by Effie Calvin
“We’re leaving!” Adale got up and walked to the door. “The food isn’t nearly good enough for me to put up with this conversation.”
“But…” Esofi looked from Gaelle to Adale. “We can’t just—”
Adale seemed to realize Esofi was not going to leave of her own free will, so she walked behind her and put her hands on her shoulders. “Come on,” she said, steering Esofi toward the door. Carinth licked her nose. “Hey. Stop that. I’m trying to be serious here.”
“We’re not finished here, Esofi!” Gaelle called after her in a warning voice.
Esofi did not respond, but her arms tightened around Carinth. If not for Adale’s hands on her shoulders, she knew she would have turned around and gone back to the table.
“Esofi!” She heard silk rustling and knew Gaelle was finally getting out of her chair. “I’m not going to tell you again!”
Adale dipped her head closer to Esofi’s ear. “It’s fine,” she whispered. “Just keep walking.”
“I’m sorry,” said Esofi, and she was not certain if she was addressing her mother, or Adale, or Carinth.
Esofi had been expecting Adale to push her all the way back to their room, but it seemed she had a different destination in mind. She guided Esofi to the fortress’s main entrance, and they went outside, where the carriage was still standing.
Esofi barely felt the cold. She couldn’t feel her legs at all, and if not for the fact that she was holding Carinth to her chest, she knew her hands would be shaking.
“Esofi!” Gaelle had followed them out. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Esofi faltered, even as Adale tried to spirit her along. “Keep moving,” Adale murmured. “Come on. You’ll be fine.”
“Stop!” cried Lexandrie, and Esofi finally did. She turned, curious to hear what her cousin might have to say.
But Lexandrie had not been speaking to Esofi at all. Both her hands were gripping Gaelle’s arm, and Esofi realized why. Gaelle’s hand was glowing once again, blood-colored magic gathering like an angry storm.
“Your majesty, please,” Lexandrie said, desperation in her face. “They will arrest you.”
That got Adale’s attention, and she turned around too. Her expression changed from irritated to incredulous as she took in the scene before her. Esofi watched her lips part, but no sound emerged. Adale was at a loss for words.
Eyes alight with rage, Gaelle stepped toward Lexandrie and brought her hands to the other’s throat. Lexandrie’s eyes widened and she grabbed at Gaelle’s hands, gasping and desperate.
“Guards!” screamed Adale. A few people ran up, but they were all Rhodian mages. And when they saw Gaelle, they froze, uncertain.
But then, a burst of emerald green magic hit Gaelle in the chest. Her fingers came free of Lexandrie’s neck and she staggered backward. Esofi spun around to see who had been foolish—or mad—enough to attack Gaelle and found herself staring at not one of her fellow Rhodians, but a rare Ieflarian mage, a young woman with her braids in two coiled buns. Just behind her was another mage, this one a young man with the same dark hair.
Both wore high-necked blue robes, similar to the ones the Rhodians wore. But these robes were ordinary blue instead of midnight-blue, and they had none of the silver embellishments the more experienced mages had. Esofi recognized them in an instant, and her mouth fell open in shock.
“What—what are you doing here?” demanded Adale before Esofi could say anything.
“We’re stationed here,” said Brandt unhelpfully. Meanwhile, Svana had gone over to Lexandrie and was helping her back to her feet, her body a shield between Lexandrie and Gaelle.
Esofi had not seen or heard of the twins since the day they’d been sent away from Birsgen. She had assumed they were staying in Valenleht. But there was no time to reflect on that, because Esofi could see blood-colored magic gathering at Gaelle’s hands again. She would have to act quickly if she wanted Svana to live.
Esofi thrust Carinth into Adale’s arms. Then she hurried forward and stepped between her mother and Svana, squaring her shoulders and setting her jaw.
“You need to stop,” she said in the calmest voice she could manage.
“Get out of my way,” snarled Gaelle.
“That mage is the daughter of Duke Raldfur,” Esofi said, even though she knew that would not be enough to quell her mother’s rage. As predicted, Gaelle tried to push past her, but Esofi took a step back to block her.
