Birk rubbed his chin as he considered the new information.
"That makes me rest a bit easier, but I still feel somewhat vulnerable."
The elf captain grimaced as he looked about the camp. The elves remained grouped together, safe for the moment from predators in the forest, but not from the onslaught of some magical assault from a distant realm. As they stood in one large mass, they seemed so exposed to the sorcerer's power. His gaze fell back upon Jure as he made one last request.
"If you would, please examine the entire camp once more. Let me know if there is anything that might assist us in avoiding another abduction or if there is something I have overlooked that might leave us susceptible to any magical attack."
Jure looked first to Holli to ensure his acceptance would meet her approval. When she gave him a slight nod, he offered his service without exception.
"I'll do everything I can."
"I will remain here," Holli added. "Even now, I can sense most of the goblins leaving the vicinity. Once I am certain this area is clear, I will move with the outer guards to locate additional creatures."
"That would be most helpful," Birk affirmed. "Let me know if either of you need anything."
"Just let everyone know what I'm doing," Jure requested. "I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."
"Done."
Jure turned to his appointed task with renewed attention on the underlying aspects of the abduction. He knew how the elves were seized. Despite being spread out across their camp and in the trees, they were plucked from the land in one single wave of instantaneous teleportation. Ansas completed this task from an entirely different realm, so he must have been able to create some anchor point within the elf camp. Achieving such a result was a staggering display of concentration and control.
Creating the anchor would have been the easiest challenge. Opening a portal in the center of the elf camp would have allowed for an immediate point of reference to all the elves in the area. The difficulty would have been teleporting the elves the moment the portal was created. There could not have been even a moment's delay, or the elves would have been forewarned of the assault.
While Jure considered the attention necessary to complete such an objective, he wondered if he could duplicate the spell. Opening the portal would be child's play. Even teleporting a massive number of elves into the portal would be within his power, but it went beyond simply a great number. It had to be every single elf. He would have to grasp every individual simultaneously, and that was the single most challenging issue.
Jure recognized that the time of the abduction was not necessarily a constraint. The moment was chosen by Ansas himself. The sorcerer could have waited until the conditions were perfect. The question was, what were the necessary conditions?
As Jure examined the camp for a second time, he placed greater focus on the elves themselves as they were not available during his first assessment. He found it easier to lock onto individual elves than if he had to do something similar with humans. He believed it had to do with the magical essence inherent in each elf. That would have assisted Ansas, but it would still take great concentration to take hold of so many elves at one particular moment, to place their existence in his mind in a manner that would allow him to teleport them to a particular spot without their cooperation.
With that thought, Jure wondered if some of the elves might have in some way assisted in the matter. He did not believe it was some conspiracy, but the magic could influence individuals into making choices that they might normally avoid, and Ansas' ability over black magic gave him particular strength in the areas of alteration.
It was worth considering, but it seemed a weak explanation. Several of the elves were talented magic casters. A sorcerer trying to alter their judgment to subconsciously assist devious plans would almost definitely be uncovered by at least one of the more perceptive elves.
No, the answer had to be more subtle.
If Ansas could not influence the elves, he might have sought to influence the magic, to use the energy that surrounded the elves as a map to each individual's location. If Ansas could have manipulated certain energy waves without actually linking to the elves' magical cores, he could have created the necessary anchors and also avoided detection.
It was only speculation, but it held merit. Jure wondered if he could accomplish the task himself. He considered the options available. Certain spells seemed more likely than others, and particular hues seemed to have inherent advantages. Spells of light or shadow would be easier to disguise than spells of fire or water.
Placing the strategy with regard to Ansas' abilities led Jure to a reconsider his assumptions. Ansas would not have used fire or water, or light… but shadow was a distinct possibility. Ansas would have remained true to the ebony energy of his essence. With the black magic so pure that it defied Jure's grasp, it would potentially be beyond the notice of even the most sensitive elf.
A theory took shape in the wizard's mind. Ansas could have cast his ebony magic across dimensional planes and into Uton, but it would remain dominated by his unique control. The magic could reach across the land and isolate each and every elf of the camp without ever being noticed because no one would be looking for it. It was not a spell that shaped the magic, but Ansas' force of will.
With a recollection of the ebony energy that he could not absorb, Jure reached out to the magic pulsing across the land. Instead of trying to analyze the energy that would willingly flow into his being, he searched for the magical residue that would oppose him.
It was difficult at first, but eventually he tuned out the free flowing energy that was willing to be shaped by his skills. As he began to clear his mind of what he viewed as positive energy, his inner being filled with an almost totally neutral sensation. There was a blankness forming within him, and that's when he noticed the first hint of an abnormality.
It wasn't like a disease in the energy, a sickness taking hold. It was more like a reverse current in a stream, as if a small section of a waterway decided to flow in the opposite direction. A small glint of energy was trying to avoid him. It wasn't the actual magic he felt, but the reverberations in waves around him.
The sensation was difficult to isolate but impossible to ignore, and Jure began to follow it. He stepped about the camp, blocking out every curious stare of the elves around him. He walked in circles and in disjointed angles, all the while with his face turning toward some obscure vibration. As he moved about the camp, he realized the source was not coming from some part of the land, but from one of the elves.
Jure didn't wish to be obtrusive, but he couldn't ignore the implications. One of the elves was emanating magic similar to the energy he sensed that actually belonged to Ansas. Jure slipped through the gathering of elves, trying not to offend, but also understanding the importance of his search. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to isolate the strange wave. It was as if he was trying to find a dead fish hidden deep in the pocket of one individual in a crowd of fishermen.
Within moments, his actions became too curious to ignore. Every elf knew he was searching them, but they could not guess the reason, save for one, and she spoke up without hesitation.
"I think you are looking for me," Shantree Wispon stated calmly, but with clear determination to take control of the somewhat tense situation.
Jure was slightly taken aback by the authoritative tone, but he remained certain his finding was important.
"Forgive me," the wizard noted as he stepped up respectfully to the camp elder, "but I was asked to check the camp for certain… irregularities that might point back to the sorcerer."