The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2
Chapter 47

Part 9

"You always make the shapes you're Translocating a bit big and bring some of the air around you with you when you go, just in case someone moves at the last moment. The smaller you make the space, the greater the chance that someone you're Translocating will move at the last moment, and part of them will be outside the Translocation field at the moment of casting. Anything sticking through the field from inside will be cut clean off. It's easier to Translocate something that's Levitating, because you don't have to be so careful to make the bottom of the field exactly even between the bottom of their shoes and the floor. The larger you make the space that you're Translocating, the greater the chance that something will move into the edge of the destination space, and then whatever is sticking through the edge of the space will get cut clean off as it gets Translocated back to the departure point. Most casters bring about two centimeters of space around what they're moving, and we minimize the chances of there being an accident by casting the Translocation as quickly as possible, to minimize the chance that something will move between stages of the spell.

"There are three reasons for casting a displacement Translocation to bring the air from the space you'll fill at your destination back to where you left from. First is that if you don't at least clear the air at your destination, it will become mixed with your body, which is painful and causes millions of incredibly tiny injuries in your body, which can be fatal or difficult to heal from. Second is that if you leave a void in the air at your departure point, it will cause a sudden implosion that sucks things toward it, and it's loud, irritating, and rude to anyone in the vicinity. And third is that if you make a mistake and you target a destination that has solid matter or water in it, and you don't clear that matter before you go there, those solids or liquids will become mixed with your body, and you will surely die. If the density of the mixed material is suddenly increased enough, you could explode. With displacement, even if you Translocate into solid rock, you will at least be in a space in the rock shaped like you, and you'll have a few moments to Translocate out of there before you suffocate. It would be difficult in that situation to remain calm and controlled enough to cast another Translocation in time before you suffocated, and do it properly, but it has been done.

"So, I consider my reference and my orientation, I project my consciousness there, in this case a hundred meters above the island we're going to, and make sure no birds are flying toward that spot. I consider the distance and the weight, and I allocate sufficient power and a tiny bit more. If you allocate too much power, everything you're moving will heat up, which can kill you if you've really overdone it. Not using enough power is a far greater danger though, since it can cause a failed Translocation, which is always a disaster. Then I take my measurement of shapes and volumes and cast the Translocation as quickly after that as I possibly can, like this."

They appeared Levitating above the small rocky island, which was only a couple of hundred meters offshore from the nearest main island.

"Wow! That's so nice!" Valentia marveled, still concentrating on her memory of what she'd just experienced.

"I'd like to point out that Mark invented an important improvement to the Translocation spell that Alilia just did." Talia said as they all cast their own Flight spells. "After measuring distance and weight, we no longer consciously allocate power to the spell; we let the spell draw the correct amount of power, like this." She showed them the technique psionicly. "I think it was the first spell automation technique that Mark invented."

"Ah, that is an improvement!" Alilia marveled. "Of course, I'm so used to doing it the old way that I don't even think about it most of the time anymore, so it's not worth it for me to learn to do that. But you children should let Mark and Talia be your Translocation guides from now on, and do it that way. It's definitely a safer method, and it makes the spell a lot easier too."

"Wow! I thought there was not much to disturb here!" Reggie marveled as their surroundings registered.

Though nothing lived on the island except six gnarled, stubborn trees in a clump on the north shore, since Alilia had seen it last it had been temporarily occupied by several million seabirds. The birds had been fairly quiescent when they'd arrived, but had quickly been stirred up into a cacophony of cawing, honking, and screeching, and many of the birds were taking to the air to flee, investigate, or defend their territory from the intruders who had suddenly arrived above.

"It seems I was wrong!" Alilia laughed as they followed Mark, who flew toward the rocky shore of the main island a few hundred meters away.

They lit on a boulder as big as a castle overlooking a deep pool where the water was relatively calm.

"This would be a good spot to measure our strength with Movement." Mark said as he looked around, his black hair ruffling in the salt breeze. "We can lift some water. It's probably the safest thing we can lift, and we don't have to worry about the effects of altering the landscape."

"Good thinking. I'll go first." Talia agreed as she enjoyed the harsh but beautiful vista, then turned her attention to the water below, and cast. A huge glob of water rose two meters out of the sea, then steadied to a hemisphere over fourteen meters wide as an eight centimeter stream rose to join it. It slowly grew for seven seconds, then the stream stopped.

"That's it." she stated through gritted teeth, her expression fierce with concentration, then she dropped her load with a huge splash that would have soaked them all to the skin if Alilia hadn't blocked it with a quick plane of Force.

The children laughed and clapped with glee at the strength of her lift and the spectacle and power of the splash.

"That's with the elven magecraft spell of Movement." she panted. "I can do more with it now than I can with the wizardry version."

"Well done, Love!" Mark congratulated, having taken the Measurement. "You lifted four hundred and one tons of water! That's more than double what you could do the last time we did this at Focus Mountain." "Thanks, but I'm actually a bit disappointed in myself." Talia responded. "I've improved so much since then, I was sure I'd do double that at the very least."

"Are you accounting for the weaker wizards' rock here, and the weakness of the Source within the time-bubble?" Alilia asked.

"No, actually!" Talia said, brightening.

"As I thought." Alilia nodded. "With those factors taken into account, you're actually six to eight times stronger than you were.

"I know I've also improved since we came here. Working with you has broadened my thinking and my techniques, not to mention that it's the first time I've had any considerable amount of time to dedicate to self-improvement in over three millennia. I've never tested my strength by Movement, but I've tested it by heating water, and if my maths are right in the conversion, I would be able to lift about ninety-five thousand tons, allowing for the weaker power here."

"Wow! That's a lot!" Helemia marveled.

"Alilia is likely the strongest living elf in her use of the power." Talia proudly declared as she ruffled her daughter's hair.

"Here goes." Alilia said as she set herself and cast, making a forceful gesture to help focus her effort. A gigantic hemisphere of water rose six meters out of the sea so suddenly that the water below rushed to fil in the hole and splashed forcefully up against the bottom of the water she was holding. She held it steady just long enough for the water to settle below it, then carefully lowered it back down before she released it.

"Nice lift, Lover!" Mark told her. "One hundred and twenty-three thousand tons, and a bit!"

"I have improved then, by about a quarter, and in only these few months of occasional work." Alilia stated with a satisfied smile. "Truly, you're all so good for me! I'm so lucky to have you!" she laughed and spontaneously gave Talia a hug, just because she was closest.

"You do that a lot like me, Mother." Valentia told her. "You don't really cast a spell, you just do it, even though I can tell that yours is still the elven wizard's Movement spell, just kind of... smoothed out."☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

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