“I want her arrested, then!” cried Gaelle. A few of the Rhodian mages began to move forward.
“Hold!” snapped Esofi. “She has done nothing worthy of arrest.”
The Rhodian mages all looked around at one another, uncertain. Esofi felt a little bad for putting them in such a position. She knew it could not be easy for them, deciding who to follow. They were on Ieflarian soil, and Esofi was paying their salaries. Nevertheless, Gaelle was their queen.
But now the Ieflarian soldiers Adale had called for were arriving. And they did not appear indecisive at all.
“I want her arrested,” Gaelle said again, but she seemed to realize that this was not going to happen. “Fine, then. I demand a duel with her, for the insult she has dealt me.”
Svana opened her mouth, but Esofi spoke first.
“That will not be possible,” she said. Her mind was spinning, but her voice was surprisingly steady. “For you see…I have decided to appoint Lady Svana as…my waiting lady.”
“What?” said Gaelle.
“What?” said Svana.
“What?” cried Adale.
Esofi swallowed visibly. “You and Queen Saski are always saying I should select an Ieflarian waiting lady. I think you’re right. Lady Svana, do you accept this position?”
Svana looked at her brother, as if seeking confirmation that she was hearing Esofi’s words correctly. Brandt just shrugged, then nodded.
“I…do?” said Svana.
“Excellent. Then my first order to you is that you may not accept any duels until you have achieved master rank. Do you understand?”
“But—”
“Good.” Esofi grabbed Svana by the arm, digging her fingers in so that Svana realized she was serious. “Here, come with me. I need someone to press my…” Esofi faltered. “…stockings.”
“Esofi!” hissed Adale. “What are you doing? Is this a joke?”
“Oh,” Esofi gave a high, fake laugh. “Stop teasing me. Please excuse us, Mother. I must show Lady Svana where we are staying.”
Chapter Five
ADALE
In Adale’s opinion, she had tolerated a great deal of absurdity over the course of the last week. And as they returned to their room in the main citadel, she felt she was finally on the verge of boiling over.
The only thing that kept her temper in check was the fact that Svana was being quiet. Adale had been expecting her cousin to start gloating as soon as they were away from Gaelle, but Svana seemed uncharacteristically subdued.
Esofi shut the door behind them and locked it, breathing heavily. Adale set Carinth down on the floor, and he immediately went to sniff at Svana’s earrings.
“This is your fault,” Adale informed Svana.
“Actually, I’d say it’s yours,” Esofi interrupted before Svana could retort.
“Mine!” Adale felt as though she had been slapped. “How in all the planes in all of Asterium is any of this my fault?”
“If we’d just stayed at the table—”
“And let her insult us?”
“Yes!”
“No. She has no right to speak to us that way. I don’t care where she’s queen of or how many cults she leads.”
“She is my mother.”
“Well, she’s not very good at it, is she?” Adale retorted. “She’s come here to steal Carinth. I don’t see why I shouldn’t tell my parents to put her on the next ship out of here.”
“Perhaps if your parents had spent any time educating you, you would know why that cannot be done!”
Adale
was dumbstruck. Yes, she knew she had neglected her education as a girl, and her parents had let her get away with it because they had Albion to be their heir. But that wasn’t their fault, it was hers. And perhaps it was irrational, but she resented the implication that her parents had been inadequate—especially given what she had just seen of Gaelle.
Adale stormed past Svana and Mireille and went out into the hallway. Esofi did not follow her.
She was only a handful of steps away from their door when she nearly collided with Brandt. Like Svana, he seemed uncharacteristically subdued, and did not greet her with the haughty smirk that she had come to expect from him. It was unnerving.
“What was all that?” he asked. For a moment, Adale wondered if he’d heard her fight with Esofi, but then she realized he was referring to Gaelle’s behavior. Adale gave a shuddering shrug in reply. “Are we sure that’s Esofi’s mother?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m searching for my sister.”
