as soon as it enters their possession, provided they recount the correct command.”
Closing her book, she leant forward, warming her hands by the fire.
“As to how it seeks you out,” she said, her brow furrowing slightly, “well apparently that depends on the precognitive skills of the wizard who casts it in the first place. They have to be able to foresee a future chain of events so accurately that they can ensure that the procurator will not only encounter each object but that they will encounter them in a precise order. On the positive side Rose, after today, I don’t think that anyone can doubt the precognitive skills of Eldwyn the Whyte. So don’t worry about it, be patient, I am convinced that sooner or later, the incantatio will most certainly find you.”
“I have a suspicion that patience is not one of my strengths,” said Rose with a sigh. “Why is the incantatio broken up into pieces anyway? Why not just present it all to me in one go? Surely it would be quicker, and safer.”
“No,” said Auriel with a brief shake of her head. “It would be quicker yes, but it would be much riskier. If you receive the spell in one object, then the moment you receive it, both you and the incantatio become vulnerable. The entire spell would be revealed for all to see, and you may not have the facility to cast it right away, there may be items you would need to acquire. This way you can uncover each piece of the spell, commit them to memory and then destroy each object before you receive the next one. This method ensures that you, and only you, will know the entire spell and consequently only you can cast it.”
“It also explains,” said Rose “why the Ophites want me out of the picture. If I’m not around to cast the spell, then the spell doesn’t get cast, and Ka succeeds.”
“That’s one of the many reasons you are so valuable to us Rose.” Said Arjan, his eyes holding hers for a long moment as a soft enigmatic smile played on his lips.
A ripple of laughter broke out from Ash and Lee, who were teasing Sloley by throwing a piece of fruit to each other, just out of the little lorises reach. Consequently, the loris was becoming increasingly frustrated as he trundled between the two of them, trying in vain to catch it.
“Hey, you two,” said Auriel, with a reluctant chuckle, “don’t be so cruel.”
Laughing; they ignored her and continued with their game.
“Have you ever played Potens tag?” Arjan asked suddenly.
Lee looked up with interest, just as Ash tossed him an unusually large tayberry. It hit Lee in the face, and with some force. The red berry dropped to the ground and Sloley, clicking his tongue excitedly, picked it up and then sat nibbling contently at the soft fruit.
Lee rubbed at his stinging cheek, shooting a sideways look at Ash through narrowing eyes.
“No, Arjan,” he said, his voice terse “I haven’t. Does it involve killing anyone?”
They soon discovered that Potens tag was an extremely addictive game. It had few rules, was quick to learn, and moved at an incredible pace.
The game made use of two spells; the marking spell ‘Tago’ and the blocking spell ‘Obsepio’. Ducking and diving they raced around the room attempting to avoid or to block Ash as he tried desperately to tag someone. Chasing Auriel, Ash spun around and caught Lee unprepared.
“Tago!” shouted Ash as his hand shot out, a streak of red energy flying from his potens ring.
It hit Lee squarely in the chest before he could react. The red tag circle instantly faded from Ash’s shoulder and reformed at the centre of Lee’s chest, like the bloodstain from a mortal wound. Lee immediately attempted to tag him back.
“Obsepio!” Ash commanded, performing a faultless block.
“Very impressive, Lord Ash” No one had noticed Dux enter the room. “I see that your Magica skills are much improving.”
Out of breath and red-faced, the novices stood looking at each other apprehensively, expecting to be chastised.
A faint smile crept onto Dux’s lips.
“Sit,” he said, indicating the soft cushions surrounding the now smouldering fire.
“I am here to bring you news of the high council’s decision, which was unanimous. As it primarily involves you five, I wanted to speak to you first before I address the remainder of the novices’ tomorrow morning.”
Dux hesitated momentarily, his eyes taking in their suddenly anxious faces and finally coming to rest on Rose. Her chin was raised and her eyes were tentatively challenging, like those of a petulant child. He wondered if she had guessed at what was to come.
“
We have decided that your cell will be withdrawn from classes from tomorrow,” he said, swiftly brushing away their protests. “You will instead, receive an accelerated programme of study. This will be designed to provide you the skills we believe you will need, as quickly as possible. The programme will be overseen by me, Lord De Lille and Lord Goldin. You will also each receive additional private lessons with your potens Magisters, which will be tailored to your individual strengths and requirements.”
“Yes!” said Ash, pumping the air with his fist.
Lee lifted his eyes skyward and shook his head.
“I am not yet finished...” Dux said brusquely. “You are now under a total curfew. You will no longer be allowed to move freely within the Oratory and you must never venture outside, not for any reason. There will be two centurion guards with you at all times.”
“Are we…….. Prisoners?” asked Auriel.
His voice softened. “No, Oh no, my child of course you are not.”
His eyes creased as a sympathetic smile softened his face.
“All of these measures are for your protection, but even they may not be enough to keep you safe. I am relying on you all to be afraid, to be afraid every minute of every day, never ever become complacent because if Lord Ka is returned to these lands, then no one is safe. If he has retained the power to fractionate the vapours of ascendants, then he has the ability to