33

Chapter 31

"This will be far easier, and more effective, if you can convert your mana to my aspect." I was instructing Myta well away from our companions. I'd called us to a halt early, specifically so that we could prepare to put our plan into action. If our fighters could be enhanced, we would have a significant advantage when facing the forces of the Pure. And we needed every advantage we could get. Ket had located a few of their camps scattered about, but couldn't see or sense the inhabitants without crossing their wards. Something that might immediately alert the Pure to her presence.

"You've talked about converting aspects before, I know. Find the similarities, feel out a path between them, visualize the transformation, then don't release the mana until I'm ready to lose it." Myta ran through the overview, and then smirked at me. "But it would help, master, if I knew what your aspect was."

I paused, my brow furrowing. "I've used my mana on you daily, for weeks now. How can you not know what it is?"

"Because it doesn't make any sense? When I call on my own aspect, or touch other aspects in the world, they're easy to understand. Fire is fire, I can feel the heat, smell it. Yours is... something else. Something different."

"My aspect is a little more conceptual," I nodded slowly." I suppose I should have expected that."

"Conceptual?"

"I've told you before that everything has an aspect. Objects, events, emotions. Even ideas have an aspect." I scanned the surroundings with my spiritual sight again, just to make sure that no one was spying on us. "My aspect is an idea, an ideal really. That of refinement."

"As in, refining metal?" She asked, looking a bit perplexed.

"Yes, but it encompasses more than that." I paused, trying to decide how best to explain. "When I was young, my teachers were obsessed, or at least very focused, on the idea of perfection. And especially of the perfect aspect. But that never made much sense to me, perfect changes all the time."

"I understand that," Myta nodded. "We talk about that in combat training. You must choose the correct action for your situation and goals. You might find a perfect action in any specific circumstance, but there's no action that is perfect for every situation."

"Exactly." I grinned. "Most of the sorcerers seeking perfection tried to expand their aspects, farther and farther. Just as I have been teaching you to do. They felt that the broader their aspect was, the closer it would be to 'perfect'. Others tried to develop some aspect that they in particular felt was the closest thing to perfection."

"But we're not talking about them." My vas gave me a wry look.

"No." I quirked a smile, but couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of it. "No one does. I picked a different path than most, I thought that if perfect always changes, why not focus on the change? The process of becoming closer to perfect all the time?"

"I'm not really sure how that applies to metallurgy." She raised a brow at me.

"Refining metal is the process of making it useful for smithing, yes? Usually it means removing impurities, but sometimes it adds them, combining the best qualities of component parts. For me, refinement is the process of transforming one thing into a better, more useful thing. It's an ongoing effort, which constantly changes to suit your needs."

"I... think I understand, master."

"Good," I nodded. It did no good to dwell on whether she did or not. The entire point of the exercise was to see if she could call on my aspect as easily as I called on hers. Well, perhaps not quite that easily. I was already familiar with converting aspects after all, and mine was not an easy one.

"You have a leg up in this," I said. "Fire is already an aspect that lends itself to transformation well. When you form your intent, focus on the way that fire can change and purify what it touches. That's you way in."

Nodding absently, already focused on her task, Myta focused her presence in her right palm. Visually there was nothing to see, but to my spiritual eye her efforts were clear. First her mana took on the quality of soot, then it shifted to the feeling of comfort a lot hearth brought to a cold home. She was calling on the individual changes that fire could bring, which was good, but the next step was harder. Now she had to bridge the gap between the individual changes that fire could make, and the idea of fire as a force for change. I let her work at it for perhaps half an hour, before deciding to give her an extra nudge.

"Try thinking of this from another direction instead." I told her. "Think of a time when something fundamental in your own life changed. Then see if you can imagine that change as a fire, sweeping through your life. Ideally a good change."

"I might be able to think of something that matches that description," she quipped, meeting my gaze. When I didn't say anything she snorted, closing her eyes again to concentrate.

