Soul Blaze

by Legacy, Aprille

  “That’s the bar from Iain’s office at the Academy,” I said. “Why have you brought it here?” “This bar is the physical representation of the Balance,” Icarus explained. “This is how Iain and Netalia were first alerted of your presence.”

  The green pebbles in the bar had shifted to the opposite ends of the bar, trying as hard as they could to get away from each other. They quivered even as we watched.

  “The activity only started when both of you arrived at the Academy in your first year. Since then, it has been ongoing. These pebbles haven’t moved for over a thousand years,” Icarus eyed them off apprehensively. “Now, something has happened. Something is throwing off the Balance; the world is shifting again even with our counter measures.” He turned to us both, holding the bar carefully. “And now, I think the universe is granting both of you a choice.”

  Phoenix and I both looked at each other as though expecting an answer.

  “What do you mean?” Phoenix asked. Icarus put the bar away. “The Guild has been monitoring your activities ever since it became apparent that you were to be our next monarchs. Your Majesty,” he bowed slightly to Phoenix. “The incident involving your classmate, Eleanora, reached our ears. I’m very sorry to hear that you applied your skill to her accidentally, but it seems as though you have been granted the ability to remove the magic from a mage, permanently. This is a unique skill never seen before.”

  “That’s not true,” I said quickly, butting in before Phoenix could say anything. He was looking dark at the mention of Eleanora. “Iain and Netalia removed my magic from me when they banished me.”

  “Yes, they removed it, and hoarded it for themselves. His Majesty has the ability to extinguish it completely. We fear that once removed by you, sire, it can never be returned.”

  It was devastating to hear. I knew that Phoenix and Eleanora had been talking about it, and that Phoenix had been hoping to rectify the problem in some way or another. Now it sounded as if Eleanora would never again hold her magic in her hands. It was going to be hard to tell her.

  “And you, Your Majesty,” now Icarus turned to me. “You have been under observation since about halfway through your school year. You remember, Larni, the servant who was assigned to you?”

  “She’s one of my closest friends and head of my staff here at the palace,” I told him. “I’m assuming you mean when she suddenly discovered she was a mage.”

  “And her brother Niko. Discovered by our Tester in Keyes to have an extremely potent vein of magic flowing through him. The child will grow to be very powerful.

  “But you didn’t stop there,” Icarus continued. “You created an entire new species.”

  “The mud people,” I breathed. “I knew there was something about them.” “Never before has a mage created new life. One would almost go as far to say that you are on par with a deity.” Icarus said, his eyes wide.

  “Or one would keep his mouth closed and live to see the light of the next day,” I responded, my voice cold. “Continue, please.”

  “Milady, you embody pure energy. This is why you can control lightning; it recognises the power in your veins. “You have been given two choices... You can remove magic from Lotheria for good... or you can reinstate it in everyone.”

  Silence fell in the little hall.

  “Which will balance the world?” Phoenix asked finally.

  Icarus lifted his hands in a helpless sort of shrug.

  “No one knows. I’m afraid that is the extent of my knowledge, and a lot of that is guess work.”

  “Why didn’t anyone tell us of this sooner?” I said softly.

  “A lot of the Testers in the Guild remain loyal to Iain and Netalia,” Icarus said.

  “I want their names,” I said immediately.

  “A lot of them are my friends.”

  “I won’t hurt them. But I want to know who I can trust to be telling me the truth.”

  He nodded.

  “I’ll have a list made up. Now, I think I’d better depart and let you two talk.”

  He bowed and hurriedly left the hall. “What do we do?” Phoenix asked, and I looked at him surprised.

  “What do you mean? I think it’s pretty obvious. This will end inequality forever.”

  He frowned at me.

  “It could also destroy the world.”

  “And removing everyone’s magic won’t do that anyway?”

  “I think it’s got a better chance of restoring the balance.”

  “So because you thinkso, we have to keep lying to our public?”

