by J. P. Larson
"Lunia is telling funny stories and the three of them are laughing."
"Are you using your magic?"
"No. I just know Lunia."
"If we go over there, and they're naked, then you have to let me come with you."
"Not if Eva and I are back together, or the queen says no."
"All right," she agreed. "What do you want if I'm wrong?"
"Hmm. If I'm right, then you'll write an article on the topic of my choosing and talk someone into printing it."
"Agreed," she said with a laugh. "Come on." She pulled me to my feet, and we circled to the other side of the garden. There wasn't a stitch of clothing out of place. Vani laughed again. "What topic?"
"I'll send you a note."
Bandari and Porta were sad to see Lunia and me leave. I collected one more kiss from Vani before climbing aboard my horse.
Lunia didn't say a word.
Late Night Visitor
On Eightday, Quartain began teaching me the spell containment dome. It required three Mobius strips. Two were linked together, and the third surrounded the first two. It would take me two weeks to learn that much, but I mustn't get too far ahead.
Oneday, very late at night, I woke when my bed shifted. I rolled over and found myself staring into the top of a familiar head.
"Do you hate me?" Eva asked.
"No," I said quietly.
"You're taking Cleo's daughter when you leave?"
"Lunia has a big mouth," I said. "She asked. What I do stopped being any of your business when you told me you didn't love me."
"I lied, Kia," she said. She looked up at me, and tears were streaming down her face. "I lied. I'm so sorry. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am."
I stared into her eyes, then created a small light and sent it against the wall behind me so I could see her better. Her eyes were red and swollen, her nose red. I didn't say anything.
"Please forgive me, Kia," she said. "I'm miserable without you."
My heart began pounding in my chest.
"Why did you say it?" I asked her.
"I was afraid. I was afraid you were leaving me. I couldn't stand the idea you would leave me, especially if I never become an adept."
"So you drove me away?"
"I'm so sorry, Kia. Please tell me it's not too late. I'll do anything."
"Anything?" I asked.
"Anything!" she said. "Whatever you want. We can just be healer and assistant. That would make you happiest, and if we're together, I'll be happy. I could be a good assistant."
"Anything?" I asked again.
"Anything."
"Cast your best truth spell on me. Right now."
"Kia?"
"Do it or get out."
She didn't wait. Her best spell took time to build, and it was a darned good spell. She finished and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Do it."
She settled it over me. I waited until it was completely settled in.
"I am sorry you feel I lied to you at the beginning," I said. "I didn't know what I could do was that special, but once I figured out it was, I didn't want to feel like a show off. I thought everyone else would feel bad, and I didn't want to risk our friendships. I didn't want to be treated differently, either."
"I'm not angry about that, Kia," she said. "I'm sorry I said what I said. I didn't mean it."
"Yes, you did, at least a little. And I'm sorry. At first, I didn't know it was special, and then after that, I didn't know what to do, so I did nothing for a long time, until I didn't think it would matter too much if you knew."
"It's okay, Kia," she said.
"I love you, Eva, more than anything, I love you. You hurt me so badly-"
"I know!"
"Let me say this. You hurt me badly, but I will never stop loving you. I think maybe I knew you still loved me, but it hurt so badly that you wanted to drive me away like that."
"I'm so sorry, Kia."
"I love you, Eva, and nothing matters more to me than we're together for the rest of our lives. Nothing matters more. I will move the heavens to make that happen, just as long as I know that's what you want, too."
She stared at me. "Do you forgive me?"
I opened my arms, and she flew into them, knocking me onto my back in the bed. She straddled me and began kissing me. We held each other tightly.
"Will you come home now, Kia?"
"Yes," I said.
She pulled me from the bed and, still in my nightshirt, I followed her. When we got to the sitting room, Lunia and Loralai were there, both beaming at us. But Loralai was tapping her toe on the floor.
"That's the end of this foolishness, right?" she asked, her arms crossed.
"Yes, Loralai," Eva said. "Um."
"Go on," she said. "Lunia and I will stay here tonight and bring Kia's things back upstairs in the morning."
"Come on," Eva said, tugging on my arm. I didn't resist as she tugged me back to our room.
My heart was bursting. I couldn't quite believe the nightmare was over, but she shoved me to the bed, shed her clothes in a pile on the floor, then climbed onto the bed after me. She lowered her mouth to mine, and I was back in heaven.
* * * *
Afterward, we lay together. It was late, and we were so tired, but I couldn't stop holding her, and she couldn't stop touching me.
"Have you done it yet?" I asked her.
"No."
"Quartain told me that no one ever gets it when they try too hard."
"I know. She told me that, too, but I wasn't ready to listen."
"I want you to do something."
"I already did do something," she said with a giggle.
"I know, and I enjoyed it a great deal. Close your eyes."
She did, and I spent a minute or two caressing her face. "Now, relax. Do you feel good?"
"Uh huh," she said. "Really good."
"Good. What I was thinking about that night is how things fold back on themselves. I was thinking about how Lunia and Loralai were lovers years ago, before I met them. And now, at least partly because of us, I think, they're back to being lovers again."
