by Kelly Carr
“It’s perfect!” she called over the rushing wind.
Together they caught an updraft and banked, turning back towards the castle. Susan almost laughed. Her father had forbidden her to leave the castle grounds, but now she could come and go as she pleased and no one had any idea.
Landing near the edge of the grounds to avoid attracting attention, Susan and Valeria folded their gliders and began trudging towards the practice grounds, both curious to see how the sword practice was going. Valeria joined in right away, but Susan watched from a distance. Valeria had attempted to show her how to use a sword during their journey south. However, while she enjoyed watching her friend wield a blade, she had found that she personally much preferred the bow and arrows.
Susan observed her brother as he worked, and saw him walking among the soldiers with casual confidence, occasionally stopping to pull someone aside and speak quietly with them. He was such a natural leader. She hid a smile as she noticed that she wasn’t the only one watching him. Liana seemed to find him particularly interesting as well.
All morning they practiced, showing the men how they could move more quickly and effectively. By mid-afternoon, most of them seemed to have forgotten or ceased to care that they were being taught by a woman.
When they stopped for the day, many of the men were already showing signs of improvement. As they dispersed back to their various posts, Susan saw several of them meet Liana's eyes and nod meaningfully, as though they shared a secret.
Susan waited impatiently for dinner to be over. As soon as she was free, she hurried to meet her brother and the Trevi at a seldom-used side-door.
James handed her a cloak. “Here, you’d better wear this,” he said. “You’re still not supposed to leave the grounds.”
Reluctantly, Susan donned the cloak and pulled the hood up to cover her face.
“Follow my lead,” said James.
Together, they walked confidently around to the front of the castle and down to the gates. With James by their side, no one tried to stop or question them. The lights of the city were warm and inviting in the darkness. James led them across the bridge and through a maze of twisting alleyways to a small pub with a sign that read ‘The Chestnut Mare.’
Susan coughed as she entered. The smells of stale beer, pipe smoke, and sweat were nearly overpowering. She longed to send a breeze through the room to clear the air, but managed to resist the impulse.
Susan wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Is this where you spend your time when Father isn’t watching?”
James made a face. “Hardly, but we needed somewhere that wouldn’t be frequented by anyone likely to report on our activities. I doubt anyone here knows who we are, except those that I’ve invited,” he said, indicating a table in the corner where five men were gathered, waiting for them.
Susan, James, Liana, and Valeria took seats around the table, but Elias remained standing, hovering protectively behind Liana’s right shoulder.
James introduced the men as Aaron, Edward, Finn, Emory, and Darcy.
“Thank you for coming,” Liana said. “I hope you all understand that nothing that is said this evening is to be repeated outside this room?”
The men all nodded, their expressions ranging from curious to impatient.
In a low voice, Liana explained her request and the offer that came with it.
“Whatever happens, I'll be by your side, Your Highness,” Edward said. “I will train harder with sword and bow and do all I can to help you, but I don’t know about this magic stuff.”
Aaron nodded in agreement, but the other three appeared intrigued. “How do we know what kind of magic we might have?” Finn asked.
“I really don’t know,” Liana replied honestly. “I have no idea how this works.”
“I’m happy with mine,” Susan said.
The men looked up, startled. Up until then, Susan had remained silent, and they hadn’t noticed her presence. They watched with mouths agape as she let her hood fall back and twirled a finger to conjure a slight breeze.
“I’ll try it,” Emory said, his eyes suddenly bright with excitement. “It won’t hurt me if it doesn’t work, will it?”
“No, there’s no reason it should,” Liana said. “Thank you. And you all understand why this must be kept absolutely secret?”
All five men nodded.
“What about you, Your Highness?” Darcy asked, turning to James. “Will you be joining us?”
James shook his head. “No,” he said firmly. “It sounds very exciting, but I believe that, whatever comes of this, the people of Torvain will trust me more if I remain as I am.”
“Very sensible,” Elias agreed.
“Oh,” Liana said, sounding slightly disappointed, but Susan could see the wisdom in her brother’s words.
“However, I intend to keep a very close eye on this experiment of yours,” James continued. “If I’m going to be deceiving my father, it had better be for a very good reason, and if things start going in a direction I disapprove of, I’ll end it all immediately and tell him everything. Do you understand?” He looked directly at Liana as he spoke. She nodded, and he got to his feet. “Good, then. No time like the present. We may as well get started—if you gentlemen will follow us to a more discreet location.”
