Sorcery, Schemes and Skelt: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol II

by Rachel Ronning

  She sent a freeze spell at the entire army. Again, her spells were stronger than some shields. Another third of what was left were ice statues, but the rest had now cut the distance by half. She put an invisible wall in front of them and laughed as they all bounced off it. Mac and Gavin immediately went separate ways down the length of the wall to see if they could find a way around. Eventually, they would discover it was not a wall, but a box. In the meantime, the magic users came up close to examine it and try to break it down. Petra was frowning in concentration. While they were multi-tasking, Lucy added hail to the storm and strong winds, blowing against any forward progress. Lucy was surprised when her wind did not blow Nate over. Tall and frail as he looked, he was obviously strong.

  Next, she worked on the shields. She hit the shields with breaking spells. She hit the spell users with emotional spells. She hit them with fear, worry, sadness, hopelessness, and distress. A normal shield would not protect against emotions, it took an emotional shield and control. She watched as students slumped to the ground sobbing. Feeling remorseful, she changed the emotional spell to hilarity instead. She felt better that they were laughing instead of sobbing, but some students were still advancing.

  Lucy sent another sleep spell and watched as shields failed and more students fell to the ground. She increased the hail and lightning, knowing Justin, Quinn, and Eric would be able to handle diverting strikes when they only had ten people left to protect. However, that was still ten people. A week ago, Lucy would have worried about taking on ten people at once. Lucy concentrated as hard as she could and tried again. She concentrated on shattering their shields and turning them into trees. There were small magical concussions as the stronger shields shattered and broke. The center of the battlefield was graced with ten beautiful beech trees.

  Lucy had defeated one hundred students and none of them had gotten more than halfway across the battlefield. She was tired, but not exhausted. She felt good knowing she hadn’t severely hurt anyone. She felt a new sense of self-confidence. She could probably have taken on twice that number. She felt hopeful that she would be able to take a meaningful and less deadly part in any future battles she found herself in. Likewise, if she had simply put any Skelt they met to sleep and wiped their memories, they would have accomplished their quest without any major problems. Okay, fewer major problems she amended. Skelt might have a natural aversion to sleep spells. She needed to trust herself and her magic; then she could do anything. She was only as limited as her self-confidence and her imagination.

  “Lucy? Care to stop the storm?” Quinn asked from her observation point, breaking into Lucy’s thoughts.

  Lucy lifted her hand to stop the storm, then dropped it, and smiled. “Your battlefield, your mess,” she replied. A bit petulant perhaps, but Quinn grinned at her so she knew she wasn’t in too much trouble. She sat down comfortably in the grass. She happily munched on the piece of bread in her pocket while she watched as Quinn, Eric, and Justin stopped the storm, took down the wall, and turned her trees back into students. Every student had to be checked over by a teacher before they were allowed to go change into dry clothes and get something to eat and drink. Some students waved and smiled at her or gave her a thumbs-up sign as they went by. Others glared at her, unhappy that they had been beaten or for other unknown reasons. Petra shook her head in amazement at what Lucy was capable of doing. Brent looked like he was reassessing her. Lucy wasn’t sure that was good. Gavin and Mac came over to her, still dripping wet, and shook her hand.

  “Well done, Lucy,” said Gavin.

  “That was amazing,” said Mac. “It was fun to be shielded and watch what happens to people when they fall asleep and freeze rather than have it happen to me. Next time can we be on the same team?”

  Lucy laughed, “I’d like that.”

  Quinn, Eric, and Justin came over and Mac and Gavin left to find dry clothes.

  “I knew you could do it,” said Justin giving her a hug.

  “Well done,” said Eric, “Although I’m not sure if that was inspiring or demoralizing to the rest of the students.”

  “It’s all learning,” said Quinn practically. “No one got hurt and it will be awhile before any of them forgets this. Hopefully they will work harder. I’ll see you after lunch.”

  “What?” asked Lucy. “Don’t I get a break after a battle?”

  “You should be feeling pretty confident right now, a good time to test you further.”

  Lucy sighed and walked with Justin to go get lunch. The morning had been hard enough, but now she’d rather face an army of students again than whatever Quinn had planned for her. She was pretty sure she wasn’t going to enjoy it. Lunch featured a delightful distraction. They had a surprise guest, Taran.

  “Wow, Lucy, loved the battle. You decimated them,” Taran said as he hugged Lucy and Justin. Then, he sat down again at the table with Maya.

  “Thanks,” said Lucy. Taran always made her smile. He had a comforting and happy presence. “The table is beautiful. Thank you.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” replied Taran with a smile.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Justin, surprised, but pleased to see his brother.

  “Get some food and I’ll tell you all about it,” said Taran.

  Chapter 25

  Lucy and Justin went through the line to get food. They filled their trays. When they got back to the table, they noticed Gavin was there too. They sat down and watched as Gavin fit a nine layer sandwich into his mouth. Lucy was sure he must have unhinged his jaw to make it possible. Gavin began to chew and as it appeared he wasn’t going to choke, Taran started to tell them why he was there.

