Elven Blight: A Katrina Baker Novel 02

by D. L. Harrison

  Ayda was also different, now that she knew her daughter had been tricked, and was at least innocent of treachery if not forbidden magic use, she felt and acted far less meek and withdrawn. After we finished eating, my speculation came to an end as the conversation started.

  Aleisia said, “Ayda tells me you offered to help find a place for my niece, in the event she is banished?”

  I nodded slowly, “I still have to work out the details, and find out exactly what she wants to do with her life, but I thought I’d approach Danielle for advice first, and then maybe the king.”

  Aleisia nodded, “Thank you, is it true you also suggested she develop her magic, and perhaps learn from a witch?”

  Oh. She didn’t look happy about that.

  “Yes. It’s a part of her, isn’t it?”

  Aleisia sighed, “Yes, but its volatile. She doesn’t have elven and witch magic, she has a blending of the two. It makes it unstable. There’s a reason it was forbidden.”

  “In what way? Surely with practice, and careful deliberation, it can be beneficial.”

  The queen replied, “Perhaps, but how much life will she twist and destroy before she learns? As an elf, she can create a connection to any life, as a witch she can modify the life and even order it, subjugate it, so instead of a mutually beneficial bond it would be an abomination, and against everything we believe in.”

  “But she’s a good person, and sweet. Your argument is capacity equals intent. She could do that, but that doesn’t mean she would once she has control of it. Obviously, she shouldn’t try anything with animal life until she’s sure of her magical control and the consequences, but she could also do other things, eventually, that neither humans nor elves could do.”

  Although, I wasn’t sure exactly what.

  I also admitted to myself that I might have been biased by my own youth and powers. I’d made a lot of mistakes growing up, and my powers could kill quite by accident if I didn’t remain in constant control of them. The term if looks could kill actually applied in truth, in my case. Happily, I’d never actually killed anyone when learning to control my abilities, it had helped to have a mad scientist as a mother who could build power blockers.

  Even the telepathy and empathy could be a danger to others as well as me, I had to learn not only to filter and close my mind from others, but also how to lock down my projective telepathy and empathy. I could easily drive someone insane, or even scare them to death, or simply snuff out their mind and turn them into a vegetable. Capacity doesn’t equal intent, not always.

  Ayda asked curiously, “What do you mean, like what?”

  I thought about it for a minute, “Witches change nature, which means they can probably heal things that even clerics can’t. Like a child that was born blind, or with a weak heart. Genetic defects instead of actual diseases or injuries. I’m sure you would know better than me what other things she could do, but I can’t believe her magic is inherently bad, just like the rest of us it’ll be how she uses it that defines the good or evil of it.”

  Aleisia looked doubtful, but I couldn’t blame her. The elves saw magic like an arm, or a leg, an intrinsic part of their lives. To them Edea’s magic was a birth defect, it wasn’t right. I could see where that would be hard to see past, and why they’d focus on the horrors Edea would be capable of. Compounding that, they weren’t very accepting of a witch’s power either, anything that could change what was natural was wrong to them. I also wasn’t foolish enough to point out their shortcomings in that area. But there was nothing wrong with Edea or her magic, she simply wasn’t elven, she was half, and half human witch.

  I added, “It will be up to her regardless, I just won’t keep her from it. If she wants training from a witch she’ll get it. I imagine she already knows the elven side of it.”

  Ayda said, “Part of it, she can commune with nature, but not infuse it. Her magic isn’t elven and witch like Aleisia said, it’s a blending of the two.”

  Which made her unique in this world, something else I could relate to.

  “I think I’m going to turn in, and meditate on what I should do tomorrow.”

  The queen nodded, and I took that as permission and withdrew. I wouldn’t be following Eloen again tomorrow, I needed another plan. I also felt like I was missing something obvious…

  Chapter Fourteen

  I woke and tried to gasp, and failed. My heart raced and I felt a little panicked, as I couldn’t take a breath. Something was strangling me, and I felt dark emotions from it. Simple emotions. I reached up and clawed at the root wrapped around my neck. I tried to focus my mind, and relax enough to act, but it was very difficult to relax when I couldn’t even take a breath.

