Thorel stopped at that. He wasn't anything special and a Wizard isn't that rare. And he was barely an apprentice that couldn't do anything with it yet.
“I'm nothing special Eliel, but hearing you say that makes me feel special,” he said sincerely.
She giggled and put her arm around him. “That's it, right there. You're better looking than any man I've ever seen, so I claimed you. Then, I started getting to know you some. And you're a lot more than just a pretty face.”
“You just claimed me, hmm? Why, if you didn't know me?” He asked with an arched brow.
“It's easier to be the first one and fight off the other girls then to try to get a girl away from you; that's all. I knew they'd all be after you, so I grabbed you first,” Eliel said seriously.
“Ok you did that, so why the long face?” Thorel asked.
“The Great Lady wants you, doesn't she?” Eliel said flatly.
“What?!?” He replied like she'd just told him the rain was falling up.
“She wants you to give her babies!” Eliel said, tears starting of their own accord.
He blinked and shook his head as if trying to make room for this idea in it.
“I have a lot of respect for what I've seen and know of her, but I don't think she likes anyone except for Siri. At least not that I can tell. She is patient, and will answer my questions when I ask. She's an excellent instructor. I think she's probably as knowledgeable as Master Stiral. I feel like an idiot next to her,” Thorel said seriously.
“She has to get married, man. Someone I know was telling me this when we were chatting. You're the best looking man in the world, and my goodness, she wants to pay for you to become a Wizard? She is willing to tutor you? Think man!” Eliel said tearfully.
“If so, she hasn't said anything. I mean, she acts like she cares for nothing, except for things to be done as she wants. Today she ordered no one disturb her on pain of death, including me. I can tell you like me, easily enough. But I can't imagine being of interest to her in that way, Eliel,” Thorel said, offering his sleeve for her tears.
“Oh, you are a thick-headed man!” She exclaimed, using the sleeve he'd offered.
Thorel looked at the twenty story tall clock tower in front of the Manor and could see it was half past the eleventh hour already.
“Eliel, I have to go. The Mistress wants me to meet her for the midday meal,” he said sadly.
“Why do you think she wants you to do that, you big ninny?” She smacked his chest as hard as she could.
He endured it easily and said, “She is going to finish my tutelage after, I still have a day to catch up on. I have to go now; this place is big.”
Thorel squeezed her and said, “I can decide who I like on my own without others trying to decide for me.”
Eliel's breath left her in a rush. She watched him run off while trying to catch her wind.
Nigel came up to her while she cursed quietly. “It sounds like that didn't go quite the way you wanted it to.”
“Maybe not, but at least I put it in his ear. I know she wants him,” Eliel said fiercely.
“I've got to go with Thorel on this one... if she wants him she's hiding it pretty well,” Nigel said.
“You little bastard! You were listening?” Eliel arched an angry brow at him.
“I wasn't that far back,” He winked.
* * *
The House Quarrel guardsman watched the sewage flow by with his light rod. He looked down the cistern with the light and saw nothing but the pipes that were of all shapes and sizes along the walls and ceiling. As well as the five foot wide supports for the city above him. There was a regular lantern back at his primary post, lighting the area behind him to his left.
It was his turn to patrol this horrible path. It stank so badly, he could hardly stand it. Nothing ever happened down here; it was a waste of time to patrol it. Oh sure, he'd come across the occasional pauper trying to squat here but that was as exciting as it got.
But orders were orders, and he wasn't going to be called a laggard by the Master Sergeant. House Quarrel may not have the best benefits, but they weren't as uptight as those Dothranan pricks. He made more money as a soldier here than in the Legion though. The food was better too.
He shined his light down the way and saw an old woman. Her gray hair was well past her shoulders, and she wore a ragged robe. She was dirty and hunched and raised her hand to block the light.
“Woman! You need to leave quickly! I won't ask you twice!” He said sternly.
“How, man? I can't find my way here! I'll be happy to leave, just help me!” She said pathetically.
“Back the way you came then, woman!” He yelled.
“I'm turned around, man! Please, just give me a direction, and I'll be on my way sir,” she replied.
He was irritated. But he stepped to her and pointed his light along the way. “Go that way, and then right at the big drain. There's a ladder after a bit. Take it, and you're out.”
“Oh, thank you!” She said and grabbed his jaw on each side and twisted quickly. It ended with a loud crunch, and the man went limp.
She walked his body to the rail behind him with what was left of his reflexive motion. She grabbed one leg and dumped him bodily into the sewage. She kicked his light rod into the flow with her bare foot.
The woman moved quickly, using the map in her head as a guide. Thirteenth support from north central octet drain number three was her destination.
She dodged one more walking patrol and made a wide berth of the patrol post. Jumping from the rail, she caught a pipe and moved hand over hand across it. She was directly above the flowing sewage and pulled herself up, hooking her legs over a neighboring pipe.
The woman caught the bag before it slipped off of her and put the drawstring in her mouth. She opened it and pulled the copper bowl out. She applied enough plumber's tar to the rim to stick it to the ceiling underneath the copper pipes.
