“We Illisyr wish to grow stronger and expand our horizons, Lissa. To face opponents who can force us to improve is something that almost all of us crave. I’m no exception to that, and if Ruethwyn can surprise me, I’ll be delighted. If she faces me, she’s almost certainly doomed to failure, but she already knows that. It’s simply a question of how she’ll choose to face nigh-insurmountable odds,” Essryl explained gently, then rolled her shoulders. “Now then, before I get you the items I brought back, I’d best go speak with My Lord and let him know that I’ve returned. I’d suggest that once you’ve calmed down, you join Anara in the music class, Lissa. The practice will help your precision when casting spells.”
“Alright, I can do that,” Lissa said, seeming more at ease.
All around Essryl the other women heard her unspoken dismissal and started to move again. Leticia paused and bowed her head, asking. “Do you have any orders for me, Mistress?”
“Not at the moment, Leticia. Keep an eye on Lissa, hm?” Essryl said, smiling at the redhead in affection. Even if Leticia couldn’t fight, Essryl was quite fond of her.
“As you say, Mistress,” Leticia agreed, returning the smile.
Turning, Essryl left the room and let out the faintest sigh of annoyance. She hadn’t wanted to deal with Resvarygrath the moment she got back, but it seemed it was necessary. If he’d acquired the elementals he needed, that likely meant that Lissa was no longer necessary, and that would be another complication. She would have to get the girl back to Selwyn safely and ensure the young woman was compensated for her time. At least Resvarygrath wouldn’t object to the compensation, as little as it was compared to feeding the palace.
As she left the wing and headed toward the dragon’s laboratory, Essryl grew more focused as she smelled just a hint of sulfur. She took a deeper breath and considered the smell as it grew stronger. The smell was distinct, but even so, it took her a few seconds to place it as being from a living creature. A fire elemental, she was sure, which would explain a few things.
Reaching the door to the laboratory, Essryl knocked firmly. She knew that Resvarygrath would recognize her scent, if he hadn’t lost his sense of smell due to his guest’s presence. It was doubtful, though, since Resvarygrath’s own breath caused a distinct sulfurous residue of its own.
“Come in, Essryl,” the dragon rumbled in his deep voice, but the lack of resonance indicated he was in his human form.
Stepping inside the room, Essryl glanced around and smiled. As she’d expected, Resvarygrath was in his human form, and both he and his guest were looking at her. The guest was interesting, and Essryl sized the elemental up, then dismissed her as only a minor threat.
The demon was female, with eyes that glowed like flames, a pair of crown-like black horns, and form-fitting black clothing that wasn’t far different from what Essryl wore when she wasn’t in armor. More interesting were the ephemeral wings of fire behind the woman and the glowing marking that trailed up her arms.
“You’ve returned from your trip, I see,” Resvarygrath said, nodding to Essryl as he said, “This is Essryl Demara, of the Shadowfire clan. Essryl, this is Hekara, a—”
“Fifth circle fire demon from the borderlands between the planes of fire and shadow, yes.” Essryl interrupted smoothly, glancing at Hekara and smiling. “Not bad for a beginning summoner, I believe. You would be able to overwhelm Lissa easily if she summoned you normally, though.”
“Dark elves, you never give anyone the respect they’re due,” Hekara said, folding her arms and sniffing derisively. “As if you could do any better.”
Essryl laughed, smiling as she shook her head and looked to the dragon again. “But yes, I’ve returned, My Lord. I took a few detours to acquire some things from my clan, but nothing too important occurred.”
“Good,” Resvarygrath said, not looking too annoyed by her interruption. “In this instance, your little obsession is useful. You see, Hekara was summoned on Midwinter Night by one of the students at the elven academy, and part of her price is the chance to hunt down and avenge herself on the one who foiled her plans.”
“Is that so? You’re the elemental that Ruethwyn stopped by ripping open a link to another plane?” Essryl asked, her smile widening even more as she looked the demon over critically, then clicked her tongue. “Beaten by a crippled young elf, how sad… well, I can’t say that it doesn’t improve my opinion of her still more. She’s a clever girl.”
“Shut up. If I hadn’t been standing with my back to the rift, she’d have died like she deserved,” Hekara snarled, glowering at Essryl.