  We were staring at each other, almost stunned at how opposed we were to the other’s solution. “Everyone is entitled to what they're born with,” I implored, trying to make him see reason. “I won’t keep denying them that.”

  “The laws that you have passed will protect the nonmagi.”

  “Well obviously they’re not. Look at Nerra! Meric continued to beat her despite the laws.”

  “Then fix them! Make revisions. I know you can do it.” “You’re missing the point,” I hissed. “This is the first chance in two thousand years that we have to equalise the world. Everyone will be granted the same rights as each other. This is... this is unheard of. Who are we to give up this opportunity?”

  “Sky, listen to yourself. What will happen if we give the non-magi back their magic? They're going to go on a revenge spree. Anyone who treated them badly will be targeted. Even without the balance of the world in question, I think they’d do a pretty good job of destroying society anyway.”

  “You can’t know that,” I folded my arms. “We can make sure that there are ramifications for those who seek revenge.”

  “It’s so much more complicated than that.” “So we’ll just get rid of it all? Sweep the problem under the rug and hope and pray that no one ever finds out what we did?”

  He stared at me for a few moments.

  “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this,” he said finally. “Come and find me when you’re reasonable.” He began to walk off. I grabbed his arm and held on. “Excuse me?” I asked quietly. “ I’mbeing unreasonable? You’re the one throwing away the non-magi’s chance of becoming equals. You won’t even think about it twice.”

  “I’ve made my choice,” Phoenix said, removing his arm from my grasp. “Come and find me when you’ve rethought yours.”

  I watched him stride off down the hall into the darkened palace. I was so angry I couldn’t move. My magic was bristling beneath my skin and thunder rolled through the clouds outside.

  The party was still in progress. The talking and laughter drifted through the trees, and suddenly I just couldn’t stand it anymore. Turning on my heel, I strode back out the door. Larni was directing the palace servants and she looked up as I neared.

  “Sky-” She began, but I cut her off.

  “The party’s over, tell everyone to go home.” I said quietly. My throat was tight with anger.

  “Are you sure?” she asked, her eyes huge. Instead of answering, I continued walking through the long grass. My feet carried me out of the palace gates and into the city. I ignored the curious chatter of the people who’d been milling around the entrance to the palace, trying to catch a glimpse of the festivities.

  Eventually I had the sense to cover myself in a glamour, replacing my brown hair with blonde and tearing away the long white sleeves of my gown. I was able to slip between the crowds until I found myself standing on the docks, watching the moonlight ripple on the black water. I trotted down the steps until my slippers sank into the pebbly sand on the beach, and then kicked my shoes off to stand in the water.

  There was a massive lightning storm further out to sea. The Queen in me had done a mental check of the ships already, making sure none of our trade vessels would be out in it. Whilst every ship was accompanied by a mage, there wasn’t much one could do against the fury of nature. The royal fleet was slumbering further out in the harbour, the masts reaching dangerously towards the tumultuous sky. I could see the
crew and their mages watching the ships cautiously.

  I sat in the water, not feeling it soak into my dress. The waves surged around me, unnaturally calm within the walls of the harbour. Suddenly I had the urge to see the wild water, with waves the size of small buildings, to see real power, untainted by human interference.

  The world was spiralling out of control again, but this time we had a choice. Did we remove magic from the world completely, or did we grant it to everyone in the hope that it would level out the mana usage.

  I buried my head in my hands. I knew which power I had been granted, and therefore my decision was swayed in that direction, but at the same time, Phoenix had never been friends with his servant at the Academy. He’d never felt the sting of injustice as he watched his friend suffer against the choices already decided for him, simply by where and how he was born.

  I had to make him see reason. My non-magi laws weren’t working, and we had to start on our solution soon or risk the world falling into chaos.

  As though hearing this thought, a sudden crack of thunder shook the city as a bolt of lightning lanced down to one of the navy ships, striking the mast. I was on my feet as the flames began to crackle.