She made her way back to the walkways hand over hand, making sure to avoid the place where she'd slain the guard. When she was there, she looked carefully; she didn't want to kill another. She already felt embarrassed for nearly being caught once.
She found the ladder, and quickly flipped her ragged brown robe around and it was an open common robe on this side. Underneath it she had a work suit with a water workers’ tool belt. She pulled soft shoes from her bag to put on her bare feet, and a damp cloth to wipe the dirt from her face and neck.
Siri then untied the gray wig, and pulled a brown one from her bag and pulled the strings tight on her pate before she ascended into Central Vallad.
* * *
Ari looked at her clock and saw it was half past the sixteenth hour. She looked at Thorel and saw him reading his homework assignment for his spirituality class.
She was more convinced than ever that he was the right choice. He didn't have her memory, but he never asked the same question twice. And he seemed to be a creative thinker.
And he didn't stink. She wasn't likely to find that anywhere else, she thought ruefully.
But she had other things to consider right now; House Quarrel's possible response, as well as her next move.
Ari had dispatched twelve thousand soldiers to Guithenus with the needed material to build a wooden garrison. A small group would quickly bring back Guithenus's tithe, to help with the coming war.
And her declaration of war had just been delivered, according to Siri. She smiled broadly at that.
Quarrel had been a thorn in the Dothranan's backside for over one-hundred years; ever since they had decided to get into wine making as well. They could not produce a tenth of what she could, but they sold cheaper just to cut into her profits.
Over that time, it had been a game of thrust and parry, with the occasional violent eruptions. But a blatant attack like the one that had struck her hold had never occurred before. They obviously believed that she would be an easy opponent. She smiled at Jacon Quarrel's tactical error.
Tho
rel closed his book she noted. Good. She turned her chair to him. “Do you have any questions?” Ari asked.
“Yes, but not on the lesson, Mistress,” Thorel replied.
What could he be wondering about now? “Very well, what is it?” She asked.
“You only have nine spirits today. What happened to the other four, Milady?” He asked.
She smiled; her eyes filled with cold malice. “I used them against our enemies. That is all you need to know.”
“Who are our enemies?” Thorel asked.
“I will name them when it will not be a disadvantage,” Ari said seriously.
He looked thoughtful and said, “Of course Mistress.”
She blew out her candle and moved her books and papers on her desk away from it.
“You were able to draw your power and put it back successfully. Have you been practicing this?” She asked.
“Yes Mistress, I have been. It is easier now,” Thorel replied.
“Good. Now I want you to use some of your power to light this candle,” she said simply.
“Alright, how?” He asked.
“Channel your power, and put it into the candlewick. Make it hot enough to burn. Very little power is needed to do this; I will make certain it does not cause a larger fire,” Ari stated.
“How do I make it burn?” Thorel asked.
“All you must do is put that thought into the power itself. Nothing more. I will guide you,” she said.
“Yes Mistress,” he replied.
“Now, take your power into your hand.”
Thorel pulled power from his father's spirit.
“Not so much, put as much as you can back while still holding just a thread,” she said.
He did until there was just a whisper he held in his hand. It had taken a lot of concentration to get only that. But when he achieved it, it was simple to hold.
“Good. That will do well. Now touch the wick with your power and see it lit. Do not wonder how, just ignite it,” Ari said.
He reached out with the thread in his hand, and it went straight to the wick.
Poof, the small flame said.
Ari smiled broadly. “That was impressive. Even I had to try twice!”
“I'm sure it is because you are an excellent teacher, Mistress,” Thorel said sincerely.
She looked at him smiling and said, “I also had an excellent teacher. But I was much younger than you are when I first tried.” She blew the candle out.
“Now I wish to see you do it differently. Do the same thing with one of your animal spirits if you can,” her smile became one of a challenge.
Thorel looked around at them. Which one to use? He saw that annoying old billy that would always try to keep him out of the goat pens until he'd become too old to. It just felt like a good match for him.
He took a bit of the power into his hand and placed the extra back. It was easier this time. He touched the candlewick with it.
Poof, the flame said.
Ari's eyes widened. She put both hands over her mouth and looked at him like a young girl that had just seen the most amazing thing in her whole life.
“Mistress?” Thorel said, finding the way she looked at him a bit discomforting.
She blew the candle out. “Do it again!” She said excitedly.
He did. The flame popped up faster this time.
She started giggling excitedly. “I couldn't even see you drawing energy. It's true!”
Thorel was relieved that she no longer thought he was touched but was very curious about why she was so excited. “Um... Mistress, I'm sorry, but I just don't understand why this is so significant.”
“No one has ever done this before that we know of! Our names will go down in history for this discovery! With this undetectable Magik, you could be the most powerful battlemage ever born!” She said quickly in excitement.
“What do you mean, Mistress?” He asked, puzzled.
Ari drew power into her hand with a grin. “You can see what I did there, can't you?”
Thorel nodded “Yes Mistress.”
