"You are not an engineer, Aetria, or an arms master, or any other staff member; you are a sorcerer. You are not under the control of a sorcerer. The Council is making a formal objection to the king on that issue, but in the meantime, is forced to allow the general to take your services from us. We need your skills to do magic work, not to make my job difficult by providing conflicting advice."
"Sir! When in the past two weeks have I provided conflicting advice? I have, on at least three occasions, supported you publicly."
"It is what you tell the general in private that worries me."
Her temper rising, Aetria clamped down on the urge to yell and said very evenly, “Meaning what, Sir?"
Tossing the order on the desk, Cemaron folded his arms across his chest and sat back in his chair. “You have revealed practices, which up until you talked about them, were considered none of a non-sorcerer's business. This made us look like we were withholding information from her. Now she questions everything."
"If Pleates had used better sense and not tried to keep everything he did a secret, the general would have more trust in the things we do. The sorcerer regiment having been the source of one major spy, do you blame her for looking for more?"
"You are treading on dangerous ground, Sorceress."
"Sorry, Sir, but about the matter of my escort. As a Sorceress, I am entitled—"
"To nothing. You are not acting in a position of a sorcerer. The Council has revoked your entitlements. When you come back under our control, we will take over your protection, supply you with a source of Power, and allow you to exercise your authority as Sorceress. Until then, you are the general's concern."
Unable to control her anger, Aetria wheeled about and walked away, saying over her shoulder, “The general will hear of this!"
* * * *
The general had visitors when Aetria stormed up to the command tent. Lieutenant Valetti, the general's aide-de-camp, wisely sent Aetria back to her own tent with a promise to notify her as soon as the general was available. By the time the aide sent word for her to come, Aetria had cooled down enough that she was able to present her problem to the general without screaming.
"He has the right to do this, Aetria. I knew that when I wrote the order. I was hoping the Council and I would not end up in a confrontational relationship with each other. Well, it was expected, so I should not be surprised."
Aetria stood clenching and unclenching her fist. The urge to pace up and down was almost overwhelming.
"Relax before you break something, Sorceress. I have a simple solution to the problem. I am going to appoint you a Captain of Cavalry, effective immediately. You will then proceed to Inhestia with a patrol of my Royal Guard as escort to find out what you can about Pleates’ ability to track us down. Return when you have information for me.” Guiding Aetria out the door with one hand on the Sorceress’ back, Sonja added, “Don't stay there for four years getting the answers, either. I need you back here as soon as you can return. We have a war to end."
* * * *
Aetria looked at her new armor resting on its armor rack with a Captain of Cavalry sash draped over the breastplate. She wondered if what she was doing was what she wanted. In the morning she would be leaving for Inhestia, but was she going as member of the Order? Or as an officer of the king? The ban on her entitlements did not demote Aetria from the rank of Sorceress, and she could still practice magic, but it made her a virtual outcast to her regiment. Losing access to a Power source cut her off from the community sharing experienced during the nightly meditation done to charge their Power grids to the maximum. She thoroughly enjoyed the exchange of the news of the day afterwards with her fellow sorcerers, especially Acting Sorceress Wilmina, catching up on what the 5th Support Company was doing.
Although banned from using the regiment's Power source, she still had access to one, Pleates’ source. Until now, she had never had to use it. With a sigh, Aetria opened Crusher's source and began her meditation. And stopped.
What is that strange feeling?
She closed the lid, and the feeling went away. Opening it again brought back the strangeness. To her Power sense, it was like a buzz around the normal flow of energy from the source. She backed away from the box, wondering if she had positioned herself too close to the dead Adept's source. The strangeness did not go away, although her sense of received energy decreased every so slightly. She had a choice, put up with the buzz and Power her grid, or give up. She decided to continue her meditation and find a way to block out the irritation, at least until she had sufficient Power in her grid.
How did Crusher put up with this? she wondered, as she absorbed the Power.
