And so our story continues…
Day 53: Telling herself that she would see when she got there, didn’t help.
Telling herself that she would see when she got there, didn’t help. Her mind kept turning over the possibilities as she moved. Finally Anna found herself at the edge of the woods. The day was advanced and oddly enough by the time she made it back into the city, and took the time to scry to see they lay of the land it would be about the same time she usually walked home from the archives. It would fit with her concealment spell which meant she wouldn’t have to re cast it. She could slip back in and the spell would still have her neighbors thinking she was coming and going as normal with no issues.
It was a benefit and she would take it. Once she got back to her apartment she would be able to study the materials she brought back with her and would only need to leave to restock her supplies. ‘But I am getting ahead of myself,’ she thought. ‘I have to get back into the city first.’
From the edge of the wood Anna could see the shields more clearly. There was indeed a new one that had not been in place when she left. Even from a distance she could sense the signature of Marcus’ magic. ‘So it probably does have something to do with me.’
Because she could sense it, Anna felt she could reach out and study it to see what the shield did without lowering her own layered protections. She felt calmed by that fact which she took to mean that her own protections were necessary. Anna carefully threaded the observational probe to slip in delicately and study the shield without disturbing it. This was magic that was based more on thought and used the mind and body as it’s focus rather than something that required herbs and potions. This was all her, and it was all magic she learned after she left.
Her training did not include this sort of magic and in fact for most of her life she was told this sort of magic was impossible. The potions, the rituals the material objects were all necessary. There were many things Anna found out due to necessity, that required nothing more than her will and her skill. She knew it took something physical from her a she was always hungry after she performed such magic, but it was possible.
Anna moved slowly, letting her mental filaments delicately tease out the purpose of the shield. When she understood its parameters, she pulled her threads back. The shield wa a variation of the shield over the lost city. It would not kill the inhabitants or anyone passing through, but it would make note of them and send the information to whoever cast the shield. In this case it would be Marcus.
‘And someone would very quickly be sent to pick me up.’
Anna leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes, this time studying her own shields. The ones she had on would keep her unnoticed as she approached the shields. Once through though they would know someone passed through them and with little effort they could figure out where. With a little adjustment she could prevent the shields from registering her at all. Anna slowly began to make those adjustments to her shield.
Ten til Midnight 