"That's a nice thought," she said. "We brought them together."
"It's sort of an interesting fold. We helped them together, but they've helped us so much, too. That first Sevenday, when I didn't know what to do, Lunia helped me. And you were choosing men, but you've switched and are more comfortable with Loralai than you were with the men."
"Yeah."
"And while I was thinking about that, I was raising my magic. Just raising it and letting it blow away, not really paying attention. Why don't you try that?"
So she did, raising her magic in the air above us.
"And I felt really good. We'd made such gentle love together." I began caressing her, twirling my finger in a circle on her bare skin. "I wasn't really thinking about my magic. I was thinking about things turning around. A little like we've turned around, and then around again."
I kept talking to her, very quietly, and caressing her still damp skin with my fingertips.
And then I said, "Eva, freeze. Open your eyes."
She looked upwards into her magic. Her eyes grew wide. Then she dropped her gaze to me.
"Is that you?"
"You know it's not. Can you do it again?"
She waved her magic away, then immediately I knew she was going to try too hard.
"No," I said. "Close your eyes again. Relax. Feel my touch on your skin, my fingers twirling around. Raise your magic. Again. Again. Open your eyes."
She looked up at the Mobius strip, hovering in the air above her. She stared for a while, then waved it away. Then, gently, she did it again. And again. And again.
And then she was crying, clutching at me. "I did it," she said. "I did it."
"Yes, Love, you did."
I lay down next to her. "Keep doing that," I said. "Gently, just like that."
And she did, over and over and over.
"Now bigger," I
said.
It took her a few tries, but she made it bigger.
"I did it," she said as a whisper.
"You sure did."
"Should we tell Quartain?"
"In the morning," I said. I cuddled closer. "I love you, Eva."
"You're mine again."
"Yes."
We lay quietly for a while.
"What made you come to me tonight?" I asked.
"Lunia told Loralai that Cleo's daughter was beautiful, and she was going with you this summer. I became nearly insane with jealousy." She paused. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"
"Absolutely not."
"But you're going to tell me anyway."
"I am?"
"You are."
I thought about it. "No, I don't think I am," I said eventually.
I didn't see her do it, but I sure felt it when she shoved a fresh truth spell into me. She rolled over and loomed over me.
"Kia, did you and Cleo's daughter make love?"
"No."
"Did you want to?"
"No."
She paused.
"Did you kiss her?"
"She kissed me. Three times."
Eva didn't say anything for a while. I lay quietly, waiting.
"Were they good kisses?" she asked eventually.
"Yes, they were."
"She didn't want to make love?"
"Oh no, I believe she did. But I'm in love with someone else."
She dispelled the truth spell, kissed me, and lay back down next to me. We lay together for a while before she asked, "Have you learned any new shields?"
"We started working on the containment spell," I said. "Yesterday."
"So your ass is still mine on Sevenday?"
"Perhaps."
"Perhaps?"
"Yes. Perhaps."
She paused. "Roll over. Right now. On your stomach." I rolled over obediently, and she gave me three firm swats on my bottom.
"I forgive the kisses."
Soon afterwards, we slept.
Exam
Eva thought it was entirely unfair that she got caught in my tangle spell after she'd dragged me off the field. I thought it was terribly fitting.
* * * *
I thought Quartain would warn me when my adept exam would be held. Instead, on a Fiveday morning a week before classes were due to be finished for the spring, I stepped into her classroom expecting another training session, and I found myself staring at a great many magi, Quartain among them.
"Come in, Kia," she said gently.
"You like doing it this way, don't you?" I accused.
"I certainly do," she said with a smile.
I stepped the rest of the way into the room and looked at who was there. I recognized most of the women, and I stepped from one to another. I curtsied to the queen, causing her to frown at me, then pulled her into a hug. "Hello, Marie."
Senior Magus Tybeenia was there. It had been she who helped me after the possession three years ago, and I took a moment to thank her for her help back then.
Magus Hallow was there, and I hugged her and then Iladarta. I greeted Magi Sytara, Lyteesh, Paronia, and Makartha. That left three women I didn't know.
"Kia, this is Senior Magus Flutarine," Quartain said. "This is Magus Brickamere and Magus Larpeen."
"Thank you all for coming," I said. Then I turned to Quartain. "Three senior magi? Surely you all have better things to do."
"It is not every day we test a candidate for adept," Senior Magus Flutarine said. "If everyone will please take her seat."
I thought it would be the queen that would lead the questioning, but it was Senior Magus Flutarine. Once we were seated, she explained, "We prefer this exam to be conducted by someone who hasn't had too close a relationship with the candidate."
"Of course," I said.
"I presume you already know how this works, but it is possible I conduct this differently than you are accustomed." She then reviewed the rules, which weren't at all different from Quartain's, and I told her so.
"Well then, I would like you to begin by spending a few minutes telling us about yourself. Where are you from, how did you come to the school, what do you hope for your future postings, that sort of thing. Take your time. I prefer a candidate spend five to ten minutes."
