by K. E. Young
"The reason is that if you don't have the control, you can release it in ways that are dangerous not just to others and your immediate environment, but to yourself. Do you understand? Let me know when you are ready to proceed."
I thought about what he said. The mechanics he had described so briefly sounded a lot simpler than I expected but I decided that it must be like Hamsat, simple rules, but complex strategy and implementation. However, if I chose to do this and I had magic, I was committed. It didn't sound like it was something I could back out of if I changed my mind later or 'bad things' could happen. I didn't like the idea of a shock but it could have been a lot worse. "I'm ready."
"Close your eyes." I did so and a moment later, my mind lit up like a carnival. No pain, no shock, but I could see a wash of colored lights in my mind and warmth like a small slug of whiskey down deep along with an echoing sensation as if the reservoir were considerably larger than the dollop of magic it now housed.
"Excellent! Now, we just need to figure out what kind of mage you are."
Huh, so the testing wasn't quite as simple as he said. "There are different kinds?"
He nodded, "The magical ability of we Aria Atlani falls into certain rankings. Those rankings are determined by how much of the word we can affect with magic. The books will go on and on about the domains of magic but I think Lady Sara stated it best. She said that the stuff of the world falls into set energy states. At its lowest energy state, water is ice, if you add energy in the form of heat, it becomes liquid. Add still more energy and it becomes steam. The more inherent energy that stuff has, the less magical energy required to affect it. Therefore, the weakest mages can affect highly energetic stuff like fire and lightning, while the strongest mages can affect the stones of the earth.
Hanat gave a shy little smile that made him look much younger. "The greatest feat of magic I have ever witnessed occurred when I was a youth. I was among the military recruits called to the city of Therysal when the valbore threatened. Lady Sara swore to protect the people and devised a way to trap the valbore where it could not get to them. She spent a day building a river course for almost a beru. It ran from the seashore, through the heart of the city and almost to the mountains to give the trap and shield spells a border to anchor them."
When he hit the term beru, something odd happened. The moment I heard the word I felt a moment of confusion because I did not know what a beru was — and then I did. It was as if I had forgotten the knowledge and my brain just needed a second or two to dig it out. With it came a whole plethora of other terms of measurement. Part of Hanat's language dump I presumed. Something that was just waiting for it to be useful before it came to the surface. I wondered how many other things I knew without knowing I knew them. A beru worked out to a little less than seven miles.
The woman built a seven-mile river course, in one day? That was quite a feat by any measure. From everything I was hearing about this Lady Sara, she seemed to be quite formidable. She didn't sound like the sort of person I could match. I was just a stubborn, neat freak librarian who liked fighting.
Hanat's eyes glowed with remembered awe. "I still remember watching her mold the earth, making the stones flow like water at her bidding. It opened my eyes to the possibilities and taught me that it wasn't all set spells to memorize. I swore then that if it was within my power, I would be a mage. Not just any mage, I wanted to learn how to create spells like her."
His face turned proud and then shifted back to a more sheepish mien. "I was fortunate enough to be a student of hers for a time. I am not capable of anything as grand as she is, but I have helped people with my skills. It's enough for me. I'm glad I became a mage, no matter how difficult it was for me. My clan thought I should have been happy as a soldier like my father and grandfather. I wanted more though."
His face became solemn once more. However, he had already let the cat out of the bag. He wasn't as serious as he appeared. He was just shy. His voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Now close your eyes again and focus on the feeling of the magic and examine the world around you. First, I want you to examine the fire in the brazier warming the teapot over there, then the steam coming from the teapot, then the water in the teapot itself. Finally feel for the walls and the earth below us. What is the last item in that list you can sense?"
I blanked my mind and dutifully considered the world around me. An angular echo of the magic surrounded me, and I realized it must be the stone of the walls. I extended myself a little further and felt the earth below me like a warm glow. The other items he mentioned were more… ephemeral. "Earth. It's warm, like a sip of liquor or a hug from Mero."
"Excellent. Were any others more vivid and easier to perceive?"
"No. It outshines the rest. Brighter, more solid."
"Wonderful. You are definitely an earth mage. Now focus on just the magic, not the energy of the world around you. Try to gather some of it to you. Like reaching out a hand and pulling it in."
It took me a couple tries before I figured out how to grasp it. Once I had a grip on the magic, it came to me and I added it to my reservoir easily. A reservoir I hadn't even realized existed before. The reservoir seemed to echo, still almost empty. "Why does the reservoir seem so empty?"
"The greater the ability, the greater the potential power. Since you have gathered little power yet, your reservoir is almost empty. You don't actually need the reservoir to use magic unless you're doing combat magic. It makes quick responses easier since it can take time to pull magic from the world around you. A reservoir can also give you energy to use if you are in an area that has little for you to absorb. Those spots aren't common, but they happen. For now, it's best to keep it empty or nearly so."
He had a pleased smile on his face. "Now, let's try releasing it back into the world. Pretend there's a channel between your reservoir and the earth. Open the channel and nudge the magic out. It may take a few tries to get the knack.
