Disciple of War Disciple of War (Art of the Adept #4) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,26

to hide underground? Do you know it?”

“From what I know it isn’t a spell. Most of the Driven acquire both an air and earth elemental. They combine the abilities of the two types to achieve the effect. It could probably be done with a spell, though. Shame no one’s created one that could to do that.”

“If only there was a genius spell designer here.”

“If you’re referring to me, I have news for you; I’m not a genius in any sense of the word.”

Will scowled at her, though she couldn’t see it. “I take offense at that. I happen to know for a fact that my wife is immensely talented. Selene’s Solution is probably the most elegant, not to mention cleverest, spell that I’ve ever studied.”

“Just because you haven’t learned that many spells yet, don’t assume that mine is the best there is.” He started to argue, but Selene put her hand over his lips. “I appreciate the compliment, but you’ve done some spell design. There’s no way either of us can create something in the quarter of an hour we have before we run out of breathable air.”

He felt anxious, but it was impossible to be scared with Selene next to him. If I have to die, I’d rather die together, he thought with a feeling of resignation. Bending his head forward, he banged his nose into her forehead before he managed to find her lips. The kiss he delivered, and she returned, was one full of passion. “There’s only one thing left for us then,” he announced.

“What?”

He answered with his hands, but after a few seconds Selene started pushing them away.

“Are you crazy?” she asked.

“If we’re going to die anyway…” Will let the statement taper off, then added, “the real question is whether we can get you out of that corset quickly enough, otherwise things might be awkward.”

Selene laughed. “First, just because I can’t design a spell quickly enough, doesn’t mean I don’t know one. Second, if you use your imagination, I think we could manage without wasting time removing the corset. So, which do you prefer, husband? One last hurrah, or should we use our remaining time trying to escape?”

“Well, when you put it that way, I feel like a bit of an idiot,” said Will wryly. “But…”

Selene leaned in and kissed his neck startling him into silence. “I take offense to that.” She paused, then nipped his ear. “Insult my husband again and I’ll bite you for real. William Cartwright is not your usual idiot.”

“So, I’m an unusual one, then?”

“I prefer to think of you as special—my special man.” They both laughed at that, then she continued, “I happen to know an earth moving spell. I think it will work, but I’ll have to go down first to get under the dome, then work my way upward.”

“You used to have an earth elemental and you learned an earth-moving spell?”

“I was an overachiever,” she replied. “It’s called the Gravedigger’s Glory.”

“Is the name supposed to reassure me?”

“No. I found it in an old historical spell journal at Wurthaven. It was originally used for grave-digging by wizards back before there was sorcery and earth elementals. Not that we use elementals for grave-digging these days, but you understand what I mean.”

He did. If the spell predated sorcery, then it might well have been used for such a purpose. In the present day, no wizard would spend their life using magic to dig a grave, and though an elemental could easily do so, almost no one outside the nobility had one, and no nobleman would be asked to dig a grave.

“The spell will transfer the dirt into the space we have here, so after I get started we will have to stay close together since it will eventually fill up the dome and the area behind me,” she explained. “Basically, we’ll be moving our pocket of air through the soil and debris until we find the surface.”

“I understand,” he responded. By then, he had adjusted his eyes to see by heart-light, the light produced by the warmth of their bodies. He saw Selene lift her hand and stare at it for a moment, but nothing happened.

“I can’t use magic,” she said tonelessly.

“Forgot about that. You may now use magic,” he commanded, overriding his previous instruction from months before.

She performed the spell flawlessly after that, and soil began rising around their feet as a hole was excavated in the ground on one side of where they stood within the force-dome. The hole was