by Lena Austin
Kella tapped her finger on her chin. “You’re right. I do prefer to cook, rather than create. It’s how I’m used to doing things.”
Two chairs sat at the table, with a large bowl of fruit prominently displayed. Tanne sat at one chair and took an apple. Wrinkling her nose, Kella snatched up a pear and remained standing.
“I do have a few questions, Tanne, and I hope you won’t think me impertinent.” She nibbled and swallowed before continuing. “In my village, apprentices never ate with their Mistresses. They served, and either ate beforehand or after.” She snorted with disdain. “No prince would lower himself to physical work, so forgive me if I forget you aren’t so indolent.”
Tanne frowned. “That’s ridiculous and a waste of time. Lessons need not be formal, and you may have many questions you think of at odd times.” He made his apple core disappear. “Mealtime is one of the most common times for casual conversation, and not to be wasted with protocols.” He raised one silver eyebrow at Kella. “So, please sit down and ask your questions in comfort.”
She sat with alacrity. If that were how he wished things done, then tradition wouldn’t be followed. “My next question concerns how to refer to you. The male form of Mistress is Master, so that is your correct title as my teacher.”
Tanne cast his gaze at the ceiling. “Please don’t. Tanne will do, thank you.” He pinned her with a strong stare. “Are you done with questions for now? I have a few of my own.”
“For now.” Kella put her pear down on the table and sat up respectfully. Her eyes brightened with excitement.
“Eat. These aren’t hard questions.” His perpetual calm was back. “My first question may require you to think a moment, and I doubt chewing will interfere with that.”
He waited until she’d bitten into her pear. “Have you ever heard the magic terms ‘ground,’ ‘center,’ and ‘shield,’ and if so, can you perform them?”
Kella pondered, and swallowed. “‘Shield’ I know, because that is what you put around me so I couldn’t hear thoughts. The others, I don’t know. By the way, why am I not hearing your thoughts now? I know I’m not shielded at this moment.” She continued to eat at every opportunity, determined to stuff herself with food for the lesson to come.
Tanne grinned. “Ah, but I am shielded.” He winked. “There’s no need for you to listen to my constant and steady stream of thoughts, and I don’t want you to read what the answers to my questions are.”
A muffin appeared on the table in front of her. “Thank you.” She replaced the remains of her pear with the muffin and ate that between sentences. “Well, that makes sense! With just the two of us here, there’s no one else for me to listen to. And there’s a strategic sense to it,” she added. “I, uncontrolled, will hear things further than you, who are trained. We’ve already found out I can hear thoughts and feelings some distance away. Therefore, I’m like an early warning if someone or something does approach.” A thought occurred to her. “Is it easier to shield yourself than someone else?” She popped the last of the muffin into her mouth.
“Simpler, anyway.” He nodded approvingly. “Very good. Then that will be your lesson for today; teaching you to ground, center, and shield.”
Kella eyed the sticky remains of her pear and wondered what to do with it. There was no broken meats barrel for her to put it in, and no garden to dump used foodstuffs into, at least not yet. She made a mental note to create a barrel so she could plant a garden.
The pear disappeared, and she started in surprise. A bright green cloth appeared in front of her. “Oh! Thank you!” She washed her hands in the waterfall, and then dried them on the cloth. Placing the cloth carefully on the edge of the pool to dry, she smiled. Indoor running water! What a marvelous invention.
“Let’s take a walk, shall we?” Tanne offered his hand. “We can look for things in nature that demonstrate grounding.”
Kella skipped over to take his hand. “Yes, and we can do some exploring, as well!” She’d already noted her basket by the door of the kitchen. She removed her herb book and put it on the table for later use. Her white bundle was nowhere to be seen. “Thank you for bringing my basket inside. I forgot it out in the meadow.”
“My pleasure.” He led her out of the cave and into the sun. Tanne steered her toward some trees that grew near a stream at the edge of what he described as “Pack Lands.” Once there, he pointed out a tree. Its roots were exposed by the recent collapse of the bank.