  “A messenger showed up at my cabin this morning. He said it was urgent. I opened the letter addressed to me. It was from Joss. He wrote that things were going from bad to worse, though he wasn’t specific. He asked for help. He doesn’t know how everything works with you guys and the school, but he hoped I would be able to get a message to all of you asking for help. Also, enclosed, was a letter to Maya, which I have now delivered.”

  Taran stopped talking, motioned to the letter in Maya’s hand, and took a bite of food off his plate. Gavin had somehow finished his sandwich during this short explanation and now started eating a pile of broccoli. They all focused their eyes on Maya, waiting for her to add to the explanation.

  “Apparently, our guesses about something going on in Fredamonn were right on. Lionel’s daughter has married the new advisor. Joss thinks it was probably under duress, but it is still considered legal. His other brothers have had mysterious accidents. He is worried that if this continues, he’s going to end up King of a country at war with its neighbor. Or, possibly though perhaps less unsavory, dead himself,” she said with a half-smile. “He says he doesn’t know if we are allowed to come help or not, but he could greatly use people he can trust. He’s willing to pay our travel expenses. He thought I might be willing to be an ambassador and gather information. The last ambassador caught a fever and died. Joss thinks he was poisoned. He believes our abilities would keep us safe enough.”

  “That sounds like fun,” said Gavin.

  Lucy wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or enthusiastic. It’s hard to tell when someone is talking through a mouthful of baked potato. She took a small bite of her apple and looked questioningly at Justin.

  “Are we allowed to go play politics?” asked Lucy.

  “That depends. Usually, by the time someone is able to play politics in a Land, they’ve lived there long enough to have earned the place themselves and are no longer associated with the school. If we had no intention of returning to the school, we would be free to go, of course. Also, Joss didn’t send a letter to Quinn asking for help from the school as a political intervention, he sent a letter to a friend. Other Lands are allowed to approach the school to request magical ambassadors. We will have to go talk to Eric and Quinn. We are an unusual group. Students don’t normally come and go.”

  They finished eating
lunch before going to talk with Quinn and Eric. Lucy was worried about what their answer would be. She knew Maya was free to go and probably would. She had been considering it anyway. Lucy didn’t know where Gavin or Justin stood on the issue but she knew both were always willing to help a friend in need. She was worried about herself. Her confidence was better. Her abilities were better controlled and less violent. However, she knew her emotions were not totally under control yet. Would they let her go? Was she still a danger to others? Or, was she only a danger if she did something really stupid?

  They met in Eric’s room. Eric conjured chairs for all of them and they sat down to hold a conference. Taran explained his messenger’s circumstances and showed them his letter. Then, Maya explained what was in her letter, though she did not let them see it. Lucy wondered what else Joss had included in his letter. Maya also explained some of the current politics of the situation and her suspicions from their previous visit.

  Eric and Quinn had previously overlooked that part of Justin’s report because the interlude with the Skelt had been more important, as well as Lucy’s current issues. There generally was friction between Fredamonn and Lerramorre. Now, they seemed to be reaching a new level and that advisor did concern them a little. What if someone, or something else, was taking an interest in stirring up trouble? Who? Why? They could see the advantage of having someone in Lerramorre who was not deeply invested in centuries of strife. Maya would be good at trying to broach peace. Also, she was smart enough to figure out if there was a bigger game going on.

  “What would you like to do?” Quinn asked Maya.

  “I would like to go and help. It is the kind of thing I have been trained to do. I would like to put my skills to use,” replied Maya.

  “Even if it means not returning to the school?” asked Eric.

  Maya nodded, “I would miss the school, but I was starting to feel like I was ready to leave even before Joss asked for help.”

  Eric looked at Quinn who nodded.

  “You are free to go and free to come back at any time; especially if you ever wish to come back and teach some classes in potions, languages, or diplomacy. We wish you luck,” said Eric.

  “Thank you,” said Maya, clutching Joss’s letter in her hand.

  “I like it here and I like it there. I’d like to make sure Maya gets to Lerramorre safely and I’d like to stay and help a friend,” said Gavin.

  “You are also welcome to go. We wish you luck,” said Eric.

  “Now for you two,” said Quinn, turning to Justin and Lucy. “Justin you have been free to do what you want for decades. I will support you on this. However, I am unsure about letting Lucy go. Maya and Gavin will go without her. Will you?”

  Justin looked at Maya and Gavin, then back at Lucy. Lucy could see how hard it was to answer. Obviously, he didn’t want to go without her, but he wanted to help his friends.

  “Do you really think I can’t go?” asked Lucy quietly.

  “Can’t?” asked Quinn. “Of course you can. No one will stop you if you want to go. I would advise against it. I do not feel you are ready. We have not progressed as far as I would have liked with your emotional training. As long as you are not forced into any violent situations you can probably keep things in check and my spells will hold. I cannot promise they will hold if you are forced into killing a lot of people. I cannot promise the dreams will not come back. I cannot promise you won’t reduce a castle to dust in your sleep if the nightmares return.”

  “The choice is still mine though?”

