Tak

Sereena - Part 4

     "But I would not describe it as a waste of time," said Saturn a couple of hours later at a meeting of department heads back at the University. "The ship and its crew demonstrated the ability to locate the home of a wizard on a dead, empty world. If they can do that, there is no doubt that they can discover any civilisation that may exist on any of the other planets and moons circling Tharsol."

     "But Sereena was the best hope, wasn't it?" pointed out Kalda Mot, the head of extraplanar studies. "Further out, the worlds get colder and colder. Far too cold for the kind of life we're looking for, unless you suspect the existence of a subterranean civilisation, such as that of the gl-hugs."

     "Exploring the worlds of our own system is a waste of time," said Fragrant Lotus, however, the only Fu Nangian currently on the University faculty and the head of the school of divination. He nodded his head to Saturn and smiled to take the sting out of his words. "We know the Shipbuilder civilisation lies on the other side of a transdimensional portal. That is what we should be looking for."

     "We don't know that for certain," said Saturn, though. "Not for certain. We must first rule out the worlds of our own system. Then we can look further afield."

     "Has anything more been learned from the captive Felisians?" the Director asked Seskip Tonn.

     "No," replied the Head Proctor. "Once they realised that we could break down their mental barriers they became fully co-operative and have told us much about their world and their people, but they cannot tell us where their world is, or even whether it's in our own universe. They simply do not know themselves. They certainly know nothing about any transdimensional portal. My guess is that they were deliberately kept ignorant in case they were captured by us."

     "I would lay money that the Felisian homeworld and the homeworld of the Shipbuilders lie beyond the same portal," said Kalda Mot. "They may even be the same world. The Felisians may be Shipbuilder spies."

     "The Felisians know nothing of any Shipbuilder civilisation," said Seskip emphatically. "That was the first thing I made sure of. I did discover one interesting thing, however. The Felisians are responsible for the interference affecting long range magic."

     "What!" cried every wizard around the table at once.

     Director had to slam his hand on the table several times to restore order. "Give him a chance to speak!" he warned, eying them sharply. "I'm sure our esteemed Head Proctor is about to elaborate on his extraordinary statement."

     Seskip nodded his gratitude. "As you know, long range magic depends on a coherent beam of magical force being able to pass from one place to another. Like a helioscope that uses flashes of reflected sunlight to send messages from hilltop to hilltop, but if there is a sandstorm blowing in the desert between, the men on one hilltop cannot see the signals being sent from the other. The Felisians cannot use magic themselves, but during their voyages they discovered a substance that is fully opaque to the magic force. They ground it up into powder, and four years ago one of their ships released it into Tharia's upper atmosphere. Ever since then it has been filtering down to the ground and effectively preventing a beam of magic force from travelling more than a hundred miles or so."

     "Then it's a temporary effect," said Lyo Hosh, the hideously scarred and disfigured curator of artifacts and relics. "When every last trace of this substance has reached the ground, long range magic will once again be possible."

     "Unless they repeat the operation," agreed the Head Proctor. "They may have the means to do so as often as they like."

     "We must obtain a sample of this substance," said Lyo Hosh excitedly. "The possibilities are endless! Truly magic proof shielding at last. Perhaps magic mirrors to reflect a spell back at its caster..."