The hearth was almost dead, but he was able to gather energy from the coals to restart it and fill the rooms with heat. Despite the long evening, he laid awake for some time, wondering how the transition to Head Mage would be. ‘There would be so much the boy needed to learn in a short time, and I would need to return the Mages to Jaden as quickly as possible to keep them safe. Thankfully, we can sidestep now, and I could….’
He woke with the sun, unaware he ever fell asleep, feeling lethargic and stiff. At 35 years, he found that the long days of climbing steps in Jaden had made his muscles strong but his joints not as young as they used to be. It took him a moment to stretch before he rang the bell in the wall by his bed to summon a meal.
He dressed in a long gray coat with silver braiding up and down the breast around the double row of red buttons. The color of the Secondhand position was a deep gray, all colors and none to show no favoritism. Today would be a day to wear the color proudly. Running oil through his straight brown hair, he slicked it back against his head with a comb to give it a professional look.
A meal was set out for him when he emerged, and a fire was lit in his salon hearth, its energy brushing his senses like tantalizing fingers. ‘It must be wondrous to sense more than one Element,’ he thought, his mind still on Gabriel. Before he sat to take his meal, he stepped outside to hail a page standing in the hall and summoned Mage Gabriel to his quarters.
Lael sat back to finish his tea, and he reviewed the casualty and wounded reports from the battle. A page rapped on his door and announced Mage Gabriel.
The boy stepped in—no, Lael had to think of him as a man—dressed in a short blue coat banded in black that matched his trousers and boots. He looked calm with a tinge of nervousness behind his lips.
Lael stood. “You do not keep me wanting,” he smiled, easing the tension.
“Not a man of your standing,” Gabriel replied and took a seat as Lael motioned to it.
“You either dress quickly or were already awake.”
“I have not slept as soundly as I used to.”
Lael understood and gave a nod. He heard the rumors and stories but could not know for certain which were true or manufactured, but regardless, they were all less than pleasant, and any could keep him awake at night.
“Lady Aisling informed me you would like to know details about Arch Mage Ryker, and I will happily give you all I know.” Gabriel continued.
Lael nodded. “Very well, but that is not why I summoned you today.” Lael took the moment to pour the Mage a cup of tea. “Do you take anything in your tea?”
“Cream, please.”
“I am often surprised how many people take it black, and I have always preferred it a little creamy with a touch of sugar myself.” He finished the teas and handed one to Gabriel who set it on the arm of his chair and did not drink it. “I called you here for far better reasons. I know you have handled much this past month, and no man has suffered as you have in the histories. To live and die in a Castrofax—but I think no man will rise so high as you. The Council debated last night as to who will fill the vacant Seats left behind. We have selected you as Head Mage.”
Gabriel’s eyes had been fixed on Lael’s, and now the lids rose ever so slightly to reveal the circle of his corneas. In the silence of the room, the cup and saucer of Gabriel’s tea fell from his fingertips and clattered loudly on the rug. The sound woke him from whatever stupor he found himself in, and he jumped, throwing together a Water pattern to draw the tea out of the rug and put it back in the cup which he hurriedly snatched up.
“I—I don’t know what to say.”
Lael smiled, expecting as much. “Yes would be acceptable.”
Gabriel gave a nervous chuckle. “I am flattered, but I am no Head Mage.”
“It was Casimir’s wish that a man of your attributes and skills would take the Seat and to stand against the Arch Mages. The people need someone to trust to keep them safe. Someone to give them hope in this time of need. You have unparalleled strength and skills, an ability to create patterns, four years of protecting the greatest Anatolian asset to prove your leadership, and a demonstrated will to stand against great suffering. Your youth gives you vigor and will connect you with the young population. Your noble upbringing will give you the ability to relate to the older Mages.”
“But I am bastard born.”
“A Head Mage’s lineage has never been called into question, for a man cannot be blamed for his parents. Though in truth, you come from strong Mage lines. It will only give more validity to your position.”
