I practically ran at him and held the book steadfast within both our grips. “Please, don’t… Don’t open it.”
He looked at me in bewilderment. “And why in heavens not?”
I took the book from him to make sure he wouldn’t. “Because it’ll start screaming again, I know it. Every time I’m near a book it screams. I just… I don’t want it to happen.”
I looked up to gauge the master’s reaction and it wasn’t at all what I expected. I thought he would be disgusted, think me insane, yet there he stood with a silly grin, as if he had just met the idol of his dreams.
“Really? Do they really speak to you?” He came closer and snatched the book from me.
“They more scream than speak.”
“Ah, then you are not listening properly.” He ran his hand over the book as he silently opened it. I was prepared for the piercing sound, but what came was nothing, an almost inaudible whisper.
“Oh,” I said in surprise. “I can barely hear anything.” Master Lewis’s face fell. “Weird, it happened when I was in my time.”
“Perhaps there is something interfering with it. No matter, let us get back to the task at hand.” A little crestfallen, the master read aloud from the book to prove his point. “Here, in the year four hundred and fifty-one, we [as it can be assumed the Romans] have ceased the threat of establishing vassals in Gual and appointed a new Frankish king, Merovech. We have greatly lost our numbers, the land severely pillaged and looted in due part by Attila’s magic…”
I stood there in shocked silence and took the book from him, my eyes running over the script, but apparently, the Tafod spell didn’t extend to reading, the chirography of the foreign words looking just as that. Everything that I—that we as mankind—had thought about the world’s history was a lie. I sat back down in my chair, unable to speak. Master Lewis took the initiative.
“I take it that since you have no knowledge of magic that you have not then been tested?”
It took all my strength to bring my mind back to the here and now. How do you drop a bombshell on someone like that and expect them to not have a hard time believing it?
“Huh? Oh. No.”
“No?” His eyebrows shot up.
“I mean yes. I haven’t been tested.”
“Then I suggest we start there.” Going to the back closet of his office, he rummaged around and when he finally came back, produced a beautiful yellow and red flower.
“At the age of seven, every person in the kingdom is evaluated to see how much magic is stored within their bodies. Some have less, some have more, and with that level they are able to do great things. Build bridges with a wave of their hand, or only flicker a candle’s flame. It all depends on how much you possess.”
“But I’m already twenty. Does that matter?”
“Oh, no, no. The reason we do the test so early is so that those who want to can then study as apprentices under the right master. It is also around that time when the Witches Sting happens, letting others know that their magic has manifested fully. It is a painful process, but an important turning point in one’s life. The children then learn from a young age how to hone their magic correctly.”
Haha… They become sorcerers’ apprentices. My mind was trying to process everything as best it could but all I could see was unaccompanied mops fighting an unwinnable battle against rising water. “Okay. So, what do I have to do?”
“I’m going to ask you a series of questions and then at the end you will hold this daffodil in the palm of your hands. From there we will see what happens.”
I had never seen a daffodil like this one. Instead of its cup shape it bloomed more like a rose, the petals overlapping one another while tinges of red were dotted inside, making it look as if someone had delicately placed rubies between each petal.
“You don’t know?”
“It is different for everyone. Sometimes the flower changes color or it goes invisible. Other times it burns completely to a crisp or is suspended in a ball of water.” His face reflected some unknown event that had him smiling, his mouth crinkling in the process. “Right. First question: You are in a garden picking the herbs horehound, mugwort, and yarrow. Which would you choose first?”
I sat there in nervous contemplation. I had never been great at tests and had no idea about any of these plants. Though I knew they were still used in the modern world, I was no herbalist. I just wanted to know why I was here. But what could I do? I need the master’s help, and if this was the only way to get it, then I would play.
I took a random guess.
“Yarrow?”
Master Lewis took a quill from his desk and scribbled Yarrow onto one of the petals. “Second question: If you were to create a spell, what would it be for?”
Time travel, but since he had no idea how I had actually gotten here, I guessed there couldn’t be a spell for that. I also innocently wished for some of my more modern amenities: WiFi connection 24/7 or an eternal battery life. I settled for something more ‘realistic,’ remembering back to this morning when I had caught a glimpse of my battered body in what they considered a mirror.
“I would create a spell that would let me have the regenerative properties of healing.”
Master Lewis looked at me with surprise. “We do not get that one very often, actually.” He scribbled again on another petal, this time writing Healing.
“And lastly–” he paused, building up to the next question. “Do you believe magic should be used by all or coveted by only a few?”
Again I sat there, weighing the options. Master Lewis waited, practically on the edge of his seat.
“As you’ve indicated all people can use magic to some degree, but I think it would actually be better in the hands of only a few. Like, what if someone goes and amasses an army, everyone with magical powers? Wouldn’t that be worse than having only a handful of people being able to use magic? With too many people, too many things could go wrong.”
Master Lewis took it at face value, though a bead of sweat dripped from his brow down to his chin. He took his quill and wrote Few on the third petal.
