Amber's Enchantment Ch. 03

Vesti ran his hand across the fabric covering the doorway of the building, causing light to ripple on the other side, announcing the presence of a visitor. Tewant brushed the curtain aside after several seconds. "Master Vesti. Can I do anything for you?"

"I need to see your Mistress, now. It's a matter of great importance."

Tewant looked at the basket, recognizing it. "Yes, Master. If you'll come in, I'll let Mistress know you're here." A short while later, Tewant returned. "Master, if you'll follow me, Mistress will see you in the garden."

The slave led Vesti up a spiral ramp to the roof of the house where Melan's fungal garden was located. Red, green and blue mushrooms grew to heights of three to four feet amid the yellow moss bed. With his wizard's ability to see mana flows, the garden was even more lovely as streams of rainbow colors flowed among the fungi and the soil they were growing out of a path wound it's way through the lovely growths, affording the visitor a view of most of the garden by the time they'd reached a small sitting area. The leader of Clan Lustren was sitting in a low chair, her feet resting on an ottoman.

"Vesti, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't think you'd have the items identified so quickly."

"I haven't; not entirely. Madam Lustren, where did you obtain these devices?" Vesti's voice was clipped and his expression hard and unsmiling, his tension clear to anyone with eyes or ears.

Melan frowned, unused to being asked questions in such a terse manner. "I'm not sure that's any of your business, wizard; but if you must know, I obtained them from a merchant. They were quite expensive."

"I'm not surprised. I've never encountered such a dangerous device before. What merchant family sold these to you?"

"I'm afraid I can't divulge that information. It's a new clan, very small, that plans on specializing in specialty items. They're concerned about being ground out of business by the larger clans. What makes these things so dangerous?"

Vesti sighed, not knowing if he could explain the true significance of them to her. "One of the devices activated while I was examining it. My slave was nearly killed."

Melan interrupted him with, "Pshah, slaves can't be killed."

"That's not my point," he returned through clenched teeth. "If she hadn't been a slave, with her collar protecting her, she would be dead right now. But," he added with a hand raised, forestalling her new interruption, much to her dismay, "even more disturbing is how she would have died. The device attempted to pull all the mana out of her body."

"Fascinating," she mused, confirming to Vesti that she didn't understand the ramifications of what the thing did.

"No, not fascinating," Vesti interrupted, his voice rising. "Disturbing, very disturbing. What it tried to do is supposed to be impossible. Magic can't remove the mana from anything. It manipulates mana, moves it to create the desired effects. Everything in the world has mana, if only in minute amounts in some cases. If there was something without mana in it, magic would be unable to affect it directly." Unable to remain still in the face of his rising emotional state, Vesti began to pace while his hands gestured wildly. "It wouldn't be alive, it wouldn't be dead; it would be...something not alive or dead; I don't know, unalive, undead? Where did these devices come from?" His final question was punctuated with his finger jabbing at Melan.

"Control yourself, Vesti!" the woman commanded, her own voice rising, while her body barely resisted the urge to rise with it. "I'll not be address in that way, not in my own house and lands. I promised the clan that their existence and identity would be kept secret, and I intend to keep my word."

Vesti took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. While the wizard's guild and the royal families are theoretically equal in power on Destran, a single wizard could not confront the leader of a royal family and expect to survive politically or professionally. "Can you at least tell me what they were intended to be used for?"

"I supposed that would be fine. I wanted something more effective to deal with ore rats," she explained, referring to the bane of her family's existence. Ore rats (not really rats, actually) were native animals that infested veins of louvet. During the burning times, they nearly overran the veins, making mining the ore very dangerous (they attacked when disturbed, and while one could be dealt with effectively by a miner's pick, the swarms encountered during the burning times were uncontrollable).

Vesti stared at her for a minute, scowling as he did. "You didn't trust your supplier, did you? If you had, you'd have simply used these things on the rats."

Shaking her head, she replied, "No, that's not exactly it. We weren't told the devices would kill the rats. They're supposed to be used on the veins themselves. He called it a treatment that would cause the rats to go elsewhere."