And so I easily explained about Lamore's Holding, mentioning I'd been an outsider, then explained how I had arrived at the school. She wasn't impressed I'd been a reluctant student, but I didn't particularly care how she felt about it. I explained the types of magic I best wielded, the types I hadn't learned yet, and then talked for a few minutes about Eva.
"I wish to understand. You wish the queen to assign the two of you together?"
"Not wish," I said. "Expect."
That caused muttering. "Assuming you pass your examinations, you will be a fresh adept. And you expect to lean on your old relationship with Queen Hallamarie to ensure a very unusual post?"
"Not at all," I said. "I wouldn't ask Queen Hallamarie for a favor based on past affection shared between myself and Marie. I might ask Marie for a favor, but it would be a personal favor. This is professional."
"And yet you expect to dictate the terms of your service?"
"I wouldn't put it that way. I would say the queen once promised me she would never force me to a position against my will, and she has renewed that promise a few times since. I would also suggest I might have a marker or two with the queen -- not Marie, but the queen." I shrugged. "I believe you are envisioning a problem that doesn't exist."
"Oh?"
"Queen Hallamarie," I asked, "do you intend to do your best to allow Eva and me to serve together?"
"Yes," she said, "as much as I reasonably am able."
"You see, Senior Magus Flutarine?"
The woman frowned. "Perhaps you do not understand how this works. When there is a new adept, her skills are evaluated, and she is assigned where she is most needed."
I thought about it. "Senior Magus Flutarine, I am happy to discuss this at length, but I am confused. Does the likelihood of my becoming an adept depend upon the results of this discussion?"
"You are very impertinent."
"I have been called that in the past." I shrugged. "I only was curious why we were dwelling on this topic. It is the nature of a sorceress to be curious."
She cocked her head. "Are you being sarcastic?"
I paused before answering. "I am sorry, Senior Magus Flutarine. Other than a certain amount of casual familiarity with a few members of this panel, I have been striving to be exceedingly polite and respectful. I intend no sarcasm or disrespect. If I have done something to annoy you, please understand it was not at all intentional, and you have my apologies for anything said in a clumsy fashion. I am at times the simple farm girl from my childhood, and this occasionally translates into social clumsiness."
I glanced at Quartain, whose expression was closed to me. I wasn't sure why Senior Magus Flutarine was being difficult.
"I see," she said. "Your apology is accepted. Let us return to the topic of your assigned service." I inclined my head. "It is the duty of this panel to determine your abilities and to evaluate the needs of Ordeen. It is then the duty of this panel to make recommendations to Queen Hallamarie as to how you may best serve Ordeen. And it is your duty to accept your assignment and perform the resulting duties to the best of your ability."
I cocked my head. "I see. And from what has been discussed so far, how would you expect me to serve?"
"As a healer for the military."
I leaned back in my chair. "I see. I didn't ask what your primary duties were for Ordeen. Do you care to share this with me?"
"I oversee all sorceresses assigned to the military."
"I understand," I replied. Neither Marie nor Quartain were saying anything. Iladarta and Hallow were both thin lipped, but they didn't respond, either. "I am perhaps confused. I was given to believe that the queen made the assignments."
"Based on the
recommendations of this panel."
"And so, when I negotiate my position, I will negotiate with Queen Hallamarie."
The woman thumped the table with her first. "There is no negotiation. There is an assignment passed to you by the queen, and when she tells you what to do, you will do it."
"Well, if she tells me to do something that keeps Eva and me together and involves me helping the people of Ordeen, I am sure I shall do so."
The woman glowered at me. "Serving in the military helps the people of Ordeen."
"I am sure it does. However, barring a major war that involves the mobilization of much of Ordeen, I will not be serving in the military."
She banged the table. "You will do as you are told."
I sighed. "I have a personal promise from Queen Hallamarie, given to me when I was twelve and renewed several times since, that I will not be forced into any position against my will. At the time the promise was given, I very, very clearly stated I would not become any sort of soldier." I leaned forward. "You may posture all you want, Senior Magus Flutarine, but the only way I will ever report to you in your current role is if there is a major invasion or some other drastic need."
She tried a different tack. "You have stated you wish to serve with your lover, Eva Truebright."
"I will consider any attempts on the part of Queen Hallamarie to force Eva into the military as an attempt to coerce me into the same. I do not believe she will do so. I believe she has far, far more honor than that."
"Queen Hallamarie's primary responsibility is to the well-being of the country, and how the graduates of this school are assigned sees directly to that responsibility."
"I have no doubt," I said, "but I do not believe the queen is in the habit of making promises she has little intention of keeping. She is aware of my relationship with Eva and has known of it for some time. She has befriended both of us and has never once indicated she will be sending Eva into the military. I do not believe her morals would have allowed her to act as our friend for the last several years knowing she was going to do something underhanded such as sending Eva into the military in order to coerce me to accept a role there as well. I understand situations change, and if so, then we will of course do what is best for a country in dire need. Unless someone has declared war on us recently, I do not recognize the dire need."