  I managed to focus enough to use telekinesis, and ripped the root in half. I gasped a scratchy labored breath, and turned toward the emotions. There was a long root coming into my window, and two others were approaching me quickly.

  I was angry now, the bitch was trying to kill me. I used aero-kinesis to contain its roots, and stood up as I breathed heavily. My throat hurt, and was obviously bruised, and I still felt a bit dizzy. I was also in denial, surprised that I’d been attacked. Even if she had killed me, it just would have proved there was a conspiracy.

  This was hateful and desperate, and not smart at all. Had I rattled her that much? For the first time I felt real doubt, could I have been mistaken about Eloen? She was old and canny, this struck me as reckless. My neck was already feeling better, as I stepped over to the window. There was a new potted tree in the garden, right by my window.

  I used telepathy as I held the plant at bay, now that I was awake it was easy enough to contain the murderous tree. I could have just burned it, but I wanted proof that I was actually attacked, though it wasn’t proof of who. At the very least, it was proof that an elf was part of the grub conspiracy. The tree wasn’t cursed either, just angry for some reason.

  “Saida, wake up, and get to my room now.”

  I was disturbed for many reasons, and wondered why I didn’t wake up before it could get its roots around my neck. Was it shielded until right before it attacked? My empathy wasn’t picking up any nearby elves that gave off any incriminating emotions. My biggest worry right now was how vulnerable I was in my sleep. When awake I was fairly confident that I could defend myself well from almost anything.

  But someone shielded from my mind, with a magical general shield spell, could simply walk in my room and slit my throat, I’d never see them coming. I didn’t have a clue how to fix that either, but I was determined to figure out a way. I couldn’t be afraid to sleep at night. I’d have to make the time to visit the mage shop when this was over, no matter what else was going on, I had to.

  I felt Saida arrive at my door, and opened it. She looked groggy, and startled at my telepathy most likely.

  “Go find someone, a guard, a tree just tried to kill me, and I need to know why or if there’s a way to tell who ordered it to do it.”

  Her eyes widened, and she nodded and ran off.

  Then I waited, while I thought about all the ways I was vulnerable and could easily be killed by the cowardly act of an assassin. I was more than convinced that I had to figure out some kind of protection when I was asleep. Mage store, I was determined not to put it off again, and half convinced I should do it today rather than wait until this was over. How soon would she try again?

  I felt Saida approaching from the outside, and stuck my head out the open window to ask her where the guard was. But of course, she had Eloen with her. Figures. I actually almost smiled, it was funny in a perverse alarming way.

  Eloen demanded, “What happened here?”

  “This tree just tried to kill me, I was hoping you could tell it to stop, and figure out why.”

  I bit my lip to stop the giggle, asking the attempted murderer to find out who the killer was, life was so absurd sometimes, and I was a little loopy and in shock. I’d almost died. My neck was still sore, but getting better.

  Eloen pinc
hed her lips together, and… did something. The roots went back into the planter.

  She said, “The tree was told you were an intruder, I was unable to determine who did it, but I detected the remains of a shielding spell. Are you alright?”

  Wait, how did she do all that when she was still shielded, unless her shield just blocked the forests magic from connecting to her, and not the other way around?

  “I am fine, if shaken. I woke up being strangled, but managed to break the root wrapped around my neck. I didn’t sense anything before it happened, and I didn’t see anyone after I woke up.”

  Eloen shook her head ruefully, “I owe you an apology, I didn’t believe there was more to this. I’m highly disturbed an elf could be a part of this mess. I’ll put a guard outside your window for the rest of the night, and report the incident to the queen first thing in the morning.”

  Damn, she was either one fine actress, or innocent. I couldn’t decide which. Of course, she’d been in a political position for nine hundred years protecting the royal family, and was probably very used to intrigue. So, I truly wasn’t sure what to think. I also loathed to admit it might not be her, or I’d truly be back to square one.

