The Fire Mages' Daughter

by Pauline M. Ross

“Why didn’t you tell me all this?” I burst out.

  “What good would it have done?” Mother said calmly. “We couldn’t fix it. I could never find anything in you that was – well, wrong. Nothing I could heal. I don’t even know what it is, this condition, or situation, or whatever you have.”

  “It’s an addiction, Mother,” I said, and I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. “A craving, such as those who chew moonrose leaves have.”

  “Well, that’s as may be, but I don’t know why you have this need for me in particular, because if it’s magic you crave, you can get that from a lot of other sources.”

  I couldn’t answer that, either. Perhaps my mind simply associated my mother with the relief from the cravings.

  “There isn’t much magic in the Keep, and it’s bound to the structure itself,” Mother went on, “but it’s clearly enough to keep you well. How do you feel when you go into the Imperial City? There’s enough magic in there for you, surely?”

  “I’ve never been into it,” I said. “It’s not allowed.”

  “Not allowed? Why ever not?”

  “It is far too dangerous, Kyra,” Yannassia said. “There are those who say it pre-dates the Catastrophe, and it is certainly far older than our history. Who knows what secrets it holds? You may be able to walk around there without risk— Ouch, not so tight, if you please. But even now, the mages are wary about too much wandering round. Scholars with a special interest are taken there, but I would never allow the children to go in.”

  Mother rolled her eyes. “Really, Yannassia, there is no risk at all. We know how it works now. Well, I suppose it’s for you to decide. But may I take Drina in? I’d like to see if it helps her.”