  Quickly, I tore the bottom half of my dress off, freeing my legs. I left my slippers on the sand, knowing them to be utterly useless. The glamour I’d cast on myself peeled away as I ran towards the frantic crowd on the pier. The ship was well ablaze now, and the mage assigned to it was desperately trying to fight the flames, but I could already see it was a losing battle. I reached them and grabbed a hold of the captain.

  “Is there anyone on the ship?” I asked sharply.

  “No one,” he responded, not even looking down at me. “I fear my ship’s a goner though.”

  But I could sense someone on the ship. I darted onto the burning boat just as he began to scream in terror. I cast my magic around, searching for the stowaway. There, the next deck down. I disappeared into the bowels of the ship, and it took all of my willpower to force myself into the smoky depths. I grabbed the boy just as the top deck collapsed, covering us both in burning embers. I could feel them stinging my bare skin and feet. With one arm around his shoulders, I reached out with my free hand and began the enchantment to control the fire, like Jett had in my kitchen all those years ago. A small portion of the fire began to shrink into the ball that was flowing into my hand, but it wasn’t enough.

  Getting nervous now, I glanced towards the side of the ship, but quickly discarded the idea. The water would drown us before it would let us swim to safety.

  We backed against the side of the ship as the fire advanced. I could feel the air growing hotter as I breathed it in. Soon it would be too hot to inhale.

  “Miss?” I looked down at the boy. He wasn’t much older than Samlin. “I’m scared.”

  “Me too, kiddo,” I told him, still searching for options. “I’ll get us out, don’t worry.” Suddenly, the ship pitched and groaned. We staggered forward as cold water touched our feet. The ship was sinking, broken in half by the fire-weakened wood. The bow began to point upwards as the water rose to meet us, filthy and murky. It looked a lot like certain death.

  I was still holding the little fireball. I quickly threw it up and behind me, blasting a small hole in the only part of the ship that wasn’t on fire.

  “Out!” I yelled to the kid, boosting him up towards it. He scrabbled through the hole, probably getting a million splinters but not caring. I saw hands grab him and then reach for me just as a barrel came loose from its holding and slammed into me. I hit the ground, hard, my ears ringing. But I still heard the shriek of the strained ship, as it slid beneath the cobalt waves, taking me with it.

  ~Chapter Twenty-Four~

  Silence. After the roar of the flames, it was almost peaceful. The cold water had made my burns go numb, and when I opened my eyes, the darkness was so comforting I almost accepted it.

  I suddenly snapped to, struggling in the water. My hand hit something hard, and with a jolt of despair, I realised that I was still trapped in the bow of the ship as it sank to the bottom of the harbour.

  Fighting the urge to draw breath, I called my magelight to hand. The little green ball illuminated everything around me, and in the dim light, I saw the hole I’d blasted in the hull. I swam for it desperately, wriggling through. I kicked off of the ship as it disappeared deeper into the harbour, and headed for the surface, my lungs tight.

  My head broke the surface and I gasped in the midnight air, the cold searing my lungs. It had begun to rain, the drops running down my face, mixing with the salt water.

  I swam back to the pier and accepted the help of those reaching for me. A few cheered, but as I kept my head down and moved away quickly, they realised I didn’t want to hang around.

  I was lucky that I was so filthy. The soot from the ship fire had made me unrecognisable; even my dip in the harbour hadn’t been able to dislodge it. No one would recognise me as Queen. That suited me fine.

  I hurried back to the palace where I discovered a dilemma. The guards wouldn’t let a bedraggled stranger enter, and nor did I want anyone to know what I’d been up to.

  I bit my lip, mulling it over. Eventually I decided to try something new. I pulled a glamour around myself, but mimicked my surroundings. Holding it in my mind, I tentatively moved forward, and when no one stopped me, darted through the guard entrance.

  Keeping the glamour up was difficult, and I dropped it as soon as I dared. I staggered, dizzy from the effort, but managed to find the servant’s entrance to the palace, which was dark and quiet. My engagement party had long since ended. I felt a wrench in my stomach as I wondered how Phoenix and I would face each other now.

