get stung by a
shadow scorpion, any of a number of dangers.”
Yeel knows little of
travel for one so wise , she thought. Or perhaps
one as powerful as he needs not fear such dangers.
The light dimmed as the orb of fire started
to disappear behind the horizon. The travelers had temporarily
emerged from the forest to travel along a rocky ridge that rose
from the surrounding trees.
“This is a simple problem,
easily overcome,” Yeel said. “The need for light is very basic.
Fortunately I am equipped to provide a substitute for our star’s
emanations. I’ll need a few moments to combine the necessary
agents, though.”
Jymoor watched Yeel as he fumbled through one
of his packs. He took out two stones pocked with tiny holes and a
small package wrapped in string.
“Fetch us two straight
sticks, if you would, my friend,” Yeel urged. “I’ll prepare the
stones, so that our efforts might take a minimum of time, and we
can resume our journey momentarily. And thank you for your
help.”
Jymoor carefully made her way into a break in
the rocks where some dead tree limbs had accumulated. She broke
some dry wood and found two branches that might serve. As she
walked back to Yeel, she saw that the stones had started to glow
softly in the waning light. Yeel put the package back into his
larger pack and handed a stone to Jymoor.
Avorn stood well back, as if in fear of the
phenomenon.
“Put the adhesive side
against the stick to wield it,” Yeel said. “And hand me a stick,
please. You see, one of these is for me and one is for you. In that
way we will have one more than strictly necessary, a redundant
setup, affording us extra protection in case of unexpected events
which might deprive us of one source of light. We are, sadly, still
vulnerable to the possibilities depriving us of two or more sources
of light…”
Jymoor traded a stick for a glowing stone.
She stared at the rock, wondering at its inner light.
“Adhesive side?”
“Just put the stick against the top, right
there,” explained Yeel. The wizard placed the end of his stick
against the rock and then released the glowing stone. It clung
neatly onto the end of the stick. Yeel held the assembly up,
casting a white light onto the ground before him.
“Now we can see,” he said.
Jymoor brought her branch into contact with
the stone and the two connected firmly. She waved her stick about,
lighting the area.
“Is it a magical torch? How long does it
last?” Jymoor asked.
“It is what it is. Call it a
torch if you like, and model it as a magical one if you wish. It
depends on quite a lot. But the stone will almost certainly outlive
the stick. The wood will eventually rot unless we treat it with
certain chemicals to protect it.”
“What? The wood will rot?
Well, yes, but, I mean, how long will they glow? Not how long will
the rock and the stick last.”
“Ah, I see your thrust exactly. We were
having a semantic mishap. You want to know how long the reaction
will last. We can clear this up, I assure you. Now. Are you asking
about yours or mine?”
“Either. Both. Are they different?”
“Yours lasts as long as mine. And mine, as
long as yours,” Yeel said.
“They last the same amount
of time…but wait. Why did you ask me which one? Oh never mind. Just
how long do they last?”
“It seemed logical to charge
them to last throughout the night,” Yeel said. “True, we may not
press onward through the entire span of darkness, but it seemed
prudent to ensure that we didn’t end up in a delicate situation
with our lights suddenly failing us.”
“You are wise, Lord Yeel. Of
course, I didn’t expect otherwise.”
“Well, in that circumstance
I wonder why you asked. But in any case, communication has won the
day. We now both know. And I assume you’ve even remembered it,
judging from your previous mental acrobatics. So if I should want
to know later, presumably you would share the information back with
me? No matter, it is logical enough, and
shadow scorpion, any of a number of dangers.”
Yeel knows little of
travel for one so wise , she thought. Or perhaps
one as powerful as he needs not fear such dangers.
The light dimmed as the orb of fire started
to disappear behind the horizon. The travelers had temporarily
emerged from the forest to travel along a rocky ridge that rose
from the surrounding trees.
“This is a simple problem,
easily overcome,” Yeel said. “The need for light is very basic.
Fortunately I am equipped to provide a substitute for our star’s
emanations. I’ll need a few moments to combine the necessary
agents, though.”
Jymoor watched Yeel as he fumbled through one
of his packs. He took out two stones pocked with tiny holes and a
small package wrapped in string.
“Fetch us two straight
sticks, if you would, my friend,” Yeel urged. “I’ll prepare the
stones, so that our efforts might take a minimum of time, and we
can resume our journey momentarily. And thank you for your
help.”
Jymoor carefully made her way into a break in
the rocks where some dead tree limbs had accumulated. She broke
some dry wood and found two branches that might serve. As she
walked back to Yeel, she saw that the stones had started to glow
softly in the waning light. Yeel put the package back into his
larger pack and handed a stone to Jymoor.
Avorn stood well back, as if in fear of the
phenomenon.
“Put the adhesive side
against the stick to wield it,” Yeel said. “And hand me a stick,
please. You see, one of these is for me and one is for you. In that
way we will have one more than strictly necessary, a redundant
setup, affording us extra protection in case of unexpected events
which might deprive us of one source of light. We are, sadly, still
vulnerable to the possibilities depriving us of two or more sources
of light…”
Jymoor traded a stick for a glowing stone.
She stared at the rock, wondering at its inner light.
“Adhesive side?”
“Just put the stick against the top, right
there,” explained Yeel. The wizard placed the end of his stick
against the rock and then released the glowing stone. It clung
neatly onto the end of the stick. Yeel held the assembly up,
casting a white light onto the ground before him.
“Now we can see,” he said.
Jymoor brought her branch into contact with
the stone and the two connected firmly. She waved her stick about,
lighting the area.
“Is it a magical torch? How long does it
last?” Jymoor asked.
“It is what it is. Call it a
torch if you like, and model it as a magical one if you wish. It
depends on quite a lot. But the stone will almost certainly outlive
the stick. The wood will eventually rot unless we treat it with
certain chemicals to protect it.”
“What? The wood will rot?
Well, yes, but, I mean, how long will they glow? Not how long will
the rock and the stick last.”
“Ah, I see your thrust exactly. We were
having a semantic mishap. You want to know how long the reaction
will last. We can clear this up, I assure you. Now. Are you asking
about yours or mine?”
“Either. Both. Are they different?”
“Yours lasts as long as mine. And mine, as
long as yours,” Yeel said.
“They last the same amount
of time…but wait. Why did you ask me which one? Oh never mind. Just
how long do they last?”
“It seemed logical to charge
them to last throughout the night,” Yeel said. “True, we may not
press onward through the entire span of darkness, but it seemed
prudent to ensure that we didn’t end up in a delicate situation
with our lights suddenly failing us.”
“You are wise, Lord Yeel. Of
course, I didn’t expect otherwise.”
“Well, in that circumstance
I wonder why you asked. But in any case, communication has won the
day. We now both know. And I assume you’ve even remembered it,
judging from your previous mental acrobatics. So if I should want
to know later, presumably you would share the information back with
me? No matter, it is logical enough, and
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