* * * *
Her personal pride was all that kept Aetria in the saddle during the grueling three-day trip from the army's encampment to Inhestia. Her escort of eight Royal Guards had set a fast pace the moment they had left the last sentry post, and continued it from morning meal to dusk every day. Bivouacking at night consisted of a quick meal eaten in the dark, rolling oneself in blankets, and falling asleep instantly. After rising at dawn, a trip to the bush to take care of nature's call and a splash of water in one's face were allowed before gulping down the morning meal of watery gruel and fruit.
Aetria could have slowed the pace early on after her escort commander, Sergeant Delmona, a woman as hardened as Sonja was, had asked her if they were moving too fast for the captain. Aetria, looking back over the past three days, regretted telling the sergeant to keep up the pace. She ached in every muscle she had, and then some. When the gates of Inhestia appeared at last, shortly before dusk on the third day, she sighed in relief. Her mind raced ahead to a longed-for hot tub and a soft sleeping-pallet. The challenge from the gate sentry drew her mind back to the present as Sergeant Delmona announced Aetria by her rank of Captain of Cavalry. The sentry called for his duty officer, who appeared within moments.
The elderly man stepped forward into the torch light of the gates to get a better look at the distinguished visitor. She recognized the old Sorcerer Guard as Lieutenant Hamilto, who had been a guard at Inhestia for as long as anyone could remember.
"Sorceress Aetria?"
"It is good to see you, Lieutenant Hamilto. Sorry to disturb your evening meal."
"Receiving one of our own back home is never a disturbance, Sorceress. You confused me by your uniform and fancy title. Do I alert Mage Kelristo, the headmaster, or Magess Trelana?"
"I am here to see the Magess. Please see that my escort is billeted promptly."
"It will be done, Sorceress ... I correct myself, Captain. Welcome home."
* * * *
"Captain of Cavalry?” Trelana said, her eyes running over Aetria's armor. Aetria wondered if she appeared as exhausted as she felt to Trelana, with the strain of travel on her face and the smell of unwashed clothes faintly present. Trelana held out her arms for a welcoming embrace. Aetria came forward and gave her a firm hug. The coldness of armor's hard metal made a barrier to the warmth of their reunion.
"It is a long story, Magess. After a hot tub and some rest, I'll be ever so happy to relate all.” The tiredness in Aetria's voice confirmed her condition for Trelana.
"Of course, the tub is waiting at the visitor's cottage. I will cancel my morning classes so we can be undisturbed. We have much to talk about, Aetria."
* * * *
Aetria luxuriated in the tub, soaking for much longer than she had ever remembered, the aches of the three-day ride seeping out into the welcomed heat of the water. When she finally emerged from the tub, she donned a soft sleeping-robe. At Inhestia's elevation, the summer's night still held a chill, and as she lay down in the soft bed, she considered using a blanket. Those were her last thoughts as sleep crept over her.
Arising the next morning, Aetria felt well-rested and starved. Trelana had suggested Aetria take the morning meal with her, and she had agreed. Eating with the students would have given her the opportunity to visit with friends, but it would also have delayed her
meeting with Trelana. She had a busy day ahead of her.
After her morning toilet, she stood staring at her saddlebags, trying to decide if she was going to wear her armor or her red Sorceress robe. Wearing armor here at Inhestia seemed to be a way of showing the Council that Sonja had control of her instead of them. Not wearing armor would be less confrontational. Wearing her sorcerer uniform would mean capitulation—giving into their demands. Neither of those options appealed to her. She did not want to anger the Council, but she thought their actions to ban her from the regiment harsh and unfair. She impatiently scolded herself for not being able to choose.
You are the general's Chief Advisor—make a decision! She made one.
* * * *
Trelana missed Aetria's arrival, although she was watching for it. As she looked toward the visitor's cottage, waiting for Aetria to emerge, she was thinking of that moment only a few months earlier when Aetria had walked across the square in her Sorceress uniform, so proud, so military. The knock on her door startled her, and she turned from the window to tell the student page to answer it. The page escorted Aetria into the room. Aetria was wearing a student's robe, a red Sorceress sash the only color against the plain white cloth.
