The Mage's Daughter 2: Book Two: Enlightenment

by LeRoy Clary

  She snapped her fingers, understanding what her mind was trying to tell her. She had looked at Maude’s home from outside, including the wall and garden it contained. But it was a small house located in the vast city of Gallium, with a walled yard, no larger than others in the area, which meant the garden was no bigger than her yard at the house in Indore.

  The yard was like the endless corridor inside. The entire garden was under a spell to make it seem larger when standing in it. When she left Maude’s home next time, she would stand in the street and take a full measure.

  Instead of frightening her, Prin felt reassured. Maude lived in the center of a city much larger than Indore without detection and had done so her whole life. If she and Sara could learn only a portion of what she knew—they could use it to go home.

  Shoulders back, chin up, she strode to the entry to the main room and pulled the door open. The furniture had shifted to a more intimate setting, with a sofa facing Maude’s chair so close their knees almost touched.

  Brice was talking. Prin sat on the end of the couch and listened. The story was just an expanded version of his slip-ups as a mage. During a drought, rain once fell only on his father’s farm. At another time, two boys attacking him had been blown back several steps by a wind that didn’t push him, giving him the advantage. There were other small incidents. Word had spread in the village, and he had been sent away before harm came to him, and he had joined the crew of the ship, where other incidents occurred. He was put ashore in Gallium with the excuse of needing to reduce costs.

  Maude said, “You had no idea you are a mage?”

  “I knew people didn’t like me, and strange things happened, but no. I had never heard the word mage until another sailor accused me.”

  “Not unusual,” she said. “In most rural communities, nobody has ever seen a real mage. What they hear are stories of drawing lightning down to slay their enemies in great storms and other nonsense like that.”

  Sara said, “But people do know about sorceresses.”

  “They do, and they don’t,” Maude said. “The real sorceress can create attractions, but any gypsy or faker can sell what looks to be the same, and often convince the buyer of the quality of their goods.”

  “But, they are not real,” Sara protested.

  Maude gave her a faint smile and said, “Perhaps, but they often work and reinforce the belief. Suppose a young woman purchases an imitation, but worthless ‘spell’ from a gypsy or charlatan, and she uses it on the young man she’s interested in. She eagerly confronts him while expecting him to react by being attracted to her. When the young man senses she is interested in him, he naturally becomes interested in her. They marry, and the girl tells everyone she knows of the wonderful spell that brought them together.”

  “So, all the other young women flock to that seller and buy whatever it is she’s selling?” Sara asked. “It does not matter if it’s real or fake.”

  Maude nodded and continued, “The failures are blamed on the girl not using the potent correctly, or a conflicting spell from another woman, or that the potent will not work on an ‘evil’ man, one who will someday beat his wife or some other lie. The gypsy protects those she sells her charms to, with that added protection at no additional charge.”

  “But, she takes full credit for any successes—and for the failures.” Sara crossed her arms over her chest and her eyes glazed as she considered the information.

  Prin decided to confront Maude directly on the size of the house and garden, as well as a few other items. She passed a look to Brice and Sara that she hoped would keep them quiet before saying, “Your home is much larger inside than out, and your garden is also much greater.”

  “Finally noticed that, did you? Good for you, girl. It’s a complicated spell I learned when young that I call a stretch spell for lack of a better word.”

  Prin considered the explanation and found it almost easy to understand. “Can I duplicate that spell?”

  “With training, of course, you can. But, do not be deceived, your home and garden cannot really stretch. That would violate all the natural laws. We just believe it is larger, which serves the same purpose.”

  Prin changed tact. “Earlier, you said all spells wear out. Hot tea becomes cold.”

  “All true,” Maude agreed.

  “What about the stretch spell?”

  Maude giggled like a child, her hand covering her mouth. “I knew you were the one that would test and question all I say. You’re the girl who says, prove it.”

  “But, what about the stretch spell?” Prin asked again, refusing to be pushed aside from her question.

  “The spell is simple enough once learned and memorized, so casting it is almost as automatic as drawing a breath. As I enter a room, I stretch it, and the same with my garden. It shrinks back to normal after I leave, but I don’t care. While I am there, it is larger—unless I’m cleaning.” Maude cackled and looked right at Prin. “It is so easy to clean a tiny room.”

  Prin found herself laughing because the same subject had been discussed earlier, but not explained. “So, you can cast the spell in reverse and make a room smaller.”

  “Oddly enough, I didn’t know that for years and stumbled on it in the journals of a sorceress who passed on well before I was born.”

  Sara turned to Prin and silently asked for permission to speak. When she had it, Sara said, “We also have the journals of a sorceress from Donella who recently died, along with much of her equipment. Her husband insisted we accept it.”

  Maude leaped to her feet. “Really? Oh, dear. I must see it. There is so much to learn, and the journals of our sisters often contain information lost through the years.”

  Sara said, “So, it’s valuable?”

  “Much more than gold. Usually, a sorceress provides for who it will pass on to, but to find a new cache from another land is something I never expected to see. Where is it?”

  “On our ship, safely in the cargo hold,” Sara told her.