“Do you see the biggest root in this tree? It has grounded itself in the earth just as you must do.”
Kella studied the huge taproot exposed to air and light. “I must dig my feet in the dirt to do magic?” Even to herself, that did not make sense.
Tanne chuckled and released her hand. He moved a few feet away. “You said you can see power flows from things so small as plants and rocks. You should be able to see me ground. Watch me with those other eyes that see the lights. I will do this more slowly than usual.”
Kella nodded, and unfocused her eyes a little. Tanne glowed bright blue to this type of sight, and seemed surrounded by it. Without being told to do so, she kept an eye on the ground beneath him. “I see a ribbon of blue light that flows from you to the ground!” She continued to watch as that one ribbon acted much like the taproot of the tree, and grew side shoots and small tendrils. “Just like the tree roots!”
“Excellent! Now, tell me what benefit this might have, if you can guess.” Tanne stood in the sunshine, acting as if he’d merely decided to have a conversation, and gave no indication anything had changed. However, to Kella’s sight, the whole ground beneath him took on a blue glow.
Kella prodded it with a toe, and it reacted by pulsing mildly, as skin might shiver when poked. She glanced back at the tree. “It is an extension of your inner being, your soul, if you don’t mind the inference.” She spoke slowly, puzzling things out and speaking freely whatever came to mind. “So, it’s as if you were bigger than before. Like, your skin has moved out that far.”
“Those are the minor benefits, yes. What would be the major benefit?” He looked mischievous, like a small child playing a trick.
“I’ll hazard to say you are like a tree, rooted deeply in the earth. Like a tree, you can take nourishment in the form of the lights around you made by the plants and rocks. In addition, the tree is strong for being rooted so. The wind does not move it.”
Tanne’s blue field brightened to match his smile, so she guessed she was on the right course. She looked at the tree once more. “AH! Even with half its roots gone, it is still strong and upright! It would take undermining the rest of the roots to make the tree topple!”
The bright blue glow receded back into Tanne so quickly she hardly saw the movement. She blinked, and her sight returned to normal. “Nearly perfect answers!” He applauded and approached. He kissed his own finger, and then flicked her nose, transferring the kiss.
Kella forced herself not to pout. A real kiss would have been a better reward! She couldn’t blame him. Her bath before Leonus attacked her had been more than a day ago, and she reeked. Kella wrinkled her nose in distaste. After her lessons were done and she was excused, she’d use the stream here to take a proper bath until she could make a half-barrel suitable for indoor bathing in the kitchen at night.
Tanne lifted her chin and forced her green eyes to meet his blue. “I know you are weak still, but I think you could manage a little bit of grounding. Couldn’t you?”
Kella nodded, and he stepped back a pace so she could see the soil around her. She closed her eyes and imagined herself to be a small tree. Then, she imagined she had a taproot growing from her into the ground. Peeking with one eye, she saw she did have a small green ribbon of light now firmly working its way down a few feet.
“Close your eyes and imagine your taproot makes little tendrils from itself to spread out in the ground surrounding you,” Tanne coaxed.
She obeyed, and spread her little green root out. Immediately, she felt warmth enteri
ng her body with the softness of a good spring rain soaking into the earth. It felt wonderful. She moaned softly, but kept her eyes tightly shut to enjoy the sensation. She did feel a little like the earth, for the soft warmth filled places in her that seemed thirsty for something she couldn’t yet name. “Tanne!” Another moan escaped. “What is happening to me? This feels so good!”
“Stay where you are. You are replenishing your lost mage energies from the earth of the Valley. It now feeds your mage energies. You will no longer have to eat to replace what you lose. The Valley will give it to you, if you ask it to do so.”
Kella’s eyes popped open. She felt “full,” as if she’d just had a good meal and hunger was satisfied. “You speak as if the Valley is alive.”
“Yes, it is. I should know. I helped create it.”
Chapter Nine
Kella backed up a few steps, her face white, as if she’d just witnessed some sort of miraculous manifestation of her faith. Tanne knew what this revelation would mean, but wanted it out in the open between them. An impudent breeze ruffled her hair.