  “Well… no, no, the emeralds, I think. Yes, take her, Kyra. I suppose she will be safe enough with you.”

  ~~~~~

  I was excited and terrified in equal measure. The Imperial City was the pool of magic at the heart of the Kingswell, a place built thousands of years ago by the pre-Catastrophe mages to provide refuge during the turbulent times they foresaw. Every part of it was infused with magical devices, still working for their own obscure purposes long after their original designers had turned to dust. My mother and Cal had uncovered some of its ways, but it was still treacherous for the unwary.

  Now I was finally to see it, and not just the glowing golden walls that surrounded the citadel itself, but actually inside it. We had morning board at the mages’ house before setting off.

  Mother looked askance at my feet. “Are those elegant shoes strong enough for serious walking?”

  “Serious walking? Is that what we are planning?”

  She laughed. “We’ll be walking over cobbled streets to get there, so a solid pair of boots would do better.”

  “We’re walking all the way? But I’ve ordered my carriage.”

  “Gods, Drina, you’ve got very grand. Well, carriage it is then. How many guards will you be obliged to take?”

  “Only four for a private visit like this. And my bodyguard, of course.”

  That brought another laugh. “They’ll be very bored. They won’t be able to come in with us.”

  There was another surprise when I was giving directions to the carriage driver.

  “No, not the underground entrance,” Mother said. “Take us to the far end of Mellonan’s Street.” Then she winked at me. “The scholars can crawl through the sewers if they like, but we’ll go in through the main gate.”

  It wasn’t far to the walls of the Imperial City, but I had never been there. Whenever I ventured out of the Keep, which wasn’t often, it was to exclusive clothing shops or to visit the grand homes of the nobles or to stretch my horse’s legs in the countryside.

  Now the carriage brought us to the foot of the Shining Wall. I stared up at it, towering above my head, shimmering with magic. There wasn’t a mark on it. No gate or door or window, no archway showing the way in. No steps or ladders, either; nothing could be built or even leaned against it. It looked like no more than a plain, blank wall.

  “Wait for us here,” Mother instructed the guards.

  “How long should we wait?” Cryalla asked.

  “Until we return, of course,” Mother said, in puzzled tones.

  “And if you don’t?”

  Mother laughed. “Don’t worry, we will. Come along, Drina.”

  She marched straight up to the wall, and placed one hand on it at a slight angle from the vertical. With a soft wooshing sound, an entrance appeared. Beyond, I could see a wide street lined with beautiful buildings, leading up to a massive domed structure at the far end.

  “Shall we?” she said, holding out her hand to me. I took it, and hand in hand we walked into the Imperial City. Behind us, the whooshing sound again as the gates closed.

  I stared around me in amazement. The Keep was an imposing edifice, and many of the nobles’ houses and lodges were charming, but this was breathtaking in its elegance. All was light and airy, porticoes lined with columns seemingly too fragile to support them, stone twisted into impossible shapes, every door and window and roof adorned with decoration of a subtle and, to my eyes, quite alien beauty.

  “Why is there a dragon carved over that door?” I whispered. Somehow it seemed impolite to speak in my normal voice.

  Mother had no such qualms, and laughed, the sound crackling around me like thunder. “I have no idea. Some of the designs are very fanciful. Look at those odd things, for example.”

  “Octopus,” I said, astonished. “And crabs. And that’s a whale. But I suppose this place was much nearer the sea before the Catastrophe. Everything got moved around so much.”

  “You remind me so much of your father when you talk that way. He had a good education, too. Not like me. A village teaching room isn’t the best place to learn about the world. Now, dear, you must keep hold of my hand at all times while we are out in the open like this. That way my magic will protect you, and you won’t be taken. They’re coming.”

  “Who’s coming?”

  She didn’t answer, but within moments I found out. A great bird appeared from somewhere, flapping lazily far overhead, gradually spiralling down towards us.

  We stopped. “Don’t be alarmed,” she said. “It won’t hurt you. Just keep hold of me and you’ll be all right.”

  I wasn’t alarmed. I’d heard the stories many times, of how the magical birds came to check out everyone new who entered the Imperial City. Those with magic in them were allowed to stay. Those without were taken by the birds and kept in slavery. I had no magic in me, but so long as I held onto her, my mother’s magic would be enough to deter them.

  Closer and closer it came, its great wings throwing us into shadow. Lower and lower, down and down. And then—

  There was a great burst of energy inside me, rocking me on my feet, and the bird was gone.

  “What was that?” Mother said, a hint of fear in her voice. “It’s never done that before, never! Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” I giggled. “I’m fine, perfectly fine.” Another giggle.

  She pulled me round to face her. “Drina? What happened? Oh! You pulled all the magic into you, I suppose. The same way you try to do with me, except that I can fight against it. But the bird is just a magical construct, it has no resistance. Oh, how interesting.”

  I couldn’t answer her. It was beyond me even to think straight, with so much magic fizzing inside me. All I could do was giggle.

  ~~~~~

  The rest of that sun passed in a blur. I remember little of the Imperial City. We went into the library and saw the great stone sphere and the book with blank pages and a great many other wonders, but when I try to recall them, the memories are shadowy. Mother said she took me to the house where she and Cal lived during their time here, but I don’t remember that at all. After that there are snatches – a brief moment in the carriage home, with Cryalla leaning close to me, her face anxious; Mother and Jayna together, examining me; then Vhar-zhin bending over me as I lay
in bed. How did I get to bed? I had no idea.

  Sometime in the night, I woke and was myself again. Or better than myself. I felt more alive than I’d ever been before, more alert, ready for anything. I slipped out of bed without disturbing Vhar-zhin and opened the window to the balcony. It was almost brightmoon, and even though the moon was setting, there was still enough light to see people moving about below. A light rain was falling, and it must have been cold because the guards changing shifts below me were muffled in thick cloaks and scarves. I wore only a silk nightgown, but I wasn’t cold at all.

  Two people walked purposefully through the gardens in the centre of the Keep. The trees hid them much of the time, but I caught occasional glimpses as they moved along the path. One was a mage, and they were heading towards the tower that contained the mages’ house.

  How did I know one of them was a mage? I couldn’t say, but I was sure of it, all the same. There was something about him or her that drew my attention.