“Now, cup the flower in your hands and we shall see what happens.”
He dropped the flower into my ready palms then quickly stepped back. Once the petals touched my skin, an electric pulse shot up my arms and into the flower.
Master Lewis came closer to inspect it.
The daffodil was now perfectly suspended. No longer was it yellow and red, but translucent, the petals glittering gold while the red had really turned to rubies, their light throwing rainbows into the room.
“What does it mean?” I asked, fascinated.
“It means that the world is in a lot of trouble, and that we need to start your training immediately.”
XV.
Master Lewis was already on his third lesson of the afternoon. I had powered through my language and herbalist studies, and felt like the day would never end.
“Do you know who those people were that you encountered in the forest when you first arrived in our time?”
It’s only been two weeks, how could I forget?
In the days that had passed, my energy levels had plummeted. My routine was always the same: I would wake to find breakfast, get dressed helped by Elian and Haf, take a walk around the interior of the castle, and make my way slowly to Master Lewis’s office where he drilled me in history, languages, magic, potions and spells. It was like being at an immersive university camp. It was no wonder the only action I could produce was the nod of my head.
As an anthropologist I was riveted by the culture I was experiencing. How people went about their days and the customs they practiced. Earlier that morning I had watched people come and go from a small room off to the side of the entrance of the castle. Out of curiosity I followed suit and once inside, discerned the room was set up like any doctors’ practi
ce. The idea seemed strange that they would have one, but then I realized, the world in the past and future were, evidently, not so far apart.
Master Lewis slapped a stick against the map hanging on the wall of his study, bringing my attention back.
“Those people are affiliated with the Black Plague Brotherhood. Two years ago the Brotherhood swept through Llundein,” he said pointing to where it resided on the map, “and moved west, killing both those who possess high and low degrees of magical power.”
Some of this was starting to ring a bell. Though my British history wasn’t all that great (thank you American educational system) everyone knew of the Black Death that spread through Great Britain and most of Europe during the Dark Ages, wiping out up to fifty million people.
“Wait, wait, wait. The black plague? As in infected rats that give people boils and fevers so bad those people died within a few days? That black plague?”
Master Lewis slammed his hand down on his desk.
“It is not an infection, but a culling!” His face turned bright red with anger. “Why is it so many have this misconception?”
Curious, I poked him a bit further. The more information I had about the current state of affairs and how I was specifically involved in the whole plot, the better. “So you’re saying it’s a civil war? Why? Nazi idealism?” Master Lewis looked on with confusion at my use of a modern colloquialism, but answered my first question.
“For all intents and purposes, yes. The reason as to why is because they believe that magic should not exist so prominently in the world. They seek out magic, and when they find it, the victim is left in such a poor condition that death is the only outcome. Ironic that to destroy magic they have some of the best witches and sorcerers in the land. People are terrified that they will be next, and with good reason. Even the High Elders haven’t been successful in stopping them.”
“The High Elders?”
“They are the ones who rule over The Order of The Forest—some of the most powerful mages I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. They are in charge of protecting manuscripts and other magical artifacts.”
I sat and mulled over the new information.
So they knew the reason as to why the Brotherhood was acting up, just not how to defeat them. If the High Elders were as powerful as the master indicated, then the Brotherhood must have been even more so. It was a big undertaking and, at this point, would take them centuries to eradicate.
And all indicators pointed at their success.
There was no magic in my time, nothing special that would call on the great universe in such a way. I decided to keep that little fact to myself. Master Lewis knew what we thought of magic, but he didn’t know the extent of its desolation. If it were to get out then people would think themselves a lost cause and I didn’t want that to happen.
“Why not send in Bowen as a spy?” I asked. Master Lewis’s glare almost shut me up. Almost. “He seems more than capable of taking care of himself and his rough demeanor would probably fit in well with a bunch of killers.”
Master Lewis sat down, exhaustion clouding his face. “That is a very difficult story to tell, and one I am most definitely not equipped to reveal fully. All I can say is that the reason for everything he does is because his wife and children were killed in the last large onslaught.”
That did shut me up. I had been so caught up in my own life that I had failed to consider that the people of this time had been living for years in a constant state of fear. Of course they must have families and people they had lost.
It was only when Elian lightly rapped on the door did both Master Lewis and I come out of our shared silence.
“Come in,” Master Lewis called.
Elian entered and curtsied. “His Lordship and Her Ladyship wish to meet you, Lady Jade,” she informed me. When she looked up I could see a smudge of soot on her face.
“Thank you, Elian.” I hadn’t been able to see my new patrons since I found out I had become their ward, their days just as busy as my own. Master Lewis and Elian couldn’t tell how nervous I was at that moment. “I just have one question… Silly really, but, how do I do a proper curtsy?”
Master Lewis went from complacent to enraged in two seconds, his voice booming with disappointment towards Elian. “Did I not tell you to school her in how to greet nobles and those ranked higher above her?”
