The next morning, things have calmed down a bit from the excitement that occurred during the night. "Scarlet" has been moved to the infirmary, watched over by a couple of crewmen. Word hasn't gotten out about her true identity, though.

On the main deck, Envoy nibbles on a ration-biscuit and watches the sunrise.

"Hello, again!" whurfs the lady Jupani, Iona. This time, she's wearing, in addition to her usual earthy-orange robes, an over-robe of dark foresty green to keep out the chill. Given how near-brown the orange robes are, it almost makes her look like a walking plant. Okay, so only with a great deal of imagination. "What was the excitement about last night?"

"Good morning Iona," Envoy smiles, "Oh, just a complication in the suspended animation of Doctor Roho's patient. She had to be thawed out and treated for… mental trauma."

Iona looks concerned. "Oh no! Is she all right?"

Envoy says, "She's still recovering in the infirmary, with Roho watching over her."

Iona nods. "Ah. Well, she's in good hands, then. Doctor Roho is quite renowned. I had no idea he was so well-known in the Ashdod Territories before this expedition, though."

"I believe he is a friend of the High Prince," the Aeolun says. "From back when Boghaz was living in exile."

Iona nods. "Oh … yes … yes, I've heard about that. But apparently he had a bit of a reputation even before that. Wandering around, healing people who couldn't afford the services of most doctors. That sort of thing. And all this while he's blind. Amazing, really."

Envoy smiles and nods, "Yes. I've never really met a healer like that before that didn't shed an awful lot."

Iona raises her eyebrows at this last part. "Really? Well! Anyway, I'm sorry our conversation from last night was interrupted. Now … I forgot where we left off, actually."

Envoy says, "Oh, you were wondering what I was made from."

Iona snaps her fingers. "Yes! That's it. So … what were you made from? Or is that a secret?"

"Well," the Exile starts, "I was originally made out of cells based on gibberlin proteins, which are very flexible. I had to burn up all of my mana reserves converting to a more natural analog once I arrived here though. My cells are still fairly different, however."

Iona blinks. "Well! A great deal of that doesn't make much sense to me. It almost sounds as if you're talking like a Life Mage. I've heard of the concept of 'mana' before. It's a concept associated with Exiles who speak of magic from other worlds."

Envoy nods, "My mana came from my Milk Mother, though I don't suppose that makes any more sense. My blood was made of magic milk you see. Does that sound silly?"

Iona shrugs. "Not entirely. Milk is associated with nourishment, and even with life-giving properties in some cultures."

"It's not why I'm white and gold though," Envoy says. "That's even harder to explain. But my form is just a reflection of forms I found pleasing, a cross between a dragon and a ki'rin."

Iona hmms. "Really? You chose your own form? Fascinating. And how long ago were you formed?"

"Nearly three years ago, subjective time," Envoy says. "I grew this body out of one of my walls. Lothrhyn is a living castle, part animal and part vegetable."

Iona puzzles over this. "All right … so … let me get this straight … you were once a 'living castle' … then took part of yourself … and assumed a humanoid form?"

Envoy smiles and nods. "That's right. I created an envoy, so I could learn about humanoids and explore my world. I made lots of lifeforms to help me do that."

Envoy says, "I suppose you'd call them golems. They didn't have minds, I controlled them all remotely."

Iona says, "Ohhhh. Okay … Mind you, I'm still lost for the most part, but … this is all something you could do before you came to Sinai, right?"

"Well, Lothrhyn could do it," Envoy explains. "I'm separate from her now, so I'm not sure one could say that I was able to do those things. It confuses me too."

Envoy says, "I don't have the same mental capacity, you see. Lothrhyn had six brains as big as you to do this sort of stuff with, and I've just got one that wasn't designed for thinking in the first place."

Iona hmms. "All right. Yes, I think this is something that could use some more in-depth explanation before I have a chance at grasping it. In any case, you're your own separate entity, right? Or are you part of some sort of collective intelligence?"

"I've been separated too long now to be reintegrated with Lothrhyn again," Envoy says, "Even if she was able to activate my ansible." The Aeolun taps her translucent horn.

