Cam glances at it and makes an identical necklace. "Is this one magic?"

She only glances at it for half a second before shaking her head. "No. Oh well. If it's easy for you to make the quartz blank, though, it will save us time and materials on making them." 

"Sure, I can make blanks to be enchanted for my not destroying the world plan. They only last a day? That's not very long."

"It's not. We usually keep ours at much lower power unless we're actually in a fight, that's why." Frown. "You probably wouldn't need it at the combat-power level all the time here in Haven, but - given what a big deal it'd be, and - how much attention you're going to get as soon as you start making a lot of things - I kind of want to play it safe." 

"Yeah. Does kind of reduce my ability to independently operate. Uh, is there a - relatively noninvasive test - it's possible I'd nope mind control magic just like I nope drugs, but I don't know -"

"I suppose we could try a second-stage Truth Spell on you? It's very limited, all it can do is force someone to answer a direct question truthfully, and it's - well, I don't think either of Van or I would be very comfortable placing a compulsion someone even as a test, but we use Truth Spell in our courts here in Valdemar." 

"I assume there's some technical difference there. It sounds relatively noninvasive, at least."

"The mechanism is totally different - it's not ordinary mage-work at all, any Herald with any Gifts can cast it, it involves a sort of modified summoning of air-elementals called vrondi. Air elementals have an affinity for minds, but the vrondi aren't anywhere near smart enough to read your thoughts, or care, they're just very sensitive to picking up intent-to-deceive. With a compulsion, you can make someone do anything; with Truth Spell, you can only do the one thing. Or, well, maybe there are other ways to use summoned air-elementals, but you'd have to invent a completely different spell and this one took our colleague twenty years of research to work out." 

Vanyel is noticeably more animated when he's talking about this; it's evidently a field of interest to him. 

"You have elementals! That's interesting - are any of those smarter - do you have anything besides humans that is -"

"There are nonhuman species which are as smart as us - hertasi are one I've encountered, there are others as well. And, yes, elementals vary a lot in intelligence - just like animals do - and some are probably as smart as humans, supposedly some of them can talk." 

"And then there are Companions, of course! Though they were sort of just made by magic." 

"And a god." Vanyel doesn't seem especially happy about this fact. "...Oh, sorry, Cam, I don't think I ever explained. What makes someone a Herald - which all of us are - is if they're Chosen by a Companion. Companions are - people, but horse-shaped, and pretty magically powerful." 

"...gosh, okay. I will be polite to any horses I encounter and only giggle when I offer them sugar cubes a little bit."

"It's not most horses! Companions are white and blue-eyed and look different, once you've seen one it's pretty easy to tell."

"They don't normally talk to anyone but their Heralds, but they can," Vanyel offers. "If you wanted to specifically ask a Companion some questions." 

"I will bear that in mind. The talisman won't prevent voluntary telepathy?"

"It doesn't for Mindspeakers. Admittedly I don't think we've ever tested whether if a non-Mindspeaker wears one, it prevents us from talking to them, since it's - pretty rare that this actually comes up, usually we don't do that." 

"...well, that can go on the list of things to test." He materializes his computer, lists "telepathy through talisman" and "damage wing" and "second stage truth spell".

"Right." Savil strokes the tip of her nose again. "You know what, keep my talisman for now, I'll have Sandra make the new one to replace it. It's more critical for you to have it, I can manage my own shields. ...That one's only against mage-attacks, not Thoughtsensing. Van, any chance you have a spare for that -?" 

Shrug. "I think there's one in the bottom of my saddlebags - I, er, haven't finished unpacking them. It took a hit from some mage out on the Border and got finicky, but I bet Sandra can fix it." 

"I guess that isn't urgent urgent but it'd make me feel better."

"I can check if Sandra has anything half-finished in her workshop? She was making a lot of them for during the war, protecting our top Guard commanders against spies and all." He closes his eyes briefly. "- She must be in the workshop right now, I can't reach her with Mindspeech, but I can go over right away?" 

Randi slides his chair back from the table. "It sounds like we're wrapping up here, then? Tran, you'll grab those maps he wanted?" 

"Mmm-hmm." 

"So I should go with you?" he asks Tran. "- you can also just, like, tell me what maps you have in mind and I can make copies."