So; as long as there wasn't any active magic-casting within the borders, the protections they had relied on weren't working anymore.
Or else there were now mages who were stronger than the protections, so long as they worked from outside.
And, without a doubt, Ancar had figured that out, too.
Furthermore, no matter how powerful the protections were, unless they were caused by some deity or other-which Elspeth very much doubted-they could be broken altogether, instead of merely circumvented.
And when-not if, but when-Ancar accomplished that, they were going to be as helpless as a mouse beneath the talons of a predator.
As if to underscore that, Elspeth heard the call of an owl, somewhere out in the gardens.
Someone was going to have to find a mage-preferably a very powerful mage, one who wouldn't suffer from whatever had kept the Skybolts' mages out-and bring him to Valdemar.
That was going to take a lot of money, persuasion, or both. The first they had-or could get. The second just required the right person. Someone who was experienced in diplomacy and negotiation.
Or, failing being able to bring someone in, a Herald was going to have to learn magic herself.
That's it, she decided. that's what I need to do-find a mage and bring him in. I'm the perfect instrument for the job. Or learn magic; Kero says there are some things-according to her grandmother-that just need a trained will. I've certainly got that.
And as for where to find a mage-I think I know just the place to start.
This time Elspeth called the meeting, at breakfast, in her mother's suite. She hoped to catch her in a malleable mood-which she often was in the early morning. Not that Elspeth enjoyed being up that early; on the whole, she preferred never to have to view the sunrise.
But for a good cause, she'd sacrifice a bit of sleep.
She stated her case as clearly and logically as possible, before Selenay had finished her muffins, but after she'd had her first two cups of tea.
She'd thought about her presentation very carefully; why someone had to go chasing mages, and why that someone had to be her. Then she sat back and waited for her answer.
She has to agree. There's no other choice for us.
'No,' Selenay stated flatly. 'It's not possible.' For a moment she was taken aback, but she rallied her defenses, thought quickly and plowed gamely onward. 'Mother, I don't see where there's any choice,' Elspeth replied, just as firmly as her mother. 'I've told you the facts. Kero backs up my guesses about what's likely to happen, and she's the best tactician we have. And Alberich backs her up. The three of us have talked this over a lot.'
'I don't-' Selenay fell strangely silent, looking troubled and very doubtful. Elspeth followed up her advantage. I can't give her a chance to say anything. Look at her hands, she's clutching things again. It's conflict between being a mother and the ruler. I think I can convince the Council, but I have to convince her before I convince the Council.
'We can't do this on our own anymore; we have to have help. We have to have a mage-'Adept-class,' is what Kero says. Someone who can work around whatever it is that keeps active mages out. We have to find someone like that who is willing not only to help us but to teach Heralds if he can.'
'I don't see why-' Selenay began. 'We've managed all right until now. Why can't the Gifts provide an adequate defense? They've worked so far.
'Mother, believe me, there hasn't been a real trial of them,' Elspeth countered. 'I've listened to Kero's stories, and frankly they won't hold against a real effort by several mages. I'll tell you what, I suspect that we have people capable of becoming mages. The Chronicles all talk about a'Mage-Gift' just as if it were something like-oh, Firestarting; rare, but not unusual. I don't think it's been lost. I think that we've just forgotten how to tell what it is, and how to train it. But to do that, we need a mage. A good one. And Kero says that all the good teachers are Adept-class.'
'Even if all that is true,' Selenay said, after a long silence, her hands clenched around her mug. 'Why should you be the one to go?'
'Well, for one thing, I've got Crown powers. When I find a mage we can trust, I can offer him anything reasonable-and I know what's reasonable; Kero's briefed me on hiring mages. For another-I'm not indispensable.
