The Dragon Nimbus Novels: Volume III: Volume III

the current that trapped him and drag him free at a moment of slackening. I didn’t have the time or strength to do it with mundane skills. Dragon magic did not respond to me beneath the waters of the Bay. I used the tools available.”
    “And still you failed.”
    “If I had tapped the ley line when I first sensed trouble, I might have been in time. I failed because I hesitated to use solitary magic.”
    “As well you should. Any use of rogue magic opens the doors to chaos. Only dragon magic allows many magicians to combine their powers and impose ethics, honor, and justice upon all magicians.”
    “I know, Master. And I am sorry for my transgression. It will not happen again.” Bessel bowed his head, hoping Scarface would take the gesture of humility into account.
    “Once you have tapped rogue powers, there is no going back. You will be tempted again and again. Others will find excuses to do so as well. We must make an example of you.” Scarface’s voice rose as his scar whitened.
    Wind-drift placed a placating hand upon the Senior Magician’s arm.
    Scarface’s jaw tightened and worked side to side as if he ground his teeth in a massive attempt to control his temper.
    “Excuse me, Master Aaddler,” Nimbulan interrupted. His use of the Senior Magician’s true name signified the importance of his words. “There are more important issues before us than Bessel tapping a ley line in a desperate attempt to save a life.”
    “What more important issue can there be than violation of our most sacred law?” Scarface glared angrily at his former comrade. They’d been friends when they first escaped Hanassa. Now Scarface treated Nimbulan as a distrusted foe.
    “There is, first, the issue of the pilot’s mistrust of the depth finder. It seems to me he is the party at fault here. If he had listened to the machine’s warning and taken precautions immediately, Ambassador Jorghe-Rosse might still be alive and Coronnan would not be facing probable war with Rossemeyer.”
    “A matter for politicians to decide.”
    “But we of the Commune are chief advisers to the politicians. Neutral advisers. We . . . You need to make decisions, investigate the machine and the Guild, and give all of the information to the king and the Council of Provinces.”
    “After we have dealt with the transgressions of one of our own. We must police our members so that hysterical and uninformed mundanes do not need to.”
    “Then you must begin by exiling yourself, Master Aaddler.”
    “What!” Several of the masters stood, pounding fists against the table. Outrage burst forth from their tightly controlled auras.
    But Wind-drift remained calm. Who was this man? More importantly, where did his loyalties truly lie?
    The dog yipped outside the door. His bark sounded strangely triumphant.
    Hope and bewilderment glowed within Bessel at the same time. He stood a little straighter, grateful that Nimbulan befriended him.
    The retired magician waved his hand for them to quiet. The masters obeyed, revealing a measure of respect for Nimbulan that Scarface had yet to earn.
    “Continue with your explanation, please, Nimbulan,” Scarface ordered, pointedly denying his accuser the right of a title or working name.
    “For you to have felt the shift in the kardia caused by Bessel’s tapping of a ley line, you, too, must have been using solitary magic. By your own laws, you also must face death or exile along with the boy you so boldly accuse.”

    Past midnight, outside the University of Magicians, Coronnan City
     
    From the supporting buttress of an outside wall, Kinnsell watched the magicians—master frauds more like—wind up the staircase to their private enclave. Now was as good a time as any to rescue the Rover woman. Darkness shrouded the entire complex. He’d never have a better opportunity to avoid detection by the magicians.
    He needed to get close enough to the members of the Commune to test the viability of their psi powers. Until then, he had to presume they used sleight of hand and other tricks to convince a gullible populace. But they still held a great deal of political and economic clout on this planet.
    Silently, he crept through the long corridors of the ancient buildings. The oldest portion seemed to have been a single story built in a simple U shape around a central courtyard. The corridor that ran along the inside of the U and accessed the individual rooms showed signs of recent enclosure. He had expected to find twisting