I could
manage something."
Sabre opened
his eyes again and gazed up at her. "Please try."
Chapter Four
Tarl was about
to hurl the makeshift receiver across the room, the rage and
frustration that had been building in him over the last few days
reaching overwhelming proportions, when the door opened and Tassin
entered. Putting down the mass of wires and crystals, he groaned
and slumped onto the workbench as a tall man in a grey robe
followed her into the lab, glancing around with sharp green eyes.
Tassin came over to him, looking concerned.
"Are you all
right?"
He looked up.
"No, I'm not bloody all right! I can't do it! The damned thing
doesn't work! I can't make it work! I can't..." He picked up the
receiver again, on the verge of tearing it apart.
Tassin
snatched it from him. "Wait, let Emral look at it."
Tarl glanced
at the tall man and snorted. "This is your mage? What can he
do?"
"He's not my
mage, he's a mage, but I might employ him if he can help."
"He won't be
able to bloody help! What can he do?"
"We won't know
until we let him try."
Tassin turned
to the mage and held out the receiver, which he took as if it was a
bundle of vipers. His saturnine visage darkened, thick black brows
drawing together into a solid ridge above deep-set eyes. He juggled
the mass of wires as if it burnt his hands, licked his lips and
sucked in his gaunt cheeks. Tarl stared at him, fascinated by his
antics.
"Bad magic,"
Emral muttered. "Alien, old, but new. Founder magic. Waves, loops."
He closed his eyes. "Incomplete."
Tarl's jaw
dropped as Emral stuffed the receiver down the front of his robe,
clasped it to his chest and walked closer to the flashing diode,
holding out a hand.
"He's going to
break it," he said, shooting Tassin a frown.
"You were
about to do that yourself, if I'm not mistaken."
Tarl sighed,
leaning on the workbench as Emral swayed, his hand over the diode,
his eyes closed.
"Flash, flash,
flash..." he muttered.
Tarl glanced
at the diode, which flashed in unison to Emral's words. "How's he
doing that?"
"He's a mage,"
Tassin replied.
"Some sort of
telepath?"
"I have no
idea."
Emral pulled
the receiver out of his robe and held it out to Tarl. His fingers
probed the wires and grasped two, his eyes still closed.
"Incomplete," he repeated. "This one and this one... must
connect."
Tarl frowned
at the two wires Emral held, shaking his head. "No, that's wrong.
That's a frequency modulator and a power bypass, you can't connect
them, you'll blow the circuit."
"Must
connect," Emral repeated, then dropped the receiver on the
workbench, rubbed his hands on his robe and opened his eyes. "Dirty
magic."
"This is
bullshit," Tarl said. "He doesn't know what he's talking
about."
"What would it
hurt to try?" Tassin asked.
"It'll blow
the circuit!"
"It doesn't
work anyway!"
Emral stabbed
a finger at the receiver. "Connect them."
"Fine." Tarl
picked up the receiver, pulled out the two wires and looked for a
connector. After several minutes of cutting and soldering, he sat
back, frowning. "How's that?"
Emral leant
forward and held his hand over the receiver. "Switch it on."
"Okay, be
ready for some fireworks, this baby packs a punch." Tarl gritted
his teeth and pressed the tiny switch on the side of the receiver.
A soft beeping issued from it, and his mouth dropped open in
surprise.
Emral nodded.
"Flash, flash, flash."
Tarl gaped at
the diode, whose flashes were now marked by the beeping from the
receiver. "It's working!"
Tassin clasped
her hands and grinned, her eyes bright with tears. "We can find the
bracelet."
"But..." Tarl
shook his head. "Never mind, I don't want to know how it's working.
You're a bloody genius, Emral."
The mage drew
himself up, and Tassin turned to smile at him. "A good day's work,
mage. Your reward will be as I promised, and my employ is
yours."
"Majesty."
Emral bowed. "I am honoured to serve you."
Tarl frowned
at him. "You know, if he can detect the diode, he can pick up
manage something."