“What are you doing in Fenstell?”
Brandt seemed to collect himself. He gave a weary sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. “If you must know, our parents were…cross with us…after that terrible misunderstanding at the betrothal party. They said we could join the defense in the north or be disinherited. We chose to come here.”
“That’s—”
“It’s not as bad as you’d think. We haven’t actually had any dragon attacks. And the Rhodian battlemages know all sorts of interesting techniques. I’d take this sort of training over boring temple meditation. Don’t tell Esofi I said so.”
“So you’re not being punished at all?”
“Of course we are! The food is dreadful, my best socks were stolen a week after we arrived, and they force us to wake at dawn even if we’re not on duty. Furthermore, I’m certain that half these Rhodians are in some sort of cult.”
Adale rubbed her forehead. As if Gaelle’s sudden appearance wasn’t enough, now she had her cousins to contend with once again.
“We were sorry to miss your wedding,” added Brandt. “We sent a gift. Did you receive it?”
“Seeing as I have not been poisoned, I can only assume it was lost in transit,” said Adale.
“Oh, don’t be so melodramatic! You got what you wanted in the end, didn’t you?”
Continuing this conversation would require both time and patience that Adale did not currently possess, so she said, “Svana’s in there. If the two of you try anything with Esofi, I’ll kill you with my own hands.”
“What are you talking about?” Brandt scoffed, incredulous. “Neither of us have any reason to harm Esofi. We never have. You need to move past your petty grudge.”
Before Adale could formulate a response, Brandt pushed past her and knocked at the bedroom door.
“Hey!” cried Adale, but the door was already opening. Mireille peeked out anxiously.
“Hello,” said Brandt with a winning smile. “Is my sister about?”
“Ummm. Yes,” said Mireille.
Adale did not want to go back into the room so soon after her dramatic exit, but she did not want Esofi alone with the twins, either. So she gritted her teeth and followed Brandt in.
Esofi was sitting on the sofa with Carinth settled in her lap. Her eyes were distant and unfocused.
“Brandt is here,” announced Adale, mostly for lack of anything better to say.
“Oh,” Esofi looked up at him. “Brandt.”
“It is good to see you again, Princess,” he said. “Congratulations on your wedding.”
“Thank you,” said Esofi, in a very subdued voice. She did nothing as Brandt reached forward and touched Carinth’s head tentatively. “How long have you two been here?”
“About a year and a half,” said Brandt. “It hasn’t been easy, but we’re learning a great deal from the Rhodian mages.”
Brandt and Svana had not been born with Talcia’s magic. It had been granted to them later in life—something Adale had not even known was possible. They’d been among the hundreds of Ieflarians granted magic shortly after Esofi’s arrival.
Unfortunately, one of the first things they’d used their magic for was kidnapping Adale and locking her in Albion’s old room in an effort to prevent her engagement to Esofi. Adale still was not sure why Talcia thought giving them magic was a good idea.
“I hope Helaine hasn’t been making you too miserable,” said Esofi. Adale bristled. She hoped the opposite!
“She is strict,” agreed Brandt. “But she was impressed when she learned the two of us can share our magic.”
“You two can share your magic?”
“Well, we share everything else,” said Brandt.
“We won every fight we were challenged to in the first month before the others caught on.” Svana smiled. “That was a good month.”
“Gods,” muttered Adale, rolling her eyes.
“Did someone teach you the technique, or did you discover it yourselves?” asked Esofi, who apparently found the whole thing far more interesting than Adale did.
“We discovered it by accident,” said Brandt. “It seemed useful, but we didn’t think to report it to anyone. Helaine threw a fit when she found out. She seemed to be under the impression that we’d accidentally kill ourselves and she’d have to explain it to Father. Naturally, I told her not to worry. Father would be thrilled if we died.”
“Brandt!” objected Esofi.
“So we spent a few weeks learning how to not drain each other. It wasn’t terribly difficult.”
“If I bring you back to Birsgen, will your parents still disown you?” asked Esofi.