“Do I have to accept presently?”
“By the end of the day would be acceptable. Jaden cannot be without a Head Mage.”
“Who else do you have in mind for the selection?”
“A few others but there is no one more fit.”
Gabriel’s fingers had been digging into the armrest, and as he realized it, he released his grip. “Is it because I am a Class Ten?”
“That is a great reason.” Lael sipped his tea. “You are not as pleased as I would have expected.”
“It is a daunting task—I should not take it lightly.”
Lael nodded with a cloy smile. “That is true. Know I will equip you with all the skills you need, and each Council Member will teach you everything they know. You will learn the workings of the castle, the skills of leadership, as well as new patterns and battle tactics. In two months’ time, we will have you fully equipped to lead a people.”
Gabriel nodded thoughtfully as he listened, looking at a spot on the rug. “Forgive me for not being more enthusiastic. I am truly flattered and enticed, but I worry that the things I have endured this past month will follow me the rest of my life. My body was not the only thing wounded,” he said and tapped his temple. “I have seen and done things so terrible they would break any faith the people have in me.”
“You have killed people, we know, but it was not you but your power. You cannot be blamed.”
“It was not just my power that has done unforgivable things.”
“I understand Mage Nolen tortured you. The events of this past month can be stricken from everyone’s knowledge but your own. The Council and I do not need to know what happened, and we will end any story or rumor we hear. Slander against a Head Mage is treason.”
“When would you want me to step in?”
Lael sighed. “Tradition states there should be a Head Mage within a month of the death of the previous. The people must be with a leader, especially in this time.”
Gabriel nodded, took a deep breath, and gave his answer.
Chapter 24
Princess Robyn had summoned the Arconian Queen and her Mages that morning. The Arconian wing was aflutter with excitement. Much had been heard about the resurfaced Princess, and Queen Cathlyn was eager to meet her and strengthen their allegiances. The Mages donned their finest dresses and their maids did extravagant designs with their hair.
Mikelle knew better and chose a somber brown dress swathed in a transparent green shawl. Bianji, Shayleen and Lace also dressed in darker colors, knowing this meeting with the Princess was not to be welcoming. Lace picked at her nails while Shayleen bit her lip and kept straightening her skirts. Those ready had gathered in the hall while they tittered in excited tones and complimented each other on their hair, dress, fabric, shoes, and jewelry until Mikelle was fit to vomit. She leaned against a wall and listened to the conversations as Lace slipped an eavesdrop-pattern into the clusters of women.
“Axa is at it again,” Lace whispered a few minutes later and nodded in the direction of the raven-haired, slender woman dressed in pale lavender with a gray fox shawl about her elbows. “I will give you an emerald to shut her up.”
“I will do it no charge,” Mikelle said and pushed off the wall with a shoulder. Her weakness had been absent all day after a long rest, and she felt prepared to knock Axa soundly across the room.
Axa was laughing as Mikelle walked up behind the gaggle of four other wome
n. She kicked Axa so hard in the back of her knees she sent the woman to the floor, all the while pretending she had tripped. “Oh!” she exclaimed as she regained her balance. “Oh, I am so clumsy! There was a bump in the rug, I am sure of it,” she said as she took her time to inspect the rug and straighten her dress. Leaving Axa to recover, she made a circuit of the room returning to Lace.
“She’s still at it,” Lace sighed. Mikelle grit her teeth and looked for another plan to silence the woman, but a tall page entered the hall declaring he was ready to lead the women to the throne room. Gathering the rest of the party from their rooms, Queen Cathlyn led them the long way to meet the Princess. Each woman was a glory of graceful colors, like a moving rainbow but for Mikelle and her three companions in somber gowns.
“Follow me when we go in,” Mikelle whispered to her company as they pulled to the back. Gabriel had given her instruction early that morning. Something had been troubling him, and his thoughts were in a daze, but he flitted in and out like some bluebird with little more than ten sentences.
