by C. A. McHugh
“And if she refuses?” Like any sane person would do.
“Then I go after her charges.” The king rose from the table. “That will be all.”
Raimel rose, a dozen pleas lodged in his throat, but he didn’t dare utter one. Such an act could be considered treason, and the king had made himself very clear on the matter. He bowed his head and left without another word.
Yeah, I’m seriously screwed.
Chapter 11
Aerrin peeked around the corner to ensure it was clear. Then he motioned for Seroney and his friends to follow him down the empty hallway. Classes had ended for the day, and most of the students were in the dining hall for supper. It was the perfect time for their first lesson on how to detect and vanquish demons.
Leandros shifted a bulging sack of food to his other shoulder, letting out a quiet groan and earning a scowl from Nyssa. “What? It’s heavy.”
“If you weren’t such a glutton, it wouldn’t be.”
“I’m a growing man. I need sustenance.”
Seroney wedged herself between them. “Shush.”
Aerrin rolled his eyes and continued ahead. If Seroney was going to risk teaching them forbidden spells, he needed to make sure they weren’t drawing any unwanted attention. That was why he’d chosen this hour to conduct the lessons. That was why he scurried through the hallways of the partially rebuilt west wing with silent steps, taking care they didn’t run into anyone else.
Finally, he settled on an empty room that looked like it hadn’t been used in years. The others hurried in, and as soon as the door shut, Seroney cast the same seclusion ward she’d used two weeks before and sealed the room from interruptions and eavesdroppers.
Nyssa’s jaw dropped. “What kind of magic is that?”
“Oudestan magic.” Seroney ignored the other girl’s puzzlement at her answer and pulled a dusty chair out from the corner to a rickety table in the center of the room.
“But the color—”
“Is it black or red?” Seroney countered, naming the colors of death and demonic spells.
Nyssa shook her head as she brought her own chair to the table. “But it’s green.”
“You heard her.” Leandros hoisted his sack on the table, which thankfully didn’t collapse under the weight of the food. “It’s Oudestan magic.”
Nyssa drew her brows together. The answer didn’t sit well with Aerrin either, but whatever the origin of the spell, it lacked any malicious intent as far as he could tell.
Seroney pulled out a heavy leatherbound tome from a deceptively small pouch and placed it in the middle of the table, pushing the sack of food to the side. “I’m sorry I had to postpone our lesson until now, but I had to wait for my mother to send this.”
Nyssa cast her doubts aside and pounced on the book. “Where did you get that?”
“Didn’t you hear her?” Leandros continued to unpack their picnic from the sack, not the least bit interested in the book. “She got it from her mother. Duh.” Then he paused as though he just realized something he’d missed before. “Wait a minute—how did she get that across the Divide?”
“The same way she sent me that letter you stole.” Seroney moved her chair closer to Nyssa and opened the book. “Objects have been able to pass over the Divide for centuries. People, on the other hand, are restricted by the Seven.”
“The Seven?” Now it was Aerrin’s turn to be inquisitive. As much as he wanted to learn how to fight demons, he didn’t want to miss this opportunity to learn something about his kingdom’s neighbor.
She looked from the book. “I thought after all the research you’ve done about my family, you would’ve at least stumbled upon the Seven.”
“Enlighten me.” He sat across the table from her and waited for her explanation.
“But I thought you wanted to learn about demons?”
Aerrin looked to his friends to see if they minded the change in tonight’s lesson. They both appeared to be as curious about the world on the other side of the Divide as he was. “We are eager to learn whatever you’re willing to teach us, but I would lying if I said I didn’t find your homeland a mystery.”
Her expression grew guarded, and she shifted in her chair. He had the sneaking suspicion he’d said the wrong thing, but much to his surprise, she replied, “The Seven were the casters who created the Great Divide. One of the elven leaders, Thoranus, devised a ritual that would bring peace to the land and end the Great Hunts. Using a set of ancient crystals, each of the Seven poured their life energy into the spell they cast. The spheres magnified their energies and caused the mountains to rise from the ground.”
“What became of the Seven?” Aerrin took one of the sandwiches Leandros offered and bit into it, even though it tasted like nothing.
“No one knows for sure. According to legend, they still protect the people of Oudesta and control who may enter. It is said that if you bear any malice in your heart, they will condemn you to wander endlessly through the fog that shrouds the mountains. It is also said that should Oudesta ever be seriously threatened, they will rise again to defend us.”
A plausible explanation to why he’d always heard the Divide was impossible to cross. It also reassured him to know that if Seroney were truly a threat to his kingdom, these so-called guardians wouldn’t have been allowed to pass. “Were they all elves?”
“No. There were three elves, two humans, a dwarf, and a faery.”
Nyssa sat up a little straighter, her eyes wide. “You mean faeries are real?”
“Of course they’re real.” Seroney drew back in disbelief. “What kind of history lessons do they teach you in Elgeus?”
“Only that riffraff got trapped on the other side of the Divide,” Leandros answered with his mouth full, earning glares from the other three. He shrugged. “Am I wrong?”
Aerrin cleared his throat. “I’m afraid our knowledge of history is limited to recent events.”