“Essryl, where’s the girl? I’m getting what I need from Hekara in the next few days, but I may as well fulfill my part of the bargain early on,” Resvarygrath replied, seemingly bored.
“Ruethwyn is currently in Tyrness but won’t be for long,” Essryl said, then smirked as she added, “I hope Hekara can move quickly or is suited to the cold, because Ruethwyn is heading for the Frostglades, and for Valisair within them. It might be a poor idea to chase her, though, since ice fey don’t tend to like your kind.”
“The Frostglades? Why would something like that slow me down?” Hekara sneered in response. “A few ice fey—”
“That would be a poor idea,” Resvarygrath interrupted, his voice suddenly far closer to sober than Essryl could remember it being before. She’d never asked why he hadn’t invaded the Frostglades, but she had a fairly good idea. After all, he’d sent her to negotiate a treaty with them.
“Why? It’s summer, isn’t it?” Hekara asked, scowling.
“That doesn’t matter. Valisair is built around a gateway to Crysandia Reach, in the second-coldest section of where the planes of air and water meet,” the dragon explained. “Furthermore, their patron is powerful enough to give me pause. I recommend that you wait and ambush her after she’s left the Frostglades, because otherwise, you will likely perish.”
The fire demon looked at the dragon for a long moment, then let out an annoyed huff, looking away. “Fine, then. I still think you’re being overly cautious, but I don’t like the cold anyway. Besides, I might have a few contacts that could deal with the girl as it is.”
“Good,” Resvarygrath said, relaxing slightly. “Now, is there anything else, Essryl?”
“Yes, My Lord. Are you done with Lissa, or can I send her back?” Essryl asked, though she was now fairly confident she’d be asked to keep the girl. They wouldn’t want her warning Ruethwyn about Hekara, after all.
“Keep her here. Until I’m certain that my project will work, I’m not going to have her leaving,” Resvarygrath ordered, scowling. “As it stands, this will take about a month. We’ll see after that.”
“Very well, My Lord. That’s everything I wished to ask about,” Essryl said, bowing her head marginally. Hekara’s amusement was annoying, but Essryl ignored her. She could kill the demon easily enough, after all.
“You may go, Essryl. Keep an eye on the girl. I want this bargain completed,” Resvarygrath ordered.
“As you wish, My Lord,” Essryl said, then turned to leave.
As she left, Essryl considered his order. It would make her decision to stop watching Ruethwyn a bit more difficult, but hopefully not too much. She really did want to see what sort of surprises Ruethwyn was going to come up with. Assuming that Hekara’s supposed contacts didn’t kill the girl.
Chapter 24
Ruethwyn closed the door to her room, only barely remembering not to lock it. Locking the room might not annoy Mother Ella too much, but it was best not to make things more difficult for the maids, especially if she came back the next year. Not that she’d be in this dormitory, but it was something she wanted to keep in mind. Taking a look around, Ruethwyn let out a soft sigh and headed down the stairs slowly, keeping her eyes on where she was stepping out of habit.
“I didn’t think I’d have grown this attached,” Ruethwyn murmured, thinking about the room, so much like the one she’d grown up in, if somewhat larger and nicer. Actually, when she thought about
it that way, the room wasn’t that similar. It was more that she’d grown comfortable here, and now she was being forced to leave.
Maybe not forced, Ruethwyn had to admit, but if she wanted to move forward with her goals, staying in the dormitory would be worse than useless. So she forced herself to smile as she turned the corner, then paused on seeing the activity in the downstairs hall.
Four servants in blue and teal uniforms were organizing a pile of baggage which had to contain at least ten times as much as everything Ruethwyn owned. An older elven woman was speaking with Mother Ella, one in similar colors, and as she watched a small coin purse and a pair of keys were handed to the housekeeper.
“I believe that should cover any damages,” the woman said calmly. “Is there anything else?”
“Thank you but no. It was a pleasure hosting Duchess Azure,” Mother Ella replied, sounding much politer than she’d been in Ruethwyn’s presence before.
“Thank you for taking care of her,” the woman replied in turn, nodding slightly, then she headed for the door, speaking to the servants. “Load the carriage quickly. If we’re to make good time we have to leave soon.”