“I’m not a god, Kella. Remember that. It was only magic.” He chanted the words at the shocked former acolyte. “You do magic. The same as mine.”
Some of the religious fervor left Kella’s face. She cleared her throat. “But I couldn’t create this place.”
That was the opening he needed. “Neither could I, alone.” Tanne kept his voice casual. “It took the combined power of all the Unicorns alive then, no matter how young or old, to do it. I was only an adolescent, Kella. I just fed power to others. You could do it, just as well as I.”
Her jaw dropped. “No, I can’t!” She looked about wildly at the verdant meadow, as if expecting she’d see his signature on the very blades of grass.
“Yes, you can.” Tanne put his hands on his hips, and laughed. “You just did.”
Kella gave him a dubious look. “You showed me how to pull power from the earth.”
He breathed a purely internal sigh of relief. She was back in student mode. What was more, she questioned what he taught her and thought for herself. “Ground yourself as I instructed.” When she did so, he ordered, “Now imagine a tiny thread of power comes into you, and from you to me. Imagine it as about the same thickness as one of your embroidery threads.”
Kella nodded to show that she understood, and very shortly, a thin line connected them both. “This does get easier with practice.” Her voice held a certain measure of pardonable pride.
“Yes, it does.” Tanne folded his arms across his chest and pretended to look stern. It didn’t matter that his lips twitched with the need to smile his pleasure at teaching a very apt student. “Here is the trick of it. Send through the line the power you gather from the earth.”
Kella frowned in concentration and closed her eyes before a burst of power surged through the line between them. It was a measure of her abilities that Tanne felt the shock and grounded himself quickly. It took an effort of will for him not to jump and yelp, for fear of looking unprepared.
Instead, he forced himself to smile with approval. “Excellent! And now, my bright student, tell me ‑‑ where is the energy going?”
After a few moments of searching, Kella exclaimed, “It goes back into the ground!”
“Exactly. You fed me more power than I need, so I returned it to the earth where it might be needed by others.” He paused, and added as an afterthought, “You may sever the connection now.”
Kella cut the thread as neatly as if she’d held scissors in her hand. “I can see where that’s very useful. It is said magic is unpredictable, so it is possible to get more power than you need when you least expect it.” She frowned. “Or, get drained down to the dregs, as I was.”
“That won’t happen again, as long as you remember to ground before any magic is performed in your vicinity. Never forget, or you may suffer unnecessarily.” Tanne kept his arms folded across his chest and looked stern.
She cocked her head to one side. “What would happen if I took too much power?”
Tanne made sure she was still grounded and, without warning, slung a small mage bolt. There was no way for her to avoid its sting. “That was a small mage bolt, such as might be thrown by another mage at you. Imagine that many times worse, and you’ve a small inkling of how painful it could be. I’m sorry to cause you pain, but hopefully it’ll be the only pain you ever feel for magic.”
Kella kept her hand clapped over her arm where the little dart struck. However, she thrust out her chin stubbornly. “Pain is a good teacher. I won’t forget that lesson. Ground, or you may find that holding too much magic can be painful.” She lifted her hand and inspected her skin, but there was only a red mark like a small burn.
“Good. It is a lesson I regret I must teach. I’ve seen what happens when a mage doesn’t ground and absorbs more power than they can control. He made a pretty bonfire that burned four days.” Tanne didn’t add that he was the one who had dueled with that mage. It was an ugly memory he didn’t care to dwell upon.
Her hand fell away from her arm. “Oh, dear.” She gulped visibly.
It was time to change the subject, Tanne decided. The angle of the sun told him it was midday. “I’ll give you a choice. It is nearly time for lunch, and your breakfast was relatively small. Would you like to stop now and return to the lessons after we eat, or continue?”
It took a moment for her to adjust to such a casual subject. “Can we do both at the same time? I’m hungry, and a bit thirsty, but I’m not anxious to stop.”