  The two vanished between the many shops and stalls lining the inside wall of the Keep, and then entered the tower. Even though I couldn’t see them, I was still aware, in some unfathomable way, of where they were. Or the mage, at any rate.

  Then they entered the warded confines of the mages’ house, and disappeared from my awareness.

  ~~~~~

  I told no one about this strange experience. So many strange experiences, so many secrets. My ability to understand languages. My awareness of the eagles and rats. Now my ability to detect mages, or rather, their magical power.

  When I next saw my mother, the magic inside her almost dazzled me. It was so real to me, I felt I had only to reach out and take it. Jayna was different. Her power was focused around her waist, in six small vessels fixed to a belt. Some of the other mages had a single vessel, a stone or precious mineral, or a carved piece of wood or bone, infused with the magic they called upon to power their spells. Inside the mages’ house, the ancient wards created a barrier, but outside those bounds, I could see every source of magic in the Keep.

  For a few suns, I was restless and unsettled, overflowing with energy. I ate little, and slept less, but I sailed through the hours without flagging. Mother was caught up in mage business, so I didn’t see much of her, but she looked at me suspiciously whenever we met.

  However, autumn was grinding slowly towards winter and she would have to start her journey home soon before the snows started in earnest.

  “Can’t you magic away the snow, or something?” I asked her. “You can do anything you want.”

  “In theory, but I’d have to move every snowflake individually and there are far too many. Besides, they’re too… oh, I don’t know the right word. Fluffy, somehow.”

  “Insubstantial?” I hazarded. “Ephemeral?”

  “There you go again, with that fancy education of yours,” she sighed. “Such good tutors Yannassia provided for you.”

  Yannassia summoned us for a final discussion before Mother left. We met in private, just the three of us, in her office.

  “How do you feel about Kyra leaving, Drina?” Yannassia asked. Always straight to the point.

  “I’m sorry she’s going, naturally, but… I feel much more contented now.”

  “Is this to do with the bird in the Imperial City? Because if it is a temporary quirk of magic—”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “But I don’t think so.”

  To be honest, I had no idea what was happening to me. Whether it was the magic, or the after-effects of Ly-haam, or simply finding out that my mother had chosen to give me away. All I knew was that, for the first time in my life, there was no aching void in me that only my mother could assuage.

  “Very well,” Yannassia said. “I would be very happy to hear that you will now permit me to put your name forward as a possible heir. It is a long process, and Zandara and Axandor both have several years’ head start on you.”

  I considered that. “Are they awful, the examinations by the Nobles’ Council?”

  “Not at all! I enjoyed them. They are not trying to trick you, only to determine your views on certain matters, how you would react in different circumstances, nothing too taxing. Each of the noble families may question you separately, so they are very small meetings, quite informal in most cases. And there is no question of a decision until you are much older. But I still have my older brothers as Drashonor and Bai-Drashonor, and neither is at all suitable now, in truth. The nobles would be very happy to have your name as a possibility.”

  A long silence. I chewed my lip. After all my efforts, it seemed such an abject failure of all my scheming. I hated to concede defeat.

  Mother had said nothing all the while. Now she leaned forward and patted me on the knee. “Drina, I know you’ve never wanted this. You’ve done everything to avoid it, the gods only know. But it’s what you’ve been trained for. When I see you now, moving about so confidently amongst all these great people, so assured, so much a part of it – I think you really belong here.”

  I said nothing, watching her face. Could I trust her to advise me? Hadn’t she given me away and caused this problem in the first place?

  But there was only sadness in her face. “I never wanted to lose you, dear. As soon as you were born, and I held you in my arms, I loved you with every bone in my body. I hoped Yannassia would forget about you. But she needs you, and she’s asking you to help her. To help the whole realm. Sometimes you just can’t have the life you want. You have to accept that the gods have a different plan for you. Then it’s up to you to make the best of it, and not cling to false hopes.”

