“Nia,” Nico’s familiar disembodied voice whispered through the chamber, and Nia’s smile fell away.
“I must go.”
“No, wait!” But she was already gone, dissolved into mist and then nothing at all.
Saeran sighed, disappointed.
She’d turned him into a toad. He smiled. The woman had courage. He needed that. Someone who wouldn’t be afraid to tell him the truth, no matter how unpleasant. He’d spent too much time in a place where no one could afford to be above another. To come back here, where even as a child no one had ever told him anything but what they thought he’d wanted to hear was something of a disappointment. How was Saeran to trust someone who couldn’t look him in the eye?
But Nia was already proving herself different. Even unsure of herself in the presence of the royal heir, she hadn’t hesitated to put him in his place. Curious that it ended up being at her feet. Even more curious was that while she’d bowed to him, he’d wanted to bow to her in return.
Nico would not have groomed a fool, let alone presented one at court as his successor. If he had enough faith in a female to have her take his place, it meant she had to be not only powerful but learned as well. The wizard Saeran knew would have made certain his successor was everything he himself had been. He would have taught Nia all he knew and groomed her to put the welfare of the kingdom before anything else.
Saeran had no doubt Nico’s faith in her would be justified, and that intrigued him immensely. He would have kept her here with him until morning had she not disappeared. He wanted to talk to her, get to know the woman who would be his right hand when he took the throne.
During the hours he’d talked to his father, the king had informed him of his decision to step down in a few months’ time. The years he’d been away had taken their toll on his father. The once proud king was now tired, eager to relinquish his crown and all its responsibilities. With Saeran returned healthy and hale, he wanted nothing more than to be a father to his son. Saeran would be king before he’d even had time to reacquaint himself with his kingdom, and he would need Nia more than she realized if he was to justify Manfred’s faith in him.
There would be argument, but Saeran didn’t care. He couldn’t wait to stand up in front of the assembly tomorrow and thumb his nose at tradition and all those old goats on Father’s advisory council by accepting her as his.
CHAPTER 3
Nia spent the day avoiding Nico. Since she couldn’t go outside and the study was too obvious, she hid inside her room, locked and warded so he couldn’t get in. Of course, that wouldn’t stop him if he was really determined; he’d taught her those wards, after all. But at least he respected her wishes and left her alone. The king no doubt kept him busy, seeing as the prince arrived ahead of schedule. The entire castle was talking about it. Not just the servants, but the walls as well. Nia was mortified. If the walls knew, then Nico definitely already knew.
Nia moaned and hid her face in her pillow. “How am I supposed to face any of them?”
The walls laughed at her.
At noon, Nico knocked on her door.
“I don’t want to see anyone!”
“Very well,” Nico said. “Stay there if you wish, but do not be late for the ceremony. Your dress robes are ready.”
When she was certain he’d left, Nia cautiously opened the door and looked at the garments hanging there as if a person stood in them. “You are not dress robes,” she said.
The garment shoulders raised in a shrug.
Nia rolled her eyes and stepped back, allowing the clothes to walk in.
These were the clothes that took months to be decided on? She supposed it could be worse. As a wizard, Nia had no rank. She wasn’t a commoner so she could not wear the dresses they wore, nor was she a noble to wear gowns and jewels. Instead, Nico decreed a wizard should dress so no one would see her as one of them, but everyone would know to come to her when needed. Nia would wear a pair of breeches, a blouse and a long jerkin. The breeches were wide for modesty but while the jerkin was long, it would mold to her figure, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that she was female.
Nia had spent the last ten years dressing like a boy, and modesty wasn’t something she’d spent too much time thinking about. What worried her more was that people would be looking at her and really seeing her. Their eyes wouldn’t glance off her to look at something else, and at the king’s right hand on the dais she would be the center of attention right along with him. Come what may, there would be no more hiding from anyone.
Nia touched the clothes, and they flew away from her, pointing at the bath tub before laying neatly out on her bed, ready to be donned. Nia considered running away. She could fly out the window and be long gone by the time they came to summon her.
But she couldn’t do that. Nico had saved her life. He was the only family she had and the only one who hadn’t turned her away. She owed him more than she could ever repay, if she lived to be a hundred years old. This had always been the price for his hospitality, friendship and tutelage, and Nia had accepted it knowing this day would come.
All too soon the bell tolled for the evening meal. It was time for Nia to get ready. She washed in the tub, scrubbing her skin until it was pink and rinsing her hair with flower-steeped water. With a thought, she dried herself and dressed and then paced the room trying to come up with an excuse not to go down to meet her mentor.
But when Nico summoned her, he gave her no choice but to obey, and she appeared at his side in front of the great hall. The doors were closed, but the sound of revelry still reached them. So many people. From all over the kingdom and beyond.
They had come here tonight to welcome the prince back home, but they would also be there to witness her presentation. Laughter rang clear over the strains of music. The jugglers were performing in the corners, she knew, but the center of the room was for dancing. There would be long tables lining the walls, laden with food and so many torches and candelabras that it would seem like daylight.
