After Corn tried to trip Dwayne up with more obscure trivia, he flailed, asked Werner and Horn barely coherent questions, then surrendered the floor to Dean Laurence.

  She stood up. “I was going to ask about the oh-so-fascinating interactions of intent and homophones in casting magic, but Corn beat me to it.” The audience tittered. “So now I have to ask an actually interesting question. Young Kalan, Question Four on the written was ‘What are the implied implications of the fact that joint casting creates stronger effects?’ My grader marked you down for using Resonance Theory, which for the audience’s benefit, I’ll summarize as magic not coming from mages but instead from an interaction of two talents all mages have: the ability to produce thaumaturgical resonance and the ability to sympathize with a specific range of such resonances. Is that summary accurate, Young Kalan?”

  Dwayne nodded. “Yes, it is.”

  “Then explain why your grader, who referenced Emittance Theory in his assessment, was wrong.”

  Dwayne held in a smile. So that was why Baron Thadden had been so mad.

  He cleared his throat. “For my answer to make sense, we have to discuss joint casting itself. Usually, when two mages cast magic at the same time, the effects are merely additive, like two horses harnessed to two separate carts.”

  “Would it make a difference if they were pulling the same cart?”

  Horn blanched as Sage Smith glowered at her. “Horn, please refrain from comment.”

  “Sage,” said Dean Laurence, “why not include her and Werner? They were given the same question, and Werner gave the standard answer, which my grader rated her quite highly on.”

  Sage Smith’s glower settled on her. “Are you sure?”

  “I am.”

  “Proceed then.”

  Laurence turned to Dwayne. “Young Kalan?”

  “While the metaphor isn’t perfect,” said Dwayne, “joint casting is like two horses pulling the same cart, that is to say the effect becomes multiplicative instead of merely additive. All Emittance Theories, I’ve found more than one, claim that some combination of Cueller’s favor, the destiny of the casters in question, and the compatibility of the spells cast explains the phenomenon, but Resonance Theory gives a direct explanation. Two or more mages casting at the same time can create resonances in each other, which reinforces and enhances the result.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “Couldn’t it just be practice?” asked Werner. “After all, joint casting happens most often to practical partners who’ve worked together for a long time. Familiarity sets aside the mystical just-sos of Emittance Theory without having to rely on harmonic resonances.”

  That was a specific counter-argument, but it was only to be expected. Werner did have Dwayne’s notes after all.

  Horn nodded. “That makes sense. I wouldn’t call it joint casting, but when I’ve worked with newbie waterimpelers, I always have to make up for their shortcomings. That’s enough for us to push a boat bigger than I can alone, even if it feels like I’m doing most of the work.”

  “But joint casting doesn’t only improve the result,” countered Dwayne, “it also adds additional effects. For example, the Qe cores. Werner, has Bruce College discovered a way to create them without joint casting?”

  Werner crossed her arms. “No, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”

  “Perhaps not, but the evidence so far suggests that joint casting is necessary for Qe core creation.”

  “But that doesn’t really explain anything!” exclaimed Horn. “Why don’t two mages casting at the same time always produce these arbitrary effects?”

  Dwayne grinned. “Good question. I don’t know.”

  Werner gave him a look. “So you admit a fault with Resonance Theory?”

  “I admit I don’t know. Why does it matter that the casting mages know each other? And what’s going on in their minds when they cast?”

  Horn frowned. “Aren’t they thinking the same thing?”

  Dwayne stared. “Intent.” Every example of joint casting they had - Werner’s practical partners, Horn’s waterimpelers, the creation of the Qe core - had required the mages share intent.

  Dwayne smiled at Horn, whose frown deepened. “Intent matters. That’s it. Thank you. You caught me over-applying Resonance Theory.”

  “So you admit that Emittance Theory has an explanation?” asked Dean Laurence.

  “No, neither theory has an answer for why we mages can combine intent and words to effect the world,” said Dwayne. “Perhaps the only way to learn about that is to find the Font of Magic and study it directly.”

  “But you already have so much on your plate,” said Dean Laurence. The audience tittered. “That satisfies me, Sage. We can move on.”

  Apparently it also satisfied the maestra and the Royal Consort so Sage Smith moved on to Application.