"That doesn't make se...No, it just might in some convoluted way. Does your supplier know why louvet is mined?"

"I don't know. I assumed everyone's familiar enough with alchemy to know what louvet is."

"You'd be surprised," Vesti muttered under his breath. "You can't use these on the veins. They apparently remove mana from what they're used on. It's the mana in louvet that makes it valuable for alchemy. Strip the mana away, and while you may have rat free mining, you'll also have a worthless product. Next time, if you're insistent on dealing with whoever this is, ask for something to kill the rats, not just deal with the problem."

"I see. What do I do with these," she asked, pointing at the devices in the basket.

"As long as you don't use them on anything, it doesn't matter. Personally, I'd destroy them. I would like one to send back to the guild for study. These could revolutionize magical theory."

"Absolutely not. I paid good money for these and I want that money back. I intend to return them to the merchant."

Vesti nodded. "Is there anything else, ma'am?"

"No, you can go."

Vesti made his way back to his quarters, thinking on what he'd learned. While it wasn't uncommon for new merchant clans to try to strike out on their own, it was very unusual for one to do so during the burning times. The ability to bring new and unique products to the market simply didn't exist. The tunnels and caves that made survival during these 50 years of inhospitality on the surface were thoroughly explored. There was nothing new to be found here; nothing a new clan could make its stake with.

However, if this clan had a wizard that had learned how to do the impossible, it might be able to make its name on the basis of new and unique magic. What bothered Vesti was just what this new magic seemed to be capable of. Everything in the world had mana, even if the concentrations were small enough that it took special vision enhancing magic to see it. The idea of mana-less things, or worse, mana-less life, bothered Vesti in ways he couldn't explain. The more he tried to imagine life without mana, the worse he felt.

"Welcome back, Mas..." Amber paused, seeing the look of worry, no, more like fear, on her Master's face. "Master, is something wrong? Is there anything I can do?"

Vesti shook his head, clearing the rambling thoughts form his head. "I'm sorry, Amber. Are you okay? Are you feeling strange in any way?"

"No, Master. Should I?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm just concerned about what that device may have done. Stand still for right now. I want to examine you magically."

Amber did as he told her and Vesti started going through motions that Amber now recognized as the casting of a magic spell. An orange colored field grew up around Amber, though she couldn't feel anything. While she looked at it with curiosity, Vesti studied the pulsing colors that appeared to his sight. This spell was one designed to show the functioning of the internal parts of a person's body were doing. From what he could see in the spell, Amber's body was a normal human body, with only those slight alterations caused by the constant operation of the collar on her.

As he studied her, he realized that he lacked a crucial piece of knowledge; he didn't know how her body operated before the accident. He wondered if the bright center she used to have was significant in some way. As rare as it was, Vesti doubted he'd have another chance to study such a phenomena again. He was beginning to regret the standard courtesy he'd extended House Grantlo by not examining the slave magically.

Letting the field drop, he reassured Amber, "Everything seems normal, Amber. You collar seemed to protect you from any harm. Is the workroom back in order?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good, why don't you fix dinner and, if I feel up to it, we can play a bit."

"Of course, Master," she answered with a sly grin. As she walked to the kitchen area, she gave her hips an extra wiggle to encourage him to feel up to it.

*****

The dwarf, Napure, carefully measured the Jolis root, seemingly oblivious to the rocking of the Yeltin. Smiling at the perfect measurement, he sprinkled the powdered plant material over the liquid in the beaker. The mixture started turning the green color he expected where the root touched the water. As flecks of the powder sank into the liquid, the green coloration, the sign of a successful mix of wound close, extended itself as well. The portable tabletop he was working on remained unmoving, even when the yeltin stomped its feet in frustration at the periodic delays caused by the start and stop of two clans passing through one of the narrower intersections in the tunnels between caves. Contrary to what an observer might expect, the desk wasn't enchanted. Instead, its very construction was designed to hold it steady against the motion beneath it. Being a species incapable of true magic lead the dwarves to compensate in those areas they were capable of; such as alchemy and the building of things.