“So you didn’t know that humans are the true invaders of this land?”
Aerrin and Leandros shook their heads, but Nyssa nodded. “I read about that. Arcana used to be an island, and a group of mages steered it to this land. When the two collided, it formed the Green Mountains.”
Seroney smiled. “Exactly. That’s why this region is so different from the rest of the kingdom—the weather, the creatures, the very temperament of the land.”
That explained the eternal spring of Arcana, even when the rest of his realm was covered in snow. But he took the chance to circle back to her comment about humans being invaders. “Tell us more about the native races, Seroney.”
Again, the same look of caution flickered across her face. He’d gotten her to admit she was from Oudesta, but how much more would he be able to extract from her?
“Which one do you want to know about first?”
“Dwarves,” Leandros answered before Aerrin had a chance to speak
“Dwarves are perhaps the most solitary of races.” She spoke slowly as though she was carefully selecting each word before she uttered it. “It’s very rare to see one. They are shorter than most humans and are fond of long beards. Most of them live underneath the Silver Mountains in underground cities connected by long tunnels hewn from the rock. If my father weren’t a member of the Governing Council, I probably would have never met one.”
Aerrin pounced on that. “Governing Council?”
Seroney’s cheeks flooded with color, and she avoided looking at him. “I, um, will come back to the council later. Please, I’d rather focus on what we originally came here for.” She tapped on the book for added emphasis.
He nodded and crossed his arms. So far, he’d gathered a clue about how Oudesta was ruled and, more important, her father’s involvement with it. If she was telling the truth, then she might be able to help him gain support from the other realm to fight the Raven Bringer. His mind whirled with the possibilities, but he found himself drifting back to the conversation when her tone changed.
“Faeries, or
the fae, are probably the most annoying, useless race in Oudesta.”
Leandros laughed. “I take it you don’t like them.”
“No, I don’t. I wish they would stay in Sylvania and leave the rest of us with a functioning brain alone.”
“Why don’t you like faeries?” Nyssa asked with a disappointed pout that resembled a child whose birthday presents had just gotten trampled. “I’ve always read that they were pretty little creatures with wings who lived among the flowers and granted wishes.”
“That’s what they would like you to believe. Then they bite you, sting you, steal your prized possessions, turn you into an ass.” She shook her head in what appeared to be a mixture of disgust and frustration. “Father hates having one elected to the council. They never take anything seriously, and the faery representatives are always disrupting important business with their annoying, nonsensical songs and practical jokes.”
It was the second time she’d mentioned her father’s position, and this time, Aerrin wouldn’t let her avoid the topic. “Back to the council…”
Seroney blinked several times before studying him. He could only guess what was going through her mind since he lacked Leandros’s ability to read thoughts, but he sensed she was deciding what information to feed him.
Which, of course, only raised his suspicions. Not so much with her, but about the council itself.
She cleared her throat and explained in a calm, soothing manner, “The Governing Council is composed of seven elected members. Each term is ten years, and the council as a whole votes on matters pertinent to governing the Communal States of Oudesta.”
“And your father is a member?” Aerrin asked, trying to connect the different pieces of the political puzzle and understand the links both she and possibly Master Binnius could have with Oudesta’s council.
She looked down and rubbed her palms over her skirt. “The Meritis family is very old and respected in Oudesta. My ancestor was a member of the first council, and every generation has had a Meritis representative, including my father now.”
“So that makes you sort of like a princess, right?” Leandros winked at Aerrin and gave a suggestive grin.
His cheeks grew warm when he realized the implications of his friend’s comment. When he glanced across the table, he noted Seroney didn’t share the same embarrassment. Instead, she looked like Master Karena reprimanding an unruly student.
“Not exactly. We don’t have royalty or nobles in Oudesta. But I suppose you could say members of the Governing Council are similar to dukes. At least, during their terms of office. Otherwise, they’re just like everyone else.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Nyssa muttered under her breath.
“Why?” Seroney looked puzzled.
“Well, just look at you. You’re always dressed well and poised and…and…”
Seroney laughed as though she found this highly amusing. “Obviously, you haven’t been watching me too closely. My father says I’m an embarrassment at council functions because I refuse to act like a lady.”
But when Nyssa continued to fidget and withdraw further from the other three, Seroney asked, “Do I come across as some snobby visiting royal pain in the ass?”
Aerrin and Leandros replied with “No,” and “Definitely not.”
Nyssa, however, took longer to respond. “I suppose not. There’s no denying that you were raised a member of the upper class and that you’ve never had to do without, but you don’t act as if you’re better than anyone else just because you were born into a certain family.”
“You can thank my mother for that.” Seroney smiled with a tinge of wistfulness. “She’s a very modest woman.”
“And your father?” Aerrin asked, hoping he could find out more about a member of the ruling council.
Her jaw tightened, and her voice hardened. “He’s a Meritis.”
Aerrin noted the warning tone. Seroney was hiding something behind a wall of intimidation, but he wouldn’t let it deter him. The tension between them hung in the air like a brewing storm.
Nyssa intervened before something erupted. “Seroney, you never told us about the elves.”
“I thought you wanted to learn more about demons.”