The difference was immediate, and palpable. Myta had once described feeling my needs as though there were an almost physical presence next to her, like a boulder she could sense even though she couldn't see it. Now I understood what she meant, and I had a a little more perspective on it. Her will pressed against mine through our bond, not in a contest of any sort, but as though she were leaning against me for support. It was a comfortable sensation, like when she leaned close to me while we sat at the fire together, companionable and affectionate.

Her presence flared, transforming in an instant from lively orange red to argent fire. When I tested it, I found that she had taken a conceptual leap forward in transforming her aspect. Normally these shifts happened one small stage at a time, but she had found her way to something very close to my aspect of refinement. A transformative fire, a catalytic flame.

It wasn't restricted to her hand, either. Her entire presence had transformed, although her internal mana was unchanged. If her internal mana had somehow been affected, I had no idea what the consequences might have been. Changing their presence required a sorcerer to think in different ways, but changing your internal aspect required a much more fundamental shift. Only the dramatic change I'd just seen made me even consider the possibility, but the threat of altering someone's personality was one of the things that made soul sorcerers so feared.

"Well. I'd call that a great success." I swallowed, to soothe my dry throat. "As long as you can maintain that transformation, and your intent, at the same time."

Myta looked at me with concerned eyes. She had felt my wild tumult of emotions; from surprise, to excitement, worry, and finally relief. Even if she didn't quite understand the reason for all of them. I squeezed her shoulder.

"Everything is fine, my flame. But experimenting with things we don't fully understand always carries risks. When the unexpected happens... We'll, I was worried for you."

"I'm fine, master." She grinned at me. "At least, I think I'm fine. You might have to check more thoroughly to make sure."

"I'll give you a full examination later." I smirked a little as I replied. "For now, you'll need to practice a spell to temper the anima of the fighters, and we need to find out who is willing to risk it. As well as deciding who we want to go first."

"About that," she bit her lip "I asked around while we were traveling today. All the fighters have volunteered to be in the test, so we have our pick. But Denu and Cata asked to be included as well."

"Cata should be fine." I said. "He's got ambition, and I think he's half hoping I'll apprentice him after this, with the way he's been hovering around us and asking questions. Denu is another matter. She's too young to be judging such risks."

"Fifteen is old enough." Myta scoffed. "At that age she's ripe for marriage, and she already sees plenty of risk traveling with her mother. Just because you're older than the entire group combined doesn't make us all children. If her mother didn't trust her judgement, she wouldn't be here."

I had to admit that was true. Families in Ramana would often begin arranging marriage at about that age, hoping to take greatest advantage of a woman's child-bearing years. It didn't sit quite right with me, but Myta was right. I was fairly sure this would be safe, and the girl was already risking bodily harm or worse.

"Fair enough," I replied. "In a way that works out well. We're best served by a mix of experience and spiritual strength anyway. I thought Hati could serve as the high end. She's handled sparring against you the best, and has been the most eager to do so. Denu and Cata can be the low end. Pick two others and we'll have our test group."

With that sorted, we spent the remainder of the day practicing. My vas focused blasts of silver flame at me again and again. I was the perfect training dummy for this the strength of my spirit allowed me to shrug off the effects when she accidentally hit me with regular fire, and I was able to judge the effect of her spell firsthand.

By the time that I judged her ready, it was time to retire for the night. Tomorrow, we would begin our experiment.

Chapter 32

One of Bani's torrential summer thunderstorms hit us that night. While not as steady or persistent as the rains of spring and fall, they brought the risk of flash floods, as well as turning the already humid air into a nearly intolerable sauna. Fortunately, we had planned for this, seeking out dense groves with thick canopies to rest each night. While we were uncomfortable and wet, the storm posed no true danger.

By dawn we were all tired and irritable. People snapped at one another, and even Ita and Ina picked up the mood, threatening to kick anyone other than me who came near them. My goats were generally far better behaved, whatever the conditions. It was only people that made them so surly.

"I'll pass out some tak leaf," I told Myta, while we prepared breakfast. "I brought it for emergencies, but with our plans this qualifies. We need everyone to be alert today."