They arrived before the great doors carved with eagles in full spread and waited for the page to announce them. The Princess wasted no time in admitting them. The women melted in like a cloud of colors to meet Princess Robyn. She stood before the throne in a golden gown slashed with wide black ribbon to accent her slender curves. As she was not yet Queen, it was not her place to sit the throne or wear the winged crown, so she stood before it with her multi-peaked Princess crown dripping with diamonds that glittered as she breathed. She looked serious and though Mikelle knew she was angry, she did not show it.
Beside her stood Gabriel in a long black coat with a red cloak hanging off one shoulder, banded with gold chain under an arm to give him a royal look. This time he was not distracted, but he was not hiding his anger. The man must have been seething, and she could see his hands clasping and unclasping. Lady Aisling stood on the other side in pale rose, looking far too calm with a practiced grace.
It had not escaped Mikelle’s notice that Gabriel had taken the death meant for her. Looking at him even now, she felt devotion to him, and it made her smile slyly. She still had the spear wrapped up with her things, coated with his dried blood. It was something she could not part with, not when it stood for so much. The person who fashioned it had still not come forward, and she suspected they never would.
Mikelle slowed down and stole to the right of the room where Gabriel stood, slipping into the darkened wing. She perched beside a pillar to hide herself from her Queen. This would mean treason against Arconia, siding with Princess Robyn, but she could not push her conscious any further and still consider herself a decent person. With luck, she would still keep ties loyal to King Victor and not be banished from Arconia.
Queen Cathlyn garbed herself in a deep orange dress with a tall green collar and trimmings that made Mikelle think of pumpkins, and the idea made her smirk. She offered Princess Robyn a modest bow fit for a woman ready to be crowned and gave a warm smile that Mikelle recognized as her manipulative grin. The Queen often used it on her husband and got away with it. The Mages behind her all gave proper curtsies and folded their hands politely before them. Gabriel looked fit to burst, but when he glanced her way and saw her sly grin, the tension in his shoulders slackened a touch as he frowned at her.
Robyn had one hand on the throne in a display of her power and stepped forward fixing Cathlyn with a blank stare. “I see you have made yourself welcome in my home, Your Grace,” she said and gave a small smile. “I am sorry I was not here to welcome you myself.”
“Your people have been most hospitable, Princess,” Cathlyn said with a tilt of her head.
“I have heard many reasons as to the true purpose of your visit. I hope you found everything agreeable.” She left the question open, but Mikelle saw the trap.
“My ladies have told me very pleasant things of Mage Gabriel,” Queen Cathlyn nodded. “Though he has not been agreeable, no.”
“Imagine that,” Robyn clipped. “The real question I need answering is why you thought it would be acceptable for a woman of your standing to command a man to lie unwillingly with your subjects. Is it not custom here for a person to remain chaste until wed? So what makes you think yourself so high that you can command my subject to go against his will and custom?”
The Princess’ voice rang through the room with punctuated echoes, leaving silence behind. The women had grasped rather quickly that Robyn was not pleased, and backs slacked as heads lowered and eyes looked away. Robyn’s calm face was ablaze with fury now.
“Is he not a Class Ten? In your kingdom as well as mine, a Class Ten outranks your Classes, yet I am informed he was still commanded to do as they wished without his own will and station taken into account. Answer me, Queen Cathlyn, why did you think it acceptable to come here under these terms?”
Queen Cathlyn had not slackened or turned her eyes away, and her face remained cool. “I came here under Prince Nolen’s invitation and the welcome of Queen Miranda. It was Prince Nolen who concocted the plan you find so devious, but I was rather pleased to find a way to strengthen our Mage population. It is not every year a Class Ten is born in a Class Five world, so is it not right that he should be shared?”
“That was not your place to decide!” Robyn roared, slamming a hand on the throne. “You admit you came here of selfish volition. You thought nothing of the life you would harm, only of yourself.”