Knowing Trelana was staring at her robe, Aetria said, “I thought it would be less of a barrier between us if I took on my role as your student instead of a king's officer or a banned Sorceress."
"I can understand why the general made you her Chief Advisor, Little One. You try to think of all sides of a situation. Your decision was the right one for me."
* * * *
The page had removed the remains of the mid-day meal before Aetria finished telling Trelana all that had passed since her departure three months ago. The Magess had not interrupted once, letting the younger woman get the entire story out of her system without putting her on the defensive. Aetria had carefully deleted any of the story that connected to her Power-sensing ability, preferring to give Sonja the credit for maneuvering them away from Hermanian patrols. With a great deal of trepidation, she told her mentor of the grid burnout incident. Trelana reacted with sadness, but again had not questioned her for more details. Until now.
"A most interesting story, Aetria. You say your concern for Alenso Mythrian's life, and the shock of being hit by the bullet, is what triggered the burnout? I believe you are right. Yours are the only battle-related burnouts that we have a survivor to question, and yours are under the most trying conditions. I don't know how we can overcome the effect of pain and severe emotional stress on spell use. I don't see the value of torturing a sorcerer to see if they can control Power under pain.
"I must talk with Mage Kelristo and come up with a solution to this problem. The obvious one is to forbid the use of Power under those circumstances which would be very hard to do during a fight. Your loss of control, Aetria, is distressing, but we don't have enough information to say it is uniquely your fault."
"By forbidding, do you mean—"
Trelana reached out and patted Aetria's hand. “Oh, no! I don't mean casting you out. If we forbid it, then all sorcerers will be affected by the edict. And relax, I am not going to recommend years more of control work for you. Unless,” Trelana looked hard at Aetria. “Unless you have something else to tell me."
The shock of her words surged through Aetria, causing her to wince slightly. Trelana's hand pat became a firm grasp. “Tell me now, dear."
She couldn't lie to Trelana, but she couldn't tell her everything. Hiding her Power sensing for so many years would be unforgivable at this point. Frantically she tried to think of something to say that would sound plausible. Her mentor sat there waiting.
"The reason I was sent here by General Borlock was to try to determine how Pleates tracked us down when the Hermanian army couldn't. She thought it might be his source. She knows that an exposed source can be sensed by sorcerers."
Trelana frowned and thumbed their joined hands gently on Aetria's leg. “From what I have heard from Adept Cemaron, you told her that. The Council is not taking that well. But continue."
Freeing her hand, Aetria took Pleates’ source out of her robe pocket and handed it to Trelana. “She asked if Adepts had special skills to track their own sources. I told her I don't know because I have not been instructed in that area. I was sent to ask you if that were possible."
Looking at the source, Trelana opened the lid and exposed herself to the Power. After a moment, she closed the lid and handed it back to Aetria. “There is no secret knowledge about personal sources. If there were, I would have to enjoin you never to reveal it, even to your general. You would obey me on that, wouldn't you?"
Aetria dropped her head, the shame she felt from the rebuke reddening her cheeks. “Yes, Ma'am."
"When we send an Adept candidate out on their quest for a new spell, they have to have a source. We give them one, crafted uniquely for them in honor of their candidacy. If they succeed in their quest, then they are allowed to keep the source. I sense nothing different in this source. You have not finished telling me what I asked you to tell me."
"I—you know I have been banned by Adept Cemaron from exercising my entitlements as a sorcerer. He said it was by order of the Council."
Trelana nodded her head.
"I haven't been banned from using the Power, so I have been using Pleates’ source to recharge my grid.” She added breathlessly, “No one said I couldn't do that."
"That is true, otherwise I would have taken the source from you."
Thank the Power, Aetria thought. “I told you he gave me his source before sending me off to escort the general. When I tried to give it back, he insisted I would need it. I never used it once. After my burnout, I knew I couldn't expose it or our position would be known. When I opened his source for the first time just a few days ago, I sensed a ‘buzzing.’ I don't know how to describe it, but it does not feel like the normal energy from the source."
