Chapter 15
Lester: “swaddled with darkness”
“All the 'magic' I know,” said Xander, “is accomplished through the use of one or more of pathspace (the space of paths), spinspace (the space of spins), and tonespace (the space of energy). Each of these is the application of infinite-dimensional space in which certain forms are embedded. The forms and their embedding determine all of the available “knots” in n+1 dimensional spacetime. They are like simple machines, such as the inclined plane, the screw, and the lever, which are combined appropriately to form more complex technology.”
“We shall begin with pathspace – the space of paths.”
“That sounds redundant,” said Les. “Having a space of paths sounds a little like having a liquid of wetness.”
“I am the one giving the training,” said Xander. “Therefore we shall use my terminology for the convenience of the instructor. Allow me to explain. In order for an object to move in a path, there must be space for the path to exist in. The space containing all possible paths is therefore called pathspace.
“To use pathspace is to employ a particular way of looking at the world, especially the local region of spacetime. When mind embraces its interaction with space, time and matter, amazing things can be accomplished. Like making or fixing the Gifts of the Tourists.”
“But how do you 'use' pathspace?”
“It is a matter,” said Xander, “of visualizing what path-probabilities you want to emphasize. All paths are potential, of course, but only one path exists at any particular time and position. Every point is a position, therefore the set of configurations is the set of all paths going through all points at all moments on all timelines.”
“I still don't see anything practical in all this.”
“Do you remember how I vanished, back at the inn?”
“I remember that you sent me off for more ale to distract me. I was sure you'd left.”
“It is a thing done with pathspace,” he said. “Do you know how vision works? Bits of light energy, which the ancients called photons, bounce off objects and fly into your eye, where they strike nerves that can detect their presence. You cannot see in total darkness, for there are no visible photons to sense. You also cannot see objects behind walls. I could have hidden myself in a sack, but you and the soldiers would have seen the sack.”
“What I don't understand,” Lester told him, “is why you bothered to disappear, if you were going to let them find you eventually and return you to the Governor.”
“What I actually did,” said Xander, ignoring him, “was to alter the pathspace around my body so that the bits of light flew around me instead of bouncing off me. I was still there, in the corner, but no one could see me. I was also in darkness myself, since the photons were avoiding me so I had none to see with.”
“How did you do that?”
“The region of deflection can be woven in several ways. I chose a simple floor-to-ceiling cylinder. Of course, I had to leave the table or distortions would have given me away.”
“And you were blind all the time you were invisible?”
“That's the price for dodging the light. It dodges you right back.” The old wizard put an apple on the table. “Watch,” he said.
After a few moments the apple disappeared. “It is still there,” he remarked, and guided Lester until he found himself looking down from above it. And there it was. “This time I used a shorter cylinder, so you can manage to look into it from above. Smaller concealments are easier because there is less imagining work to do to weave the pathspace. Now please sit down again.”
Lester resumed his former seated position. After a moment the apple appeared again.
Xander pushed his chair back. “Now you are going to try it. This will be your first bit of the magic.”
“I don't see how I am supposed to be able to affect the pathspace, as you call it.”
“That's a discussion for another time,” Xander told him. “Suffice it to say that when your mind visualizes the way you want it to be, as opposed to the way it is now, there will be an exchange of information between your mind and the universe, and it will have the effect of persuading the manifest pathspace configuration to align itself with what you are imagining. The more that you believe it will work, the more effect you will have on the pathspace.”
Lester tried to fathom those sentences. The first was a random stew of words, but at least the second was straightforward, and he saw a problem right away. “How am I supposed to believe something will happen that I've never done before?”
Xander grinned at that. “That, lad, is the trick of it. I won't lie to you, it will be hard at first. But as you succeed you will find it easier to believe, and your power will get stronger. You've already seen that I can do it. So you do know that it is possible. I learned the same way you are going to learn. The key is the connection between your mind and the universe of configurations, and living around the coldbox and the everflame back at your father's inn has already made it possible – by exposing your mind to it.”
Lester tried to concentrate on the apple, imagining a cylinder around it that made the light avoid it. At first nothing seemed to be happening. Grimacing, he tried to let the frustration go and tried again. For a moment the apple became a little transparent – he was seeing through it a little. As soon as he noticed this, however, he was distracted by it and the apple became opaque again. But that didn't matter. He had done it, even though only a little!
“You almost had it,” Xander commented. “It looked like we were seeing through it, because some of the light reflecting off the table behind it was going around the apple and reaching our eyes, as if it wasn't in the way. You see – you can do it. From now on it's just a matter of doing a better job, and then fixing it so it stays invisible when you stop concentrating.”
“How do I do that? Make it stay that way when I'm not working on it?”
“By imagining that it will – visualizing it as permanent. I can't describe it exactly, of course, but that doesn't matter. You'll get the hang of it, without knowing how you are doing it. And when you can do that, well, then we can move on to other things.”
Lester was still staring at the apple. “Other things?”
“You'll also learn about spinspace and tonespace. They are handled in a similar way, by visualizing what you want and letting the configuration adjust itself to match. But before you can learn about them, you need to master pathspace. I always begin with teaching pathspace, and the first application is always this cloaking spell.”
“Why?” said Les, looking up from the apple to the wizard's face.
“Because there are people who do not like wizards,” said Xander. “And sometimes even the best of us may need to hide, to stay alive.”