Part 8B

Still in a studious mindset when she returned, Danica immediately took advantage of the freedom that the successful completion of her task granted her. The volume of powerful works in the inner recesses of the library stunned her. There were spells here long thought lost to the ages, spells that were exclusive creations of great wizards, and dozens of original spells created within these very walls — many of them by Zoraster himself.

The discovery of an entire volume dedicated to spells either discovered or created by Darkniciad surprised Danica. She knew they were such, because she had spoken with her sister Devan about many of them. Most of these were of such a power that Darkniciad only taught them to the brightest and most trusted of his apprentices and allies. A shudder of foreboding gripped Danica as she considered Zoraster having access to them.

One spell immediately leapt to the forefront of Danica's thoughts, and she perused the book to see if it was there. She found the spell, Gunthar's Multiplicity, and looked it over carefully.

The spell was a complicated one. A mage could cast the first part of the spell up to a day before its ultimate release, longer if the spell caster was particularly powerful. After completing the first part of the spell, the spell caster could then concentrate on several spells they knew, which were of a similar nature. The Multiplicity spell would bind to these spells. The caster then needed only to complete the casting of the second part of the Multiplicity spell, and the energies of the spells bound to it would release all at once. The result could send a barrage of various missile spells at a target, summon several types of elemental shielding spells, or enact other similar magics.

The spell could prove extraordinarily useful and powerful when combined with other strong spells. Danica copied the difficult spell, determined to attempt to learn it.

Something else stolen from Darkniciad aroused Danica's interest as well, his work on reviving the lost Counter Triggering enchantment. The enchantment, when placed on an item, linked to other magics on the item. The linked enchantments would then activate when select conditions occurred. For instance, the condition of fire used as a weapon against the person with the item would cause the Counter Triggering enchantment to activate a Fire Shield without any intervention from the person with the item. It was a vastly useful enchantment, even though Darkniciad had only managed to piece together a weaker form of it than what once existed in ages gone by. Items still turned up occasionally with the ancient, stronger version of the enchantment, and they were astounding pieces of magic.

Danica copied all the notes on this enchantment as well, and then made her way back to her chambers. Celes was there when she arrived.

"'Ello Dearie," Celes said and cackled. She then dropped the accent since she was alone with Danica. "I've been thinking, and I've finally decided the type of thing I want to test my ability with as a first magical creation."

"That's wonderful. I'm beginning to have several inspirations myself, as well as other things I had already thought of but just haven't gotten around to. What is it you wish to make?" Danica asked.

"Well, as to the medium — that I'm not sure of. The enchantment I want to lay on it, that I'm certain of. I've come to the conclusion that most males are tactless oafs ruled by a tiny creature that lives between their legs. I'm growing quite weary of their stares and comments and I'm thinking of taking a little revenge," Celes explained with a wicked smile.

"Oh dear," Danica laughed. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm not going to try for anything of any great power for my first attempt. I know for certain I don't have your aptitude for the process." When she saw Danica scowling at her self-depreciation, Celes added, "At least yet. I thought perhaps something that caused them to itch rather violently down there where their brain lives might be a sufficient riposte to their callousness."

Danica broke out in laughter. "Well, it should be something passive then. You wouldn't want to have to point a wand or something at them to activate the enchantment. Jewelry would be a good idea. I would lean toward earrings or something similar. I find myself with far more rings than I have fingers and toes most of the time. It would mean working in metal, and I'm not confident doing that yet."

"Hmm, me either. I think I might know a way around that. Damian could craft the item, that's for sure, but I've become rather well acquainted with Amphros, the silversmith who works on the grounds. I think I could persuade him to come here to your lab and work the item while we both watched and learned about his craft. I could cast the necessary spells in a familiar environment while he worked on it."

"That sounds like a good idea. What do you think? Earrings?" Danica asked.

"Sounds as good as anything, I've only got one other pair besides these I wear. I could always use more I suppose. That way I could have another enchantment on the other ear as well. Like you said, you only have so many fingers."

They sat down to outline what spells and enchantments would need to be cast on the item, as well as doing a rough sketch of what they thought the earrings should look like. Celes said she would speak with Amphros the next day, as she wanted to purchase some things from the city and get a good night's sleep before beginning.

Danica sat down to study the difficult Multiplicity spell. It was well after nightfall when she raised her eyes from her copy of the spell and went to bed.

Danica had thought Amphros rather hard and unfriendly when she had encountered him, but he was a completely different person when he arrived with Celes the next day. He surveyed what they had, saying the smelting furnace was a fine one and he was surprised to find it with none of the other tools of a silversmith. He returned to his workshop and gathered up what he would need to work.