Trelana reached for the source again. Aetria almost did not hand it to her, afraid her revelation had changed her mentor's mind. The Magess opened the source again, concentrating on it. The “buzz” Aetria had described was still there to her senses, as it was the first time Trelana opened the source. Trelana closed the source and held it in her hand. Aetria held her breath unconsciously.
"Since the burnout, had you been exposed to any source before Pleates'?"
"No, Trelana."
The Magess got up and walked into her sleeping chamber, returning with her own source. “Remember not to stand as close as you do to Pleates’ source. Look at mine."
Even at a further distance than she thought prudent, the Power coming from Trelana's source was stronger than she felt comfortable with. She backed up a further step. Trelana shut the lid on her source. “Well?"
"The ‘buzz’ is there, Magess,” Aetria said. But why is the buzz from Pleates’ source so much stronger? It would be nice to be able to ask Trelana, but I'd better not.
"I will ask Mage Kelristo what he thinks, but my guess is that your second burnout has caused you the same over-sensitivity you felt last time. Have you spelled anything since your burnout?"
"No, I have been—"
"Busy playing soldier? Illusion me a thunderstorm, complete with hail."
Why is she prodding me? The storm was spectacular, even in Aetria's opinion. She added water from the horrendous rainfall rising rapidly up past their ankles. The thunder was deafening; the lightning's sharp bursts of jagged light reflected brightly off the descending rain. The egg-size hail splashed water up from the rising flood like rocks thrown into a pond.
The page ran into the room and shrieked when she saw water flowing towards her. Putting her hands over her ears, she rushed out. Aetria ceased the illusion, allowing an echo of the thunder to sound faintly off the room's walls. She felt as drained as the water that disappeared from the floor.
Trelana handed her Pleates’ source. “After that, you are going to need this. Very impressive; almost as good as the one you did f
or me months ago. Then you had more hail, but the water was a nice touch. You have gotten out of practice, but that is not your fault. You know a thunderstorm is one of the hardest exercises of control you can do, and you do it well. I will report this also to Mage Kelristo. You must promise me that you will report any abnormal spell effects at once."
"Yes, Ma'am, I will.” My Power sensing isn't exactly a spell effect.
Trelana left the room to find her page. Aetria walked to the window and looked out, the scene so very familiar to her. She had spent hours staring out this window during her course of studies with her Mentor. Aetria's guilt for not telling Trelana about her Power sensing was becoming a stone around her heart. The Magess had only tried to do the best for her, and Aetria rewarded her Mentor with half-truths.
Perhaps it would be better to tell her and accept the consequences.
Trelana swept back into the room and sat down in her favorite chair. She pointed to the hard, straight-backed chair next to her, the one where her students sat uncomfortably for hours at end, and Aetria sat down in it.
"Your killing Pleates has caused quite a commotion in the Council."
"It was either kill him or he killed the general."
"Don't get me wrong, Aetria. Pleates deserved to die for spying on our country and dishonoring our Order. The commotion is about the growing animosity between the general and the Council. Pleates did us no favors by his actions, and it has aggravated the mistrust the general feels about sorcerers. General Borlock's making you a field officer is not going to be taken well."
Aetria clasped her hands together in her lap and leaned forward slightly, putting as much sincerity as she could into her voice. “Sonja Borlock is a superb officer and commanding general. She only thinks of the good of the country and her service to the king. She is not spiteful and mean. Hard, yes.
"Distrusting? Not if you give her no cause to be. Pleates did that. He lied to her, or at the very least, misled her on several occasions. For example, the report he gave her of the incident involving the death of the five Novices did not contain my report as he told me it would. I stated in my report that I believed he had unreasonably increased the risk of grid burnout on the Novice Aggressors by sending them into battle before they were ready. I also said I believed his projector weapons killed the Novices."
Wild Sorceress Page 15