  “Then, we must make arrangements to retrieve it before the ship sails.”

  Sara said, “We can do that. Send Brice to the ship with a note, I guess. But there is so much that we can’t possibly study even a small portion in one month.”

  Maude was pacing, wringing her hands in anticipation when she pulled to a stop. “One month? Did I not make it clear that I have accepted the task of teaching the three of you?”

  Prin said, “Yes, you said that?”

  “Did I fail to make it clear that the minimum of what you require will take years? At least three and probably more?” Maude’s face held reserve and sorrow. “Oh dear, I thought you understood.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Sara turned to Prin. “Three or four years? You think we’ll be here that long?”

  Maude said, “Perhaps longer. There is so much to learn, and you are so innocent. We have much of your lack of educations to make up for, and then there is all the rest you must learn.”

  Prin readied herself to object, but Sara wore a strange expression that halted her. She looked to Brice, who seemed oblivious and contented—as if he didn’t understand anything of what had been said. She glanced at Maude and understood Brice had been removed from the conversation.

  Prin said, “What’d you do to him?”

  “The boy doesn’t need to hear or pass on any of what we talk about. He’s welcome to stay, and I’ll instruct him on some basics of how to care for himself and conceal his powers from those who might hurt him.”

  “But, he is not one of us, so you’ve omitted him from our conversation?” Prin asked as she heard her voice rise in indigitation.

  Maude’s tone grew stern. “As I said, he is welcome to stay, but he cannot be allowed to know certain things, or he may bring danger to all of us.”

  Prin ignored her. “Back to the subject of three or four years. We were hoping to impose on you for a month.”

  “That is completely understandable, dear. I should have been clear fr
om the beginning when you asked if I would teach you. Teaching takes time.”

  Prin turned to look back at Brice. “This is not acceptable, not what you’re doing to him.”

  Maude said, “He is in no pain, in fact, the opposite. He will not remember any of our private conversation, but you must understand that he is a mage, a related field, but not the same at all.”

  “It doesn’t seem right.” Prin stood her ground, even though she felt the subject slipping away.

  “Perhaps I should explain my intentions for him,” Maude said. “I cannot teach him to be a mage any more than a cat can teach a dog to be a cat. What I can do, is that I can provide him with some basic knowledge and then send him on your ship to Indore with instructions to do your bidding. I may also locate a mage to train him, but that will take time, perhaps months or years.”

  “Go on,” Prin said.

  “He can seek information about those who are searching for you, dispatch others to your land of birth to gather more information about current events, and return it to you by the next voyage. You have valuable secrets to keep, young lady. And you have dangerous enemies. He can locate people to help you.”

  Prin said, “I admit I need information about when it is safe to return to Indore, and we have a friend or two there who can provide that information. My plan was to visit on a ship now and then until we can return, but your idea is better.”

  “And your homeland? Wren?”

  “For that, he will need gold. I have a little.”

  Sara said, “Your spies need only to cross the mountain pass and go to the inn where we bought the horses and ask. I’m sure Brice could easily make that trip, and as far as they’re concerned, you’ve already paid them with the coin you left in the bottom of your cup.”

  “So, Brice would set up the network of spies, and when his ship arrives in Indore, he collects the information and brings it here. I like it,” Prin said. “As long as Brice will do it.”

  Maude said, “There are more things we can add to the list, but one is that when he finds someone he trusts, Brice can ask them to slip an enchanted ring onto their finger. I have the ingredients and spell, and can have it ready before he sails.”

  Sara said, “What will the ring do?”

  Maude held up her right hand. A purple glow circled her ring finger. “That was from when I first learned the spell. I think I was about your age, Sara.”

  “And it still works?” Sara asked.

  Maude said, “Look at it. The spell draws almost no energy. It does nothing but create a faint glow that only another sorceress can see. But the energy to sustain comes from the person, that is why the ring must be worn for a moment, and not cast into the air, like so many other spells.”

  Prin said, “You’ve used this?”

  “Any person, man or woman, with this purple glow on their right ring finger is to be trusted. I have used it on seven, and located an eighth, cast by another sorceress, by accident. A woman placed the enchanted ring on, so I trusted her, and was correct to do so.”

  Sara said, “Maude, if your kind offer is still agreeable, we would love to have you teach us, but we have responsibilities to our ship. The captain and bos’n are expecting us, and we should notify them to hire others in our stead. But, Brice should sail with them. And take your ring.”

  Prin said, “He will need instructions for the ring, directions for the mountain pass, and he needs to learn to shield his mind from other mages. Can all that be done in a month?”

  Maude said, “A few days if we hurry, but we can all do better if we teach him what he needs, and then whatever else we can.”

  “First, we must ask him if he will work with us,” Sara said. “If he’s captured, he’ll die. This is no game. He needs to make his own choice.”

  Prin stood. “But not tonight. I cannot stay awake any longer.”

  They all agreed to go to bed. After Maude had cleared the spell from Brice, they headed to their rooms, and Prin paused in the hallway again. The distance was an illusion, she now knew, but what would happen if she walked down there? If she kept walking? Would the stretch spell continue placing more distance in front of her? If so, did it pull distance from behind and put it there? If she went down there and turned around and looked behind, what would she see?