Chapter sixteen: Elias
The alleyway behind The Chestnut Mare was shrouded in darkness. No lights burned in the windows of nearby houses, and the raucous noise of the pub was more than enough to cover any sound. All the same, Elias looked around uneasily, as Liana reached out a hand to Darcy.
“Will I feel it right away?” the young man asked anxiously, his words nearly lost in the crash as something was broken in the pub.
“I don’t know,” Liana said honestly. Her brow creased slightly as she drew on her power.
Elias knew the exact moment when the energy was released. Liana stumbled backwards, and Darcy collapsed to the ground with a gasp.
“Darcy! Darcy!” the other men called, gathering around him.
Darcy opened his eyes and blinked, appearing slightly disoriented.
“Did it work?” he asked.
Liana knelt beside him and laid a hand on his brow like a mother checking the temperature of her child. A slight smile graced her lips before her face fell back into the sober expression she had worn ever since the Trevi were forced from the Lorenai Mountains.
“Yes,” she said simply. “It worked. How do you feel?”
Darcy attempted to get to his feet, but his legs trembled, and he fell back to the ground. “I—I feel fine, only very weak.”
“Hmm,” Elias said thoughtfully. “That is an interesting side effect. I assume the same must have happened to Susan, but we didn’t notice because she was unconscious at the time.”
“I was fine when I woke up though,” Susan said, “and that was only a day later, right?”
“Yes,” Liana said. “I’m sure your strength will return. Your body simply needs time to adjust. Well then, Finn, Emory, which of you wants to go next?”
The men exchanged a glance, slightly more reluctant now that they had seen the effect the change had on their comrade.
“Cowards,” Darcy said. “Neither of you has the courage to accept what’s being offered to you, even after you’ve seen that it’s safe? The Princess appears to be in perfect health now. There’s no reason for you to hesitate unless you’re afraid.”
Emory still looked hesitant, but Finn’s jaw set in determination as he stepped forward. He nodded without a word, and Liana repeated the process, catching the man as he fell, and lowering him gently to the ground.
“Oh, alright then,” Emory said suddenly. “Me too. I’ll never hear the end of it from these two if I don’t join them now.”
Elias turned away to hide his smile as the young man joined his companions on the ground.
It was Finn who suggested that the others drag him, Emory, and Darcy to the front of The Chestnut Mare. The bench outside was brightly lit, and m
usic and lively talk drifted out the open door. They weren’t the only men to be slumped against the wall there.
“That’ll do, Your Highness,” Finn said. “We can take it from here, or my wife can, and Emory’s. Won’t be the first time they’ve had to get us home from a pub late at night…probably won’t be the last either.” He grinned ruefully.
The prince laughed and clapped the men on the back. With that, Elias, Liana, and the prince and princess turned and headed back towards the castle.
The following afternoon, they all met on the beach east of Corralis, hidden by the woods. In the light of day, Elias could see the men more clearly than the previous evening. Finn and Emory appeared to be in their thirties. Both sported bushy beards and well-defined muscles from their years of sword and archery practice. Darcy was younger, perhaps nineteen or twenty. He had wild golden curls and warm brown eyes that lit up with eagerness as Liana approached.
“I’m glad to see that you all appear to be recovered,” Liana said.
“Yes, I feel fine now,” Darcy said, “but I haven’t done anything magical yet. How can I tell if it really worked? I don’t feel any different.”
Elias saw Valeria slip something into Susan’s hand with a grin, and sighed. He knew the young woman’s methods. It looked as if the princess shared her enjoyment of taking people off guard. There was a glint of sunlight on metal as Susan stepped up behind Darcy and jabbed a needle into his shoulder.
Abruptly, they all found themselves soaking wet, as an enormous wave lifted out of the ocean and doused them with a salty splash.
“That is not how we will be provoking a manifestation every time,” Elias said, wringing water from his shirt and glaring at Susan and Valeria.
“Well, it worked,” Susan said, coughing slightly.
“A little too well,” Liana said. “Elias is right. We’ll need to find a gentler method.”
Darcy was staring down at his hands in amazement. “I did that?” he said, as though unsure.
“Yes, that was definitely Undine magic,” Liana said. “Congratulations. Who’s next?”
Emory stepped forward immediately, clearly determined not to be outdone this time.
“Susan, Valeria, keep any sharp objects to yourself,” Liana warned.