“Your enthusiasm makes me happy, but I was up all night, and I could use a little sleep. Would you be willing to give your teacher a little bit of a break?” While his body was physically recharged, his mind begged for the rest. What was worse, he was afraid his stomach growled audibly.
Kella was immediately contrite and put out her hand. “I am so sorry, Tanne! I didn’t think about the fact that you were up all night. Please forgive me!” As she took his hand and tugged him in the direction of the cave, she chattered happily. “I’ll make myself a bathtub and have a nice soak while you sleep. Oh, and towels! And soap!”
Tanne laughed, and put two fingers over her lips. He brushed aside the errant thought that he’d rather seal her lips with his own. “There is no need to create a bathtub. I didn’t get time to show you the bathing room I created in the cavern. All you need to do is heat the water and create whatever toiletries you need.”
The joy on her face was all the reward he needed, and her tugs on his arm became more insistent. Laughing, he allowed her to lead him at a spanking pace into the cavern. “If this is how you respond when I use a bath as a reward for hard lessons learned, I couldn’t imagine what you’ll do for flowers or candy!”
Kella stopped and turned a serious face to him. “Flowers only die. Candy makes you fat. Besides, I can’t miss what I was never given. Practical things are more what I like!” She emphasized her proclamation with the jerk of her chin.
Stifling chuckles, Tanne gave her a courtly bow. “Permit me, then, to give a lady the kind of gift she prefers.” He swept his arm in the direction of the bathing room and the corridor that led to the bedrooms. He sent ahead a surge of magic to provide small luxuries she wouldn’t think of herself.
Her squeals of delight at the bathroom door made him chuckle. She tugged off her clothes before his eyes. “Oh, Tanne!! It’s a big sea sponge like the princes have! Three kinds of soap!”
Tanne was treated to the exquisite torture of watching Kella undress, and felt his trews strain. He damned his vows even while he turned his back and jumped down into the sunken tub to show her the sluice gate to bring in water from the same underground spring that supplied the kitchen.
Kella wrapped herself in a bathing sheet, unaware or uncaring that the fine linen left little to the imagination. “How do I make the water warm? This bathing pool is too large to fill it with kettles of water. With magic?”
When she scrambled down to join him in t
he tub, Tanne forced his mind to the magic lesson. “Yes, with magic. Feed a thread of power into the water and tell it to make the water warm. When the water heats to your satisfaction, cut the power.”
With her hair unbound, and standing before him in a thin linen sheath, she looked like every stallion’s fantasy, minus the horn button. He imagined hers might be gold.
Kella cocked her head to one side in her habitual, thoughtful manner. “Then we’d better get out and let the water fill. No sense in numbing our toes in cold water. I can heat it from the rim, and dangle my feet in the water to test the temperature.”
She turned to get out, treating Tanne to the sight of her heart-shaped ass. His hands clenched at his side. The depth of the tub came to her mid-thigh, but she somehow managed to remain graceful in clambering to sit on the edge.
He called himself six different kinds of a fool for lusting after an innocent virgin, no matter how many times a day the memory of that night in the crystal cave haunted his sleep. He opened the sluice gate and jumped out, his boots only suffering a minor splash.
In the manner of the Vampire priesthood, she chanted under her breath what seemed a little mnemonic rhyme. All he heard clearly was “Heat.” It seemed to help her, for she grounded with ease and pulled power into the water from her hand. Tanne made a note to teach her that gestures were useless wastes of movement. He’d been making gestures to show her he was using magic, but they were unnecessary. It was the difference between a shaman and a showman. Nevertheless, he couldn’t fault her execution. The water soon steamed invitingly.
“I’ll be just down the corridor in my bedroom. Yours is the last on the left.” He retreated hastily as she stood to unwind the sheet from her body.
* * * * *
“Coward!” Kella muttered under her breath at his retreating back. “Come back here and make me your lover. Preferably before I go into heat and attack you, you moron. I won’t be responsible for my actions then.” Even a short liaison would give her many memories. That’s all she dared hope for.
