The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume II

blue beams of magical light reflected off glistening paving stones in front of the old monastery.
    “Stargods preserve us! What is that?” Quinnault crossed himself, paused, then crossed himself again.
    “Something special. Something very powerful,” Nimbulan gasped. “Only ley lines glow that shade of blue.” He forged ahead, anxious to discover the source of the strange light.
    “Hold on, old man. This could be dangerous. There are rumors of ghosts and demons haunting his island.” Quinnault grabbed Nimbulan’s sleeve.
    “I’ll protect us with magic, boy.” Power began tingling through Nimbulan’s boots into his feet. Eagerness lifted his spirits and urged him to run. Energy coursed upward through his legs, into his belly and chest. The staff vibrated and stood upright on its own. His heart beat strong and true. All lingering coughs faded from his lungs. His eyes focused sharply.
    He watched sap draining from leaves into tree trunks; saw individual drops of moisture in the air; knew every different rock that had crumbled to form the dirt at his feet.
    New sounds entered his ears. Distant birdsong, the whoosh and sigh of the river lapping its banks, worms crawling beneath the surface of Kardia Hodos. The moon and stars danced through the universe, beckoning him to join their balanced movements.
    His vision in the void took shape before his eyes. This time the magicians stepped back and watched rather than distorting the patterns. The lords danced in harmony with the Great Wheel of sun and moon and stars. . . .
    “This is better than an overdose of Tambootie,” he whispered in awe.
    “What do you see?” Quinnault remained behind him looking anxiously right and left.
    “I see the source of all magic. Come, boy, let’s find out what other miracles this abandoned monastery shelters.”
    “Slowly, Nimbulan. We don’t know what kind of traps lie hidden, nor what drove the last inhabitants away.”
    Nimbulan shrugged his agreement. “You go left, I’ll go right, but stay within sight.” He pointed directions with his staff, but the tool jerked back to the pool of blue between each gesture.
    “We stay together, or we don’t go.”
    “Oh, all right.” Nimbulan stepped onto a fat ley line to his right and followed it toward the pool of glowing blue. With each step, he sensed the power in the ley line increasing. The line itself grew wider until he placed his feet side by side and still saw blue around the edges. “ Stargods! I’ve seen smaller parapets in Castle Krej where Kammeryl d’Astrismos holes up every winter. Ley lines are supposed to be as fine as spider silk.”
    “I’ve never truly seen a ley line before.” Quinnault turned in a circle, gaping at the lovely blue glowing beneath the Kardia’s surface.
    “Can you draw the power into you, de Tanos?” Nimbulan’s skin began to itch with the magic he hadn’t unleashed yet. His staff glowed with power. There was so much of it!
    “My feet and fingers tingle. Is that the magic?”
    “Yes. Yes. Try something, Quinnault. A simple spell. Anything. See if the massive amounts of power fuel your talent where small ley lines can’t.”
    “I can’t think of anything to do.”
    “Something useful. Shift some of these shrubs to the side and make a path.”
    Quinnault closed his eyes and screwed his face up in concentration.
    Nimbulan watched the plants in front of them. None moved. “Open your eyes, de Tanos. Stare at the fibers of each plant and think them in a different place.”
    “I . . . I’ve never been able to move anything before. Not even a simple transport.”
    “Have you always closed your eyes to try the spell?”
    “Yes. It’s easier to concentrate.”
    “Then try it with your eyes open!”
    The young lord stared at a small tuft of grass. He clenched and opened his fists rhythmically. The blades of greenery wiggled and waved to the right but didn’t move.
    “Again. You’ve got the essence of the plant listening to you. Now be more persuasive. Draw the power up through your body and out your hand. Point at the grass.”
    Quinnault lifted his left hand slowly, index finger extended toward the tuft in question. Again the blades wiggled and straightened.
    Nimbulan resisted the urge to help the lord. He needed to know if the vast reserves of power on this island could turn minor talents into major ones. Quite possibly, after having experienced a large ley line, de Tanos would be able to find and use lesser ones in other