Where a person from another race might have used a magical device to draw off the completed potion, Napure used a simple hollow glass tube that trapped the fluid when one end was covered. Once he'd transferred the liquid to the vials for storage, he placed the beaker back over the portable stove to dry the jolis root. The vials went into his storage case, making the fourth row of vials stored there. Tugging absentmindedly at his beard, Napure muttered to himself. "I wasn't ready to believe it myself, but Heversham was right. The differences are enough to change the potion's effectiveness."

He continued to study the four rows of vials, all different in coloration. One of the sets was green, though a different shade than the one he'd just completed. The other two, however, were yellow and red. He wasn't sure, without testing on a living creature, just what the other two would do, but they certainly wouldn't stop bleeding. The reddish batch disturbed him the most. Red potions, while not universally poisonous, were frequently a form of magical poison (most used to kill vermin). He shuddered to think of that batch being applied to someone's wound.

Seeing that his yeltin had reached a wider section of tunnel, he prodded the six legged beast to go faster and to the right, passing the ones in front of him. The scraggly haired animal responded to the prodding and crouched down to increase it speed. Minutes later, a rap on the horns slowed it down so that it paced the yeltin Heversham was riding.

"Merchant, I've completed my experiments. The results are not pleasing."

"I didn't think they would be. What can you tell me?"

"If someone uses the guide the guild provides, the potions will do what they're supposed to do, but not as well as a potion made using what we suspect the guild uses for a guide, with its more accurate mana counts," the dwarf commented, referring to how the Wizard's Guild insisted that their Alchemist's Guide to Reagents and Mana be replaced every 50 years. Heversham's scribe, Brotin, discovered that the data in the guide changed every 50 years, explaining why the Guild was so insistent on collecting older copies. The fact that everyone else had outdated copies of the manual explained why guild potions were always of superior quality.

Napure continued with, "Older versions will be even worse. I can't be sure until I test it, but a potion made using a 150 year old guide may well be poisonous instead of curative. I've only tried to make a would close potion so far, so I can't say what would happen with other potions; it could take years to test every potion recipe. What we need is a theoretical alchemist. I'm merely a practical one."

"In other words, only the wizard's guild itself could predict the results of an old guide being used."

"No, there are other options. I used to have an associate, years ago, who studied theoretical alchemy. He could read a recipe and tell you what the results would be in a matter of minutes." Napure paused for a minute, deep in thought. "This would explain much," he whispered to himself.

"What would explain what?" Heversham asked.

"Oh, this guide thing. Colrit used to complain that alchemy was a predictable unpredictability. When I asked what he meant, he said the rules changed from time to time. This," he growled, raising the multiple copies of An Alchemist's Guide to Reagents and Mana, "would explain why that was so. We used to think he was nuts, but he was never wrong about potions."

"Would this Colrit be willing to work for the clan?"

"Maybe, if..." Napure paused, unsure of how to put his thoughts.

"If what? Is he not trustworthy?" Heversham asked with a smile at the mere idea of a dwarf one couldn't trust.

"Funny man," Napure growled, his smile the only thing indicating he took the comment in the spirit it was intended. "No, it's just, Colrit was old when I knew him. He may well have died in the years since. If he were still around, the ancient fossil, he'd leap at the chance to prove his theories."

"Find out, will you? I can't shake the feeling that there's trouble brewing on Destran. As much as I'd like to have it otherwise, it's only a matter of time before this all comes out. The wizard's guild will not be happy, nor will anyone else. We're about to enter troubled times, my friend, seriously troubled ones."

"Human, you seemed to have invoked that old Fairy curse upon us. We best be thinking like the lizards, whose word for crisis and opportunity are one and the same."

"Too true, my Dwarven friend, far too true."

*****

Melan Lustren instructed Trewant to wait outside the secret room. The door, which had been impossible to see just seconds ago, swung silently on its hinges, letting the leader of the Lustren family into the darkened interior. The only light came from a trio of scented candles set in a small candelabra on the table in the center of the room. The shape on the other side of the table rustled without a sound. Melan thought yet again how much the trader's silence reminded her of the dead.