He explained each step as he performed it, going into more detail and growing animated when he saw how much attention the women paid to him — and the interest and intelligence they showed in the questions they asked.

When he paused to let Celes cast the first of her preparatory spells, he said he would return to his workshop and gather up some pieces he was working on to keep his hands busy while Celes went about her craft. Danica could easily guess why he wanted to have something to do. Celes was taking a very long time, all her preparations and casting extremely meticulous. Danica smiled and continued to study the Multiplicity spell while Celes cast and Amphros worked.

It took Amphros four days, with the waits for Celes to work her magic, to complete the pair of earrings. He did a wonderful job taking the rough sketch Danica and Celes had made and turning it into something remarkable. The earrings were in the shape of a crescent moon, with a dainty chain attached leading to an equally dainty silver star. Amphros had designed the stars with a setting and put small chips of translucent sapphire in each. The resulting effect made the earrings twinkle almost like a real star.

Danica felt she had a solid working knowledge of the craft now. She felt nowhere near as confident as she had before she first turned her hand to working in wood or clay, but she believed she could fashion some objects of the softer metals now. She doubted she could make any pieces as dainty as the earrings any time soon, however.

Amphros provided the women with a list of tools they would need to work in silver and gold, as well as providing the name of a man in the city who produced the best of such tools. He also gave them the name of a goldsmith in the city who had worked with wizards before, as the process for working in gold was slightly different from that of silver.

Once Amphros left, Celes smiled and said she had an idea what she wanted to enchant her other earring with now. She wanted to try to outline it on her own — now that Danica had educated her while working on the first enchantment.

Danica agreed and left her rooms. She first went outside, but the chill in the air reminded her of the approaching winter, so she changed her mind and went to the inner sanctum of the great library. She would have near complete solitude there, as few had access to that area of the library.

Danica continued to study the Multiplicity spell until nearly evening. She had mastered a few of the first difficult words and inflections, which made the rest easier due to the similarity of the words to the beginning part. She returned to her rooms to find Celes putting the finishing touches on her outline.

"I make and burn scented candles. I can light them with a spell or a cantrip, but I thought it would be more convenient to be able to do so with a thought and an enchanted earring," Celes said and showed Danica her outline.

Danica looked over the document and determined that the enchantments would work fine with the preparatory magics cast over the earring during its creation. Celes had worked on the outline with the same meticulousness she had shown in her casting. The spell listings were absolutely perfect in every detail. With such careful notes, she could finish both earrings tomorrow — though Danica smiled and thought it would likely take two days the way Celes worked.

Danica continued to study her spell the next day while Celes worked on her enchantments in the other room of the lab. At nightfall, Danica felt her blood burn and knew she had mastered the spell. "Oh yes," she delightfully exclaimed.

Celes walked into the room shortly thereafter wearing her new earrings and a wide smile. "I take it from that shout earlier that you've had some success?" Celes tilted her head to let the light catch her earrings as she spoke.

Danica smiled and revealed, "I learned Gunthar's Multiplicity."

Celes blew out a whistle. "Dearie — that thing's a tongue twister and a half. I nearly sprained my tongue trying to learn it. I'll have to watch you cast it the first time." Moving one of the dangling stars on her earrings with the tip of her finger, Celes said, "I finished them."

"Well, let's see them work," Danica said and clapped her hands while standing.

Celes pulled a candle from her pocket. Danica made a sound of delighted surprise when she saw it. The candle was a corkscrew of wax in subtly different, light shades of green. "It's beautiful. You make them yourself?"

"It was my mother's trade. I'm good, but this is crude compared to some of the ones my mother made. She was an artist. Wizards and rich folk for miles around mourned her loss when she passed on." Taking a deep breath, Celes sat the candle on the table and concentrated for a moment. The wick lit with a little pop and burned cheerily.

"It works!" Celes laughed.

The light scent of the candle, reminding Danica of the scent of the air after a spring shower in a field of flowers, slowly filled the room. "It smells delightful. You have to make me some. You should consider working on some enchantments having to do with them. It would seem a natural extension of skills you already have."

"I hadn't even considered it, but you're right. Now I just need to test the other one," Celes said with a sly grin.

"I think I have the perfect test subject," Danica revealed with a wicked grin of her own. She went out and found a servant to fetch Brandon.

He arrived shortly thereafter, and he had a look of curiosity on his face when Danica let him in. He twitched his eyebrows and broke out in a wide smile when he saw Celes in the room as well.

"What can I do for ya?" he asked. "I'm still on duty, so if you're looking' for some private time it'll have to wait an hour or so." He winked and a laughed to punctuate the suggestive statement.

