Free Salamander by David D. Friedman Page B

construct that strong a sphere. If we assume he was three times as powerful a fire mage as I am and doing nothing else, it comes to about twelve years; that is how long it would have taken to generate that amount of power. I assume that if he had spent twelve years constructing the sphere and doing nothing else, someone would have noticed and commented on it. And, of course, there is nothing in the early records to suggest that the sphere was eight times as intense then as now. If it was more intense it should also have been thicker. The stone footing at the entrance gate was built then and its depth matches the current thickness of the sphere. Not a likely accident.”
    She pushed the stack of papers across the table to him. “The conclusion, as the treatises sometimes put it, is left as an exercise for the reader.”
    He stared at her for a moment, looked down at the papers, then up. “I fear I am not at my best today, and I have less time to review your work than I would wish. I am still trying to understand the accident that killed Magister Maridon. Until I solve that problem I cannot continue the project, even if I could persuade any more of my colleagues to risk participating, but I will try to get to your calculations in the next few days. Assuming I do not find any critical mistakes—and I do not expect to—what is your conclusion?”
    “Either Durilil found a way of violating the laws of magic as we understand them or the sphere is being maintained by some substantial source of added power.”
    “Such as?”
    “Such as us. The sphere contains the college, after all, and between magisters and students the college produces far more power than would be needed to maintain the sphere. Perhaps the makers found some way to tax us for our protection, to drain off a trickle of our power to keep up the sphere. I don’t see how—but I thought you might.”
    He looked up, startled. “You are suggesting that Durilil anticipated my current work by more than forty years, but in the form of a construction, not a mage pool?”
    “Your work is based on Olver’s, on a treatise that was completed just two years before the sphere was constructed. If you think about it …”
    “It is an odd coincidence. You are right.”
    “And we know Durilil knew Olver's work, because after he constructed the sphere …”
    “He went off searching for the Salamander. Olver’s salamander, one of the essential elementals. It fits together. It may even be true.”
    Coelus, to Ellen’s considerable relief, no longer looked like death warmed over. He thought for a moment, eyes wide open and alert.
    “It is a fascinating puzzle, but it is your puzzle, not mine. You discovered it, you solve it. I cannot afford to shift to another line of research just now, and although this one is important I do not see how it can provide a solution, or even a clue, to the problem of what went wrong three weeks ago.
    He smiled at her. “I realize that if you do find out anything relevant to my main line of research you won’t tell me, but I am willing to take that risk. Now go get some sleep and then get back to work and let me return to what I am supposed to be doing.”
    She hesitated a moment before getting up, and returned his smile. “Good luck, or bad, whichever you deserve. Try not to get yourself burned up as well.” She nodded to him, and left the room. It was a long moment before Coelus too rose, went through the door, into his workroom. There, he scribbled a brief note on the wax of the tablet that was open on the long table, and set to work.
    ***
    Mari intercepted the others outside of the lecture hall. "That was the last lecture of the semester and I survived it entirely due to Ellen's help. I may even have understood a few bits and pieces. She won't let me buy her anything, so instead, I'm inviting all of you to dinner at the inn as my guests. We're meeting at the front gate in half an hour."
    When the five students arrived at the inn, they