  “Always,” replied Quinn. “We never hold students here against their will. We simply try to prepare them for the possibilities of what’s out there. Although, if you go, I would advise against staying permanently. When you have figured out what is going on, and fixed whatever it is, please come back and work with me again.”

  “So, really, the choice is yours,” Lucy addressed Maya and Gavin. “I want to help, but I’ll respect your decision. Do you want me to come and help? Do you trust me? Do you think I can be of use or will you spend too much of your time worrying about what I might do next?”

  “Of course I want you,” said Gavin immediately. “I saw what you did today. We should be able to keep you from mass destruction. Your help could make all the difference. If nothing else, you would be a morale booster in Lerramorre. You are the mage with lucky rocks. You are their mage. The troops and their wives all love you. With you supporting the King, things can’t help but improve.”

  Maya nodded in agreement, “I think if you come, you should stick with me and go wherever I go. That way, if the dreams come back, I can always make you a sleeping potion again until we get you back to Quinn. I would like you there though. You’re very perceptive and if we need to escape, you can always put the whole town to sleep first,” she smiled.

  Lucy was touched by their support. She knew she wasn’t fully cured, so to speak, but she felt she could handle this and probably help. Also, that meant Justin wouldn’t have to choose. Lucy was pretty sure Justin would be useful no matter what the situation was.

  “I would like to go. I would like to help Joss. Then, I will come back and we will work on finding inner peace and emotional control,” said Lucy. “I think I can handle this, but I know I can’t be on my own too long without further instruction and help.”

  “Please come back,” said Quinn. “You are too powerful to not be in complete control. We have come a long ways in a short amount of time. I hope it is far enough. We will still work this afternoon too. One more session can only help.”

  Lucy agreed. She hoped they had progressed enough, but it didn’t help that Quinn looked worried.

  “What about me?” asked Taran. “He’s my friend. Can I help too?”

  “Yes,” replied Eric. “We will find someone to watch your cabin who can also bring us messages. Please let us know if you find out anything we should know about. We are concerned about what is going on too. It could simply be elaborate plotting by noble families deciding it’s their turn to wear the crown. It could be something much worse.”

  “Thank you,” said Taran. “I’ll go back to my cabin to get ready now and see the rest of you in a day or two.”

  Everyone hugged Taran goodbye and promised to see him soon. Maya and Gavin went to their own rooms to pack. Justin and Lucy walked back to their room together in silence each absorbed in their own thoughts. When they got to their room, they sat down at the table.

  “They are worried,” said Lucy. “About me or about what is going on?”

  “I don’t know. Both, I think. They suspect something bigger and so do I, but we may be wrong. It may be nothing. It’s worth checking out though.”

  “I think Maya is worried about Joss.”

  “So am I,” said Justin.

  “Yes, but not in the same way,” argued Lucy.

  Justin winked at her and took her hand. They would have to continue the conversation later though because it was time for Lucy to go meet Quinn. She didn’t want to go, but it might be the last session she would have for a while. She’d better make the most of it. She kissed Justin and walked to the door.

  She met Quinn at their normal practice field.

  “I don’t like the idea of you leaving,” Quinn announced.

  “I’m sorry. I feel like I have to do this.”

  “I know. I feel there is something more menacing going on. Look at every angle. Be ready for anything.”

  “Thanks for the advice.”

  “Now that the warning part of this session is over. Let’s begin,” said Quinn with a smile. “I think we need to work with the emotions tied up in some of your memories. Overcoming some of this now will hopefully help you sooner.”

  Lucy didn’t like the idea one bit, but she nodded in agreement anyway. Quinn hadn’t steered her wrong yet, so Lucy decided to trust her and resigned herself to a painful few hours. She took a deep breath and tried to find her calm center. She still wasn’t very good at that. Perhaps she could practi
ce meditation while traveling to Lerramorre. There she went again, she chided herself on letting her mind wander.

  Quinn decided Lucy had had enough time to either find her center, or become too distracted to find it, and began. She unlocked Lucy’s memories of the attack led by Kaliea’s cousin, Kyphen. Lucy had burned a hole through one of the men attacking her and then thrown fireballs at the rest of them. Quinn brought back the memory. Lucy felt the fear, the disgust, the horror, and the anger. She felt the anger and the power rage through her. She smelled the fire, the seared flesh, and felt the bile rise in her throat.

  Lucy remembered that these were memories. They weren’t happening now. She took deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. She couldn’t change what had happened. She could accept it. She could acknowledge that she had done it and promise herself not to do it again. She accepted the anger and controlled it. She accepted the fear and controlled it. She accepted the horror of her actions and forgave herself. She could not accept the memories of the smell of burning flesh. Despite her hard work, she threw up. Once Lucy had calmed down, she focused her attention on Quinn.

  “Again,” said Quinn.

  Lucy nodded her head and tried to find her center. It was going to be a long afternoon.

  It was a few hours later when Lucy got back to their room. She was emotionally exhausted and physically drained from repeatedly throwing up. Justin was waiting for her. He gave her a much needed hug. He rubbed her back. Lucy disengaged the hug long enough to go brush her teeth and then returned for more comfort.