Danica and Celes both rolled their eyes, Celes smiling wickedly.

Brandon started to squirm quite suddenly, and then scratched his crotch. He tried to be inconspicuous at first, but as the intensity increased, he threw decorum to the wind and dug under his clothing. "Bloody hell," he growled as he scratched.

Danica and Celes both laughed, and Celes dismissed the enchantment of her earring. They both laughed as Brandon sighed in relief and stopped scratching.

"That's a right nasty thing to do to a fella. It felt like the fleas of a thousand dogs had set up camp down there," Brandon grumbled with a scowl.

"Well, maybe it will remind you to think before you speak that way to a woman next time," Danica said with a condescending smile.

A look of regret crossed Brandon's face. "I'm sorry," he said with a sincerity that caused both women to raise their eyebrows in surprise. "I've been a squire, then a soldier all my life. I guess I never really learned how to behave around women, at least not... Well... You know... Women aside of ladies of the night."

"Och, I'm sorry ta have played such a nasty trickin' on ye," Celes apologized, using her accent since they weren't alone. "If'n I'd knowed ye had some decency hidin' in ye I'd have never done it."

"You are certainly full of surprises Brandon." Danica's eyebrows rose in curiosity as she spoke.

"Dunno about that. I'm not bright enough to hide too many surprises."

"Well, we're sorry anyway. There's a hundred men around here who deserved more to have Celes' new little magic tested on them than you."

Brandon smiled a wide, wicked smile. "Well, keep it a secret and I'll be able to enjoy a private laugh when I see someone in the barracks scratching' at hisself for all he's worth."

Celes and Danica couldn't help but laugh.

"Why don't we go down into the city and have something to eat?" Danica asked. Celes nodded her agreement, and Danica added, "Why don't you come with us Brandon?"

"I don't get paid that well," he said with a laugh. "Any place I could afford to eat I wouldn't want to."

"I'll pay. It's an apology to you for the prank we pulled," Danica offered.

"Well, I'll try not to embarrass the both of you as a way of apologizing myself. I'll get cleaned up as soon as I'm off duty." He scratched for a moment and said, "Have I ever mentioned that I hate magic?"

Both women laughed in response, and he smiled as he went out the door. Danica obtained permission to go into the city and the women waited until Brandon returned. He cleaned up surprisingly well.

Danica and Celes were both surprised to find that Brandon had a sort of rough, earthy charm when his guard was down. They also discovered he had a very healthy appetite for both food and ale. They both enjoyed the evening and his company — and they told him so. He made them promise not to spread it around or it would ruin his reputation.

When they reached the complex on top of the hill, both women kissed him on the cheek at the gate. He blushed and looked thoroughly scandalized until he noticed the open-mouthed stares of the guards at the gate. He then puffed out his chest and smiled broadly as he walked back into the complex. Celes and Danica laughed over the incident as they returned to their own rooms.

Zoraster called Celes to a task the next day, leaving Danica alone. Originally, Danica had thought to study the Counter Triggering enchantment next, but Celes' branching out into new areas of study prompted Danica to do so as well.

Danica had wanted to try to create a new original spell of her own for a while now. She didn't feel as confident in this as she had in magic item creation, so she decided to start slow, much as Celes had with the creation of her earrings.

The spell Danica settled on was similar to the Hand spells, though not on such a grand and powerful scale. She had thought of two actually, but knew which one she wanted to attempt first.

She first extensively studied the words of the Hands spells, and then moved on to some cantrips that had somewhat similar effects to what she wanted to do. The pinch cantrip, tickle cantrip, poke cantrip, and several others all received intense scrutiny from her.

Danica felt the need to relax and clear her mind each night. She tried to go to sleep the first day and get back to work in the morning, but found her work the next day was slow and difficult. She decided to spend each evening in leisure to offset this.

She went to Andrea's room the first night, again bringing her toy that pleasured them both when worn. She received a note saying another spell component jar was ready the next day, so she spent the next evening with Grant and Heather. She took Brandon down into the city again another night, and found he could be quite a gentle lover when given reason, after she rented them a room at the inn where they had dined.

For just less than a month, she studied by day, and satisfied her sexual needs by night with those closest to her. She had denied the needs of her body for the needs of her mind for too long, she thought.

Danica now felt that she possessed an extensive knowledge of all the similar spells. She knew how they worked, and how the words and gestures brought their power into being.

Danica knew from her reading that spell components related to the effects would be necessary for the creation of the spell. All spells had components, though it was not always necessary to use them in the casting once a mage truly mastered the spell. She thought carefully, and decided that a silk glove would be the perfect physical component for her spell.