  She was right, of course. She was always so rational, so straightforward. You want something and you try for that, but if it doesn’t work out, you move on and try something else. She’d never wanted to be a mage. A law scribe was the height of her ambitions, and even that must have seemed like reaching for the moon. But things had happened to divert her from her chosen path, and she’d ended up somewhere entirely different. She hadn’t wanted me, but here I was, and she’d tried to do the best for me, too. She was still trying. I must seem like such a spoiled child to her.

  I took a deep breath. “Very well. You may put my name forward. And… and you may look for a marriage alliance for me, if you wish.”

  Yannassia beamed with pleasure.

  “But I want something in return,” I said.

  Her face closed up at once. “Oh?”

  “A small thing. I want my bodyguard back.”

  “Your…? I am not sure I understand.”

  “Arran. The one I had before Cryalla. I want him back.”

  “Oh… I remember. But not as your bodyguard. He has forfeited any right to be trusted with you.”

  “I’m very happy with Cryalla. No, I want him… in a more personal way.”

  “Ah. You will have to take him as your drusse. I want no more of these informal affairs, Drina. Far too untidy. But his family is sound, so that will be acceptable. It will be very good for you, in fact. A little regularity in your life. And he will do better as a drusse – money, status, all those things that young men set such store by. Yes, it will do very well. I will arrange it.”

  As we left, my mother whispered in my ear, “That’s my girl!”

  12: Drusse

  Arran arrived two suns later. I was with Vhar-zhin in our communal sitting room, with a gaggle of waiting women and servants and merchants, looking at fabrics for the winter season. With all the chatter and busyness, I didn’t hear the knock at the door. Someone must have heard and let him in, though, because when I looked up, there he was.

  I squeaked with pleasure at the sight of him. My memory hadn’t deceived me – he really was a good-looking man, tall and strong, his blond hair falling around his face, and that little smile I loved so much, the head slightly tipped to one side.

  Grabbing his hand, I pulled him into my private sitting room and shut the door firmly in Cryalla’s face.

  “You came!” I said, breathless with exci
tement. Such a stupid thing to say, but all common sense had fled and my mind was full of clouds.

  “Of course I came,” he said, and his voice was like poetry to my ears. “The Drashona sent me an order.”

  Well, that wasn’t very romantic, but it was the truth, I supposed.

  “Did the order specify the reason?”

  “No, only that I was to report to you. But I am at your disposal, as always.”

  “Well, it’s like this…” I was shy, suddenly. As the senior in rank, it was for me to take the lead, but I couldn’t find the right words. He watched me, puzzled but a little amused, too. Perhaps he guessed what I was going to say, but it wasn’t up to him to raise the subject.

  Deep breath and plunge in. “I did a deal with the Drashona,” I blurted. “I’m to be named as a possible heir…”

  “Very fitting.”

  “Um… anyway, in exchange, I’m allowed to have you. If… if you want to be had, that is.” It wasn’t the most elegant wording but he seemed to get the point.

  “I would very much like to be had by you, my little flower.”

  His voice caressed me like a soft summer breeze, and for a moment I lost all power of speech. He ran one finger down my cheek, his touch as gentle as a butterfly’s wings. I closed my eyes and shivered.

  “What exactly did you have in mind?” he whispered, drifting the gentlest of kisses on my ear, my cheek, my forehead. “Something like this?”

  “Do you… um, would you like to be my drusse?” My voice came out high, like a girl’s.

  He pulled away from me, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh yes! Very much indeed. That would be perfect, because my brother is drusse to a Kellonor and he is so smug about it. Now I shall outrank him.”

  “Oh.” That wasn’t quite the reaction I’d expected.

  “Not that that is any consideration,” he added hastily. “A minor satisfaction, compared with the pleasure of being with you. We can find a cosy little apartment, and we will be so snug together, the two of us. This is going to be so good. My sweet little flower…”

  He bent his head to kiss me again, properly this time, and it was even better than the waking dreams that had filled the boring hours of my life, and almost as good as the real dreams that left me hot and aching and miserable.