“Oh? Visiting your pet obsession, I presume. What of the city itself? Has it changed?” The dragon seemed to relax slightly.
“It’s unchanged, as anticipated. If anything, the defenses have grown stronger than before,” Essryl said, then glanced at Sinera as she added. “As for Ruethwyn, she managed to impress others as well.”
“Ruethwyn? Ruethwyn Sylaris?” Sinera’s distant look almost shattered as she sat up abruptly, her voice almost eager.
“Dear?” Resvarygrath asked, looking slightly taken aback.
Essryl ignored his comment, looking at Sinera and smiling slightly as she nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.”
“Who’s Ruethwyn?” Minerva asked, looking at her sister in confusion, to Essryl’s amusement.
“She’s my student. Ruethwyn has a stronger talent with atavism than I possess myself, and I was worried that she might have died,” Sinera explained, and Essryl resisted the urge to let her smile widen as she saw growing worry in Resvarygrath’s eyes. “I recall throwing her out of the way of Resvarygrath’s flames, but I couldn’t remember if I succeeded or not.”
“She’s… she’s your student?” Resvarygrath asked, obviously stunned and a bit alarmed.
“Ooh…” Minerva said, her eyes widening. “I thought you said that it was nearly impossible to find someone with the gift for atavism!”
“It is, and she practically fell into my lap. I would’ve been most upset if she was dead. I have plans for her,” Sinera said, glancing at Resvarygrath curiously. “You didn’t know?”
“Of course not!” Resvarygrath replied. Essryl wouldn’t be surprised if he started sweating at any moment. “If I’d known, she would’ve been here waiting for you!”
“I see. So, what’s my student been up to? I’m surprised that she went to Valisair… from what I’ve heard, it’s barely been a year since my death. That seems a touch quick to go there,” Sinera said, frowning. “It’s a rather dangerous trip.”
“Yes, well I’m afraid you weren’t quite quick enough to get her out of the way of My Lord’s flames. She was on the verge of death, but since she tried to rescue a young woman from me even then, I saved her life,” Essryl said, shrugging slightly. “Alas, she was still half-crippled, with her mana veins damaged and her injuries cursed not to heal.”
“What?” Sinera asked, her expression darkening slowly. “What kind of injuries?”
“Half her face was burnt, she lost an eye and arm, and the scars extended halfway down her right side,” Essryl explained, keeping an eye on the increasingly unhappy dragon. “They couldn’t be magically healed as long as My Lord’s curse remained in place, though I bypassed some of that.”
Sinera gave Resvarygrath a frosty glare, and the dragon protested. “I didn’t know she was your student!”
“I can see that,” Sinera replied flatly.
Minerva giggled softly, but didn’t interject, a bright smile on her face.
“In any event, Ruethwyn went to Valisair to request their assistance in removing the curse,” Essryl said, smiling as she added. “I knew that they could do it, but she wasn’t so certain.”
“I see. Well, she was right… though how she’d pass their tests is beyond me. I had a hard enough time, even after helping them,” Sinera said, frowning deeply. “How did she do?”
“She didn’t simply have the curse removed. No, they did something far more than that. Young Ruethwyn has been fully reborn, and she’s now partly fey,” Essryl said happily, enjoying the sight of Resvarygrath squirming. “Her injuries are gone, and I believe her mana core is even more powerful than it was. I was happy to see it, as she’s proven quite skilled over the time I’ve watched her.”
“Truly? She’s been reborn?” Sinera asked, her eyebrows rising suddenly. At Essryl’s nod, she sat back, looking contemplative as she murmured. “But to do that… that would be most difficult.”
“Does this have something to do with whatever you can’t talk about?” Minerva asked.
“Exactly. I didn’t do the best that’s possible, and as such, I didn’t receive as much help as I’d wished for. I can only imagine what Ruethwyn did to earn such,” Sinera said, and she slowly smiled. “I’m glad that my student didn’t disappoint me. I’m looking forward to teaching her further, and truly unearthing her potential.”
“Well, that being the case…” Resvarygrath interjected, sitting up and looking at Essryl. “Essryl, once Ruethwyn has left Valisair, I wish for you to abduct her and bring her here. Unharmed, if at all possible.”