Nia knew exactly how it looked. She’d seen the preparations of the great feast.
Movement in the corner of her vision had her spinning to face the tapestries. She just caught sight of something small before it ran off again. Nia followed its mad flight to the main castle door.
There, standing in shadow, was a whole family of them. Wispy creatures, childlike in stature, their overlarge eyes the color of gemstones. They watched her and whispered, and the vines growing out of their heads like hair spread wildly around them as if for cover.
“Seedlings,” Nico said. “They’ve come to see you take the crown.”
“What crown? I’m a wizard, not a queen.”
“To them that is precisely what you are. Their rulers and guardians will look to you when there is need, not Saeran. They will seek your magic. Humans cannot see creatures Other unless they make themselves seen. They have their own kingdoms and lands within Wilderheim and they rarely concern themselves with human affairs unless something we do encroaches on their well being. When it does, we…you will be their intermediary.”
Nia’s eyes widened. “You never told me this!”
“I never expected I would need to,” he said and while she recognized the truth in his word, she also heard there was something he was holding back. “They never appeared to me. Not in all my years. This is a great honor, Nia.”
The seedlings blinked their big eyes and melted into the walls. But they opened Nia’s Sight to all the rest. Everywhere she looked creatures large and small appeared for just a moment and then hid from her once more. Tall, regal Sidhe glided in pools of torchlight, away from the shadows. Winged creatures perched in the rafters, their talons digging grooves into the wood. Animal spirits with wise eyes roamed the hallways, watching her with suspicion. Shadowy forms moved across the floors, horned things with tails like snakes. They hissed words she couldn’t understand, but the sound of it sent chills up her spine.
“There are so many.” There one moment, g
one the next. In an instant the hall was empty again, and Nia was so terrified she couldn’t move. “I don’t think I can do this,” she managed to say. “I cannot be the royal wizard. Please don’t make me do this.”
“You can and you must,” Nico insisted. “Now look at me. There’s a lass. Help will never be far for someone like you, Nia. You have friends and allies all around you. All you need to do is call out to them, and they will come to your aid. But you must do this.”
“It is too much.”
“It will never be less. Only more.”
Nia shook her head, looking at the seal on the great hall door to give herself something else to focus on. “You should be in there. Your place is by the king’s side.” Something had to be wrong. The prince must have told his father who she was, what she’d done.
She would walk into the great hall with Nico and kneel before the king, and then he would rise from his throne and point a finger at her. The guards would rush forward to seize her, and she’d be dragged to the edge of Frastmir to the waiting noose. They would hang her and leave her there to be devoured by wild thing.
“You worry for nothing, child. All will be well, wait and see.”
The music quieted suddenly and Nia froze. “Why have they stopped?”
“The king is making a speech, no doubt.” Nico rose to his feet and came to her, pulling her to the side. “We will have our turn soon enough. But first…” he nodded toward the staircase.
Nia followed his gaze just as prince Saeran hurried down the steps, still working on the fastenings of his jerkin. He spared her a brief glance, his gray eyes twinkling as he passed them. The timing was impeccable. Saeran never slowed in his step, yet he reached the door just in time to walk through it as the guards on the inside opened the great portals.
A cheer went up in his honor and Nia watched with her mentor as Saeran made his regal way to the dais where his father sat waiting. The crowds parted at his approach, smiling faces following his progress with affection.
On the dais, Saeran leaned over the king to say something in his ear and then faced the people and nodded his thanks. He would make a speech of his own before seating himself to his father’s right.
The great door closed, shutting out the sight of it and Nia strained to catch something of what was said. She needed to know. He could be calling for the guards this very moment. She stood there for untold moments, oblivious to everything but the silence in her mind. It was as if the castle was holding its breath in anticipation.
Then Nico took her hand and squeezed, bringing her attention back to him.
“Take a breath,” he said, letting go of her hand. He turned her to face the door just as it opened and added, “Walk.”
The crowd was silent. Not a word was uttered as Nico strode toward the dais with the help of his staff. Nia wanted to help him, to provide a shoulder for him to lean on, but she sensed this was the way he wanted it to be.
She did not look at anyone as she walked, keeping her gaze on a point at the foot of the dais. Any lower and she would look meek. Any higher and she would see the prince.
At last they reached the dais. Blood roared in Nia’s ears as both she and Nico lowered themselves to one knee before the king.
“Rise, old friend,” the king said before they knelt completely. “It is no good for men of our age to kneel to anyone.” There was warmth and friendship in his voice, their strife buried now that Saeran was home safe and sound.
While Nico stood, Nia remained where she was. She was not to raise her gaze until Nico called her. Her palms were moist and her mouth dry. What was the pledge she was supposed to make? What were the words? She couldn’t remember! Her throat became tight, but she willed herself not to lose control. If she was to be banished, flogged, or killed, Nia would submit with whatever dignity she possessed.
“My liege,” Nico was saying, “Accept my humble welcome to prince Saeran and my deepest commendation for the aid you both have rendered to our Lyrian neighbors.”
“We thank you,” the king said formally. There was a pause in which Nia held her breath. When next he spoke, the king sounded hesitant. “What news have you, Nico?”
