Dinner was a rowdy affair, with Carol and Mira, chatting up a storm, while the men laughed and listened to their stories from Earth. The servants buzzed about, bringing dish after dish to the table, created by the large kitchen staff that Zander kept in his palace.
By the time hot tea and dessert had arrived, the conversation took on a more ominous tone.
The blizzard had eased up somewhat during the day, but by nightfall, it had roared back to life, becoming more and more powerful. The main dining room was located in the center of the palace away from any large windows; nevertheless, the sound of the gale could still be heard, moaning and weeping as it prowled around the grounds outside.
Snowfall returned with a vengeance.
It had gotten next to impossible to travel from one place to another, using the normal carriage routes. There were people stuck everywhere. A few brave souls who dared the elements to try to get home were found in the middle of the roads, frozen to death.
There was also an avalanche that hit the foothills of Jade Mountain overnight. It buried an entire village full of people while they were sleeping in their beds.
There were no survivors.
The only safe way to move people and supplies was to travel through the portals. Unfortunately, it was something that could only be done with a wizard present to open the correct sequences, using the wizard's own life energies.
This was part of the reason why Daran had been punished so severely for playing with his life energies in such a cavalier and wasteful fashion. Universal Life Energies took time to accrue and needed to be stored for use in the event of an emergency.
Healing Carol was one thing. Shooting a hole through a living tree just to impress her was another.
From what Daran reported, all available wizards in the kingdom had been dispatched for transport duties, moving people via portals from dangerous areas into fortified castles. They were also charged with bringing in food and supplies from far-flung areas.
All of this preparation was not something that would have occurred during a normal winter blizzard---but this was no normal blizzard.
"I have traced the path of the magik causing the storm, and I think I know where the magik is coming from," Zander confirmed, in between spoonsful of the sweet pudding.
Everyone stared at him.
"The magik traces are coming from Topaz." Zander frowned. "This is especially troubling because the wizards of Topaz are known for their firestorms, not for the powers of ice and snow. It is as if...they are using our own weapons against us."
"By us, do you mean the Northern Realm?" Mira asked.
Zander nodded. "Jade is currently under the protection of the Tamein family. Jade itself, has limited Elemental magikal powers. It is mostly an administrative capital, used for the facilitation of commerce and to administer general public construction projects that are advantageous for all Ashryans in general."
"The Master is being too modest," Daran grinned. "His wife should be aware that it is Master De Zander Tamein himself who is the protector for Jade, since the Master has far surpassed his father, King Tamein long long ago."
"I see. So Jade has no magik." Carol sniffed.
Daran laughed. "I wouldn't exactly say that. The Rashak family do have their own magik powers, but they are focused on individual strengths, and not the control of entire elements."
Carol scratched her head. "I don't understand."
Daran rubbed his chin. "Well, you've met De Erick Rashak. He is one of the strongest men I have ever dueled with. His inner Universal Life Energy is insanely powerful. You will die a very quick death if you go up against him directly."
"He seemed quite weak to me." Carol shrugged.
Daran shook his head. "The only reason you think so is because he was poisoned. He has since recovered, thanks to Mira's administration, and now he is back to fighting form." Daran shook his head, impressed. "An entire legion of men like him would be unconquerable."
"Are there such battalions?"
"Yes, but they are not of his caliber. They train under his family's wizardry, and are all Royal Guards; however, their powers are considerably weaker than that of the Crown Prince."
"You train under Zander, right?"
"Now I do, but before, I was one of De Erick Rashak's top ranking warriors."
"And now you know both."
"Yes, to some extent. Of course, the two Crown Princes both possess powers far above my ability."
There was something that nagged at Mira, and for a moment, her mind spun with the thoughts. She knew the powers of Topaz had something to do with fire, but she could not see where the connection was.
"Both you and Zander can make fire appear from your fingertips. Isn't that something that is controlled by Topaz?"
Daran nodded. "Yes, but what we do is just basic understanding of fire alchemy. To use it in a way that would be able to take down entire armies, you need more than a basic understanding of how to make a flame. The Zaravan family in Topaz have a powerful understanding of fire."
Carol pursed her lips. "I get it. That's like comparing the fire from a match, as opposed to a flame thrower, or even nuclear energy." She scratched her head. "So are the Tameins from the north equal in strength to the Zaravans from the south?"
"No. That was thoroughly established the year King Tamein and King Zaravan fought for the chance to marry Princess Kalara Rashak." Daran's face glowed with excitement. "We still talk about that fight to this very day. It was epic. Of course, as you can see, the Princess's son is a Tamein and not a Zaravan because King Tamein won the fight. The reason is quite simple, when you think it through logically."
Carol wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Pray tell."
Daran gave her a grieved look and rubbed his shiny bald head. She seemed completely unimpressed with him, even though he had tried his best to dazzle her with his abilities.
"It's a bit complicated, so bear with me." He tried again. "The first thing you must grasp, which most people don't understand, is this." He paused for effect. "Topazian magik is not elemental. This is because FIRE IS NOT AN ELEMENT."
"It's not?" Carol yawned.
"NO!!!" Daran raised his eyebrows. Trying to make Carol understand the importance of this piece of information was nearly impossible. "Most people don't know this, but fire is made up of many different substances, so it is not an element. Someone who is a wizard of fire must understand how to combine a mixture of hot gases in such a way that the air can be set on fire, using something for fuel such as coal or wood or oil."
"I see." Carol hemmed and hawed, pretending to be impressed but failing miserably. "So what would you consider as real elements?"
"The only elements that are real are earth, water, and air"
"You are missing Metal," Zander responded to Daran, then he turned to Carol. "The real Elemental wizards must understand how to manipulate these elements by the weak and strong forces which hold them together. For example, to manipulate water, you need to be able to break water up into its tiny components, and manipulate those components at the level that those components exist."
For the first time, Carol looked impressed. "You manipulate atoms?"
"We don't use those words, so I cannot determine what your question involves, but it is enough for you to understand that what we wield is the invisible aspects of that which is visible."
Mira's mouth was an O of understanding. "So that means the Topaz wizards are actually wizards of Air plus some other component to create fire."
"Yes."
"And that means you also use Air in order to create storms."
"Among other things, yes. We also use electricity to generate thunder and lightning. This is why my family has another name. We are known as the Storm Lords."
"So...does that mean the King of Topaz is now also...a Storm Lord?"
"It looks to be the case, yes." Zander nodded with a worried frown.
Mira poked at her pudding. "Zander...what if--" She paused for a moment and then stared into his silver-blue eyes. "What if Topaz has not just your family's powers of controlling water in the sky, but also the Rashak family's magik of strength? I mean...what would stop them from having both?"
"Absolutely nothing. The fight between King Horacio Zaravan and my Royal Father occurred two years before I was born. I am twenty-eight, which means he has had thirty years to prepare for this day. Much can happen in thirty years, including the infiltration and stealing of state and sect secrets."
"So to take revenge from that devastating loss thirty years ago, he steals your family's wizard knowledge and uses that as part of the arsenal of weapons to fight against your family." Mira covered her mouth.
Daran nodded grimly. "Because of the loss of a woman, along with his pride, he waited thirty years to gather enough strength to make an attempt to lay waste an entire kingdom."
"Well, dang." Carol slapped the table. "What are you guys gonna do?"
"Well isn't it obvious?" Daran crossed his arms over his chest. "We have to stop him."