She put it back into her spirit. “That is the way it is with all Wizards. I can see you draw on spirit, and you can see me do it. In a battle between Wizards, it becomes a game of trying to get ahead, or fooling the opponent into thinking you are doing something other than what you are. Move and counter move. The quick change when the opponent has committed themselves. But if another wizard cannot see you using your beast power, it completely changes the game. It would be like playing chess and only being able to see half of your opponent's pieces.”
Thorel tried to wrap his mind around this idea. It wasn't easy.
“Tell no one of this, Thorel. I will help you as much as I can,” Ari said seriously.
“Yes Mistress,” he replied, still having a bit of trouble grasping the significance.
There was a knock on the door.
“Yes?” Ari called out irritably.
Siri's voice drifted through. “We must leave for our appointment at the High Lord's Tower, Mistress.”
“Ah, our time is up, take your books. You have the night off, but be here in the morning. You will come to the Academy with me. We will leave at the seventh hour,” she said.
“Of course, Mistress. Thank you,” Thorel said seriously.
* * *
Siri Fenel and Ari Dothranan rode in the armored carriage.
After the doors had closed, and they were on their way, the Mistress just started babbling about Thorel Tangarth. She had no difficulty recalling his name whatsoever.
Siri listened patiently, nodding and agreeing in the proper places. She never thought she would ever see her Mistress so animated like this. She was obviously in love with this man.
Good. She thought. I know better than most what you have endured, and you deserve this happiness more than anyone I know.
“When are you going to tell him your feelings, Mistress?” Siri asked after a time.
“What do you mean?” Ari asked, confused.
“I can see that you want this man. You should tell him, Mistress.” She said seriously.
“Oh no. I mean, I wouldn't know what to say. I just can't,” her Mistress was blushing, which was amplified by her blood-red gown.
Siri stopped and blinked at that. Nothing had ever deterred her from anything. She had shown no fear of The High Lord, the Wizard's Council, and certainly not of her enemies, nor of pain or death. But she was afraid to tell this man her feelings?
“I wouldn't want to distract him while I am trying to teach him,” she shifted nervously, not meeting Siri's eyes.
Siri hadn't seen Ari behave this way since before her parents died.
She could see it clearly now. She is terrified of these feelings.
“Mistress. If you do not tell him you have these feelings, what if another tells him they want him?” She asked seriously.
She saw a lost look come across Ari's face then her face firmed. “He could not possibly consider anyone besides me. I am the obvious choice,” Ari said intently.
“If you do not tell him, he may not know that he has a choice, Mistress.” She said simply.
“No, I can't. Not now. I have a war to fight. I can worry about stupid feelings later,” Ari said shaking her head.
“Of course Mistress.” Siri said, knowing all she could do now was be quiet and wait for her to bring it up again later.
The ride was quiet after that until they came to a halt outside the High Lord's tower.
The four Guards exited, calling out, “Clear!” On each side while Siri watched her Mistress. Her Mistress was all cool composure once again, wearing her red dress with black boots, belt, gloves, and scarf.
Ari checked her silver pocket watch and said, “Hold for a moment. We should leave in a few minutes.”
Siri nodded and waited quietly.
“Let us go,” the Great Lady said coolly a few minutes later.
They departed, and Ari told her personal Guard to wait for the
m on the ground as they entered the Northern outside lift. They obeyed if a bit apprehensively.
It was nearly the eighteenth hour. The lift began rising over the landscape in the early summer breeze. As they ascended, House Quarrel's hold became visible beyond Central Vallad's wall.
The Mistress held out her hand, and Siri pulled the small bronze telescope out of her case. She handed it to her and pulled one out for herself as well.
Siri clipped her case closed and put the scope to her eye, as her Mistress had already done.
“You put them in the order I told you to?” Mistress Dothranan asked.
“Of course, Mistress. I numbered them to be sure,” Siri replied.
“General Tarsis has tripled our patrols in the Cisterns?” Ari asked.
“Of course..,” Siri's reply was cut short by the deafening thunderclap in broad daylight.
Siri quickly found which one it had been; House Quarrel's west water house.
The Detonation Stone's massive explosion rumbled through the lift they were on. Half of the water house was swallowed when the foundation beneath it collapsed. Part of the water house's roof collapsed in on itself, and half of the road near it was also gone.
Ari squealed like a young girl at the sight of the destruction. Siri inhaled sharply; this was far more destructive than any Detonation stone she had ever seen.
As she watched, more of the water house began collapsing into the cistern below it. Her Mistress had not exaggerated when she had told her these stones would have at least five times the power of the stones used against them. Due of her sight age she would get more destructive power out of each spirit.
They watched as the lift ascended. The second stone detonated underneath the east water house. The sheer force of the blast sent debris everywhere, and half the building began collapsing into the cistern.
A few moments later, the third announced itself with a thunderous boom. This one was beneath House Quarrel's Guard Command Tower. It was the closest target to the gate opening into Central Vallad.
When the blast occurred, the outside lift cage was bounced off of the High Lord's tower. They both held onto the lift cage tightly.
Spirit of Magik (The Dothranan Chronicles Book 1) Page 14
