To channel, that is to take the magical force provided by another source and focus into a spell, is at once one of the most elementary and most difficult of skills to learn. On the part of the channel – the mage who casts the spell – it requires supreme powers of concentration, as well as the stability of the mind and aura that is necessary to wield great outside force without being destroyed by it. On the part of the source, on the other hand, it requires only two things: Endurance that allows the mage providing the power to drain himself to his limits without faltering, and unwavering trust in the channeler. – Basics of Magic, Years III and IV.

What the textbook had not taken into account, Olidra reflected, was the possibility of the channeller and the source being separated by a distance of what came close to fifty meters – on a straight line – and most of those passing through solid stone. From the energy perspective, the contact was quite easy to maintain even over greater distances: The arcane planes worked to different laws than the physical one. From the perspective of two mages attempting to communicate, it was a daunting task: The first link had to be established without anything to start from. The textbook recommended physical contact to simplify the process, but in this case the only contact they had was the telepathic rapport Sonahn had been able to establish.

Holding the telepathic connecion, however, required too much concentration to allow Sonahn to also grasp at the line of power Olidra was trying to extend to her. And without it, Olidra was not versed enough in mentalism to establish the channel himself.

In the end, Olidra had to blindly spread out his aura everywhere at once – direction, too, was not easy to focus when operating on the higher planes. The strain was immense, and he was glad to have brought along, as a last minute decision, the two replenishing potions he had stored in his cupboard. But after what seemed to have been an eternity of him stretching himself as thin as a piece of parchment and filling the surrounding place with his own energy, he had finally felt the deft tug that indicated somebody had taken hold of it. A moment later, as she re-established the telepathic contact, he realized with more than a little relief that it was her: Leaving himself open in such a way made him vulnerable to anyone for quite some distance around.

“Ready?” she asked over the link, and he almost looked around at what he was sure was the sound of her voice. “Do not be alarmed. The link is far stronger now that it is reinforced by the channel. That is why you will sense my thoughts more clearly.”

“I'm--” he interrupted himself when he realized he was speaking out loud. “I'm ready. Can you cast the spell now?”

“As soon as you dissolve the breakers.” She was referring to the piercing crystals Olidra still held in his left hand.

“This may take a while.” Olidra had never before consciously absorbed a crystal – an innate ability of every Vahnatai, but one that usually manifested itself as a byproduct of another spell such as Farsight, which required the absorption of a sapphire. Fortunately, he was free to divert his mind to other tasks now that the link was in place: The channeller held the contact and broke or kept it at will; this was the reason the textbook had mentioned trust.

He was glaring at the crystals in his hand, as if willing them to disappear, but nothing happened.

“Pretend that you are already casting a spell. Find a focus to direct it at, and it will work much more easily. I will divert the energy once you have absorbed it.” She – a student – was teaching him, Olidra realized. You never cease learning, do you? His main subject had been Carving, not Crystallomancy – he did not normally bother with what happened to the crystals after they had been given shape.

A simple firebolt will do the trick. Look at the opposite wall, he told himself, the outcropping will be an excellent target. Concentrate... sweat started to run down his forehead.

Suddenly, he felt the rush of power! It flowed first through his clenched hand, seeming to burn his fingers, then it spread up his left arm, like fire in his veins. He felt like screaming as he felt the new force infuse his whole body and aura, and it was rushing around inside him with no place to go. The feeling was at once exhilerating and frightening – surely in another second he would burst, if the power continued to rage through him.

“NOW!” The urgency of Sonahn's thought made it register as a shout in Olidra's mind. “evk'tark anv'! anv'is dhaiv tark!” Olidra felt the power in him dissipating, being diverted elsewhere – first as a trickle, and then as a sudden rush. A fruit being squeezed, that is what it feels like. He was being emptied of every last bit inside him, left as a dry, abandoned husk...

And suddenly, it was over as quickly as it had begun. Olidra was left lying on the ground gasping for breath like a fish out of water, his strength seeming utterly spent. His light spell, too, had dispersed by now, leaving him alone in the darkness of the cave, wishing nothing more than to take a long, restful sleep.

But he could not rest now. There was still Tarai's Mystical Shovel to take care of – barrier or not, tons of rock still blocked the lower levels and would need to be cleared out before he could rest. He slowly, painfully got to his feet.

In the midst of the darkness, bright seas of color danced suddenly in front of his eyes, and he would have been sick if there had been anything in his stomach. Overdraining, he immediately diagnosed. The symptoms are nausea and disorientation, the after-effects can lead to unconsciousness, coma and death if left untreated. He needed to replenish his energy as soon as possible before he blacked out – even if he lived, it could be days before he recovered on his own.

He stumbled over to where he remembered he had set down his bag – the one with the potions. Feeling blindly inside, he was glad that he had packed only one kind of potion. His fingers closed around the bottle, hastily opening it, and gulping down the bitter, almost corrosive liquid within seconds.

There. I feel better already.

As his senses returned, he renewed his light spell and looked around.

Are you okay? he thought, hoping to be able to contact Sonahn. But the dissolving of the channelling link had taken with it the mental link, breaking contact. It was up to her to re-establish it, if and when she felt up to it.

Later, he told himself. For now, he needed to concentrate on the matter at hand.

Tarai's Mystical Shovel, in its third variant, technically required the constant attention of its caster to proceed. Its chief drawback and limitation – besides being able only to clear rock that was already broken – was the time a mage was prepared to sit facing a pile of debris, watching it being moved at literally mind-numbing speeds.

More recent advances, however, had rendered many of the old “presence required” restrictions obsolete, as the spell could continue to be focused by a specially prepared crystal, while the mage could walk off and do something more productive or entertaining with his time.

The only remaining obstacle was the time needed to actually prepare said crystal.

------

“There. It is done.”

Olidra held aloft the small stone, and it glinted in the magical light, shining almost like a diamond even though it was simply common quartz. He had spent at least an hour cutting and imbuing the gemstone – it is always amazing in how many situations this carving set can be useful, he commented – until it shone with a smooth, clear brilliance.

The spell was already residing inside the stone: It had grown inside the structure as it had taken shape. Now all he needed to do was activate it – it just took a small burst of power to tip the balance in the stone and induce it to spill its magic, activating the spell inside.

Olidra walked over to the mouth of the collapsed tunnel, where huge boulders lay heaped on top of each other, having broken out of the ceiling to crush into the passageway below. Here goes...

Putting the stone down in front of the wall, he took a few steps back – even the third variant of the spell was not perfectly safe to stand next to, as the boulders could be flung a few meters away. He raised his hand to cast the small firebolt that would activate the stone, but felt a sudden uneasiness wash over him. A sound. In the midst of the silence.

A lizard hissing nervously.

Kuhvi, Olidra realized. The lizard was still standing outside the cave entrance, having waited for her rider for several hours now. She is warning me.

He turned around, turning his back to the crystal and gazing in the direction of the entrance.

Footsteps.

His next sensation was that of his arms being pinned against his sides and his legs suddenly moving through treacle. Caught thus in an invisible cage of force, he could only stare in bewilderment at the Vahnatai who were facing him.

“Olidra-Ka.”

It took a while before it registered, but then he recognized them by their insignia. Keepers, all six,. Of the assembled, he knew only Rabon-Ka, their leader. Furthermore, three others were walking behind the Keepers, keeping in the shadows, their black robes hiding them well.

And as Olidra noticed, with a sinking heart, the insignia of Law that identified them as auditors, he realized just how deeply he was in trouble.