Vengeance of Dragons (Secret Texts) by Holly Lisle Page A
Authors: Holly Lisle
Tags: FIC009020
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closed her eyes. She wondered how long her obligations to duty would keep her from touching him, from stroking his hair or kissing his lips.
She built her shield stronger and, removing only her boots, climbed into her bed. Then she lay staring up at the plank ceiling and listening to the slow creaking of the ship. Sleep would be long in coming.
Interlude
From the eighth chapter of the Seventh Text of the Secret Texts of Vincalis:
13 Solander sat in the Hall of Wizardry and taught the apprentices, saying, “These are the Ten Great Laws of Magic, known from old.
14 “The First Law—the Law of Magical Reaction—states: Every action has an equal and opposite, but aligned, reaction.
15 “The Second Law—the Law of Magical Inertia—states: Inertia holds; spells in force remain in force unless acted on by an opposite force. Latent spells remain latent unless acted on by an opposite force.
16 “The Third Law, which you know as the Law of Magical Conservation, states: Magic, mass, and energy all conserve.
17 “The first iteration of the Fourth Law—the Law of Magical Attraction—says: Aligned spells attract, 18 while the second iteration of the Fourth Law—the Law of Magical Repulsion—says: Unaligned spells repel.
19 “The first iteration of the Fifth Law—the Law of Spellcasting—says: The force of the spell cast will be equal to the energy used multiplied by the number of casting magicians, minus conversion energy, 20 while the second iteration of the Fifth Law, which is the Law of Spellshielding, says: The damage done to the casting magicians by a spell or spell recoil—
rewhah
—will equal the energy sent minus the capacity of the buffer or sacrifice, divided by the number of spellcasters.
21 “The Sixth Law, the Law of Alignment, tells us: Negative magic begets negative reactions. Positive magic begets positive reactions.
22 “The Seventh Law, which is the Law of Compulsion, says: Every spell used to compel the behavior of any living creature against its will carries a negative alignment.
23 “The Eighth Law, or Law of Harm, says: Every spell used to inflict harm, damage, pain, or death, no matter the nature of the target, carries a negative charge.
24 “The Ninth Law, the Law of Souls, states: The mortal representative of an immortal soul carries the charge of the soul, whether positive, negative, or neutral.
25 “The Tenth Law, or Law of Neutrality, says: Anything that carries a neutral charge will be drawn to the strongest force around it, whether that force be positive or negative, for neutrality is a position of weakness, not of strength.
26 “These are the Ten Great Laws, which are the laws of the nature of magic, and which nature enforces. 27 But I give you another law, and this is a law of the nature of man and of the nature of Falconry, enforceable only by yourselves. 28 This law is: Pay for your magic with nothing but that which is yours to give.
29 “
Ka-erea, ka-ashura, ka-amia, ka-enadda,
and
ka-obbea
: your will, your blood, your flesh, your breath, and your soul. These are the five acceptable sacrifices, and acceptable only if offered freely. 30 Magic drawn from your life-force, from these five acceptable sacrifices, will be pure, and free of
rewhah,
and will not scar lives or land. 31 That you offer only these sacrifices is the Law of Ka, the Offering of Self, and I declare it the highest law of the Falcon, and the law by which Falcons will be known.
32 “For the Law of Ka is the Law of Love—love of humanity and love of life—and my greatest requirement of you is that you love all living things, and live your lives in demonstration of your love.”
Chapter 10
S olander the Reborn waited in the belly of his mother for his time of birth to arrive, but already the faithful reached out to him, and he reached back. From hidden rooms in forest houses, from scholarly studies, from the decks of fishing boats and the ever-moving wagons of the peripatetic Gyru-nalles,
She built her shield stronger and, removing only her boots, climbed into her bed. Then she lay staring up at the plank ceiling and listening to the slow creaking of the ship. Sleep would be long in coming.
Interlude
From the eighth chapter of the Seventh Text of the Secret Texts of Vincalis:
13 Solander sat in the Hall of Wizardry and taught the apprentices, saying, “These are the Ten Great Laws of Magic, known from old.
14 “The First Law—the Law of Magical Reaction—states: Every action has an equal and opposite, but aligned, reaction.
15 “The Second Law—the Law of Magical Inertia—states: Inertia holds; spells in force remain in force unless acted on by an opposite force. Latent spells remain latent unless acted on by an opposite force.
16 “The Third Law, which you know as the Law of Magical Conservation, states: Magic, mass, and energy all conserve.
17 “The first iteration of the Fourth Law—the Law of Magical Attraction—says: Aligned spells attract, 18 while the second iteration of the Fourth Law—the Law of Magical Repulsion—says: Unaligned spells repel.
19 “The first iteration of the Fifth Law—the Law of Spellcasting—says: The force of the spell cast will be equal to the energy used multiplied by the number of casting magicians, minus conversion energy, 20 while the second iteration of the Fifth Law, which is the Law of Spellshielding, says: The damage done to the casting magicians by a spell or spell recoil—
rewhah
—will equal the energy sent minus the capacity of the buffer or sacrifice, divided by the number of spellcasters.
21 “The Sixth Law, the Law of Alignment, tells us: Negative magic begets negative reactions. Positive magic begets positive reactions.
22 “The Seventh Law, which is the Law of Compulsion, says: Every spell used to compel the behavior of any living creature against its will carries a negative alignment.
23 “The Eighth Law, or Law of Harm, says: Every spell used to inflict harm, damage, pain, or death, no matter the nature of the target, carries a negative charge.
24 “The Ninth Law, the Law of Souls, states: The mortal representative of an immortal soul carries the charge of the soul, whether positive, negative, or neutral.
25 “The Tenth Law, or Law of Neutrality, says: Anything that carries a neutral charge will be drawn to the strongest force around it, whether that force be positive or negative, for neutrality is a position of weakness, not of strength.
26 “These are the Ten Great Laws, which are the laws of the nature of magic, and which nature enforces. 27 But I give you another law, and this is a law of the nature of man and of the nature of Falconry, enforceable only by yourselves. 28 This law is: Pay for your magic with nothing but that which is yours to give.
29 “
Ka-erea, ka-ashura, ka-amia, ka-enadda,
and
ka-obbea
: your will, your blood, your flesh, your breath, and your soul. These are the five acceptable sacrifices, and acceptable only if offered freely. 30 Magic drawn from your life-force, from these five acceptable sacrifices, will be pure, and free of
rewhah,
and will not scar lives or land. 31 That you offer only these sacrifices is the Law of Ka, the Offering of Self, and I declare it the highest law of the Falcon, and the law by which Falcons will be known.
32 “For the Law of Ka is the Law of Love—love of humanity and love of life—and my greatest requirement of you is that you love all living things, and live your lives in demonstration of your love.”
Chapter 10
S olander the Reborn waited in the belly of his mother for his time of birth to arrive, but already the faithful reached out to him, and he reached back. From hidden rooms in forest houses, from scholarly studies, from the decks of fishing boats and the ever-moving wagons of the peripatetic Gyru-nalles,
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