“I thought of the welfare of my kingdom as any good ruler would,” she said in a tone that poked accusingly at Robyn. “Shalaban’s ships are always skirting my shores, and the kingdoms of Bodelane and Desuldane need protection when they cross the sea to trade with us. We need more Mages for our security.”
“You speak foolishly for a woman in such mire,” Robyn snapped. “You have done me a great disservice in bringing your ladies here on such terms, and you have insulted not only Mage Gabriel, but the kingdom he hails from. Insulting him is insulting me. Perhaps you did not know, Mage Gabriel and I are old friends. In fact, he was my protector for years, and in doing so has won my heart. So, Queen Cathlyn, you have deeply wounded the both of us in your actions.”
As Princess Robyn spoke, the color from the Queen’s green collar seemed darker as her face paled, but she kept the dignified, terse look upon her lips. “Had I known, I would have considered twice.”
“Your Grace, you should have considered twice regardless, but as you did not, it proves to me your lust for power, and I see only one action that would leave me satisfied. I am forthwith removing my soldiers from your soil. You will defend your lands with your own devices.”
The astonishment was palpable. While Arconian soldiers were disciplined and well trained, the Anatolians were far grander in skill with blades and horsemanship.
“You are breaking the treaty?” Cathlyn gasped, now appearing as worried as she should be. If surprised, Aisling and Gabriel showed nothing.
“No,” Robyn replied, in full control of the conversation now. “I am bringing my men home and giving you one year to make amends for your actions. Should you fail, I will break the treaty. I would offer safe passage and harbor your people should Shalaban attack your shores, but I would not come to your aid. Should they attack within the year, you will defend alone.”
“But Princess, people could die.”
“The life of my own people is my chief concern. You will not find me as malleable as Queen Miranda, and while I am just, I am not merciful against injustice. And you, Your Grace, have named yourself a villain.” She let her words sink in. “You will pack your bags and leave by ship tonight. I can guarantee your safety as far as the Balfor Delta. You and your ladies are banished from my shores, except for the selected I have chosen to remain.”
Cathlyn looked around suddenly as she realized there were women missing. Mikelle took the moment to reveal herself from the darkness, folding her arms over her chest. Lace, Bianji and Shayleen flanked her into the light. “You,” the Queen whispered. “You w
ere loyal to my husband, you traitor. He will be wroth with you!”
“Your Grace,” Mikelle said and made a lavish bow that only mocked the woman. “I am here on his bidding. He will be wroth.”
Mage Axa, standing in the front, stepped forward to say something, but Gabriel moved so quickly no one saw the Spirit pattern laid in his hands until it was around her head. A glowing sphere sat around her shoulders. She opened her mouth to speak, but could not pierce through it, with her voice nor her hands. The woman gave a satisfied smirk and folded her arms, content to be silent. Queen Cathlyn looked offended, but when Axa showed no signs of fighting, she grew still.
“You will pack your things now,” Robyn stated before anyone could cut in. “I have hired the Foam Rose to take you by dusk. You have one year to make retribution. Leave.”
Queen Cathlyn looked abashed as she left Robyn’s presence trying to hold her head high but knew she had been beaten. The Mages with her looked equally ashamed, and a few had even wept. The great doors closing was a sign of relief, and Robyn’s shoulders relaxed.
“You would really break the treaty with Arconia over me?” Gabriel asked Robyn as the four Mages drew up.
“Have you been grieved by them, my love?” Robyn replied. “I certainly have been. I cannot ally myself with someone who thinks this behavior acceptable.”
“You cannot go breaking deals like this every time I am offended,” Gabriel cut in. “Lives could be in jeopardy.”
“I have to set the tone for my reign. I will not be seen as another Queen Miranda.” She took a breath. “And I hope Arconia will make retribution soon, for you do not know that Miranda has driven Anatoly into near poverty.”
Breaking Stars (Book 2) Page 24