"You must pay attention to the rate at which you release the magic. The earth can only take in so much energy at a time and that amount will vary. Especially here in the east. The various wars have caused damage in some places that still affects magic in places. If you try to release power into the earth faster than it can accept it, you can burn yourself. It is better to go too slow than too fast. Are you ready to try it?"
"I think so." I imagined a channel as he suggested but couldn't seem to get the magic to follow it. Maybe I should try something a little different. This time I imagined a thick copper cable connecting my reservoir and the earth. Like a virtual lightning rod. This time the magic flowed easily and drained out at a steady rate like water from a hose. I wondered if the electricity analogy would work for gathering it too. It was something to try later.
"You have talent. Most take a few more tries before they can drain even a little bit. I don't know of anyone who got a smooth flow on only the second attempt." He smoothed his robe over his knees.
"I would prefer you to have lessons every day. I suspect that you will need full control of your abilities in a very short time. The Goddess always seems to give a Nakairi enough time to prepare — but only just enough time. I hope that two hours every morning will be sufficient."
"That sounds good. Except for my wedding day, I have other things I need to do then." I grinned at him. I liked Hanat, even if he was a little shy and stuffy. If you got him a little drunk to bring him out of his shell, he might be a blast.
His eyes twinkled with humor. "Yes, my lady. I will see you tomorrow morning then. My apprentice will guide you to my workroom after breakfast. I have shielding in place there that will help. It makes it quieter so we aren't disturbed and protects the rest of the palace in case something goes wrong." I couldn't even imagine what might go wrong, but I had the sneaking suspicion it could be spectacular — and hazardous.
When I said, "I look forward to it," I meant it. Hanat's reserve hid a shy enthusiasm I hadn't expected. I thought to myself, it's the quiet ones you have
to watch. I suspected he was a lot more capable than he let on and had much to teach me.
✽ ✽ ✽
Shortly after Hanat left, I had another visitor. Thal stuck his head in the door with an anxious expression. "Kendra, the High-Lord is coming down the hall. I thought you might want a warning."
"Thank you, Thal." I didn't know how much of all this stuff it was okay for him to know about so grabbed blank sheets of paper and covered each of the stacks of reports I had on the desk. I finished the task just as Thal opened the door for the High-Lord.
"Good morning Kendra. I hoped you might have a moment to talk. I have something for you I feel you need to know." He waved a thin bound book. It was a fancy thing, heavily tooled in a pleasing geometric pattern and bound with an ornate braided cord I itched to look at more closely. It looked much like one of my kumihimo samples.
"I would have thought you would be in the council meeting with Mero."
Geran grinned. "Yes. I accepted Sebas' credentials then turned the meeting over to Mero as soon as he arrived. He won't be happy with me over that. However, I felt this was more important than listening to yet another batch of complaints from the lords."
I blinked a few times as I digested that. Whatever was in that little book was more important than a council meeting? I took a deep breath, lost for words. What do you say to something like that? "Ah."
He waved me over to the fire and sat at the round table. I was grateful that I had cleared that up first. I watched as he set his burden down, untied the intricate knot on the cord, and set it aside. Up close, thin lines of gold and delicate lettering traced the cover of the little book.
"This is the chronicle of Lady Sara's Task. It includes the transcript Lady Sara made of her conversation with the Goddess. Since it mentions you, I felt it was crucial that you read it. When Mero arrived out of breath from the speed of his flight saying a Nakairu named Kendra had come, I sent for it from Drakken. It arrived late yesterday."
His expression was pensive. "The Goddess brings a Nakairu here to perform a task that no one else can do. Eight hundred years ago, she called two Nakairi at once. Other than that one time, she has never called more than one Nakairu in such a short time, she has never called a Nakairu for more than one task, and she has never warned us of the coming of a particular Nakairu. Now, with your arrival, there are three Nakairi here and at least one has two tasks."
Silence reigned for a full minute before he resumed. "There are those who fear your arrival because of the change it portends. Lady Sara's first task was to destroy our greatest threat and unmasked our greatest enemy, the Arboren. Lady Sam's task cleared the threats from our eastern flanks and gave us additional information about the history of the Arboren. Years of war followed their arrival and the Empire has grown significantly, leaving Drakken stretched thin."
He pushed the book towards me. "Drakken will await the news of your task, but there are those among them who wait with dread because their world will change yet again. You need to know why."
I didn't respond. Pulling the book to rest in front of me I opened it and began reading. I'm a fast reader and the author of the chronicle wrote bare facts and occurrences with no poetry to expand the story. It read like a police report. When I got to the end, I understood why everyone was so respectful of Sara although whoever put the chronicle together didn't seem to share that opinion. The writer was critical of Sara's compassion and generosity towards the people of Therys. They felt her efforts to provide the slums with sewers was a waste of her talent.
Bits of the transcript of her conversation with the Goddess replayed in my mind. I wouldn't forget it soon. The most informative part of the chronicle was the transcript. What I had learned from the chronicle was daunting, but didn't answer my questions. In fact, it spawned a whole new set.
The mention of my name was baffling. 'Ask Kendra about her Hamsat strategy' made no sense. Why did my Hamsat strategy matter to a Goddess?