“Of course, Ma’am,” one of the servants said, his voice respectful.
“Bright morning, Mother Ella,” Ruethwyn said after a moment, descending the steps and pulling out her keys, the pair tied onto a ribbon to ensure she didn’t lose one. “Am I going to need to pay for damages as well? I didn’t expect it… not that I can’t afford such, mind you.”
“Ah, Ruethwyn. No, that won’t be necessary, not unless you managed to do major damage in the last day?” Mother Ella replied, looking at Ruethwyn closely. “Your room doesn’t have nearly as expensive of furnishings or walls, and I inspected it yesterday when I visited.”
“Ah, I see. No, my room should be the same as yesterday. I stripped off the sheets for the maids to make things a bit easier as well,” Ruethwyn replied in relief. She did have funds she could use for repairs, but unless they were inexpensive, she’d have been forced to dig through her backpack to pull out coins.
“Good,” Mother Ella said, sounding quite satisfied as she plucked the keys from Ruethwyn’s hand. “I’ve taken the keys, so you can go when you like.”
“Thank you for everything that you’ve done over the past months, Mother Ella. My life would have been far more difficult otherwise,” Ruethwyn said, bowing her head and giving a half-curtsy.
Mother Ella paused for a long moment, and when her voice came, it was surprisingly gentle. “I was just doing my job, Ruethwyn. Good luck in whatever task you’re going on, and I hope to see you again in the fall. Just make certain to inform your dormitory head when you’re expecting a package, hm? It makes it easier to plan things out in advance.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ruethwyn promised, straightening again. “Thank you again.”
“Good. Now go on, get out of here. You’re one of the last, and I’m beginning to think I need to go yell at Barthel,” Mother Ella said, the hint of a smile vanishing as her eyes narrowed. “The boy would sleep half the day away if I let him.”
“Good luck with that,” Ruethwyn replied, trying not to smile at the idea of Barthel getting roused by Mother Ella. The thought was entertaining.
She turned and stepped out of the building, blinking at the sight of the nearby carriage, which the servants were loading the luggage she’d seen onto the back of. The glittering carriage was white with bright blue highlights and had a symbol of a shield with a blue falcon on it emblazoned on the side. Ruethwyn could just barely see Madeline inside, looking half-asleep.
The noblewoman caught sight of Ruethwyn and hesitated before giving a slight nod, then looked away. Amused, Ruethwyn shook her head and started around the carriage, being careful not to spook the horses. She doubted she’d ever get along well with Madeline, but at least they could respect one another.
“Hey, Rue! Over here!” Korima’s voice was loud and drew Ruethwyn’s attention away from the carriage.
Korima and Sella were under a tree, and looked like they’d just stood, with their packs resting against the trunk beside them along with a couple of other bags. Sella was wearing a modest traveling dress that was light brown along with the nice cloak Tadrick had given her, and looked much more at ease than Ruethwyn had expected, with a smile on her face as she nodded to Ruethwyn.
Korima was dressed differently than normal, wearing trousers, a red tunic, leather jacket, and a floppy-brimmed hat with ear-holes. Her tail was sleek as it swished behind her, and Ruethwyn suppressed a smile at the look of excitement on the kitsune’s face.
“I’m surprised it took you so long to get out, Rue. Korima and I both have more things than you, and we all finished breakfast at the same time,” Sella said, her tone teasing.
“Yes, well I did have to pack my nightgown and last things. You might remember that while I have both eyes again, this is still a disadvantage,” Ruethwyn replied dryly, raising her hand. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for long?”
“Nope! We’ve only been outside for a few minutes. You’re lucky, really. Dodging Madeline’s people and her luggage on the stairs was interesting,” Korima exclaimed, grinning.
“I’m glad to hear that. So, how exactly is this going to work? You said something about your parents arranging for a carriage, Sella?” Ruethwyn asked curiously.
“That’s right. I’m a little surprised since they didn’t do that last time… I just joined a caravan coming to the capital,” Sella replied, hesitating, then shrugged and grinned. “I guess they just wanted to celebrate my passing the apprentice class or something. It is faster, so I’m not going to object.”
“Agreed! Where to, then?” Korima asked, picking up a large bag.
