Mark of the Fool

Chapter 649: Going for Distance and a Memorial Creation

Ten miles this time, Alex Roth muttered, lost in thought.

Reaching into the energies of his soul, he called on the power of the Traveller, disappearing from the blazing hot sky, then reappearing miles ahead.

He looked down, using the landmarks hed set to measure distance.

Lets see, that sword-shaped rock is over there Which means His mind did some quick calculations. ...eleven miles. Good stuff. Im breaking my records. Ill keep going and try for twelve miles this time.

Concentrating, Alex focused on his inner energies, keeping track with the Mark of what hed done right in each one of his hundred jumps through the Barrens of Kravernus. He examined how the energy flowed, how hed formed an image in his thoughts of his start point and destinationgathering that information and carefully analysing it were key to understanding the magic.

Making some simple adjustments, he got ready again.

Here we go, Alex pictured the starting point and destination in his mind then vanished, teleporting back across the Barrens, instantly materialising some distance away. He looked for landmarks.

Okay, so theres the empty gorger cavefourteen miles. Thats good, he muttered. But, not good enough. Not anywhere near good enough.

Alex and Claygon had been in the Barrens of Kravernus since late morning, testing Alexslimits with Hannahs power, while Claygon was elsewhere trying out his new form. On Uldars Rise, Alex had pushed Hannahs power constantly. Fighting Uldars covert arm of the church in that battle had meant teleporting almost as often as he took a breath, but that had grown his strength with the power, and made teleporting easier, faster and smoother than before. Now, he was reaping the benefits, turning every bit of hard earned experience into results; travelling further distances with each teleportation. It was like training to run a race by practising, building strength, doing sprints, and working on ones form.

Ill have to teleport hundreds of miles at a time to have any hope of making it to the Irtyhsenan Empire, he said to himself. From Generasi to the closest imperial border is about sixteen hundred miles, so at my present limit, itd take me a bit under a hundred and fifteen teleportations to get there. Possible, but risky and inefficient.

He looked down at the Barrens. Pushing to travel longer distances takes more power. I was nearly at my limit after less than a hundred teleportations at Uldars Rise, and I was only moving maybe ten to a hundred feet at a time then. Ill need time to increase my limits and get used to the increase so I dont spend all my energies just getting to theempire. Especially if I take anyone else with me.

Reaching deep inside, Alex examined his energies again. Maybe Im doing something wrong. Ive been picturing where I am in space and where Im going to teleport to, creating solid images in my mindbut if I think about it, that cant be exactly how Hannahs power worked. Not completely.

He looked up at the sky.Not if she did half the things she wrote about in her journal.

Hannahs power was astounding, granting her the ability to teleport to different worlds, across unimaginable distances with a single thought. In a heartbeat, she could leave her home in Alric and be in this faraway earth that was her birth-planet, or suddenly appear in worlds most mortals couldnt even imagine.

Butmore importantlyto worlds she'd never been to before.

If she could take herself to places shed never seen before, that means she did it without building a true image of where she wanted to go, Alex reasoned. So whats the key here? What did she use instead of an image of her destination? If I can figure that out, then I'll have the answer to teleporting to and across the empire, or anywhere else.

He sucked his teeth while turning the thought over in his mind. Anyway, lets leave that for now. My focus is mostly on distance right now, so lets see how much more I can squeeze out for the day.

Alex concentrated, pushing his limits.

But, as he continued practising, reaching for greater distances, he found he wasnt making as many gains; his inner energies were waning. By the time he decided to take a break, his maximum distance had only increased by a little over fifteen miles.

Alright, recovery and assessment time. Ill see where I am, do some reflection, and see if I can find weaknesses to eliminate, or strengths to improve on.

Alex couldnt help but feel some bitterness at his situation.

Here he was, having this amazing power that would one day let him travel to anywhere he could think of in less than a breathand yet he wasnt free to do so. He couldnt use it to travel to Tekezash, or Thundars home, or to explore other sights across the world. Instead, here he was in the Barrens training to go to one of the coldest realms on earth where hed have to try and blend in with a people who believed that all outsiders were lesser beings.

Ill be real glad when this is over, Alex said in the Irtyshenan language, practising his pronunciation; hed been focusing on learning the tongue, hoping to be fluent by the time he went there. He shook his head, centering his thoughts. I need to keep my focus on the rewards: the Mark of the General. If I can free myself from every restriction Im under because of the Mark of the Fool, well have a better shot at killing the Ravener and coming out of all of this alivenot to mention getting revenge for what it cost Carey.

He smiled, briefly thinking of the First Apostleletting a few of the horrors he had in mind for the man play outbefore teleporting across the Barrens and back to Claygon.

His golem wasnt hard to find; the explosions levelled by his fire-gems were like beacons calling to Alex. They were so powerful, he could hear and see them from miles away. Theyd need that level of power for the Ravener, but for the Irtyshenan Empire, a more subtle approach would have to be used. But, before he could go there, there were more preparations to take care of; for his trip and more.

Careys parents would soon be arriving and there was something he had in mind for them.

