Hey small_grey_owl
Those are lovely comments. thanks so much for taking the time to give me such great feedback. It's all much appreciated and I'm so glad you enjoyed the story.
You're probably right about the theme. I tried to make it subtle and have multiple elements, ending with the triumph of a 'strong intelligence' but it was probably a bit too intangible. I just wanted to get away from the standard trope of wizard vs fighter etc.
Good luck :)