“While I’m willing to do so if you desire, there is a slight problem, My Lord,” Essryl replied, resisting the urge to smile at Resvarygrath. She wasn’t surprised at the request. “As I recall, you agreed to help Hekara get revenge on Ruethwyn in exchange for her assistance in restoring these two to life. If I retrieve Ruethwyn, it could cause problems there.”
“You what?” Sinera demanded, glaring at Resvarygrath.
“I didn’t know she was important to you! All I knew was that some student at the academy had managed to ruin Hekara’s plot, and she wanted revenge in exchange for helping me,” Resvarygrath protested. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gotten into this mess, but you still wouldn’t be alive.”
“Perhaps…” Sinera muttered, still looking at him balefully.
“Maybe we could arrange some other form of payment?” Minerva suggested. “It might be harder, but I’m sure we could come up with something.”
“If I may? I suggest we don’t bother,” Essryl said, suppressing her smile as they looked at her.
“Why?” Sinera asked bluntly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Essryl.
“Your student has proven quite imaginative and resourceful at every turn. Even with her magic weakened and taken by surprise, she managed to drive Hekara back through a rift and allowed her teachers to close it. I have little doubt that she can fend for herself after surviving an assassination attempt and being fully healed,” Essryl said, smiling wickedly. “If Hekara wants to be humiliated further by being defeated by Ruethwyn again, let her.”
“Oh? And what if you’re wrong? What if she kills Ruethwyn? Or worse, what if she drags her off as a prisoner to torment for the remainder of her life?” Sinera asked, her skepticism obvious.
“In that case… well, the answer is simple. In the former case, we can raise her from the dead. In the latter, I’ll go after Hekara and retrieve Ruethwyn. My Lord agreed to help Hekara, that doesn’t mean I can’t interfere afterward,” Essryl said, smiling still more.
“While I don’t object to that, since it’d allow me to keep my part of the deal, that doesn’t solve the issue of getting the girl here if she survives Hekara,” Resvarygrath said, some of his discomfort seeming to ease. “Would you retrieve her then?”
“I could, but why bother?” Essryl asked, to their puzzled looks.
“…I don’t understand,” Minerva said, frowning. “Why wouldn’t you bother?”
“I say why bother, because why expend the effort when she’s going to come to us?” Essryl asked, her tail flicking more quickly.
“What?” Sinera asked, her eyebrows rising again. “Why would she come here?”
“The girl she was in love with is one of Resvarygrath’s trophies, a young woman named Anara. Everything Ruethwyn has been doing is in an attempt to come here and rescue her,” Essryl explained patiently. “So, why bother kidnapping her, when all we have to do is wait and she’ll deliver herself to the palace?”
For a moment, there was silence, then Sinera smiled slightly. “Anara, is it? Well, that does explain why Ruethwyn always liked studying on the bench facing her house.”
“If you’re correct, it also solves a lot of problems without having to act too overtly,” Resvarygrath agreed, looking happier himself. “It’d save on the number of would-be dragonslayers. They’re always obnoxious.”
“It sounds like a plan!” Minerva said, grinning. “So, why don’t you tell us about her? You said she was reborn, a
nd it sounds like you’ve been keeping an eye on Ruethwyn. What’s she look like, then? What’s she done?”
Essryl smiled yet again and nodded in return. This looked like it was going to take longer than she’d anticipated, but that was fine. Things looked like they were going to work out how she wanted, anyway.
“Well, as her appearance has changed immensely, let me show you an illusion of her. She’s entertained me as well, and her end of year trials were particularly amusing…” Essryl began and started casting a spell to show them what Ruethwyn looked like.
The two women certainly brought a different feel to the palace.
Chapter 4
“Now, if all of you are ready, remember. Once through the portal, go due south. None of the fey or animals should bother you as you leave, but do try not to provoke them. If you do, I’m afraid that they’ll attack you in self-defense, which I consider quite justifiable,” Verdrina said briskly, the tiny, pale-green woman looking at them sharply. “Any questions?”
“How far will we be from the border?” Tadrick asked, adjusting how he was carrying his snowshoes.