  I also had another thought, what if it wasn’t related at all, and it was some other elf that simply hated humans? Chances were high that it was related, but could I afford to ignore the other possibility?

  “Umm, thanks Eloen, you too Saida. I think I’ll close the shutters as well.”

  Just in case.

  When she nodded, I did close the shutters, and then I locked my door. I also may have leaned things against both, that would make a loud noise if they fell over. It wasn’t perfect, but my mind was well disciplined, I was fairly sure it would wake me up if someone came back and made noise at the window or door. Still, I tossed and turned for at least an hour, hating the fear and vulnerability I felt, someone had just tried to assassinate me, it was hard to get my head around it. I knew that was naïve, but it was how I felt. No one had tried to assassinate me before. Kill me, steal from me, but not in the dead of night when I was at my most vulnerable.

  Eventually, my thoughts calmed, and I finally fell back asleep.

  I really missed Gerard though, and not just for the usual reasons. I knew he’d make me feel safe, and I desperately wanted to feel his arms around me…

  After breakfast the next morning, I still wasn’t sure where to look next, and I meditated on all that had happened. I had a lot of ideas, including who was behind it, but I had no proof. I’d come to the conclusion a couple of days back, that there was a witch involved in this, and perhaps there was.

  But my assumption that the elf was somehow notifying the witch who was very far away and sending a bird with a new grub suddenly seemed a lot less likely to me. So far as I could tell, communication over distance was extremely rare on this world, and the only ones I knew for sure that were even capable of it, were the mages. That’s what Gerard had told me, that the king had a mage in every village and city in Trelin, that passed communications and updates.

  So, it occurred to me that maybe the elf behind it had a stash of grubs somewhere, and if they did that location would be shielded to prevent all the elves in the city from feeling them with their magic. Since I’d figured out my telekinetic scan to locate shields which my empathy and telepathy couldn’t see past or detect, there was only one place I hadn’t scanned yet. I’d gotten the whole damned forest, and the castle the other day while following Eloen around, but I’d missed a pretty big and obvious spot because I never thought to look there for a witch.

  The city. The city was three square miles in size.

  I also wasn’t sure who I could trust. I thought it was Eloen behind it all, but her trying to kill me seemed like a stupid move, she was too smart for that. All it had done was provide evidence that there was another elf involved, that there was a conspiracy, and that the target of said conspiracy currently locked up wasn’t involved.

  It had been a desperate move. Yet, it truly could have been unrelated to the grubs, which means it could still be Eloen. Right now though, I didn’t trust anyone, except perhaps the queen herself, Edea, and Ayda.

  Which is why when I stood up, and Saida asked where we were going, I answered with, “Shopping. Let’s go into the city and shop, that and the walk will help me think.”

  I summoned my coin purse, and we headed out into the city. I also decided, that when things get tough, a girl goes shopping, so I might as well enjoy it while I scanned the city.

  We walked seemingly aimlessly, or that’s what I was going for with my shadow in tow, but what I was really doing was walking a grid to scan the whole city, a two-hundred-yard swath at a time. I could have flown, but if there was a stash out here I didn’t want to the guilty person to panic and react.

  Okay okay, I also wanted to shop.

  The first place we stopped at was the apocethary. Let’s just say I needed some things there for my womanly needs, and leave it at that. It’d been almost three weeks since I’d been banished here accidentally by my mother, and I needed to find a way to deal with something I’d been avoiding. Something I thought I’d never miss in a million years, but missed greatly as I found this world’s equivalents. While I was at it, I also looked into birth control, since I may have been getting married at the insane age of eighteen, but I wasn’t ready to have my own kids yet. That turned out to be a bust though, the elven woman told me human cycles are different, and I should go to a human apocethary for that. I added that to the list of stores to hit when I got back to Magehaven, the mage and apocethary store.

