The Forsaken Hero

"I thought so," I said with a sigh. "Just..."

I glanced at the statues again, and Nithalee chuckled.

"Don’t worry, girl, you were right about my allegiances. In fact, I’d sell the entire church out for a new ninth-level tome if you had one."

"Thanks," I said. "Then, here it goes. I only have enough mana to cast it once, so watch closely."

She leaned forward, peering at me as I started the cast. Her eyes never blinked or wavered, fixing on each rune as it appeared. I made sure to cast slowly and deliberately, allowing her a moment to learn each rune before the next formed.

"Silent Stars," I whispered the spell’s name, letting it resolve. A golden field spread from my fingers, enveloping the entire cathedral. Turning to Nithalee, I said, "I created this spell based on an aspect of the Oracle of Eternity, the ability I shared with you. It generates a disruptive field that nullifies all attempts to scry on something within."

"Marvelous," she breathed, staring at her hand. She sat silently, still as a statue, for several seconds before suddenly raising her hand. Runes blinked above her hand in rapid succession, and in a few minutes, she had a series of circles identical to the one I’d cast.

"Silent Stars," she said, giving me a gentle smile.

Another golden field layered over mine. The tip of my tail twitched in surprise as another golden field layered over mine. It was cruder than the one I’d cast and burned mana quicker, but given her mana pool, the toll was likely meaningless.

"It’s good," I said with a nod. "Some of your runes need some work, but you’ve got the gist of it."

She clapped her hands with a youthfulness belying her age. "Wonderful! It seems my next hundred years are already planned out! Would you care to join me? With your eyes and my experience, I’m certain we could create many new and wonderful spells."