B2 Chapter 19: Spellbook
Carlos looked across the small clear area in the center of their new camp and was unsurprised to see Amber staring blankly with her jaw dropped open. He was a bit stunned, himself, and that was without having looked up to Sandaras as his ultimate idol for most of his life like Amber had.
Amber's mouth snapped shut, and she started exclaiming excitedly over their telepathic bond. [Archmage Sandaras's personal spellbook?! Carlos, we have to take that! Putting up with helping Kindar is nothing compared to that!]
Carlos knew better than to argue with that kind of enthusiasm. [I agree in principle. Let's get all the information first to make sure it really is what it sounds like, though, okay?]
Amber hesitated. [I suppose.]
Carlos broadened his focus to include Stelras again. [I have questions. To start with, what exactly is Sandaras's "personal spellbook" and why does he have one? Every spell a mage learns is written into their soul, so why would he need them written in a book?]
Stelras's amused agreement came over the link like a feeling of a smiling chuckle. [I had many questions for Darmelkon, myself, when he offered that book. Though my question for that particular point was about why Archmage Sandaras had made an additional copy, rather than why even the original would exist. Our dear lord merchant's answer was that, just as Sandaras wrote an introductory textbook to draw the interest of future aspiring mages, he made a few copies of his personal spellbook to be rewards for the most promising graduates of the royal mage academy.]
Carlos cocked his head for a moment, then shrugged. [Okay, that fits. What's in it, though, and how did Darmelkon end up with one?]
[Interestingly, the answers to those two questions are related. Allegedly, the book contains Sandaras's research notes for all of his most advanced spells, with a number of unfinished draft versions in addition to the completed spells. Neither Darmelkon nor the mage who sold it to him could verify that, however, as most of the contents are somehow locked by a very complex spell.]
Amber narrowed her eyes quizically. [Sandaras cast some kind of locking spell on these copies of his spellbook, and then didn't give the recipients the key to go with it?]