The scholar was about to protest when he caught one of the guards giving him the sign in the faint torch light. Damn it. He choked down another swearword and left. He would have to try again later.
Faysal hated going into anything without proper grounding. He has learned early that information was the true power, overcoming giants such as coin or morality. He would have given his scholars more time to research the specifics of the wish-making ability, but he could no longer afford patience. Once again, he was outmatched - but now he had the means to fight back in a way no one would expect him to.
It didn't take him long to come up with the most efficient way to use the wish. According to the results of experiments his men have performed, the complexity of the equation depended on the magnitude of the request. He was always good at making the best use of smallest amount of resources and he had a plan before the end of the week. A new day came and with it, the reset on the wishes.
It was best for him to remain unseen - while he didn't plan on letting the prisoner go, accidents always happened and he knew better than to consider his guards infallible. For this purpose, he had his men move him to the dungeon while the prisoner slept. It was best if he remained outside the light of the torches and did not move unless necessary. He wished not to shed any clues on his identity - secrecy was paramount. Since his lack of mobility would narrow down the list of suspects, he could not let it be known.
He would have preferred to just make his wish while the boy was sleeping, but the magic didn't work then. It was a risk he had to take. As soon as the child began to stir, he spoke, in a low, controlled voice. He didn't need his prisoner to hear, or even understand his language - it was enough that his magic did.
"I wish for the 7347th symbol in the first contract I saw today to be changed to ghayn."
The equation sprang into existence, glowing numbers arranged together. It was rather complex, considering the simple nature of the wish - apparently the magic responsible was able to predict the consequences of fulfilling a wish. He should keep it in mind and compare the problems to his intentions - if it was a constant quality, it could function as a prediction of the future. Fortunately, he came prepared. He tapped on the arm of the nearby guard to signal her to close the door of the room he was occupying. Once the line of sight to the prisoner was gone, the woman felt around the walls until she found the torch. She sparked some fire and lit it, then stood at the slit in the wall, keeping an eye on the equation.
Faysal finished putting it down then offered it to the guard to check. She kept glancing between the slit and the paper, making sure that he made no mistakes, then handed it back wordlessly. Satisfied, he began working it out.