  I wanted to see the mage for two reasons. One, some kind of protection or alarm when I was asleep, and two, I wanted to find out if they sold enchanted items that would allow me to stay in contact with Gerard. I really missed him right now, almost constantly.

  Which is probably why I walked into the tailor shop next.

  “Can I help you,” an elf asked with her eyebrows raised. I’d gotten accustomed to them wearing their frilly and barely there dresses, and I knew I could never wear anything like it in Trelin. But with my mind stuck on Gerard, I wondered if I couldn’t pick one up to wear in private, for him in our house. I blushed at the thought of how he’d react, but as far as I could tell there was no lingerie on this world, and I really wanted him to see me in something… similar to that kind of thing.

  Which Elven dresses most certainly were. Similar to lingerie, I mean.

  A couple of silver poorer, a few packages sent to my room in the temple, and we were back on the street. At first I thought my idea would be a bust, outside of my planned seduction of my fiancé that is. I also picked up several of the soaps with freesia scent, and some elven bath oils. Other than that, it was a bunch of window shopping, and using my powers to scan for a blank spot.

  I’d almost given up, and thought it was just one more idea that wouldn’t pan out, and then I felt it. A blank spot I couldn’t see with my telekinetic scan. I headed that way, and saw it was the elven equivalent of a small warehouse. I bit my lip, and probably stared at the thing too long. Did I dare break through the shield to find out what was in there? It was probably the grubs, but I didn’t know for sure.

  Saida asked, “What is it?”

  I shrugged, “Just curious, that’s the first building I’ve seen shielded from magic. Do you know what’s in there, or who it belongs to?”

  Saida replied, “No idea.”

  I almost cried then. She’d just lied to me, and she felt scared. Never in a million years did I think Saida, the royal servant assigned to me, could possibly be involved.

  I shrugged dismissively and turned away from the building, “Sorry, just being nosy. Let’s get back, it’s almost lunchtime.”

  It was true, I was being nosy, and as we walked back to the castle I dove into her mind ruthlessly, searched her memories, and pulled out everything she knew. I was very glad I hadn’t shared details about my full powers, or I’d have probably never seen Saida
again. I didn’t regret my morality about using telepathy, but if I’d done so on my first day, I would have saved myself a lot of worry and time. I was also in for a hell of a shock.

  It wasn’t Eloen behind the conspiracy after all, it was prince Vaeril…

  Chapter Fifteen

  At least I was sure this time, but it was also far more complicated.

  Vaeril had the same motive and access as Eloen, perhaps even more. He was also an arrogant twit, and I could see him making the mistake of trying to kill me, especially when I had explained yesterday about Edea’s innocence, I imagined that pissed him off a lot, and he got worried I’d sniff him out.

  The mistake I’d made was ruling him out too quickly. He’d been traveling on the road, and absent from Gwienidd for a week while he came to Magehaven to pick me up on his mother’s orders. A week where the grubs kept showing up, so I figured he couldn’t have done it.

  Except… the asshat had enlisted and bullied Saida to keep it up in his absence, he’d convinced her that Edea had to go, and his mother was foolish for not only allowing Edea to live with them in Gwienidd, but for not simply killing the abomination. He’d said no permanent harm would be done to the heart, it was a small necessary sacrifice to set things right. Saida had let herself be convinced, though I read in her that she knew she was in the wrong, but terrified of her master. What could a servant do against the prince heir of Gwienidd?

  The cold bastard was also the one that manipulated things so that Saida would be assigned to me, and she was making reports about anything I’d said, and all my progress. The one thing Saida didn’t know was where he got the grubs from, but the shielded warehouse was full of them. Hundreds, and perhaps millions of seeds. I speculated he must have left Gwienidd to find a dark witch, and asked the witch to make it for him, and that was probably the extent of the witch’s involvement.

  It even fit the timeline, I imagined something like that would take several weeks, perhaps two months to plan and pull together, and it fit perfectly if he started plotting almost right after his aunt and cousin arrived in the city three months ago.