She simply nodded to chivvying the group into motion. Both of us were in far better shape of course, our stronger spirits helped to offset the lack of sleep. Still, we weren't immune to fatigue, and a miserable mood was contagious. I broke out my satchel of tak, offering a single leaf to everyone. Not a single person turned it down, it was just that kind of morning.

Somewhat refreshed, Myta mustered her troops after breakfast. She confirmed the willingness of each of our selected volunteers, and then organized everyone else. We needed guards to defend all the participants of our impromptu tempering ritual, and she selected one squad for the purpose. Everyone else was set to either foraging, or maintaining our gear. Enhanced materials like mana wood, river steel, and spirit leather might not care about the humidity; but we had plenty of other items and perishables that could be ruined. When everyone was settled, we gathered together for the main event.

"Now, this may be painful, or it might just feel strange," I said to the assembled group. "As I said before, Mytan will be putting pressure on your spirit. The more you can withstand it, the more benefit you will gain. You don't want to fight her, however. Think of this like resistance training, don't attack her, but try to push her back."

Everyone nodded. This wasn't the first time I'd said as much this morning, but I was struggling to contain my nervousness. Performing a new spell always carried risk, and my vas was a new sorcerer. I worried that if something went wrong she would blame herself. My worry did her no good, however. I took a few calming breaths, stilling my mind as Hati came forward. She sat on the tarp that we had prepared, kneeling on the oilcloth.

The sergeant was a brick of a woman; tall, broad, and muscular. I'd gotten the impression she was once a mercenary, and joined the guard looking for opportunities to improve her skills. Tarun had told me that she didn't have the temperament for strategy or tactics. As a sergeant however, she was ideal. With a rough-hewn charisma and her force of arms, she easily commanded respect from her men. Her stubborn and straightforward nature were so strong that I could detect a weak earth aspect even in her clouded anima.

As I'd instructed her, Myta extended her presence. She draped it over Haiti's much smaller presence like a shroud. Flaring in argent flame my vas began to squeeze, clamping down on the other woman, forcing her presence down. This caused the sergeant's mana to condense within her spirit body.

I made a small noise of satisfaction. The first step was complete, with no issues. Compressing another's spirit was normally quite difficult. Unless you shared the same aspect the differing types of mana would clash, with both presences dispersing. That was why my own aspect was so well suited to spirit work. I hadn't yet found a type of mana that I could not manipulate to at least some degree. While not exactly the same as mine, Myta's borrowed aspect fulfilled the same purpose.

Hati was sweating, and her expression was strained. With no experience in manipulating mana at all, I could only imagine how unnerving the sensation must be for her. Still, I sensed her mana begin to stir, pressing back against Myta's presence just a little. That meant it was time for the next stage.

My vas began to put a little extra pressure on the larger woman's anima, pushing against the node at her root. This was the node that most sorcerers focused on first, and I thought that enhancing a normal person in the same way would be wise. The root spoke to one's sense of self, and certainty in life. Enhancing it provided increased stamina, and willpower. Hati was slow to respond to the increased pressure, and when she did her response was erratic. Mana stuttered and flared erratically through her channels, and Myta struggled to maintain her even pressure in response. Too much pressure could crumple Hati's anima inward, warping it. Not enough, and the other woman might rupture her own spirit from within.

"Calm yourself, sergeant. Focus on where she's pressing against you. No need to panic like that." I put a little amusement in my voice, knowing it would annoy her. Better for her to be annoyed than afraid. My ploy worked, and her eyes opened enough to glare at me. Meanwhile the surges in her spirit began to smooth out. With a growl she visibly relaxed, forcing her muscles to unclench. Likewise, her spirit calmed, and her mana focused at her root. Soon, Hati's anima there began to condense and purify, throwing out bursts of waste. Anima that didn't quite match her core self dissolved into intensely aspected mana. It spurted away from her spirit body like juice bursting from a crushed orange, passing through Myta's presence as though it wasn't even there.

That was a surprise, although I supposed it shouldn't have been. Whenever I performed any similar work, I would take in that mana and store it. Converting it for my own use later. Myta had no practice doing that, and I hadn't been prepared to capture the wayward energy. I extended my own presence now, belatedly attempting to do just that. It took only a few moments before I was able to get a veil around the two women thick enough to catch the waste. By then however, it was already too late.