"Ansible?" repeats the Jupani. "Your horn serves a functional purpose?"

Nodding, Envoy tries to explain it. "It's an information storage and tranceiving element – the center of my brain, really. It allowed Lothrhyn to receive all of this body's senses and to control it from almost any distance. But it isn't a full-featured one, so I can't transmit anything through it on my own, and it doesn't have the dimensional resolution needed to get through all of the quantum distortion in this system."

Envoy says, "For now, it just lets me absorb lots of information quickly and not forget it."

Iona says, "Most strange. Doesn't having it outside of your body like that make it especially vulnerable?"

Envoy shrugs, "No more so than an Aeonian's horn, and mine doesn't stick out that much. I've only had one experience where my mind was accessed through it since I arrived here. I think that's why I can pick up on magic more easily now."

"Really? Oh yes … magic … " the Jupani ponders aloud. "Well, if you would be taking up the study of magic … do you have any plans on what you would do with magic? Especially of the Sphere of Earth, if you're so inclined?"

"It would certainly aid me in my study of this world," Envoy says, smiling. "I'd be able to analyze compounds and delve into the biologies of the native lifeforms. It's also the broadest of the Spheres, and would be a good base from which to pursue all of the others. I think I might be able to put some of my alien knowledge to use as well, developing things you might not have thought of yet."

"Interesting. I can't say as I've run into too many who wanted to look into the Sphere of Earth to pursue curiosity. That usually falls under Scrying or the like. But it makes sense, really, now that you put it that way." Iona nods contemplatively.

Envoy asks, "May I ask what made you choose it?"

Iona smiles. "I didn't really go into it with a particular purpose in mind, honestly. I love the woods … nature … the soil. If I hadn't tested for an affinity for magic, I think I might have become … oh … a forest ranger, or scout, or maybe a farmer. But magic offers me so many more opportunities."

"You like growing things," Envoy smiles. "I'd like to grow myself a house someday. One that could last awhile. I've never had a real home here yet, and living in something dead just doesn't seem like an appealing long-term solution."

Envoy asks, "Can you talk to animals and plants with Earth Magic?"

Iona hmms. "Growing yourself a house, hmm? I've heard of that being done before – with trees, that is. But Earth Mages can also do things with rock, so it's often far more practical to make something out of stone, despite the aesthetic appeal of a tree. As for talking with plants and animals … not truly, no."

Iona says, "I mean … in a way, I can 'speak' with plants. But with animals? No, that would be in the realm of Mind Magic."

Envoy nods, "I'll get to that Sphere eventually. If I get into the college in the first place. Dean Malthus can't have more than a century left before he has to retire, I'm certain."

Iona hmms, then chuckles. "Yes, I'd say that's a safe bet. Well … hmm … have you ever been tested for magical aptitude?"

"The Temple gave me some tests when I was processed," Envoy says, "but I was barely a person then. I've since learned to focus my attention. I have it on good authority that I do have magical aptitude now though."

Iona nods. "Well! That's good, then. Of course, good authority or no, if you're serious about joining the Collegia Esoterica, you'll have to go through so many tests. I speak from experience."

"What sorts of tests?" Envoy asks curiously. "I won't be dissected, will I? It would take me a long time to recover from something like that."

Iona rrfs. "Uhm … no. Most apprentices would take … er … a very long time to recover from something like that. No, these would be tests to see how you interact with magic. Basically, more experienced mages helping you cast a spell. Or, that is, casting a spell in a way that you can direct the effects."

Envoy grins, "That sounds like fun. A Skeek Mage cast a spell that helped me see magic better, during the fight with the ice golem."

Iona nods. "Yes … there are things like that. To heighten your senses, and enhance your abilities. When mages cast really complex rituals, and work in concert, that's basically what they're doing – even apprentices have a chance to join in and lend what they can to the spell, so long as they're well trained enough not to disrupt the energies being harnessed."

Envoy asks, "How come you don't cast your spells using the language of the Sifras? Everyone seems to use their native tongue."

Iona looks puzzled at this. She drums her fingers on her muzzle, as she sorts this over.