  Prin fell asleep with those contrasting, conflicting, and confusing thoughts in her mind. Thinking back, she had always been inquisitive and wanted to know more. She had wished to learn at the morning kitchen, then at her father’s apartment, and also at Evelyn’s tree. For the first time, she might have her wish granted. A place to study and someone to teach her.

  The word tree triggered another thought. Treeman. She needed a new Treeman if she was going to remain with Maude. Her skills with the throwing knife were better than most who wore them, she believed, but she never wanted to feel helpless again. Since Sir James was dead and couldn’t teach her, she would either teach herself or find another instructor. She liked that. A new Treeman and someone to teach her to fight.

  Since escaping the assassins over the mountain pass, she had seldom felt safe. It had been one crisis after another. She finally had the opportunity to learn, study, be safe, and work out a set of plans for her immediate future, and after.

  But her future included Brice and Sara—she just didn’t know if they knew it. She closed her eyes again, and for the first time since fleeing the tree in Evelyn’s forest, she slept soundly.

  The slanting rays of the morning sun found her in bed, groggy and so rested and comfortable, she could go back to sleep. But instead, she climbed from the bed, the first real bed she had slept in since her mother’s death, and made her way to the main room.

  There she found Maude and Brice already in deep conversation. A bowl of fruit sat beside them, and in another bowl, warm bread that felt fresh from the oven. There was no sign of Sara, but the cat she’d believe was from her ship approached. With the cat in her lap, she watched and listened.

  Maude spoke tenderly, encouraging Brice to concentrate and relax, which sounded contradictory, at best. Prin looked at Brice’s head and expected to see the shimmer that had been there, but found far less, even on the tiny hairs growing out. Then, as if a flash, his entire head was enveloped in a green haze.

  “That’s it,” Maude said, excitedly. “That’s the area you need to control. Now, make it larger. Good, good. Now shut it away.”

  The green glow/shimmer faded but did not disappear. Brice closed his eyes and concentrated harder, but tiny green sparkles appeared.

  Instead of being upset, Maude said, “Well, the good news is you’ve tapped into a different cortex, and now even the blind sorceress can find you on a dark night.”

  “It’s hard,” Brice said.

  “But necessary. And this is the first lesson, so don’t be discouraged. I’m impressed you managed to locate the cortex of your mind required. The rest will be easy. Now, I want you to eat, walk in the garden and breathe some fresh air, then come back, and we’ll try again. Do not think about what we’ve discussed. That is important. Do not think about it.”

  “How am I going to do that? Or, not do it?”

  Prin found herself laughing. Telling him not to think about something was much the same as telling him to think about it. Then she glanced at Maude and realized the mistake she’d just made. She shouldn’t have laughed. Brice stood and walked to the door, shaking his head in confusion.

  After the door had closed, Maude turned to her and said, “Never do that again.”

  “I thought it a joke.”

  “I wanted him to review which parts of his mind did what, and by telling him not to think about it, I knew he would, and hopefully figure it out for himself. My methods for teaching are not always linear, nor will I try to make them. Each mind is different and must be handled in ways that fit it. Brice needs to know and understand a small portion of his abilities for his safety and to hide from others. For now, no more.”

  “Why no more? I mean, I’ll
do as you say, Maude, but I’m wondering.”

  Maude relented, and her anger fled. “Another mage can see magic performed, and often for extended periods of time after the event. We cannot have Brice sailing all over the known world, creating spells and identifying himself to every mage and sorceress within sight. He must learn slowly, and conceal himself until we can locate a mentor.”

  “I wish my father was alive. He was a great mage.”

  “You said he left you things.”

  “A full workshop. It’s supposed to be sealed until I return.”

  Maude said, “But you brought some items with you.”

  “Only a few,” Prin said. “Would you like to see them?”

  “I would indeed. Objects owned by great mages always interest me, but what your father left may help me to teach you, or understand some of your needs and abilities.”

  Prin climbed to her feet and ran to her room. Leather satchel in hand, she strode back into the main room and found Sara waiting beside Maude, who said, “I thought perhaps Sara should join us, but I have prohibited Brice from coming inside until we finish. I hope that is all right with you.”

  Prin reached under her skirt and pulled the knife she wore and laid it on the table. Beside it, she placed a round glass bead, a thin leather-bound book so old the pages tried to fall out, and the tooth of an animal the size of her small finger, and the little piece of red parchment with the red ribbon tied around it. Inside blood red ink spelled out three lines of words, while the crude image of a flying bird decorated the bottom. Last, she removed the small painting of her mother and father.

  Before placing it on the table, she looked at their expressions. They were smiling. No, beaming with joy. She caught Sara’s eye and hid her smile.

  “First, the knife. Did you select it from among others?” Maude asked without touching it.

  “It was hidden in a drawer in my father’s workshop, but there was no reason I took it except I liked it. There was another knife, one made of black iron William said. Cuts made with it won’t heal. I wanted none of that.”