“If it was by your command, I doubt they would be able to object,” said Brandt. “We would not mind leaving Fenstell.”
Adale groaned. Everyone ignored her.
“But what has happened to Lady Lexandrie?” asked Svana. “Is she well?”
“I don’t know,” Esofi admitted. “She went back to Rhodia after the wedding. I never expected to see her again. But my mother forced her to accompany her here. She does not serve me any longer.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” said Svana.
Adale gave her a strange look. “What do you care?”
Svana appeared to be legitimately surprised by the question. She seemed to struggle with an answer. “Why—well, why shouldn’t I?” she asked at last. “I’d be worried about anyone employed by that woman.”
“I don’t know if there’s anything I can do for Lexandrie,” said Esofi.
“Queen Gaelle cannot treat anyone in that way. Not while she is in Ieflaria,” insisted Svana. “Even if Lexandrie is her subject, we have laws against attacking one’s servants. You should have let me accept her challenge.”
“You’d have me witness a murder so soon after breakfast?”
Either Svana had become an excellent actor in the last year, or her body had been taken over by some kind of trickster spirit. Adale was not sure which was more likely. Maybe she would ask a priest to check her for signs of possession.
“I think we should go back to Birsgen,” said Adale. “There’s more guards, and my parents will keep her busy. Once she sees we’re not giving her Carinth, she’ll leave.”
“Is that what she wants?” asked Brandt.
“So it seems,” said Esofi.
“Tell her to go to the Silver Isles and steal an egg of her own if she wants one so badly,” suggested Svana.
“Do not give her that idea.” Esofi shook her head. “She might do it.”
It was difficult to keep her anger up when Esofi seemed so subdued, even with her cousins in the room. Adale was not sorry for what she had said, but she was sorry Esofi was so miserable. She decided she would back down, for now. Besides, she did not want the twins to suspect something might be seriously wrong, for fear they might try to twist it to their advantage.
“When did you want to start teaching Carinth to use his magic?” asked Adale.
Esofi cheered up a little at the re
minder. “I don’t know. Can you believe it? I don’t think it even occurred to me that he might have magic. Maybe that was foolish of me—”
“No,” said Adale. “Don’t listen to her. How could you have guessed that? And we’d have figured it out sooner or later.”
“Well, I should probably start with some mediation exercises,” said Esofi. “I doubt he’ll be capable of much until he gets older. But it won’t hurt for him to become accustomed to it.”
Carinth seemed to realize they were talking about him and looked from Adale to Esofi with curiosity in his golden eyes.
“What if we enrolled him in the University?” asked Adale. There were only a handful of children in training, those rare few that had been born with Talcia’s magic before Esofi had arrived in Ieflaria. Adale knew that, if not for Esofi, most of them would have neglected or outright ignored their gifts.
But Esofi had been instrumental in changing people’s minds about Talcia and her magic. The creation of the University had not hurt, either. Nowadays, a blessing from Talcia was seen as honorable and prestigious, rather than a mark of a chaotic nature.
“Perhaps,” said Esofi. “I don’t know if he would learn in the same way as an ordinary child, but I suppose it couldn’t hurt to try.”
Adale sat down beside Esofi, wishing the twins would leave so they could talk. But she could hardly order them out of the room—and right now, it might even be dangerous to do so, given they could easily encounter Gaelle again. Adale wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she did not really think they deserved whatever Gaelle wanted to do to them. Besides, they’d acted to protect Lexandrie. That was something she would never have expected from them.
She thought of Gaelle’s hands around Lexandrie’s throat and wondered if she’d ever done the same to Esofi. The idea filled her with rage, and it must have shown, because Esofi gave her a strange look.
“What’s the matter?” she asked. Her eyes were pretty, Adale realized for what had to be the thousandth time, soft brown and framed by long, pale lashes that made her seem so very delicate.
“It’s nothing,” Adale said. Then, so Esofi would know that she was not being deliberately noncommunicative, she glanced over at her cousins to indicate she did not want to speak in front of them.