“The lead workbook would assist with the last step. It claims that you need a lead box for containing the spirit thew.”
“Exactly.” Wister nodded. “No other material will hold a spirit.”
“Will not hold or will not hold securely?”
Wister considered. “I suppose another material could hold the shroud, as long as one doesn’t mind the spirit meddling with it.”
“And how is the shroud actually removed? Does it require enchantment?”
“No—remember, enchantment doesn’t function in the spirit realm.”
Clem shook her head. “Then why is enchantment treated as a prerequisite to securing a thew?”
“Because knowledge is required for theuseof a thew. If an enchanter secures a thew without knowing how to practice enchantment, what would he do with her upon his return?”
Clementine considered this. I could see sweat gathering on her forehead as the heavy greaves began to tire her. “I see. Could it also be that they require the enchantment to control the spirit thew? A professor at Commonwealth—Throckmorton, the armor export—said something to me about how a thew was likely to steal her shroud if given the opportunity. Perhaps they wish to ensure that they have power over the thew.”
Wister smiled her sharp, wry smile. “Well observed. Yes,enchanters seem to view the spirit thew as an unruly creature, to be tamed and kept in check.”
“Could a spirit thew escape? If she wanted to?”
“She would need to get a hold of her shroud.”
“And thews can’t manipulate lead.”
“That’s right. They can’t even touch it.”
Clem shook her head. She was beginning to be short of breath. “So much of it is coerced. What spirit would wish for such a fate?”
“I agree with you. It’s hard to imagine. And yet I think there are many reasons. A desire to return to the world of the living. A wish to set right some wrong.” As Wister spoke, I sent Clem a rush of approval; she blinked.
“Perhaps even a desire for power,” Wister continued, “just as enchanters have. Don’t forget that spirits, too, gain immense power in this arrangement. It’s no small thing to read thoughts and shape perceptions. There may be many who aspire to that.”
“What, exactly, are the limits of a thew’s powers? Can a thew influence a person’s thoughts as well as read them?”
They had reached the oak, and Wister pointed back to the house at once. “No pausing. Every moment is precious. At this point, you would be halfway to the shelter.” Visibly tired, Clem nodded and began the return walk. “I’ll tell you the common wisdom,” Wister went on, “and then I’ll tell you my own thoughts. Enchanters manipulate matter. They break things, they make things, they mend things, they change things. With the power of a thew, these abilities are heightened. With my relics, I can mend a stone wall. But with a thew, I can transform a stone wall into a cathedral. Thews, on the other hand, manipulate hearts and minds. They see our thoughts; they comprehend our intentions; they know if we are friend or foe. But they can’tchangethought. That’s the common wisdom.” She paused. “However, it should, in theory, be possible. When a thew disguises herself, she’s not altering her matter; she is altering our perception of her appearance. Why couldn’t this be stretched to other purposes?”
Clem was listening intently, even as she panted for breath. “I see what you mean. Why isn’t it done, then?”
Wister crossed her arms. “I believe the constraint lies in the enchanter’s nature, not in the nature of enchantment.”
Clem looked at her quizzically.
Wister smiled. “Enchanters are a power-hungry lot, aren’t they?”
“Mostly, yes.”
“And, as you’ve observed, they tend to treat their thews as dangerous underlings.”
“Very much so.”
“My guess is that no man has ever shared the power of enchantment equally with his thew; it’s even less likely that he would yield power to his thew, allowing her to draw the greater force between them.”
Clem nodded with dawning awareness. “And you think that, if this were done, the thew might shape thoughts.”
“That’s my theory.” She smiled again. “But, of course, I haven’t been able to test it.” Wister looked shrewdly at Clem. “You seem interested in trying.”
“I’m curious, that’s all. To me, procuring a thew is a means to an end.”