Sabre opened
his eyes again and gazed up at her. "Please try."
Chapter Four
Tarl was about
to hurl the makeshift receiver across the room, the rage and
frustration that had been building in him over the last few days
reaching overwhelming proportions, when the door opened and Tassin
entered. Putting down the mass of wires and crystals, he groaned
and slumped onto the workbench as a tall man in a grey robe
followed her into the lab, glancing around with sharp green eyes.
Tassin came over to him, looking concerned.
"Are you all
right?"
He looked up.
"No, I'm not bloody all right! I can't do it! The damned thing
doesn't work! I can't make it work! I can't..." He picked up the
receiver again, on the verge of tearing it apart.
Tassin
snatched it from him. "Wait, let Emral look at it."
Tarl glanced
at the tall man and snorted. "This is your mage? What can he
do?"
"He's not my
mage, he's a mage, but I might employ him if he can help."
"He won't be
able to bloody help! What can he do?"
"We won't know
until we let him try."
Tassin turned
to the mage and held out the receiver, which he took as if it was a
bundle of vipers. His saturnine visage darkened, thick black brows
drawing together into a solid ridge above deep-set eyes. He juggled
the mass of wires as if it burnt his hands, licked his lips and
sucked in his gaunt cheeks. Tarl stared at him, fascinated by his
antics.
"Bad magic,"
Emral muttered. "Alien, old, but new. Founder magic. Waves, loops."
He closed his eyes. "Incomplete."
Tarl's jaw
dropped as Emral stuffed the receiver down the front of his robe,
clasped it to his chest and walked closer to the flashing diode,
holding out a hand.
"He's going to
break it," he said, shooting Tassin a frown.
"You were
about to do that yourself, if I'm not mistaken."
Tarl sighed,
leaning on the workbench as Emral swayed, his hand over the diode,
his eyes closed.
"Flash, flash,
flash..." he muttered.
Tarl glanced
at the diode, which flashed in unison to Emral's words. "How's he
doing that?"
"He's a mage,"
Tassin replied.
"Some sort of
telepath?"
"I have no
idea."
Emral pulled
the receiver out of his robe and held it out to Tarl. His fingers
probed the wires and grasped two, his eyes still closed.
"Incomplete," he repeated. "This one and this one... must
connect."
Tarl frowned
at the two wires Emral held, shaking his head. "No, that's wrong.
That's a frequency modulator and a power bypass, you can't connect
them, you'll blow the circuit."
"Must
connect," Emral repeated, then dropped the receiver on the
workbench, rubbed his hands on his robe and opened his eyes. "Dirty
magic."
"This is
bullshit," Tarl said. "He doesn't know what he's talking
about."
"What would it
hurt to try?" Tassin asked.
"It'll blow
the circuit!"
"It doesn't
work anyway!"
Emral stabbed
a finger at the receiver. "Connect them."
"Fine." Tarl
picked up the receiver, pulled out the two wires and looked for a
connector. After several minutes of cutting and soldering, he sat
back, frowning. "How's that?"
Emral leant
forward and held his hand over the receiver. "Switch it on."
"Okay, be
ready for some fireworks, this baby packs a punch." Tarl gritted
his teeth and pressed the tiny switch on the side of the receiver.
A soft beeping issued from it, and his mouth dropped open in
surprise.
Emral nodded.
"Flash, flash, flash."
Tarl gaped at
the diode, whose flashes were now marked by the beeping from the
receiver. "It's working!"
Tassin clasped
her hands and grinned, her eyes bright with tears. "We can find the
bracelet."
"But..." Tarl
shook his head. "Never mind, I don't want to know how it's working.
You're a bloody genius, Emral."
The mage drew
himself up, and Tassin turned to smile at him. "A good day's work,
mage. Your reward will be as I promised, and my employ is
yours."
"Majesty."
Emral bowed. "I am honoured to serve you."
Tarl frowned
at him. "You know, if he can detect the diode, he can pick up
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