Scholar of Magic (Art of the Adept #3) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,89

time to spare, so he went outside and practiced the force-lance as he had been doing for months. Repetition was the key to speed, and he was sure that soon it would become the second spell he could use with just a thought.

The sun was getting low in the sky when he finally decided to stop and rest. Sitting down on an old stump that frequently served him as a chair at such times, he summoned the limnthal and sought Arrogan’s advice.

“How long as it been since you asked me about the vampire storage thing?”

“That was last night. It’s almost evening again, so I’ll be going out again soon.”

“Idiot! That means you don’t have time to do anything.”

Will sighed. “Before you get your tail bent, let me bring you up to date.” He detailed the afternoon’s events, from Janice’s visit and news, to his study and practice choices. It took almost ten minutes, but the ring waited patiently until he was done.

“All right, maybe you didn’t do too badly,” admitted the ring. “Your priorities line up pretty well with what I would have advised. Now shut up and listen. There are some things you need to be made aware of. Where are you now?”

“Outside, behind the house Selene bought.”

“Move farther away, maybe a hundred yards or so, then put a force-dome around yourself.”

“Can I ask why?”

“Not until you do as I say, jackass!” swore Arrogan.

“All right, fine! Calm the hell down,” Will snapped, already beginning to move. After a few minutes he had found a secluded area out of sight of the house. The force-dome took him five or six seconds, and then he told the ring he was ready.

“Now, look around yourself. Make certain the area inside the force-dome is empty.”

That seemed silly. “It is. I’d know if someone was next to me.”

“Do it! Look carefully. You aren’t looking for someone physical. You’re looking for astral presences.”

“Excuse me? Did you say astral presences?”

“Sorry, I should have said asshole presences, since obviously we have one here already. Yes, you lackwit, astral.”

“I have no idea what that is, much less what it would look like.”

“Pretend you’re looking for ghosts.”

“I thought ghosts weren’t real.”

A low growl issued from the ring. “I used to think that too, until I realized your brain died of stupidity ages ago and that I’ve since been listening to your ghost talk out of your ass. Just humor me.”

Will did his best. “I don’t see anything, but the question is, would I?”

“Probably, yes,” said Arrogan. “You’ve demonstrated astral abilities on two occasions that I know of. The corollary of that is that if you’ve developed that ability to any degree you should also be able to sense others proximal to you on the astral plane.”

It took Will a second to process that sentence. His vocabulary had expanded dramatically in the years since he had started studying with his grandfather, but it didn’t mean he was used to using all those new words in actual conversation.

“Proximal means close or nearby,” explained the ring condescendingly.

“I knew that,” said Will in exasperation. “It just took me a second to sort it all out. You’re talking about when I left my body after the snake bit me, right?”

“And again, when Aislinn and I were talking.”

“There was a third time,” offered Will. “When I was being whipped. I left my body and the goddess talked to me.”

“That one sounds more like a delusion, but either way, you’ve definitely developed some astral ability.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Mostly, yes. Over time, a large portion of practitioners in my day would eventually develop such abilities. It was rather random to be honest. Periods of extreme stress, like nearly dying, or being whipped half to death, are excellent experiences to initiate such events, but if you live long enough, it’s almost guaranteed to happen eventually. The important thing for you to know is that some people can and do use those abilities to spy, just as you