Elian was practically shaking, but she held her ground against him. “You did, Master Lewis, but at the time she was asleep for days and then I never had the chance, for her hours are spent here and really there is no position higher than Lady Jade’s. We have not had the time to teach her anything.”
Master Lewis’s eyes went wide at the accusation, but I cut in before he could reprimand her further.
“Stop,” a deathly glare in my eyes. “She’s right. All I’ve done is study here with you, so don’t take it out on her.”
The master seemed to shrink with the command, complacent to comply. “Of course, Lady Jade.” He moved to the middle of the room and instructed me to watch as he demonstrated how I was to bow. The moves seemed easy enough. My right foot was to be behind my left while I held my floor-length skirts only a touch off the floor and dipped from the legs into a low bow, eyes downcast. All in all it looked like a graceful yet awkward squat.
Trying to mimic his actions, I finally achieved some semblance of it before he agreed to let me go. “It is far from perfect but I think they will be lenient at this time. Go. They are waiting for you.”
With Master Lewis’s gaze still upon us, Elian lead me out into the corridor, the epitome of decorum. I followed her down a maze of hallways and stairs until we came to a pair of magnificent double doors. They had to be thrice my height, inlaid with wrought-iron designs. Around their frames I recognized one of the herbs the master had drilled me about—Devil’s Shoestring—its properties were to keep out invisible spirits. It was an odd thing to have strung up, but I figured superstition was still alive in this century as well as my own.
The great doors swung open into a large throne room, the chandeliers and candelabras lit for the dreary day. The soft patter of rain hit the stained-glass windows, letting its music flow throughout. Farther in, His Lordship and Her Ladyship sat in grand wooden chairs positioned in front of an even grander fireplace. Its rough, stone mantle spanned the height and width of the pieces of furniture, dragons chiseled into each end as if guarding their fire within.
Elian curtsied at the threshold and quickly made her retreat, leaving me to enter alone. My steps echoed in the great room, pure anxiety encroaching around me at the fact I might insult the crap out of the people who took me in.
Stopping in front of my patrons, I tried my best at the curtsy. On the way up I lost my balance and teetered to the right, almost falling at Her Ladyship’s feet. My face turned red while a quaint smile filled the woman’s face and I hid my own by looking down.
“Lady Jade.” The woman’s voice was kind, but hoarse, like she had spoken to too many people over the years and it had caused her to soften it on instinct. Her long, braided hair was tied up into an intricate bun, a length of cloth hanging from behind. She exuded a sense of nobility, rightly so, yet she held a motherly compassion against the hardships this world seemed to offer. “I hope you are feeling well?” she waited for me to answer.
“Yes. Thank you, your Ladyship, for everything you have provided.” I heard a grunted cough and realized I had just inadvertently insulted His Lordship by not including him in the comment. He was stocky, his belly protruding out from his body, though his many layered clothes did well to conceal the fact. “And your Lordship, thank you both. I… I don’t… What I mean is, I can’t thank both of you enough for what you have done for me.”
My gaze was still positioned downward, waiting for my own self-inflicted tension to thin. It was only when His Lordship let out a laugh that echoed throughout the h
all did my shoulders begin to relax, his wife silently giggling at his side.
It was awkward, standing in front of people laughing at your own expense. I was about to try and recover my ramblings when the door at the back side of the wall opened and in walked Tristan, a woman on his arm.
The young woman’s frame was smaller than anyone else’s in the room, with a complexion almost translucent against her sky-blue dress, as if she were a cloud that could evaporate at any second. If we hadn’t been in Wales where the sun rarely shone I would have carted her to a hospital in an instant. Her hair tumbled down in long brown waves to the bottom of her back while a thin crown of silver metal was intertwined on her head, indicating her rank. She was the true daughter of the people who sat before me.
The girl’s voice rang out through the room. “Mother, Father, what on earth is this laughter?” She couldn’t have been a year older than me.
“Ah, Anwen. Tristan. I trust you have been introduced to Lady Jade?” His Lordship stood and gave his daughter a peck on the cheek.
Tristan nodded. His eyes calm and filled with tentativeness. I hadn’t seen him since my arrival here and it seemed it was on purpose.
“I have not had the pleasure,” Anwen walked the distance between us and curtsied right in front of me. “Hello, Lady Jade, I am Anwen ferch Rhys, daughter of His Lord Whichnor and Her Ladyship Joan de Somerville.” I tried my hand again at the curtsy that went better this time. “I hear we are to be sisters for the time being. As Margred is already married off, we will be able to have all the fun now. I am honored to meet you,” her pink smile reaching the edges of her face. “I would also have introduced you to my brothers but, as you can see, they have not lived here for some time now.” She gestured around the room as if I had noticed their absence and pulled me to her side, bumping into the cut on my collarbone. I hissed with pain and she instantly let go.
“Oh, I am sorry. I did not realize you were still injured. Why has Master Lewis not tended to you?”
To Those Who Never Knew (A Monksblood Bible Novel Book 1) Page 11
