Meanwhile...
Aurescia was indeed drinking her tea and reading her book, as her youngest son knew she was doing. She was a sorceress as well, and was sensitive to the presence of magic. She knew that Kos was reading those magical scrolls again... but she let it slide. If anything, she encouraged his learning about such things, as that knowledge might one day make him a great success. And the sooner he started learning about it, the better.
She finished her tea and stretched her legs and feet. It was getting late... where was her husband? He had gone out a while ago to investigate an explosion... if he wasn't back soon, Aurescia would have to cast a spell to find out where he was. She went over to her room and brought a container of a clear liquid... some water modified by some potions... she poured it into her bowl made of enchanted wood... her scrying bowl. While she could use scrying magic to find out where someone was using simple water in any container, using magical components made casting the spell far more easier and much more effective.
But, like all spells, this would take up some power and effort, and she was already feeling tired... regardless, this was important, she she stirred the liquid with her clawed finger and looked into it, silently casting her spell... which revealed her husband and two other Dracons in an image in the water... and the burned out wreckage of a nearby inn. At least he was okay... not hurt or anything. Satisfied with this, Aurescia turned the spell off with a wave of her hand. She knew that her husband was looking for someone... she could her the conversation and it would take a spell more powerful than scrying to find him...
Putting the bowl down, she went downstairs to a very special room. Closing the wooden door behind her, the room of communion was a special place. Aurescia's greatest talent was her astral magic; the power of pure arcana derived from the astral plane. Here, she could meditate, and sense thoughts, feelings, powers, and detect almost anyone and anything that wasn't magically blocked off in the entire city, going as far out as a 100 kilometer radius from her position.
Crossing her legs, the sorceress sat in the center of the room, over a blue circle that was painted on the floor. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all painted a very light blue, and there were magic Draconic symbols etched into the wall to aid with spellcasting. Aurescia closed her eyes and began to float about a third of a meter above the floor, legs still crossed, deep in meditation. She had undone her loincloth, which now rested on the floor. From here, her consciousness expanded, as if she were floating above the city, and, although unable to see anything with her eyes shut, she was able to sense the minds and souls of every living thing in the city of Minthebec.
While she could not read their mind in a direct sense, Aurescia was able to tell if an individual was happy, sad, angry, excited, bored, disgusted, or any other strong feeling. She could also feel the humming of magic emanating from various parts of the city... it was strongest at the city's magical towers, academies, palaces, magical markets, and temples, especially the great temple. After a little while, her focus shifted to specific mages. She could obvious feel the energy signatures of her youngest son and husband, but in a little while, she could feel the energy of other mages... including the ones near her husband, and some others.
After more focusing, Aurescia could feel the magic of one who had recently departed
from a location... and in a few minutes, she could feel the energy of the mage who had recently blasted the inn... a few minutes later, she could feel that same energy again in a different part of the city... Aurescia knew where the mage had run off to... she could feel it. The energy signatures were a perfect match.
Opening her eyes, Aurescia wrote down where she had felt that energy; she had some parchment and a pen placed in the room for such a purpose. She then went back into her trance and used the spell to mentally contact her husband, and tell him what she had learned.
Ophion was used to his wife communicating with him using this spell... he was used to the sensation of her mind "pressing" against his as she contacted him. Her "voice" made no sound in his head, but he could tell that these were her thoughts being directed to him. "Ophie-" she called him, as a pet name... "-I have found the mage you seek." Typical. She had scried on him, learned what he was searching for, found it, and contacted him, all without leaving their home. "I'll show you the energy signature" And as soon as she had "said" that to him, the energy signature she had felt was now known to him as well... it was unmistakable. Now, there were ways to disguise it, but there was no reason to believe that this mage had that level of power or knowledge to do that... mages who had that sort of ability didn't just blast holes in buildings with crude spells...
Within a moment, Ophion knew where his wife had felt the energy... both the traces of it a the inn, and elsewhere, in a tower in the city... she had no further details... as the tower was warded against scrying (a typical precaution), but not warded against energy signature detection (a much less typcial precaution) "Thank you, my love" Ophion thought back "You have done much to help me. I'll see you as soon as I can, but for now, you should get some rest." He knew that scrying, communing, and contacting him was a very strainful process, and having to detect a single energy signature in a city of so many people was even harder.
Aurescia broke contact with her husband, and climbed up the stairs to her room, where she quickly fell on the bed and was fast asleep. She really was exhausted by the effort.