The blizzard had passed by late the previous day, and Ruethwyn hoped to be out of the Frostglades by sunset. While she liked the fair folk for the most part, shopping had been a strange experience, as many of the items for sale had been puzzling, and the prices were worse. Ruethwyn had no idea how you’d even collect a strand of a nightmare on the spring equinox, nor what it was used for. Besides, the foods had ranged from intriguing to outright nauseating.
Now they were about ready to leave, though. Ruethwyn waited patiently as Verdrina shrugged and replied. “I have no idea. You should reach the border before dark, I think… it’s hard to guess how quickly you mortals can move.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” Tadrick said, sighing.
“Well, the sooner we get started, the sooner we’re done!” Korima said brightly, her smile flashing for a moment, then the kitsune melted into her giant fox shape. Somehow, she managed to keep her blue scarf on, even though the rest of her clothing and equipment had merged with her body, to Ruethwyn’s amusement.
“Agreed. Shall we go?” Ruethwyn said, looking at Tadrick and Sella.
“Sounds like a plan,” Tadrick agreed, and Sella nodded.
“I’m not looking forward to how my parents are going to react, but there’s no point putting it off,” Sella said grimly.
“Excellent. Good luck on your trip! I hope to hear a nice story you put together, Korima,” Verdrina said, laying her hands on the ice pillar that was the core of the fair folk gate network.
It didn’t take her nearly as long to activate the gate as it’d taken Soresh, Ruethwyn realized, somewhat surprised. In only a few moments, the pillar began to shimmer, and then a rippling window opened in midair, revealing a copse of trees around a clearing.
“Thank you, Lady Verdrina. Your help is appreciated,” Ruethwyn said, bowing her head politely.
“You’re most welcome, Ruethwyn,” Verdrina said, smiling in return.
Without another word, Ruethwyn hopped through the portal, internally marveling at how much easier it was to balance with both arms. She’d almost forgotten how different it was, at least until she’d been reborn. Even so, she yelped as Korima jumped through the portal right behind her, bumping into her as she was straightening and almost knocking her over.
“Korima, watch it!” Ruethwyn exclaimed.
The kitsune gave Ruethwyn a look and sniffed, then made her opinion known by solidly thwapping her with her large, powerful tail. That almost knocked Ruethwyn over again, and as she regained her balance the fox trotted off toward the edge of the clearing while Sella and Tadrick hopped through the portal.
“Is Korima being difficult again?” Sella asked, glancing behind her as the portal faded away, leaving only the ice pillar to show where it’d been.
“Again implies that she’s ever not difficult,” Ruethwyn retorted, sighing and looking around. For an instant, she hesitated, then she pulled out her compass. “No, no using magic to find where north is. Even if I can use magic more easily again, I shouldn’t waste mana.”
“Is it really that big of a deal, Rue?” Tadrick asked, his eyebrows rising.
“You have no idea. After a year of it being like pulling burning needles through my veins to cast spells, and it being slow and painful to even form them, comparatively, now it’s… it’s pure bliss by comparison. Mana flows smoothly and instantly at my whim, and it’d be so incredibly easy to use it for everything,” Ruethwyn explained, her voice longing as she examined the compass to figure out which way was north. Glancing in the direction, she oriented herself to face south and slipped the compass back into her pocket. “I’m trying to resist that temptation, since it’d be a waste of energy. A tiny part of me wanted to summon Zaria for the trip back, but that feels like it’d be disrespectful of her time.”
“Ah, I can see that,” Sella said, smiling slowly as she began putting on her snowshoes. “I didn’t realize it felt that much better for you.”
“There are no words to explain it,” Ruethwyn said simply, realizing a huge smile was on her face. After a moment, she murmured the words of a spell, reveling in the sensation of the mana flowing through her effortlessly and turning into her icewalking spell. She let out a sigh and smiled. “Shall we?”
“May as well,” Tadrick said, fastening the last of the laces to his snowshoes and looking at Ruethwyn enviously. “This would be a lot easier if Sella and I could walk over the snow like you can.”
“I may have more mana than before, but I don’t have that much. You’re going to have to deal with it,” Ruethwyn told him, then blinked as she heard an odd sound, and turned to see Korima.
