It is Easy to Destroy Physical Things, Not So Easy to Nullify Magic

But it was too late for second thoughts now. The Crystallic shattered into a myriad of tiny shards with the sword's impact, and a great blaze of light temporarily blinded them.

You can destroy most artifacts readily enough, but you cannot destroy magic so easily. With its containing vessel destroyed, the magic burst out, looking for a suitable receptacle.

Fred's vision cleared after a few seconds, though he would have spots before his eyes for some time. "Are you all right?" he asked Astra. "I - I think so. Next time we destroy a magical artifact, we'll know to close our eyes first."

She paused, then said: "You realise that our money and even the clothes we stand up in, all came from one or other of the dragons? Walants is not a good place in which to be penniless, and I definitely draw the line at being naked as well. I've had quite enough of that, thank you. Malachi shrank your sword to a size you could still use. Even your horse is bespelled. [1616] And what about the magical necklace and ring that we wear, without which no-one could understand our speech?" [1575]

Fred realised that, like it or not, he could not be totally free of dragon goods - at least, not yet. He would just have to hope that - apart from Astra's necklace and his ring - they were not magical in nature. "We'll keep the copper coins," he said. "They should suffice for our bill at the inn. We'll also keep the clothes we wear and my sword. And we'll have to keep your necklace and my ring. But everything else must go." "Even your horse?" asked Astra, who had grown rather fond of it and who much preferred riding to walking. "Even my horse. But we can sell it. It should raise a fair sum, which will mean we won't have any shortage of money for a good while afterwards. In fact it will mean that we needn't keep the dragon's copper after all."

Any competent mage would naturally detect such an enormous release of magic within a few miles of him. Fred and Astra might no longer have any reason to want to see Snyizn, but he was interested in finding out who could have been responsible for such a major magical event.

Meanwhile:

1. Fred and Astra continued to talk, unaware that the Crystallic's magic had found a new home in Fred's sword.
2. Fred and Astra continued to talk, unaware that the Crystallic's magic had found a new home in Astra's necklace.
3. Fred and Astra continued to talk, unaware that the Crystallic's magic had found a new home within the two of them.
4. Fred and Astra continued to talk, unaware that the Crystallic's magic had found a new home inside Astra.
5. Fred and Astra continued to talk, unaware that the Crystallic's magic had found a new home within Fred.
6. Fred and Astra continued to talk, unaware that Walants and the countryside for some miles around it were starting to change as the released magic got to work on it.
7. Fred suggested to Astra that they go together to see Synizn. "Just try and stop me," she said, grinning at him.

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree