“Ah, well. Nothing to be done,” Ruethwyn murmured.
“What was that? Oh, all your stuff is gone!” Korima exclaimed, having poked her head around the corner and looking around Ruethwyn’s room. The kitsune sniffed slightly and frowned. “You know, it’s really weird not seeing your notes or a half-completed dress or something around the room.”
“I didn’t have that many projects,” Ruethwyn retorted, forcing herself to frown at Korima, though her heart wasn’t in it. “I only made clothing for you, me, and Sella.”
“Maybe so, but you didn’t really let me in here except for the fittings,” Korima said, stepping into the room as she grinned, her ears perky. “And those times it was a mess.”
“The room is tiny, Korima! Having two people in here makes it crowded, let alone three!” Ruethwyn protested, gesturing around her emphatically. “I guess I could have done the fittings in another room, but that would’ve meant taking everything upstairs.”
“Hm, I guess that’s true,” Korima agreed, glancing around as she took a step forward, then suddenly hugged Ruethwyn.
The speed with which the kitsune acted startled Ruethwyn, and she gasped as her friend squeezed firmly, then let go. Blinking and regaining her breath, Ruethwyn asked a moment later, “What was that about?”
“I wanted to hug you, and I thought you might dodge,” Korima replied simply, her eyes glittering with amusement. “Besides, I also intend to make sure you dress up for the dinner tonight.”
“Really? I was planning on wearing my enchanted dress, so I really don’t think I need that much help,” Ruethwyn said, her eyes narrowing. She still marveled at being able to see with both eyes, though it was taking some getting used to.
“Ah, but I think we need to do something with your hair,” Korima said, grinning broadly. “It might not be easy, but I think I can manage to make it look better.”
“Um, I don’t think I need that kind of help,” Ruethwyn replied, growing uncertain as she saw the near-predatory gleam in Korima’s eyes. “I’m fine with just being me, thank you.”
“Nonsense, it won’t take more than an hour or two!” The kitsune said happily, almost bouncing forward. “Now, let me see…”
Ruethwyn came to a sudden decision and bolted for the door.
“Rue, get back here!” Korima exclaimed, giving chase.
Two maids looked on as Ruethwyn dashed past them, amused expressions on their faces. Unfortunately for Ruethwyn, Korima was faster than she was.
“Rue?” Sella asked, her voice hesitant.
“Yes?” Ruethwyn asked, feeling extremely grumpy.
“What happened to your hair? It’s, um, wrapped around your head oddly,” Sella explained, the other woman dressed up a bit herself, though she hadn’t gone quite as far as Madeline had.
The noblewoman was wearing a deep blue dress and had what Ruethwyn thought were magically preserved frost lilies woven into her hair. Most of the other students were dressed up too, but Ruethwyn couldn’t help her discomfort since she wasn’t particularly happy with how she’d turned out.
Korima had used an unknown oil on her hair and practically wrapped it around Ruethwyn’s head, which almost made it look like she had a normal head of hair, but it looked very odd, to say the least. Then the kitsune had insisted on makeup, and finally, Ruethwyn had given up on protesting, feeling simply numb to what was happening.
“Yes, well, Korima insisted on trying to do something with it. I tried to protest, but that didn’t do much good,” Ruethwyn replied, sighing heavily. “Eventually I just gave up and let her do what she wanted.”
Sella giggled, smiling in return as she replied. “Well, that does sound like Korima. You don’t look bad, it’s just different.”
“You mean that instead of looking like death warmed over, I look half-dead?” Ruethwyn asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically and taking a step to the left to get out of Dana’s way. If she’d still be blind on the right, she would’ve missed the other woman coming.
“I wouldn’t put it that way, but you look better,” Sella replied.
The class had gathered in a large dining room in the main halls of the academy, one which Ruethwyn hadn’t known was there. Well, she’d known that there were rooms where they were, but no one had ever shown her around. A table was set for eleven, which made sense to Ruethwyn since she’d seen Vrenne enter the room not long ago, though food hadn’t been served yet, aside from the punch bowl that Dana had been heading for.
“Well, it is what it is. I—” Ruethwyn began, then stopped suddenly as the door opened and another man stepped in, causing her eyes to widen in shock.
Headmaster Hadrian Spellmason was unmistakable, at least for Ruethwyn, and everyone grew quiet as he paused in the doorway, staff in hand. He was tall and slim, with his brown hair cut short and deceptively mild-looking brown eyes. Ruethwyn hadn’t really realized it before, but he wasn’t any more attractive than most elves she’d known, which seemed odd when she thought about how powerful he was. Bardic tales always talked about how handsome or beautiful powerful magi were, after all. Adding to the impression were the brown robes he wore, made of simple but fine cloth. Only his brass staff topped with a large emerald really showed Hadrian’s position. Well, that and how everyone was still.
“Hello everyone, and don’t let my presence put a damper on your festivities,” Hadrian said, his voice fairly deep despite his thin frame, smiling at them. “I’m simply here to say a few words to you.”
Vrenne laughed, and Master Mara chuckled, smiling as he spoke up. “As much as you may wish for them to relax, I doubt that will happen while you’re here, Headmaster. You are in charge of the academy, after all.”
“Quite true, I suppose. That being the case, why don’t I get my part out of the way so you can get to your meal? I do believe the cooks are waiting on me to finish, and it wouldn’t do to upset them,” Hadrian said, grinning and stepping deeper into the room, moving toward the head of the table.
Ruethwyn smiled as a few of the others laughed but found herself drifting toward the middle of the room so she could see the headmaster more clearly. Around her, the others were doing the same, which helped Korima manage to tear herself away from Barthel and Madeline.
Hadrian looked them over slowly, his gaze level and penetrating, and Ruethwyn shifted slightly as he looked at her calmly, almost like he was judging her. He probably was, when she thought about it. For a long minute the room was quiet, then the mage spoke, his voice surprisingly quiet this time.
“Your class has undergone difficulties which I haven’t seen in the past century, predominantly the issues with the elementals,” Hadrian said, his gaze meeting Yalline’s and causing the young woman to look down. “We very nearly lost the entire class to that event, and such a catastrophe would have wounded the academy sorely. However, each of you rose to the occasion and managed to fight off the elementals and to shatter the wards to allow us to help you. While Emrick may not have said as much to you, you impressed him greatly by doing so. Even had you failed to pass the end of year exam, unless you failed in a truly spectacular manner, I had agreed with him to allow you all to pass. Fortunately, that measure was not required, for each of you rose to the challenge which you faced. Some of you faced more of a challenge than others due to interference, but that is the nature of life. Life isn’t fair and doesn’t give everyone equal challenges, but that’s simply how it must be.”
Hadrian’s eyes drifted to Yalline as he continued, his voice gentle. “Some of you learned from mistakes and have grown from them. Despite how risky it was, I believe that you will be stronger for it.
“In other cases, you’ve learned that to truly excel it requires hard work, and that hard work can even exceed immense natural talent. That’s a valuable lesson in itself,” the headmaster said, smiling at Barthel and Madeline. Then his gaze flicked over Ruethwyn and the rest of the class. “However, there is one thing I wish to impart which I believe is more important than the others. Here, i
n this class… you’ve met people from different walks of life. High nobility and the most mundane commoners, warriors and performers, all of you have met here, in the academy. You’re all students of Tyrness Academy, and I want you to remember it. Each of you have your own strengths and weaknesses, and I implore you to remember that you went through this class together and should aid one another in the future. Together you are far more than the sum of your individual power, and no one mage can handle an endless number of foes. Congratulations to all of you on graduating from the Apprentice class. I look forward to seeing how far you can go from here.”
Barthel was the first to clap, and quickly the others joined him, though Ruethwyn refrained due to her missing arm. Master Mara grinned, looking slightly embarrassed by what Hadrian had said.
“I should add that I was quite impressed as well, even if the headmaster ignored my opinions,” Vrenne announced loudly, giving a mock scowl to the headmaster with her arms crossed. Her comment prompted a chorus of laughter from everyone else.
“Quite, quite… though I do believe that’s a signal for me to leave,” Hadrian said, grinning. “Have a good meal, and a good summer!”
The headmaster stepped out, and Master Mara clapped his hands, speaking loudly. “Now then, find your seats! The cooks have made exceptional food for your graduation, and we don’t want to keep them waiting any longer.”
Ruethwyn smiled and headed for a seat, noticing that Korima and Sella were moving to flank her. As they started sitting, servants began filed in with platters of food, and she heard Korima mutter. “Ooh, I smell venison!”
A giggle escaped Ruethwyn, but as she looked around the table, she felt a slight pang of regret. She couldn’t help but wonder about Lissa, and how she was doing.
Chapter 23
Essryl stepped out of the shadows with a smile on her face and paused, looking around the courtyard of the Obsidian Palace. No one had seen her yet, which allowed her to catch a glimpse of the normal activities of people working.
A pair of masons were working on a staircase, rebuilding one of the sides of it after the mortar had cracked during the winter, and the human and elf were arguing with each other about something. Meanwhile, a group of porters were unloading a wagon piled with supplies into one of the storehouses, which Essryl knew would be sorted and distributed to the other kitchen storerooms throughout the palace. But the largest group were the soldiers, and she examined them for a long moment.
Forty men and women stood in formation, following the bellowed instructions of a grizzled human sergeant. The recruits were mostly humans and elves, though there were a pair of dwarves, three half-elves, and a single female orc among their numbers. When she based her opinion on the training they were supposed to be undergoing, Essryl had to admit that the recruits weren’t doing badly, but she’d also seen a dozen soldiers with significantly more advanced training die to a single spell in Mellesyn. In her view, soldiers like that were little more than distractions from the real foes.
One of the porters finally spotted her, and the man obviously hadn’t seen her before, since he dropped the crate he was holding with a crash, nearly crushing the feet of a man who’d been reaching for the crate. The man’s curses caught the attention of other people, and then gazes began to drift to Essryl as they realized she was present. All activity in the courtyard began grinding to a halt, and Essryl rolled her eyes in annoyance, then began walking across the courtyard, ignoring the whispered comments around her.
“She doesn’t look that tough,” the orc told the man next to her, but he snorted in derision.
“Tell that to Forren. He was here before you and ignored the warnings about her,” the human said, his voice scathing. “She cut him into a dozen pieces, kept him alive until she beheaded him, then put the pieces on stakes as a warning. Believe me, you do not want to screw around with her.”
“Wait, and she didn’t get penalized or anything? I thought—” The orc began, but Essryl simply rolled her eyes as she reached the doors to the west wing. At least no one had been foolish enough to insult her this time around, because that might have necessitated another lesson, and ruined her good mood.
The door cut off the sound and gazes from outside, and Essryl smiled even more as she giggled to herself, thinking back on Ruethwyn, and then she murmured. “Dropping the trees on him and pinning him with the roots? Not bad at all, Ruethwyn… but few dragons would travel on the ground, and fewer areas have paths predictable enough to pull that off. But not bad at all.”
It wouldn’t work on Resvarygrath in person, Essryl knew. He was too strong for the roots to hold for more than an instant, and too fast to be easily hit by falling logs. Either Ruethwyn would have to put it far enough ahead of the dragon that he’d spot it coming and stop, or she’d put it too close and he’d be past before it hit. Beyond that, he’d never bother chasing down a single elf in person. He’d send minions or use a spell to kill her from a distance and be done with it. On the other hand, all Essryl had been trying to do was to give Ruethwyn a proper test and force the young woman to face her fears, so it was a success in that regard.
“I’m glad I saved her life. The girl is certainly improving, that’s for certain,” Essryl murmured, smiling as she opened a door into the main halls of the wing and headed down them.
It didn’t take her long to find where the girls were this time, since the sound of voices was fairly distinct. She headed toward the dining room, her amusement fading slightly as she followed them. It wasn’t a mealtime, which made the location the women were in rather unusual, and if they didn’t have a good reason for it, Essryl very well might have to punish them, which wasn’t how she wanted to end her trip.
“Here, this should help steady your nerves.” Leticia’s voice was soft, but her presence caused Essryl’s eyebrows to rise suddenly. Of all the girls, Leticia was the last one she’d expect to slack, so Essryl waited and listened curiously.
“T-thank you,” Lissa said, her voice unsteady. “That was… was unpleasant.”
“At least you didn’t get hurt this time,” Anara replied firmly. “If you had been, I’m not sure how things would have gone.”
“It was close, and I was afraid that he would hand me over to that woman. She was really upset about something, and he seemed to seriously consider it,” Lissa replied, and Essryl could hear her swallow something before adding. “I didn’t think I’d ever say it, but I wish Essryl was back. He was much more… I don’t know how to put it. Not exactly polite, but not as overbearing when she was here.”
“Perhaps so, but he’ll have taken her opinion into consideration even while she’s away. Mistress Essryl may seem strange to you, but she would never refrain from acting simply because she wasn’t present when something bad occurred,” Leticia told her, pausing for a long moment before adding, “I do hope she’ll be back soon, though.”
“I suppose that is the ideal time for me to interject, isn’t it?” Essryl said, opening the door and smiling as she stared at the girls in amusement.
About half her girls were in the room, mostly the ones from Mellesyn, along with a couple of others that included Leticia and Lissa. They were staring at Essryl in surprise, with Lissa sitting down, holding a mug of tea between her hands. Essryl could practically feel their moods improve, though, and she shook her head, stepping into the room.
“Mistress, you’ve returned!” Leticia said, bowing her head. “My apologies, I didn’t realize you were back.”
“I returned no more than a few minutes ago. When I realized you had a gathering here, I decided to listen in and find out what was going on. I still don’t have the details, but am I correct that My Lord was considering selling you off, Lissa?” Essryl asked, folding her arms as anger grew within her.
“Umm, not exactly? I summoned an elemental, and he was finally fairly happy with me, and had me go to the other side of the room while he negotiated with her,” Lissa replied nervously, fiddling with her hair. “I think it was going well,
but then she asked for me as part of the payment. I protested, and he got really angry with me, snorting a bit of fire and telling be to be silent. Eventually, he told her no and ordered me to leave the room. I came here, since I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I see. An elemental, is it? Well, I know about what she’d want with you. They like magi in general, but a true summoner would give them a link to the mortal world they could exploit,” Essryl said, shaking her head in disapproval. “If My Lord had been foolish enough to hand you over, I would have been very upset with him. As it is, I’m annoyed, but not too badly.”
“Um, how was your trip?” Anara asked, her tone slightly odd, but the question improved Essryl’s mood and she smiled at the elf.
“Oh, it went exceptionally well. Ruethwyn passed her tests, as well as my additions, and she did it in less than half the time they allocated. She’s going to be entertaining to watch in the future, and now she’s going on a quest to try to repair her body,” Essryl explained, smiling broadly at Anara. “I’m very happy with her progress, and the early completion gave me time to acquire a few things for each of you, as well as to take a short visit home. I’m really quite happy with her and give her even odds of at least making it to the palace when she attempts her rescue.”
That caused a murmur of surprise, and Essryl chuckled, smiling at them as she added, “Remember, that still doesn’t mean she’ll succeed at rescuing you. I’m not going to hold back if she encounters me, nor am I going to be a complete fool. I will stop spying on her when she starts making plans, though, as she deserves at least a modest chance of success. Besides, it’d ruin the surprise.”
“You want to be surprised?” Lissa asked, looking slightly taken aback. “Why would you want that?”
Queen of Ice (Through the Fire Book 2) Page 19