As I reread portions, the details of Sara's torture recalled Mero's words about it. I looked up at Geran. "Is this your way of telling me I have to go to Drakken for my protection?"
His brows rose for a moment before he burst out laughing. "Demon spit. I earned that one, didn't I? After what Sara and Sam went through, I held the firm belief we should protect the Nakairi from such occurrences. However, you are nothing like them. You have shown me I should be more — flexible in my opinions. Perhaps Uncle Dragos had it right. No. You'll stay or go as you wish."
I heaved a sigh of relief. Beating the stuffing out of the ruler of a country is a bad idea. "Good. Spending time in prison for assaulting the High-Lord didn't sound appealing."
He chuckled. "I'm glad. Mero is a better fighter than I am. I'm better at magic, but it's very difficult to focus when someone is pummeling you."
My lips curled in a smile. Geran wasn't so bad.
He sobered and leaned forward. "I have concerns about your impending marriage to Mero. I worry you agreed to it before Mero told you all you need to know."
Maybe my estimation that Geran wasn't so bad was a little hasty. The memories of the past day flashed through my mind. "I agreed to it for my own reasons and they have nothing to do with politics." My voice was stiff with anger.
He nodded. "That was my impression. However, Mero is a complex person and there are facets to his personality that make him difficult to deal with sometimes."
I held up a hand. "I am well aware of his manipulativeness, and his scattered conversations are infuriating but tolerable."
"Yes, as you said last night, but I'm trying to tell you there is more to it than that. I never expected Mero to find a mate. His life was… not easy. I feared his mother had turned him against women entirely. He rejected all attempts to introduce him to ladies in Drakken and the behavior of the women here in Vallen has only made his obvious dislike and avoidance stronger. There are rumors even in Drakken that he prefers men, which is not unknown, but relatively rare."
His eyes were anxious. "Your reasons for agreeing to the marriage are not what troubles me, Kendra, it's Mero's reasons. This action is so out of character for him I hesitate even to guess at his purpose." He looked down and sighed before raising his eyes to mine once more. "I'm not explaining this well, partly because I don't know enough. Mero keeps secrets. I know there is much in his life he tells no one, even friends. He has never said one word about it to anyone, but I know that his home life was difficult. I am fortunate that his sister is less reticent but even she speaks little about it."
Mero has a sister?
He ran a frustrated hand over his hair. "When he left his clanhouse for the warrior's barracks, he would tell no one why. Then his father died and he inherited the clan lordship. His first act was to exile his mother and send her back to her father's clanhouse. He told no one why. Soon after that, she married his uncle, ending her exile from the Cassettis clanhouse. When the Emperor assigned me to Vallen, Mero insisted on coming with me. The only reason he gave was that it was 'far enough away' and refused to say from what or who, although the progression of events is suggestive."
I had an idea who as well, but I disliked Geran's attempt to convince me to give up Mero. "I thought you were his friend. Why did you agree?"
His fleeting smile was sad. "I am his friend. Mero is a fine man and I consider myself lucky that he's here. He's intelligent, honorable, and capable. He's even brilliant in his own way. I like Mero, very much, but I worry about him. I worry that his inward scars and the darkness in him will eat him whole. Dragons are not always tolerant of such things and if it were to deny him… I would lose my friend."
He took a deep breath. "As for why I agreed to the marriage. Partly because it was clear to me that you had chosen and partly Mero's expression when he said you bit him. I had never seen that expression on him before. He was happy. It made me hope this was more than Mero's usual machinations."
He fell silent and I contemplated his words as I worked on relaxing the muscles in my should
ers and back. He was right. I didn't know enough about Mero. However, I couldn't turn my back on him either. My words came out as little more than a whisper, but they wrote themselves in fire on my soul. "I will not give him up, not to anyone or anything. I will fight the darkness if I have to. Mero is mine." Ignorance can be fixed, betrayal can't.
There was a long weighted pause before he nodded and his expression lightened. "Good. Perhaps you are exactly what he needed."
Maybe it was time to change the subject. If we didn't, I would hit him. "Maybe you can answer a question for me. Getting Mero to stick to the subject long enough to answer questions is like pulling teeth."
Geran blinked a couple times and grinned. "Yes. A way of avoiding questions he doesn't want to answer. Unfortunately, he applies it to every other question without even thinking about it. You may notice he can give remarkably little information in a vast array of words."
I shrugged. "Actually, he's conveyed a huge amount of information, he just doesn't stop long enough for me to ask questions."
Geran's brows rose. "Well, that's different. What did you want to know?"
I took a deep breath and tried to remember the exact words. "He called me an edutu naysero or something like that. I'm almost positive he didn't understand my explanation for what I did for a living before I came here. I know I didn't understood his description for this thing. He told me I should ask you if I had more questions."
Once again, I surprised him. "Ah. Could you tell me more about your work? It might help me understand what he was thinking."
Okay. No explanations for what this thing was? Whatever. I gave him the same explanation I had given Mero yesterday. Unlike Mero, Geran asked questions, lots of them. I talked for an hour before he ran out of details to ask about. I felt like I had just completed an oral final exam, but he seemed pleased.