Iona tries a new tack. "If you're wondering at the variations in how mages cast the same spells, it's because that many different ways have been found to achieve the same effects. To a certain extent, you find a 'style' for yourself … building upon the different methods you learn, and your understanding of the theories behind them."

"There are certain rituals," adds Iona, "that are only cast a certain way … but largely because some of the spells we still have to this day were discovered long ago, and while we may have the instructions on how to cast them, and understand the basic mindsets to get into to make it more than just repeating nonsense words … we don't fully understand the workings behind the spells, and therefore can't afford to improvise."

Envoy hmms, "So there's no language or mathematics of magic that you've found yet?"

"Nothing so precise as a complete science," explains Iona. "What we have are many theories that seem to hold up well enough … but there are exceptions. Hmm. How could I explain better? Ah … You are familiar with mathematics, are you not? Describing the path of a line with an equation involving X and Y coordinates?"

Envoy pauses. Then asks, "In how many dimensions?"

"I'm thinking of two dimensions, right now, though I hope the same principle will apply for more," answers the Jupani. "Basically … let's imagine that I draw a line on a piece of parchment drawn off into a grid. It follows some sort of complex curve, and I ask you to come up with a formula that describes its path. It could be that the formula I came up with to generate this path involved more factors than you use for your approximation, but, to the naked eye, the line generated by your formula appears to match the path as closely as is necessary."

"Or," suggests Iona, "perhaps the path is irregular, with a few dips here and there … but a fairly simple equation can almost describe the path, minus the few irregularities. It's not perfect … and if we were to extend the path beyond the initial sample I showed you, the margin of error might become unacceptable. However, for this particular band, and with a certain given margin of error, your formula might do the trick."

Envoy nods, "I see. And the margin of error varies with the global probability normal as well, so sometimes you need to be more precise."

Iona nods. "Yes. But sometimes we can only see part of that path. We only have so much information to work with. With the more powerful rituals, there is greater risk and expense involved – and time – and therefore we can't spend the time experimenting and fine-tuning until we get it right that we could with, well, cantrips."

Envoy hmms. "There seems to be a lot of room for more research in this area."

Iona says, "The interaction between the sapient mind and magic is something that none of us fully understands. The answer to that may go so deep as to require that we fully understand how our minds work, first. And even Mind Mages can't truthfully claim to know all things about the sapient mind of any species. Therefore, we use a lot of shortcuts, a lot of approximations, a lot of things that 'just work'. And as we learn more, we note it and maybe it will lead to greater use in future generations. I think there will be room for research for a long, long time."

"As if that were not bad enough," the wolf adds, "there are indications that the nature of magic has changed slowly over time. There are records of spells that once worked, with fairly reliable documentation … but now such things don't quite work as they apparently used to. And it's possible that some of the 'new' spells we've added to our collective repertoire may have simply not been possible some time ago."

Envoy says, "Sinai is at a low point in the probability flux cycle right now. It will eventually climb to a higher level where more magic will be possible, but it might drop further before then."

Iona raises her eyebrows. "Impressive. So, you've been studying theory! You might be off to a good head start."

"Theory?" Envoy asks. "Oh, I study everything… "

Iona grins. "And you'll be required to, believe me! Tell you what … when we reach Rephidim, I'll try to see if I can help you find your way around, and get you scheduled for a meeting with the Dean of Earth – or one of the instructors, at least."

Envoy bounces! "You would do that? Thank you!" It's not often Envoy gets excited about something.

Iona's grin gives way to a genuine smile. "Certainly! And we'll make sure that there's enough time before the meeting so news of your heroics reaches the proper ears before we try to schedule it, okay?" She winks. Then, she frowns, as her stomach rumbles. "Oh … Ahem. Guess I should get some breakfast… "

"Thank you again, Mage Iona!" Envoy beams. "Let me know if you ever want singing lessons!"

Iona nods and waves as she heads off, leaving Envoy alone for the moment at the railing.

Envoy turns to look out over the railing. "I'll discover your secrets yet, Sinai," she says, smiling wider than usual.