“I’m supposed to meet them at the front gate. Supposedly they know what I look like, so they’ll hail us,” Sella said, then frowned.
“Is something wrong?” Ruethwyn asked, wondering why Sella looked a bit frustrated.
“It’s just… Tadrick said he was going to see me before we left, then he’s up and vanished. I expected him to show up before this, but it really doesn’t matter,” Sella said, shrugging and picking up her own bag. “It’s his own funeral.”
“Ah, that would explain it,” Ruethwyn said, pursing her lips as she started toward the front gates alongside them.
“Yup! So, who do you like more, Sella? Navaan, Tadrick, or Rue?” Korima asked breezily.
It took Ruethwyn a moment to process what she said, then she spluttered. “Korima!”
“What are you talking about, Korima?” Sella asked, flushing brightly as she said, “I… I…”
“Oh, come on, Sella! I have eyes, I saw how intrigued you were by Rue at the start of the class. Why else did you decide to sit next to her? I’ve also seen how you’ve kept an eye on her over the year,” Korima said, smirking as her ears flicked. “You seemed to back off once I got involved and Tadrick was flattering you, but that changed again after the meal with Navaan and Tadrick at that restaurant, the one with the vines.”
“Korima, are you trying to make me die of mortification?” Ruethwyn protested, reaching up to rub her eyes. “Besides, I thought you said that you liked me!”
“I do. I also know that you’re not sure about your feelings for Anara, despite going on this vast quest to rescue her. My point of view is simple, Rue,” Korima replied easily, her grin almost infectious.
“What’s that?” Sella asked, looking much more awkward.
“You need options, Rue,” Korima said bluntly, her smile slowly fading. “You forget, I’ve read all sorts of stories about heroes and seen plays. I’ve heard discussions of what actually happened, rather than the more upbeat renditions that make it onto the stage, too. You know what I’ve learned? I’ve learned that too many people who’re in your position… even if they rescue the person who was stolen away, unless they had a deep relationship to begin with, the relationship rarely lasts. Even then, often the person doing the rescuing
has gone through so much that they’re an entirely different person than who they were before, and that can destroy what relationship there was.”
Both Ruethwyn and Sella’s footsteps slowed, and she blinked, but Korima wasn’t done, and she looked at Ruethwyn directly, her voice sober now. “I admire what you’re doing, Rue. I think it has the makings of an epic tale… but only if you succeed. Only if you survive. For that, you need something to live for. Something to come back to. I like you, Rue… but if, for some reason, you don’t like me, I’m not going to object to you finding someone else who can give you the motivation you need to come back.”
Ruethwyn’s face was blazing with embarrassment, and she couldn’t help but to look away, shifting from foot to foot. She tried to come up with something to say but failed utterly.
“You… you’re very strange, Korima. I’m not sure that you’re wrong, but you’re strange,” Sella said, her face flushed as well. After a moment, she continued forward, and Ruethwyn followed along.
“I know,” Korima said, grinning as she added, “I’m also direct, because I get tired of people dancing around the point. Cut to the heart of the matter, and you can solve things. Or make someone incredibly angry, but that’s how it goes. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Mm, eggs.”
“I guess,” Sella said, her voice soft. She waited for a long moment, then spoke. “As to your original question… not Navaan. I thought I liked Tadrick, but when he and Navaan started to argue at the restaurant… I didn’t feel like a person. I felt like something. Like they didn’t care about me at all, but what I represented. When I got to the academy, the thing I remember is that I really got their interest when I told them I had an innate mana core. Before that, it felt like their interest was shallower, somehow.
“On the other hand… you’ve never chased me, Rue. You never gave me something while expecting something in return. In fact, all you ever did was try to be left alone, and we wouldn’t let you do that.” Sella’s voice grew a bit warmer and she smiled at Ruethwyn, who felt her cheeks warming again. “You willingly spent time you intended to use for studying on making me not one, but two dresses. You did the same for Korima, all for a play that you offered to stay home from at the last minute. You’re… loyal. Not perfect, by any means, but I think you understand me far more than Tadrick ever could. So yes, I like you, Rue. I just don’t know about liking you. I had a few relationships with both men and women back in Waterstone, but none of them were serious.”
Queen of Ice (Through the Fire Book 2) Page 20