"We need to talk," she said, her voice firm and commanding.

The shape spoke, it's voice no louder than a rasping whisper, yet clear as a bell in Melan's ears. "Then speak, mistress. Do you have need of something new from us?"

"No...yes...the devices you sold me; they won't do. You didn't tell me they would strip the mana from the louvet. How can anyone use a manaless substance to make potions?"

"You did not tell...me...that the ore was needed for its mana. I...assumed the rats were simply a physical danger to your people," pausing briefly at each self referencing word. There was no accusation or malice in its words, yet Melan couldn't shake the feeling that the trader was laughing at her in some way.

"I had assumed that you would simply give me something to kill the rats effectively with."

"I...see. You wish to kill the rats. That is a simple matter. I...assume you wish to not kill your people at the same time?"

Melan was slightly disturbed by the utter lack of sarcasm in the question. She nodded, then remembering the trader's unwillingness to acknowledge non-verbal communication, added, "Yes, you assume correctly."

"I...can provide you with candles, that when burned, have killed any small creatures nearby, but leave the larger ones such as yourself unharmed. Will that be satisfactory?"

"Yes, very much so. How small of a creature will be killed by the smoke?"

"Any being of less than one fifth part of your weight will be killed. I...have expected the usual payment."

Melan winced at the strange sentence construction. The trader seemed to be unable to speak in a future tense. It had no trouble understanding such language, however. "Of course. I'll have the copper ingots ready for you within the hour," she replied, thinking that a pound of copper was a pretty small price to solve her rat problem. "You can have your magic items back. I expect the copper I paid for them back as well."

"Unfortunately, the copper has already been...used..., would you accept an equal quantity of some other metal, such as gold?"

Melan struggled to contain her glee at having effectively traded copper for gold at one to one. "I suppose that will do," she replied in an affected bored voice.

"Then...I...have brought the gold with the candles in an hour," the trader announced.

Melan turned and left, closing the concealed door to rejoin Trewant.

*****

Amber looked up from her place near the table at the sound of Vesti's fork clanking on the empty plate. She put on her most enticing smile and arched her back, thrusting her breasts invitingly. She had eaten her own meal quickly so as to be ready to serve Vesti in any way he wished once he was finished. She knelt as close as possible to him, hoping for his attentions, whatever he might be interested in.

"That was very good, Amber. You've grown to be a very good cook in the last couple of months," Vesti complimented her, turning in his seat and leaning close to her.

"Thank you, Master," she answered, head bowed in embarrassment.

Vesti reached over her bowed head and ran his hand down her back, lightly scratching at the skin and sending shivers through Amber's body. Instinctively, her legs spread farther than they already were, offering her pussy for his pleasure. Vesti's hand reached into her hair and grasped it close to the scalp; turning her head upwards to look at him. In the two months since Amber had first joined him, Vesti had come to enjoy the forcefulness that a slave drew out of him. His cock hardened beneath his robes as he saw her eyes widen in desire and her mouth open in a pant; tongue licking at her lips.

Even the gasp of pain when he pulled her up to his face spurred him on to greater arousal. His parted lips met hers and their tongues danced in lust. Amber's hands were clenched tightly behind her as she tried to avoid initiating anything. Vesti had made it clear in the past that he enjoyed using Amber, and that he would let her know when she was to actively participate. Her struggles to mentally bind herself turned both on greatly.

Vesti stood, dragging Amber to her feet. Her head stayed locked to his by his grip and she gasped her pain into his voracious mouth. She wasn't sure how he could manage to push her into him while also pulling hard on her hair; Amber just knew how hot the forcefulness and pain made her. Her pussy was dripping juices down her leg, filling the room with the aroma of her need. Vesti's other hand slipped around her waist to cup her ass cheeks. He smiled at the small thrusting motions her hips made, as if trying to fuck some unseen lover.

Pulling her head back just a little bit, he asked, "Do you want pain tonight?"