The small group of adventurers continued to head north to the city of Notting, capital of the province of Issawast. The governor there was an ally of Valerius in his plan to take the throne. There Valerius would inform him that plans were to move along ahead of schedule since the plot had been uncovered. Valerius explained that the forces he had already gathered in Souster were already prepared, and just needed the order to begin moving. The original plan had been designed to take place in mid-spring, and had only been delayed because of the dragon's appearance.

Azara volunteered the use of her magical form of messaging, to send a message back to Elise in the capital of what had occurred. The girl would then take this message to the army in Souster, informing them that the plot had been uncovered, and tell them about their orders from Valerius.

Valerius had, of course, inquired about this messaging system, how it worked and if it could be put to use by those other than mages. Azara had assured him that it could not. It was by way of an enchanted artifact, and the use of it took a great deal of meditation and concentration. It also took familiarity with the device. Azara had had hers since she was very little. Mass use would be impossible.

It amused Azara as he had tried to work around this, not realizing that many much smarter people than he had already tried. Her mother certainly had. Valerius kept stubbornly fumbling around with the idea regardless. It was almost cute or endearing. Furthermore, though she loathed it, her mind also kept jumping back to the fierceness he had displayed back in Midton. That had impressed her in hindsight.

The enjoyment that musing upon his antics gave her was not enough to stop the boredom of the traveling days. Despite their fast pace, the journey was still far from a short one, and the further north they went the more barren and empty Ursulam seemed to become. Colder too, not that it mattered to her.

At least the scenery changed some, as hills became more frequent, and there were more trees than in the middle part of the country. It was still very boring though, and there was only so much conversation the company she had could offer. Kasper had told a million tales of the greatest things he'd stolen, right from under some noble's nose of course. There was always a daring escape too. Joakim had talked about his army days plenty enough. Irinia, for her part, just listened and commented, somehow contributing without involving her past. Now and then she would speak of the times when she, Kasper, and Valerius were little, and the silly things they’d do together when sneaking away from their respective guardians.

Valerius tried to bring up the mood with his own story or some attempt at humor now and then, though it did not entertain as much as Kasper or Joakim. At one point Azara had gone so far as to ask him what he was bothering to do while telling a joke, to which he had said something along the lines of "raising morale".

It all reminded Azara that this was what adventures were mostly about. Monotony, rather than excitement. Her mother had always enjoyed the road, but for her, it was just too boring.

Once more they got to setting camp, this time a little earlier in the day. The horses needed rest more than they did, and time to graze. there was also monotony.

During this time, as she was once more starting the fire with a flint and steel. Kasper approached her and watched.

"Well? Waiting to see magic tricks?" She asked wryly.

"No, that isn't it. Actually, I was thinking of asking you something."

"Hm? What would that be?"

He seemed to stare at her for a moment, before continuing. "Those earrings of yours, and that trinket you had back in town."

Her hand went up to her ear, where she had the earrings. "Yes, what of them?"

"You like jewels a lot, don't you? I once stole some jewels you know."

Oh no, another story. Surely he would be on this for a while.

"Well, the thing is, I've seen the ones on your ears before," he said with a smirk. "I didn't realize it at first, but after getting a look at them for some time now, I'm sure of it."

"Really? Was the destination of your smuggling Aruslan?"

"No, but they’re the same."

Azara shrugged, before getting the tinder burning and laying wood on the fire. "I may have had indirect dealings with your group before. I stay out of underhanded business as much as possible, but it happens sometimes. Back in Aruslan though I was a member of the city's merchant guild, I dealt in jewels and precious metals, so dealing with thieves wasn't smart to do all the time. I own The Dragon's Scale, it started as a shop and became a trading company."

He smirked. “I know that one. That means you’re richer than even most nobles, doesn’t it?”

"I suppose, but I don’t see your point,” Azara said.

Kasper nodded. “Well, I was thinking about it, and I was wondering where you got the enchanted gems from. The trinket you used back in Midton and the one on your neck. I was always told while a member of the Hawks that if I could find and steal one of those, I’d never have to work another day in the life. Nobody could ever put a value on them even. That's how rare they are. And you have two, maybe more. How come? Where did you buy them?”

Azara shook her head. “Mother made the necklace, and I also got the trinket from her. The trinket was given to her on one of her adventures.”

“Ah, that makes sense. I suppose there are some things money can’t buy, and that you can only obtain.”

“Yeah, that is a good way to explain it,” Azara said. “They’re invaluable items.”

“But why?” Kasper asked, intrigued. “You told Valerius that the necklace couldn’t be copied because it was linked to you and your mother, but not how. How do you make those things?”

Azara watched the young man’s eyes and smirked. They were not just curious, but hungry. He was looking for a way to get rich fast, and she would have to disappoint him.

“I’m going to have to disappoint you. To make magical artifacts like this you have to-” Azara stopped herself. This waste wrong person to just be giving this lesson to, and if she was going to give it she would need Irinia there too. “-just a moment Kasper.”

It was just a few yards away that Irinia and Valerius were talking. She was ever shy and quiet, and Valerius patient and willing to listen. He was always patient with the girl's shy personality, Azara realized, and always willing to speak for her or say things she wasn't brave enough to say.

