A Clash of Magics by Guy Antibes (read this if txt) 📕

“Selara, Dryden, it doesn’t matter to me who it is.” She rose on her tiptoes and gave him a tiny kiss on the cheek. “You are kind to care.” She pursed her lips. “Don’t tell Yvan I kissed you.”

“It was hardly a kiss,” Trevor said.

“You would know,” Reena said provocatively and then giggled.

The head seer was beaming. “We got it to work. I am very pleased. Now you can tell us what you were doing.”

Trevor hadn’t done much other than think of the helper’s magic and then did his communicating. Lister was still excited. “For a final try, I’d like you to transfer somewhere and communicate from there.”

Trevor looked at Reena. “Are you up to it?”

“As long as you return her intact,” Brother Yvan said.

Where did Trevor want to go? He thought for a moment. “Do you want to visit Mino

Kawis?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Reena said.

Trevor went to his room and retrieved his sword before they appeared in front of the current focus’s house in Argara. The pair of them walked to the door, and Trevor knocked.

“Focus!” the maid said, her mouth dropping open. “I thought you were in Ginster.”

“I was. Is Mino in?”

The maid ushered them in and had them sit in the sitting room. Mino showed up, still chewing on something.

“It’s too early for dinner for you, isn’t it?” Mino said. “What brings you here?” the new focus said with his mouth full.

“A test,” Reena said.

“I don’t want to take a test,” Mino immediately said.

“It is a special test for Trevor and me, but we needed a fair distance to test a communication ring,” Reena said.

“A charm?” Mino said. Interest was lighting up his eyes.

“Probably,” Trevor said. He looked at Reena. “Shall we begin?”

The experiment went flawlessly, communicating with the head seer.

“Now, let’s try Mino,” Trevor said.

Mino grinned. “What do I have to do.”

“Swallow all your food, first,” Reena said.

Mino began to masticate and finally gulped down what was left.

“Hold onto my wrist,” Trevor said.

The experiment worked to Trevor’s satisfaction, and he broke off communications with the head seer. Trevor spent the next two hours listening to Mino talk about managing King Turgul’s actions on the throne and Reena’s version of their travels to Ginster. Trevor wouldn’t have gone into such detail if he were to tell the stories, but both focuses seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was more than enough payment for Reena being a good sport about the ring trials.

Trevor and Reena teleported to his room at Collet’s headquarters. They found Brother Yvan and Volst eating dinner and joined them.

“I’m not sure Mino’s talent at receiving communications from the other ring will be particularly useful,” Volst said.

“You don’t know what will be useful and what won’t,” Brother Yvan said.

“You have a backup for me who is almost instantly available,” Reena said.

“With three more tests to go,” Trevor said.

“But the head seer said…” Volst uttered the words but then grinned. “You don’t care what Lister Vale says.”

“I do, but being prepared is important too. I’d rather have multiple backups than none. Aren’t I right, Brother Yvan?”

“You are the military man,” Brother Yvan said, neatly avoiding the question.

Chapter Ten

~

T revor visited Jilgrath after he had secured both rings and spent two hours locating Lissa, who was just returning to the inn. Custik and Glynna were out, and Lissa didn’t know where. They walked to Glynna’s house and tested the rings with Lissa.

She couldn’t use the ancient magic ring, and it seemed that no one could. Trevor had his magic-imbued sword and held it and the old magic ring while Lissa took the other and walked down the street.

“Can you hear me?” Trevor said, thinking and speaking the words at the same time.

“I can,” Lissa said. “Do you want me to say anything else?”

Trevor smiled to himself. “You can tell me that Head Seer Vale will be disappointed.”

“The head seer will be disappointed,” Lissa said. “Are we done?”

“We are,” Trevor said. He said that he was glad to see her, but the communication sputtered out. He guessed his sword had run out of power, and he stepped onto the street to wave her back.

They waited a few more minutes, holding hands in the shadows of the porch, talking about King Worto’s reaction to the exposure of Gareeze Plissaki when Glynna and Gorian walked up.

“We have a visitor!” Custik said. “Who did you bring this time?”

“Two rings,” Trevor said before describing what the seers had brought up from a vault of trinkets. He gave them to Custik, who held one in each palm.

“This one I can tell is charmed,” the magician said, looking at the new-magic ring. “This one seems dull or dead to me.”

“That one is powered by old magic.”

“The one you use?”

Trevor nodded. “I can use stored magic to use it, but the drain is fast. It didn’t even last long enough for a decent conversation,” he said.

“In a pinch, even a few words are better than none,” Glynna said.

“Lissa can be my power. I want to see if either of you can receive communications.”

When Trevor tested the pair, only Custik could use the new-magic ring, but even then, the communication was a little garbled. Neither Glynna nor Custik could give Trevor the power he needed, but Lissa could.

“Should I feel left out?” Glynna asked.

“You have a lot of people to keep you company. Volst and Brother Yvan can’t receive my messages, but Reena, Mino Kawis, Lissa, and the head seer can hear me, and I can clearly understand them.”

“You will use it for battlefield communications?” Custik asked.

“I’m not sure,” Trevor said. “If the head seer wants to keep apprised of