"Prepare for an attack!" I snapped out. The guards, and those who were still waiting, all became focused and alert. They looked around in confusion, not knowing what they were looking for. Unfortunately our need for a stable area meant that trees crowded thickly around us, impeding our sight lines. I waved over the squad leader, a tall man that I thought was named Jeto. He came over to me without question, for which I was grateful. I was well aware that some of these men barely knew me. Fortunately the respect they had for Myta seemed to carry over.

"Jeto, we may be attacked by awakened beasts." I said without preamble. "It's impossible to say for sure, but if there are any such predators or scavengers near, they will come. And none of us," I gestured to include myself, Myta, and Hati "are in a position to help."

He smiled briefly. "It's Jito, sir. I'll organize our defense. Not wasting any more time on me, he moved off to alert the other warriors. They were nervous at first, but when nothing actually happened we all began to relax, and I turned my attention back to the ritual.

Hati was grimacing now, and soaked in sweat. Myta had finished purifying her root, and had moved on to the sacral node. I examined the sergeant's root carefully, or tried to at least. I wasn't able to see much of anything through Myta's presence, and I didn't want to risk disrupting her concentration by borrowing her senses. I'd just need to wait to see the results. I'd guessed that Hati would only have enough mana to last through two nodes anyway, anima was forged from mana, after all. When Hati ran too low to press back against Myta's spirit, the ritual would be complete.

Against my expectations, Myta progressed to a third node, but as she did so I was distracted by the bleating of my goats. They were letting out harsh warning cries, putting everyone on edge. I had begun to think that we had escaped attention from my earlier mistake, but there were clearly predators approaching our position. With a mental whisper, I commanded Myta to focus, as her attention had begun to waver. Disrupting her spell mid-node would be disastrous for Hati.

Turning my spiritual gaze outward, I quickly found the issue.

"Jito!" I called. "Above us, in the canopy. A swarm of beasts, coming from the west." Beyond my warning, I couldn't currently do too much. I absolutely needed to contain any further releases of decaying anima, and their unpredictability required my full attention. We certainly couldn't afford to attract even more awakened beasts. Under the squad leader's direction the available fighters pulled in close. With enemies in the canopy, they could drop right on top of Myta and Hati.

Jito assigned two of his men to stand over us, and try to keep any leaping enemies from landing directly on us. Denu also stayed as close as possible, rapidly stringing her bow. The remaining fighters formed a ring around us. Fortunately, between Jito's squad and the remaining men who were waiting for their turn at the ritual, there were spaced closely enough to cover one another.

There was little I could do but hold to my task, as guttural shrieks began to echo from the canopy.

Chapter 33

The beasts came on suddenly, leaping from the canopy as we'd feared. Some kind of lizard, each roughly the size of a smaller dog, each was perhaps five to ten pounds in weight. Individually they would be no threat, of course, but there were dozens flying from the branches above. Whatever aspect they had developed allowed them to share their mana, which made the swarm highly dangerous. Fortunately they didn't seem terribly intelligent, or focused.

Had the creatures launched themselves at our vulnerable en masse, we wouldn't have stood a chance. Myta's concentration would have broken, potentially shattering Hati's spirit. As it was, five came leaping directly at us. Three were intercepted by our dedicated protectors. Their bodies falling in pieces around me, showering us in blood and rent flesh. A severed head bounced off my shoulder, smaller than my clenched fist. It was colored brilliant orange, frilled, and with protruding eyes like those of a chameleon. Its mouth gaped open in death, with multiple rows of jagged teeth gleaming wetly in the emerald light of the forest. Jaws like that would make for brutal wounds, prone to infection and scarring.

Denu shot another of our attackers out of the air, either an incredible shot or an incredible stroke of luck. The last landed on Myta, and immediately latched onto her arm. Fortunately her armor resisted its fangs, but it scrabbled at her with its claws. Climbing up toward her neck and looking for a softer target. The other warriors wouldn't be able to easily dispose of the creature, so I seized control of her mana, freeing her to defend herself.