“Most honored great king,” Nico started. It was almost time. They had practiced this endlessly in the past week. Nia knew she had to do this, but it frightened her. What if the king refused Nico’s choice?
Oblivious to her rising panic, her mentor continued speaking, his voice strained, but strong. “All things come to an end, but with each end there is a new beginning. I have served your family for many years, and it has been the honor of my life to stand guard over Wilderheim and its kings. But I fear I can no longer, in good conscience, uphold my oath to you, nor swear another to your successor. I am old, my body weak. The time has come for me to retire from your service. Tonight I bring before you the one whom I have chosen to take my place and perform my duties from now on. I present to you my apprentice.”
Those were the words. Nia took a breath and stood, taking the two steps that would bring her to Nico’s left. Her entire body shivered as she raised her chin and looked up. She made certain her eyes revealed nothing of her apprehension.
A low hum went through the crowd, but the king waved his hand and all fell silent at once. He studied Nia for a moment and then transferred his gaze to his aged wizard. “A woman,” he said with a note of question in his tone. “This is the one you would have replace you, Nico?”
Nico half nodded, half bowed in answer. “She is, my liege. Nia is in every way equal to the task and will serve you as faithfully as I have.”
A spark jumped from one of the torches behind the king. It floated like a feather through the air, and as it did, Nia noticed it had a shape: long, pointed ears, crackling wings, and long insect-like arms and legs. The spark perched on Saeran’s shoulder and gazed at his profile for a moment before it whispered something in his ear. Nia didn’t hear what it said, she doubted anyone but Nico noticed. Saeran himself showed no sign of being aware of the creature.
More of them separated from the torch flames, circling King Manfred’s head.
“You are certain of this?” Manfred asked.
The sparks crackled as if in argument with each other and then, before Nico could say a word, Saeran spoke up. “Father,” he said, rising from his seat to join the king. As he did, the sparks flared and burned out. Nothing remained of them, not even ash. “You know Nico’s judgment to be beyond reproach. Has he not proven that countless times over the years? In your service, and your father’s, and his father’s before that?”
Manfred grunted his reply, eyeing Nico with something very close to reproach.
Saeran took the noise as agreement and said, “Then why do you question his decision now?” There was no disrespect in his tone, only mild curiosity and perhaps a little mischief.
The king turned to him, an imposing, though aged figure. “You have known the wizard all your life. Do not let friendship cloud your judgment in this, son. The apprentice will serve you in the future. It will be your choices she will guide.”
Saeran nodded. “I understand, Father. That is precisely what compels me to speak. Should not I be the one to approve or disapprove of Nico’s choice?”
Whatever secret message those words contained, they did not please the king. Nia could see him weighing a difficult decision in his mind as he studied his son, and she knew just what he was thinking. Saeran had been a boy when he left, but he’d returned a man. As much as Manfred wanted to treat him as his son, he had to show him the same respect he would expect from everyone in the kingdom. If he humiliated Saeran now by taking away a choice that was rightfully his, it would look as if his own father had no faith in his ability to lead, and Saeran would spend his entire rule defending his claim to the throne of Wilderheim.
If the smile Saeran was biting back was anything to judge by, the prince knew quite well that he’d left his father no choice but to agree.
Manfred’s mouth quirked, but he schooled
his features, appearing to contemplate the situation. “I am not sure you are ready for such a choice,” he said, eyeing Nia. She dropped her gaze just enough to not look into his eyes. “It’s one thing to turn away a raging army of marauders, but quite another to resist the charms of a beautiful woman.”
The assembly chuckled, making Nia blush. But when she dared a glance at Saeran she saw that he did not appreciate his father’s insinuations. His handsome features became hard as stone, but he tempered his voice when he said, “Though I am young, I would think I have acquired enough sense by now to hear words of wisdom, no matter who speaks them. We look to our fathers to make us strong, but we have our mothers to make us wise. No woman should have to use her charms simply to make herself heard. And having grown up without a mother, I would be a fool to turn away a woman’s counsel now.”
There was silence after his speech. Saeran’s mother died not long after his birth, and some said the king never recovered from the loss. He never took another woman to wife, and he cleaved to his son all the more because Saeran was all he had left of the woman he loved. It was the reason why Manfred lashed out against Nico with such vicious anger for sending his only son away, to his death for all he knew.
Everyone in the great hall knew the story and their pity for both king and his son was a palpable thing. But as Nia looked around at the Others hiding among Manfred’s court, she saw something else. Pride. Acceptance.
At last, the king sighed. “Very well, Saeran. Since it is your choice to be made, let it be thus: The apprentice shall be yours to accept or not. Should you accept her, she will speak her oath to you, not me, and you alone shall live with your decision from this moment on.”
Another hum went through the crowd, and Nia glanced nervously at Nico.
He remained calm, nodding his own acceptance of the king’s decree and bowed to the prince. “I present to you, then, Prince Saeran, my apprentice, Nia.”
Nia prepared herself for the harsh words she knew she deserved.
The Royal Wizard Page 3
