4. Waterpower #2
"Break," Miss Sirovy called from where she stood. Both masters grounded the rest of the magic. Some flowed into the room's shields, the rest disappeared into the "sink" under the building. From there it would disperse like water poured onto soil.
As two advanced students helped the professors, Lukaz replayed the problem in his memory.
There, something had tried to grab a little of the magic when Letters finished with the fourth glyph, alep.
Nothing in the room should have reacted, and none of the students had done anything, had they?
Given the low-voiced murmurs from the two masters, someone had.
Or was it something? He turned his attention to the stone, still lying on the floor in the center of the now-scattered chalk.
"There's a flaw," he blurted, then caught himself.
The instructors broke off their conversation. Letters smiled and signed, "good." Aloud he said, "Yes, there is. We knew something like that might happen, but not when. The stone as is cost three figures. Flawless and clean? High four figures, if any jeweler could find one."
"Behold the problem of using semi-precious and larger precious stones as foci or pattern elements," Dr. Mohdi intoned, then drank more of whatever was in his thermos.
"Didn't someone try to use a watermelon tourmaline as a focus last semester?" Martina asked.
Dr. Chan sagged as if exhausted. "Alas, you recall correctly, Miss Suarez. Please do not do the like, at least not on campus before Finals. I am on hex-breaking duty until the fifteenth."
Everyone laughed at his morose droop. He straightened up. "Since we are recharged enough to ambulate, let's go to the north working area."
Miss Sirovy opened the door and they all followed the two sorcerers.
The spring air carried a bit of diesel exhaust that cleared quickly, replaced by excessive cologne on a passing freshman.
The boy would be easy to track, even if he hid.
Lukaz caught himself and checked his expression.
No one had noticed his distraction. That was very good.
"Will they ever finish work?" Adam grumbled as they navigated the narrow gap between safety fence and road. The biology building's renovations should have finished in September of last year, according to the sign on the outside of the fence.
"I heard that someone hexed the project." Ivanka tossed her long hair back over her shoulder. "Personally, I think adding the new, fancy lab to the building at the last minute has more to do with it."
"Probably, or the contractor being the provost's cousin," Josiah muttered.
The greenspace was a relief after dodging the equipment and all the loud noise. Lukaz hurried to catch up with the others after stopping to breathe the cleaner air.
"So, what do you see?" Dr. Mohdi called over his shoulder as they reached the park-like end of campus.
Lukaz stopped, taking in the land and plants first. The stream had been channelized, but with care for the hydrology and flood cycles.
A small wetland with cattails and other suitable plants buffered surges in the stream's flow.
Some wet-footed trees, including a willow, grew near the stream, with grasses and ornamental shrubs farther up the slopes.
The water ran from north to south, with a bend in the middle of a few yards, then another bend after a six-yard-long riffle and smaller pool.
Spring flowers bloomed in a bed at the south end before the stream dipped underground and passed beneath a campus road.
"There's a project here?" Miss Sirovy asked.
"Can you find it?" Dr. Chan replied, arms folded, grinning.
As the others milled around, inspecting the ground and plants for signs of magic or a pattern worked into the landscape, Lukaz waited.
Jacob was a water sorcerer. Water couldn't hold magic per se, at least not well if it moved.
That meant there wouldn't be anything in the stream itself.
So, something near the stream, something water adjacent?
Lukaz eased away from the group, moving downstream toward the flowers.
The channel looked different than it had when he'd surveyed it for class back in October, or did it?
Was it just the seasonal change and effects of the water on the land, since it was allowed to "wiggle" a little?
No, the pool below the second riffle looked quieter, especially to magic sight. What had the PhD student done?
He crouched and rested his fingers on the soil, feeling the dampness. He let his magic flow with the water, sensing shifts in speed and sediment. There, in the pool, a spell waited, dormant. He pulled his magic back and stood. The world whirled around him.
"Teno," I have, Dr. Chan whispered in their own speech, steadying him. "Teneia ciben?" Got food?
"Anno." Yes. Louder he said, "Sorry, sir. I stood too fast after crouching."