Azara, on the other hand, had no time to be pleasant with the girl. She grabbed Irinia’s arm and unceremoniously dragged her away from the conversation. “Come on Irinia, magic lesson.”

Before Irinia knew it, Azara had set the girl beside Kasper and began with her explanation again.

“Alright then. So Kasper was just very helpful and reminded me that in all our time together, I haven't talked to you about enchanted artifacts. Since you knew a little about them when we first met, I'd like to ask, how did you learn what you do know, and how much do you know exactly?" Azara said.

Irinia became a little excited about the question. She nodded and then spoke with eagerness.

"Yes, of course. I learned about enchanted things from a shaman who would come by my family's estate now and then. My father always sought him out to cure my mother's headaches. He taught me a lot of magic. He said that enchantment was sort of like magic that was always there. At the time he had a magical necklace that he claimed warded off illness. Supposedly the story behind it was that a mage had a child when she thought she could have not have any children. She created it to make sure her baby would not die in infancy. I don't know about that though...because I'd think they would make more of those if they could."

"Actually, that is a more likely story of origin than you would think. What you don't realize is that it would have been because of those circumstances that the mage would have been able to create that necklace in the first place." Azara said, thinking about just how possible the story was. This was the exact circumstance one would look for to find artifacts like the one Irinia was talking about.

Irinia did not understand the connection though, and Azara noticed her brow furrow a bit, as she pondered what the connection was.

"Why?" she asked.

"Well, do you remember how I told you that magic is the energy that comes from within you? That your soul is a reservoir for presence?"

Irinia nodded, thinking back to the lesson a moment. "So, wait, then what holds the magic in an enchanted object? How is new magic created?"

"How would you think?"

"I don't know." She said, then grimaced. "Putting a soul into something?"

Azara grinned and shook her head in the negative. "You would make an excellent necromancer Irinia. The truth is you aren't altogether wrong. That can technically be done, but for many reasons, not the least of which is moral reasons, that is not the usual method. Rather, you use just a piece of your soul to enchant something."

The nonchalance with which Azara said this didn't hide its implications from Irinia.

"What would that do to a person though? You're losing a part of yourself, aren't you?"

"Well, usually it is a very small piece, and so nothing happens. In extreme circumstances, with untrained individuals, it can lead to a shorter lifespan or even death. Your magical reserves fall as well. Most of the time, however, enchanting quickly or flippantly will not lead to results. You have to do it over time. With an object of great value to you in an emotional sense, or when doing something for a very important purpose, it is more effective. This is because it is not just less risky, but in a certain sense if something already contains a piece of you via its history, you don't need to sacrifice much of yourself to enchant it."

"Wait, what?" Irinia asked, confused. "Are you saying that by virtue of me having something, it contains part of me?"

"Well, no, but think about it for a moment. Your soul resides in your body, but your body in and of itself is just a shell. It holds great value to you, in many ways it’s all you ever really have, but it’s still just an object. So when you grow attached to things it becomes easier to enchant them because they are already attuned to you - so the actual amount of your spirit you have to use is very little and the returns are larger." Azara answered, trying to think of a way to explain this better. She could tell that she had already lost Kasper, who wasn’t paying attention anymore, and Irinia was trying to understand as best she could. The mage-in-training asked another question in that pursuit.

"Large? How so?"

"Well, the item's powers may be more amplified, or the items reservoir of energy larger. When enchanting something, the enchanter must remain with the item for many days, meditating upon it and exploring it with their magic. It is a very advanced process, and rushing it can even kill a mage, which is why you see very few enchanted things in the world - and those that are enchanted are very valuable."

"Well, then how does that necklace you have work, to speak with your assistant from such a distance?"

"Oh, this?" Azara said, taking off the necklace which she had shown Irinia at the first time they met. "This is something my mother planned, long ago. She has given them to myself, my sister, and my little brother, as well as a few select people who have earned her trust within the Ignis Evigan, our mage order. It takes time for them to become capable of being enchanted, and even then she doesn't enchant it herself but leaves it up to the mage whom she has given it to. It is sort of like a safeguard, so we always have someone to call on. To be honest, its sort of like those romantic necklaces or bracelets peddlers and tinkers sometimes sell, claiming they are blessed or enchanted. Except this is the real deal."

Irinia was a little amazed by this, even though it had been explained to her before. Azara hadn't gone into this much detail when explaining to Valerius that it would not work as a method of coordinating a kingdom or an army.

"So you can talk to her any time?"

"Well, no. Perhaps if I wanted to, but the larger the distance the more presence is expended. It takes time to recharge as well, and while you can channel some of your presence into it, for the most part, enchanted objects have to generate it themselves."

Irinia shook her head at the last part.

"Why not? Wouldn't you just be able to recharge something like that with your presence?"

"I don't know, a few mages have theories on it, but as I said, I'm not the scientific sort of mage. The best way I can explain it is this - like how life leads to death and that cannot be reversed, the soul is a one-way street. Once a piece of it is separated from the main body, and a part of something else, it won't accept your magical energy anymore. At least, not in the same way. Again, a consequence of enchanting something with more power than you can afford, or just in the wrong way, can result in a shortened lifespan. It does take a part of you - forever."