The kitsune was still in the shape of a fox, but from the looks of things, a snowbank had collapsed on her or she’d rolled in fresh powder, as she was liberally covered in snow. Ruethwyn giggled, and Tadrick chuckled softly a moment later.
“I take it that’s a sign we’d best get going,” Sella said, her amusement apparent even if she didn’t laugh.
The fox nodded, and Ruethwyn laughed again, then began stepping forward. At least she didn’t have to worry about the snow giving way beneath her.
After a long day of walking peacefully over snowdrifts, Ruethwyn let out a soft breath of relief as she saw the end of the Frostglades. The mottled brown of mud through patches of snow slowly gave way to greenery and trees. Ruethwyn glanced back at the others and suppressed a sigh. They were slowly trudging through the snow, moving far more slowly than she did, save for Korima at least.
Still, they’d made good time, considering how snowshoes slowed them down. Ruethwyn felt a bit guilty about almost being able to dance across the snow, but she didn’t let it get to her. After all, they’d chosen to follow her rather than being invited to come along.
Ruethwyn didn’t hurry ahead though, pausing to wait for the others as she thought. She’d been trying to consider what she’d experienced through the portal in Imris’s domain for the last couple of days, but she hadn’t had an enormous amount of time to think about it. The trip had helped, but with the others around, she’d still had a fair number of interruptions.
Closing her eyes, Ruethwyn reached inside herself, not reaching for her mana core this time. It was an odd sensation, but as her senses extended, she first found the cool, pulsing energy of her body. It was strange to think that she was part ice fey, but that had been part of the price she’d paid to regain a full body. Ruethwyn did wonder what weaknesses it might have given her, but she wasn’t going to worry about it. No, instead she was focused on her blood, and the fire smoldering within it, ready to ignite at any moment. It wasn’t wild, not anymore, but it was there. It was the remnants of Resvarygrath’s flames, and Ruethwyn couldn’t quite understand why it was still within her, even when she’d been reborn. After all, the nature of an ice fey was opposed to fire, which made it even more puzzling.
“She must have had her reasons,”
Ruethwyn murmured, opening her eyes again as she thought about the goddess. Perhaps Ruethwyn wasn’t the most fervent believer in the gods, but she was truly grateful for what she’d received, even if the tests had been harsh. Shrugging, she let out a sigh, adding softly, “At least I overcame my fear of fire.”
Noting that the others had gotten close, she headed for the edge of the Frostglades again, her pace a bit more sedate. As she did so, she saw movement along the edge of the forest, and her lips pursed as she recognized the man who stepped out of the trees, a half dozen men-at-arms behind him.
Sir Barton Vintas was a distinctive man, at least to Ruethwyn. Sella’s father didn’t look terribly happy, but she couldn’t really blame him, since he was probably upset that Sella had followed her.
Glancing back at the others, Ruethwyn let out a soft breath and decided to go ahead and try to defuse things as much as she could. Korima might be able to join her sooner, but who knew for certain?
Instead, she walked across the top of the snow until she was able to step into the first tuft of grass in front of her. The sensation was… strange, to say the least. Ruethwyn could feel the mana shift as she left the Frostglades.
“Hail, who goes there?” Barton called out, his tone slightly wary, yet polite at the same time. Ruethwyn blinked in surprise, then smiled.
“Ah, of course you don’t recognize me. I’ve changed quite a bit, haven’t I?” Ruethwyn said, smiling back at him, and noticing that the soldiers looked somewhat fascinated. After a moment, she continued. “It’s me, Sir Vintas. Ruethwyn Sylaris. I’m afraid that getting help required somewhat more drastic changes than I’d anticipated.”
“Ruethwyn? That… are you joking with me?” Barton asked, wariness turning to shock, then incredulity.
“Of course not. I’m afraid that I found out that Korima, Sella, and Tadrick were chasing me a touch too late to do anything about it. Fortunately, they came out fine in the end, but it was a near thing for a while there,” Ruethwyn said, shrugging helplessly.
The Obsidian Palace (Through the Fire Book 3) Page 4