“Not when we have an insider’s view into a land that’s been a great mystery and races that have been relegated into mythology,” Nyssa replied.
“Or you can tell us more about your family’s political connections,” Aerrin countered.
After Seroney gave him a withering glance, she seemed pleased to change the subject but took even more care when she spoke. “Elves look similar to humans with the exception of the pointed ears, and some people say they have different facial features. There are two different types of elves. The High Elves are purists who believe they are direct descendants of the goddess Elios, and hence, refuse to degrade themselves by mingling with the lower races. They reside in the Elder Wood. Very few people are allowed into their sanctum. Most elves you meet in Oudesta, however, are common elves, who don’t have the snobbish arrogance of the High Elves.”
“Is it true elves are immortal?” Nyssa asked, her awkwardness from earlier now gone.
“The High Elves claim they are immortal, and they have several members among their ranks who remember the time of the Great Hunts. Although elves age slower and live longer than humans, they can be killed just like any other creature.”
Aerrin nodded as she spoke, committing to memory everything she said. It might help him in the future if he ever decided to reach out to Oudesta. But there was still one thing that had lingered in the back of his mind ever since Ceryst mentioned the man who spoke the strange language. “What does Elvish sound like?”
Seroney backed away, her gaze going from confused to suspicious. She looked around the room, stopping at each place the glowing green ward sealed before taking a deep breath and speaking.
He’d never heard anything like it. The flowing, velvety words were soft and musical. The Elvish sounds lisped and hummed and created a trancelike atmosphere. With every word, he fell deeper and deeper into the enchantment she cast.
When she finished, she laughed. “I’ve never seen so many people hang on my every word like that, especially considering I was reciting a shopping list.”
Aerrin laughed with her, slightly self-conscious about the effect she’d had on him. “I’ve never heard anything so beautiful.”
“Nor I,” Nyssa added.
Leandros continued to stare ahead with a goofy grin on his face until Nyssa pinched him. “Ouch! Why can’t you just let me enjoy something?” He rubbed his injured arm. “Where did you learn to speak Elvish?”
Aerrin didn’t miss her hesitation to answer once again. “Everyone in Oudesta knows at least two languages. That way, you can communicate with the other races easily. I can speak human, Elvish, and a bit of Dwarvish.”
That sounded both reasonable and believable, but she was leaving something else out. Aerrin knew it. And maybe with time, he could unravel it. But for now, he’d learned enough about Oudesta. “Seroney’s right—we need to do what we came here for before we’re missed.”
Her features relaxed with relief, and she opened the book her mother had sent. A hint of accusation laced her voice as she said, “Thankfully, this is in human, so you don’t have to worry about translating it.”
Aerrin coughed to hide the sting of her comment.
“Do any of you know how to detect the presence of a demon?”
Usually, Nyssa was the first to blurt out an answer, but the blank look on her face revealed she knew as little as he did.
Aerrin tentatively raised his hand. “Red eyes.”
“Yes, but as you discovered a few weeks ago, demons aren’t the only creatures with red eyes.” She looked to Nyssa and Leandros.
Leandros slumped back in his chair. “Isn’t there a spell you can just use?”
“Yes, but wouldn’t you rather save your magic for fighting a demon?” Seroney pointed to a paragraph
on the page. “Even someone without the gift can detect the presence of a demon by simply using their senses. The air feels colder, but the smells of brimstone and ash linger in the air. The shadows ripple. Your skin may burn if they brush by you in the Shadow Realm.”
“The Shadow Realm?” Leandros bolted up in his chair so quickly, he almost knocked it over.
Seroney blinked in surprise. “Haven’t they taught you about that yet?”
When they all shook their heads, she muttered something that sounded like a string of curses in Elvish. Even though it was beautiful to listen to, there was no denying the anger behind them.
“It’s a second-year topic,” she continued.
“Is there a school for magic in Oudesta like the Academy?” Nyssa asked, pushing her food away to study the book Seroney’s mother had sent.
“The Scala. We learn most of the same spells and rituals you do, although at a much more practical rate than it seems you are. Everything I’m going over is taught during the second and third years of study. We’re also taught some of the other magics that are specific to each race.”
“Is that why the room has a green aura?” Leandros asked, ignoring the warning look Aerrin gave him. “Because you cast Oudestan magic?”
She massaged her temples as though she were suffering a raging headache. “Why am I not surprised you know so little about auras?” she said to no one in particular. “Elvish magic has a green aura to it. Healing magics are either white or gold, depending on which deity you call upon. Fae magic is this garish purple color. And dwarven magic is kind of silvery, I believe. Don’t they teach you these things at the Academy?”
“Considering the only auras we have to worry about are blue, red, or black, no, not really.” Leandros searched the sack and pulled out the last sandwich. “Anybody else want it?”
Aerrin shook his head. He was already full from the feast of information she’d provided. And she still wasn’t finished.
Seroney flipped through the book until she found the page she was looking for. “Back to the real reason you’re here tonight. Demons.” She held up the book to show the hand-painted picture of a mage battling a demon. “The first and most important spell you can cast when confronting a demon is an anchoring spell.”