Dr. Chan moved well clear, then asked, "What did you find?"
"There's a spell in the pool, but it's not active at this time, sir." He dug water, pop, and a meat stick out of his backpack and recharged. The faint headache eased as the sugar and caffeine met his bloodstream.
Dr. Mohdi and the other students had arrived.
"Well done. I thought you might be the first to find it.
" He waved toward the pool. "If water levels rise faster than a certain rate for a set time, it triggers a partial barrier, slowing flow and alerting the caster.
Jacob can call Facilities and Security and warn them about a possible flood, if they have not noticed the problem yet.
It also has something that alerts him if two of the chemicals from the plant upstream flow in, in case of an as-yet unreported leak or spill. "
Lukaz didn't whistle, but he wanted to. That took a lot of work and planning, that complicated of a set of spells.
And banking a great deal of power, since Jacob was a sorcerer.
No wonder it was doctoral-level work. How did it deal with possible backlash, and how did the spells continue to function in the water?
Or was it actually in the banks and soil rather than the flowing stream?
"So," Dr. Chan called, stilling discussion for a moment. "You've seen two very different uses of magic today. Questions we can answer?"
A hand waved from the back of the pack. "Sirs, isn't this more of a coven thing than sorcery?" It sounded like Adam, who was a warlock.
Dr. Modhi wagged one hand back and forth.
"In North America, yes. Land-magic covens are not rare, and some of them do environmental and landscape monitoring spells.
For a sorcerer with the correct affinities and training?
This is quite feasible, and a very good use of layered spells for a location that might be difficult to monitor otherwise.
Imagine this in an area where the usual flood-alert systems can't be used because of terrain or lack of radio and cell coverage. "
Lukaz nodded. Oh, something like this would be perfect on that stream in River County's dead zone, or on that one creek that bordered his father's land.
If he had enough power saved, and knew how to place the spells, and what limiters were needed, and ...
Not this week, but something to think about.
"Any other questions we can answer? No?" Dr. Chan waited. "Class dismissed."
As he walked back to the main campus, he considered the monitoring spell. Just tying it to the soil wouldn't work, because rain might trigger it if enough fell to saturate the dirt. He'd have to do it so rising water tripped the alert. Or could it be speed of flow?
"Luke?" The question caught his ear, and he slowed. Martina trotted up. "You walk too fast," she said, grinning. "What are you doing tomorrow evening?"
"If I survive two finals tomorrow? Probably curling up under a quiet table and hiding." He was secondary list for Hunting duty as well, should two groups be needed. Lady be praised he had no exams after those.
She stared, almost tripped, and caught herself. "Two? That's not possible."
"It is if they're not in the same department. English and Landscape Architecture."
"Blech, I keep forgetting about that, since I got all my distributive credits done my first year." She made a face, tongue out. "If you have any brain cells or energy left, some of us are going to Babe's to get burgers and watch the Phillies if you want to come."
His father might object, since they still had farrowing sows. "I'll see how I feel. If I'm there, I'm there." He smiled, mindful of his teeth.
"Worst comes to worst, you can drown your sorrows and throw popcorn at the pitcher like we did last year." She smiled back. It made her eyes glow. She had very nice, blue-gray eyes. She also had a father who worked as a construction contractor and owned heavy machinery and vacant land.
"I'd ask 'how bad can it be,' but an older cousin still moans about the year they traded all their batters for the good pitchers."
Blarrrrgh. "No kidding. Someone has to score. See you tomorrow, I hope!" Martina trotted off toward the main library.
That evening he checked the farrowing shed.
The Large Black grunted as her piglets nursed.
They all appeared healthy thus far and might stay that way, St. Anthony willing.
One of the Berkshires looked ready to deliver.
The other walked back and forth, snuffling in the straw and other litter materials.
All three sows were black, and did well outdoors in most weather, unlike the Gloucestershire breed.
The swine fended for themselves in the pig pastures, eating weeds, small rodents, and pig chow.
Two families finished and slaughtered the swine for the clan, but everyone had their own sausage recipes.
Lukaz made certain that all three sows had water and a little chow, then made his way to the Gloucestershire shed.