Storm Breaking

Karal's mouth went dry, and he swallowed as a tremor of fear passed through him. How could he tell this old mage that the very last thing he wanted was to have anything to do with more magic? On the other hand, Sejanes seemed to understand how horrible it had been for him, and if there was a 'next time,' wouldn't it he better to undertake it fully prepared?' Well, sir, if I had a choice—I've done it twice, and I'd really rather not ever do it again. But if I have to, anything that would make things easier would probably be a good idea. So I guess I ought to take you up on your offer.'

The old man chuckled at his lack of enthusiasm and patted his shoulder, as if to reassure him. 'There's no shame in that reaction,' he told Karal. 'I've never Channeled, myself, but I've spoken to those who have and they would probably agree with you on both counts. I can't blame you a bit. Yet if we're going to start, I suspect we ought to do so before you lose your nerve about it. If you have some time to spare, we could begin now.'

Karal shrugged with a nonchalance he in no way felt. 'I'd rather not put it off and take a chance that I might need to channel power in the next few hours. The way my luck runs, I would need what you might have taught me if I hadn't delayed because—'

He stopped himself before he admitted how frightened he was, but Sejanes saw it anyway. He left his hand on Karal's shoulder a moment longer. 'I told you, it is no shame to be afraid, young one,' he said in a low, reassuring voice. 'Channels hold power as great as any Adept, and sometimes greater; the only difference between them is that Channels don't actually use what they carry. And perhaps that is what makes it harder for them. They are used by the power, rather than using it. What sane creature ever gives up control if he does not have to?'

Karal shuddered; he wouldn't ever want to use all that power. It would be more responsibility than he ever cared to handle under any circumstances, no matter how dire. 'That's—that's quite a thought, sir. We—we of the Sunlord give up control to Him as a matter of faith. But we are still afraid sometimes, and He only helps those who try hard to deal with difficulties themselves. And I'm afraid I don't know much about magic at all, if it comes right down to it.'

'Good. Then you have little or nothing to unlearn. And, yes, your faith will help you.' Sejanes led the way to the chamber they were using for storage, purloined a couple of empty buckets and a pair of folded blankets for cushions to sit on, and took Karal over to a quiet corner. When they had made rough stools out of the upturned buckets and rested the cushions upon them, he began. Karal experienced a disconcerting sense of familiarity and an equally disconcerting sense of disconnection; Sejanes sounded like every good teacher he had ever studied under, but the surroundings were nothing like the classrooms of the Sun-priests where he had done all that study. And if he closed his eyes, Sejanes sounded so much like Ulrich except for the accent that it was uncanny.

'Mage-power, as we know and understand it, is an energy that is given off by living things in the same way that fire gives off heat and light in the act of consuming wood,' he said, his manner easy and casual, his tone exactly the same as if he were describing the weather and not a power that could wreck kingdoms. 'It tends to want to gather together, and tends to follow well-worn paths. In that, it is more like rainwater than fire.'

'And mages can see this power?' Karal asked, though his mouth was dry with nervousness.

'That's what makes someone a mage,' Sejanes replied. 'I can see that power any time I make the effort to —and someone like Firesong has to make an effort not to see it.'

Karal glanced over at Firesong, who looked no different from any other absurdly handsome Hawkbrother, and shook his head. Seeing power all the time... was it like seeing things with an extra color added? Was it like seeing particles and waves swirling all around you like swimming underwater? And when the power got too strong, did it blind you, like looking into the sun?

'Now, the power itself obeys rules,' Sejanes continued. 'When the threadlike paths, or tiny streams, merge together enough to make them of a different magnitude of strength, we call them 'ley-lines.' These tend to be straight, at least in the short term, and that, besides strength of power, is what makes ley-lines different from the trickles that feed them.'

'Is it the strength that makes them straight?' Karal hazarded.

Sejanes looked pleased. 'We don't know for certain, but that is the theory,' he said. 'It makes sense; a trickle of water will meander more than a powerful river. We think that after a certain point, the power can cut through the world taking the shortest distance which, as Master Levy will tell you, is always a straight line.'

Karal nodded; no wonder Sejanes and Master Levy got on so well!

'Now, sooner or later, since power is attracted by power, these lines will meet. The places where two or more ley-lines meet forms something called a 'node,' where power collects.' Sejanes looked at him expectantly.

Karal hazarded another question. 'It can't collect indefinitely, though, can it?'

Sejanes looked very pleased. 'No, it can't, and it will either be used up or drain away into the Void, and we honestly don't know what happens to it after that.'

Karal seemed to recall An'desha telling him something about a third option, something that the Hawkbrothers used called a Heartstone, but that was a complication he didn't need right now. First, learn the rules, and worry about the exceptions later.

'Now—about using power,' Sejanes continued. 'Mages can use the power that they themselves produce. Mages can use the power given off by things in their immediate vicinity. Mages can also store power for later use in reservoirs; those can be available only to a single mage, or can be a group effort, built by group contributions, for as long as the group lasts.'