  I made it to the bathrooms without being seen, and washed off the soot and harbour filth. The dress, I burned, reflecting sadly on how excited I’d been when I first put it on, to celebrate my engagement to Phoenix.

  I was padding back to my room in a soft cotton shift, my hair damp, when I heard a small ‘pst!’ I turned and saw Seff poking her head out from behind a corner. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and she looked so genuinely happy to see me that I bent down to give her a hug. She squeezed me tightly in her little arms.

  “How are you?” I asked. “I’m well, Your Majesty,” she dipped an awkward little curtsy and almost tipped over. “I’m just on my way back from the library.”

  “What were you doing there?” I was surprised. What would a palace serving girl want with a library? “Master Ispin has been doing some research on my family tree,” she told me. “I’m not sure why, but he tells me it’s fascinating work.”

  I was still holding her little hands in mine, and almost without meaning to, I looked within her skin. It was just like tilting your head a different way to see a cobweb; it could only be seen at a certain angle. Somehow I knew how to look without being taught.

  There was a small glowing spark near her heart. Her magic waiting to be ignited? I took a deep breath and let her hands go. I didn’t want to make any rash decisions before I’d had a chance to speak to Phoenix again.

  “I better head off to bed now,” I said to Seff who had been watching curiously, but not saying a word. “Keep out of trouble, won’t you? And tell me if anyone bothers you.”

  Another curtsy, and she was gone, a flurry of skirts disappearing behind the corner. I continued to mine and Phoenix’s bed chamber, and I was almost relieved to find he wasn’t there. With an exhausted groan, I collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

  The next morning dawned too bright. The rain from last night had washed everything clean and the palace garden glittered with raindrops. The door opened just as I sat up and Phoenix entered, still in his clothes from last night. My heart twisted painfully as we looked at each other, but then I remembered Seff’s magic and the helplessness of the stowaway on the burning ship from the night before. If he and those people in the crowd had been mages, there would have been no need for me to interfere, and nor would non-magi have to fear being
caught without a mage nearby.

  “Good morning,” Phoenix said hesitantly, and sat in a chair near our oversized fireplace. “Have you had time to think?”

  Instead of answering straight away, I climbed out of bed and began to dress. The gown I picked was the same hue as Rain’s magic, a dark navy blue. It wasn’t often I wore colours that weren’t mine, but I enjoyed the change. I laced up the bodice myself, pulling the long sleeves up onto my shoulders. The wide skirts swept around my feet as I turned to face my king.

  “Have you?” I responded in a monotone.

  “I wasn’t aware that I needed to. As I told you, I have made my decision.”

  The anger from last night lanced through my blood, but I didn’t let it show on my face.

  “You wish to purge Lotheria of magic,” I stated.

  He nodded.

  “I believe this to be our best chance of rebalancing the world.” I inclined my head slightly, acknowledging his decision. Then I moved forwards and kissed him firmly. He responded gently, though I could tell he was surprised. I allowed myself four seconds of peace. Then I headed for the door.

  “I have work to do.” I said simply, and disappeared through it. I reached the throne room and rang the bell for one of the servants as I sat in my designated throne. I averted my eyes from Phoenix’s empty throne next to me.

  As I’d hoped, the servant to answer the summons was Larni.

  “Could you please bring me two of your staff, and Seffina?” I requested.

  She nodded her head, confusion written all over her face.

  “May I ask why? If there’s any task you need done, surely I could take care of it for you.”

  I smiled warmly at her, feeling my heart thaw slightly. “I fear you’ve already completed this specific task for me, love,” I told her. “You’ll understand soon. Can you also bring me Dena?”

  I knew that my friend was still in the palace. She’d arrived late at the party last night due to a shift at the hospital, and instead of going to her quarters in the city, she’d remained in one of the many guest rooms.