"So you still lose a piece of yourself, in a sense, when enchanting something...but, if that is true then how do so many mages live longer than normal people, even if just by a decade or two?"

Azara sighed, Irinia was asking so many hard questions.

"That is a bit different. Suffice to say that if you meditate long enough, learn enough, experience certain things, or do some rather nasty things to yourself, you can increase your soul’s boundaries, and thus increase your presence reserves and your lifespan. That is also a pretty complicated realm though, which I'd rather not go into."

"So is that device you used back in Midton also enchanted?"

Another question about it. How long would she be able to keep this a secret? Irinia was the more inquisitive one at this point too. It was doubtful she would be able to take no for an answer.

"Sort of. Maybe when you become more advanced in your learning I will explain it to you. It is more valuable than most enchanted objects though." Azara explained.

"Alright. Are you going to teach me how to enchant something then?"

"Heavens and stars no! You are far too inexperienced!"

Irinia seemed a little miffed by the response.

"Then why tell me this?"

"Same reason I told you about consecration seals. In the future, we may be facing those knights back in Midton. I wouldn’t want to, but we may - since they are also after our dragon. The knights we may face almost assuredly will have enchanted equipment. Things like a knight’s armor, sword, shield, and much more, usually hold great significance to them. This is one of the reasons the Order of Silver has proved to be so powerful in the past. By the very nature of being professional warriors, they are going to have several things very dear to them. Mementos of lost comrades, trophies of war, things they have carried into battle, etc. Add to this that every knight of that order are paladins and must be qualified mages alongside their knighthood, and you can bet they will have enchanted their most treasured gear.

They have studied and trained in the magic of light. Thus they are a recipe for the enchanting arts like no other. Granted, it is still hard, and you won't find anyone with say, full suits of enchanted plate mail and an armory of such weapons - but don't be surprised if one of them has a trick up their sleeve. Things like swords that belch fire, or a piece of jewelry or clothing that can heal wounds. Oh, and that is one more thing - some items are easier to enchant than others, for their innate magic. Jewels fall into that category, as well as many precious metals. That is why if you do encounter enchanted things, it is usually jewelry."

"Is this why you like jewels so much?" Irinia asked.

"Partly, yes," Azara replied. "I also just like -"

Irinia looked to the sky suddenly and then fell to her knees, her face pointing towards the horizon, and began to pray. Out on the horizon in the sky, the first star of the night had appeared. It gave Azara a moment of pause. The girl always did this, praying to the first star at night, and praying in the morning. Under normal circumstances, she found it a nuisance, but in this case, it was a fitting, if sudden, stop to the lesson. She wouldn't have to answer personal questions now.

Kasper however, was not going to let her get away that easily, and spoke up, as if he had a sudden interest.

“Could those knights have something that forces people to tell the truth?” he asked. “Something that could have broken the Hawks to sell each other out?”

“No.” Azara said “I don’t know of any sort of device like that. I don’t even know how you would go about creating such an artifact. Why do you ask?”

“It has been bugging me since we left Midton, that they gave us up to the governor’s men,” Kasper explained. “Hawks do not break under torture. We don’t betray each other for money either, even if we’re thieves and smugglers. We were like family, in many respects.”

“Really? You didn't seem to take Midton that hard.” Azara asked. She hadn’t seen any drop in mood from him. In fact, when he had spoken to her that night he had seemed quite happy.

“I’ve lost friends over the years Azara, I've learned to take it in stride. It also helped that I didn’t know the individuals involved. I was a child the last time I was in Midton, so I didn't know anybody there personally. Still, it makes me wonder. How did the Silver Knights get the to break? The governor mentioned they used magic. What sort of magic?”

This was a question Azara had been asking herself for some time. Konrad had a sight like hers, except his celestial sight was even more powerful. That would allow him to know if he was being lied to most of the time, however, that only explained one side of things. It didn’t explain how he could get them to betray a comrade like Kasper.

“They wouldn’t break even under threat of execution?” Azara asked.

“No. That happens often anyways. Even if we were all strung up, nobody would betray the other.” Kasper said.

Azara raised an eyebrow. “The punishment is that bad for theft and smuggling? You aren’t assassins are you?”

Kasper shrugged. “We take a lot of work. However, no, we mostly just steal things and smuggle. The king has just been harder on us because we’re daring enough to steal from his tax collectors. It got worse in recent times, with his lavish spendings and projects, like that great hall we first met in. Even then, nobody has broken. We just became more defiant. That is why we jumped at the chance to help Valerius with this rebellion.”

“Well, that would make it seem like he found some new way to make people tell the truth,” Azara said. It was possible, she knew that much, but how was a different story. Knowing those sorts of things were more in line with the way her sister and mother practiced magic. They were the scientists, whereas she was just like an artist with lots of paint. “I’ll think about it, and see if I can come up with something. In the meantime, we had best leave Irinia to her prayers, and go get some of the supper that Joakim has been preparing.”

Kasper nodded, and Irinia looked up from her prayers, glancing over at Azara with a thankful smile.