The fire crackled in the hearth, throwing flickering light and shadows across the room.

It was strange to see flame in a fireplace at this time of year, and at this time of day; the sun was high in the sky and the late summer temperatures in Generasi were far from cold. Even stranger was the fact that the fire danced in the hearth of one Alexander Roth, an accomplished young wizard.

WIth a wave of his staff, he could have easily conjured light.

With the press of a glyph on one of his heat sources, he could have had all the heat he wanted.

Alex had a very good reason for working by firelight though; what he was creating would likely be viewed, not by light from magic and spells, but by light from nature: sunlight, moonlight, or firelight.

And Alex wanted it to shine under those lights.

Concentrating, he directed a horde of Wizards Hands to a massive canvas set up in his bedroom. It was broad enough to take up much of the wall, and nearly half his height. Its dimensions would allow for the amount of detail he wanted.

He leaned forward in his chair, tapping a brush against a painters palette, blending paint to match the colour of Grimlochs dorsal fin. Surrounding him were the swarm of Wizards Hands, each laying down various shapes on different parts of the canvas, while a single Hand held up the Travellers phone.

The image of a smiling group was displayed, taken the day Alex had shared a feast with friends and family, celebrating time together and a successful Games of Roal: the last image of Carey in life in this world.

That was how he wanted to remember her; alive, happy and among friends.

And he wanted to share that memory with her family.

Hed tried for hours to puzzle out how to get the image from the Travellers artefact, but with no luck. He assumed that there must have been a way to share images with other people in Hannahs old world, but try as he might, with the magic available to him, he just couldnt find it.

So, the only thing left to do was to use the old intensive way, with paint brushes and paint; creating a portrait of vibrant colours that looked true to life under sunlight, moonlight or candlelight.

Hed considered infusing magic into the painting, making the figures move, or letting them speak, or maybe having the canvas release aromas of the different foods, and the scent of the ocean breezes theyd enjoyed that day.

But, in the end, hed decided to keep things simple; the painting would capture everyone in the image in detail, showing them in that authentic moment of joy.

Her family could have a bit of comfort, knowing that Carey had found some happiness before her end.

And he would

It looks beautiful, Theresas voice suddenly came from behind him.

The Fool of Thameland startled, letting out a sigh of relief when he realised he hadnt smudged the brush strokes.

Theresa, you scared the hells out of me, he said. Youre even quieter than you used to be.

Sorry. She blushed. I didnt ruin the painting, did I?

No, Alex assured her, resting his brush beside the palette. The swarm of Wizards Hands stopped painting. You didnt. He paused, looking at the partly finished portrait. Do you think theyll like it?

Theresa came closer. I dont know, she answered honestly. If any of my family died, Id appreciate something like this to remember them by; something that shows them with their friends. Something that shows they were loved and werent alone. She peered at Carey. The only thing I might want different is for Carey to maybe be more prominent?

Yeah, I thought of that, Alex said, glancing at the image in the artefact. Carey was somewhat off to the side among the sea of friends and family. But I didnt want to hand them a lie; they wouldnt know the difference, but I would. And so would Carey.

Theresa squinted at the image of their late friend. Wouldnt want to hand them a lie?

What? he asked. Whats wrong?

She checked the phone. Theres somethings missing.

Alex winced, knowing exactly where she was going.

While he wanted the painting to be a true representation, hed left out a significant detail on purpose:

In the original image, Carey proudly wore the symbol of the Traveller around her neck, her new faith proudly displayed for all to see. Yetin the portrait Alex was paintingher neck was bare.

I was going to paint her wearing her necklace, Alex said. But Careys family are still staunch followers of Uldar. No ones about to tell them that priests were responsible for kidnapping and causing her death, for obvious reasons. So, theyd be wondering why I painted the symbol of the Saint of Alric around her neck then start asking a bunch of questions they wouldnt be prepared to hear the answers to, all things considered.

Theresa groaned. That feels a bit wrong to me, though. She died holding onto her faith in the Traveller, and her faith in her friends, loved ones and Thameland. To just erase her chain like thatisnt that like erasing a part of her?

Yeah, butpainting it would just make her family ask a lot of questions; itd bring them less peace, not more. Besides, Carey wasnt wearing the necklace when she died. It appeared after she went to the after-world.

Isnt that more reason to add it? Theresa asked. In death, she wanted her new faith on display.

Well Alex muttered, feeling guilty. I still think itd just cause her family more stress. Maybe we should just let the symbol be our secret.

His fianceeshrugged. Its your painting, and you knew her better than I didbut, I still think youre making a mistake.

...I dont know, he admitted. Im just trying my best.

I know. She rested her hand on his shoulder, leaning over and kissing him. Its your gift, in the end. Do what you think is best. Im sure itll turn out alright. How much more time do you have to finish it?

Around three days, according to Professor Jules, Alex said. Careys parents arrive then.

Have you thought about what youre going to say to them? Theresa asked.

Aside from passing on her words? Alex shook his head. I have no idea. Im not sure any of us really know what were going to say.

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