Over the next half hour, they coaxed the powers from Emory and Finn. Emory proved to be an Aidan, and Finn turned out to be a Hemming, one of the lost Trevi tribes who had had the power to change their form into that of a variety of animals.
“Amazing,” Elias said when they had calmed Finn down enough to return him to his original form. “The latent potential must be passed down from their ancestors who gave up magic long before any of the Trevi tribes were hunted out of existence.”
“So we may encounter Humans who have the abilities of tribes that have been gone for thousands of years?” Liana said, clearly unsure how to feel about this possibility.
“So it seems,” Elias said thoughtfully.
“What about you, Elias?” Liana suddenly asked, holding out her hand in invitation. “Do you want to really be one of the Trevi?”
Elias caught the surprised glances of the others at the revelation that he wasn’t already one of the Trevi, but they said nothing. Elias smiled sadly and shook his head. “No. I don’t know what I am now, but it’s neither Human nor Trevi, and I’m too old to change my ways, but I thank you for the offer,” he said, laying a kiss on her brow.
He could see that Liana was disappointed, but she didn’t seem surprised by his response. She nodded her acceptance of his decision and turned her attention back to her new students.
Chapter seventeen: Liana
It was Liana’s first time acting as an instructor in the fundamentals of magic, especially for the skills she’d thought she alone possessed. She thought back to her lessons as a child and the simple, gradual progression of her exercises. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the luxury of time she’d had. She gave them the most difficult drills she thought they could handle. They were all enthusiastic pupils, and by the time the sun was setting behind the trees, she was already pleased with their progress.
Before they returned to the city, each of the men promised to bring at least one new volunteer with them the next day.
Liana remained on the beach after they had gone, letting the waves lap at her feet and staring out into the distance.
“You’re a good teacher.”
Liana jumped in surprise. She hadn’t realized the prince was still there. He removed his boots and came to stand beside her. He laughed. “I haven’t done this in years!”
“I’d never stood in the sea before today,” Liana admitted. “I’d never even seen it until I came here. It’s bigger than I ever imagined and so beautiful.”
The prince laughed. “The first time I saw the Cliffs of Kerval, I remember thinking the same thing.”
Liana smiled.
They stood in silence for a few minutes before the prince spoke again. “You know, I didn’t really believe you’d be able to do it,” he said. “Change ordinary Humans into Trevi, I mean. I saw what Susan could do, but I thought it must be some kind of fluke.”
“I wasn’t sure I could do it either,” Liana said. “The fact that I can changes everything, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” the prince agreed. After a moment he said, “Will you tell me more about the Trevi? About what your life is like when things are peaceful, that is.”
Liana sighed and looked up at the sky where the first stars were just beginning to appear. “Not tonight,” she said, then turned and smiled at the prince, “but ask me again tomorrow.”
Together, they turned and started walking back in the direction of the city.
“I’m sorry you won’t be joining us as one of the Trevi,” Liana said, “though I do understand your reasons.”
“Do you?” the prince said, as though he doubted it.
“Yes,” said Liana. “I do.” She hesitated, wondering if she could tell him her secret. She was curious what he would think. “I was raised as the Mother of Magic. I have her powers, and that is how most of the Trevi see me, but the best-kept secret in the Erean Forest is that I was born Human.”
The prince stopped and turned to her in surprise. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked.
“To make you see that I do understand your point of view. Why do you think that information has been kept secret all my life? My people would never have accepted me as their leader if they knew I was originally Human. Their distrust of Humans runs too deep.”
They resumed walking in silence. After a long while, the prince said, “Thank you for trusting me with your secret. I promise I’ll keep it safe. It seems I’m bound to keep lots of secrets these days.” He was quiet again, then said, “You know that my father will find out what’s going on eventually, right? He’s not stupid, and if you enlist enough people in this scheme of yours, sooner or later, someone is bound to let it slip.”
“We’ll handle that problem when it arises,” Liana said as they arrived at the entrance hall of the castle. “For now, Your Highness, get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow will be another busy day.”
“Yes,” the prince said, “I suspect it will.” He turned to leave, but then hesitated and turned back. “Oh, and Liana? You can call me James.”
With that, he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.
Liana’s days quickly took on a routine. In the morning, she and her friends would attend weapons practice on the castle grounds. The soldiers soon learned to treat Liana and Valeria as they would any of their other comrades, though Elias remained slightly aloof. They took instruction well and quickly became more formidable fighters.
When the sun reached its peak, Liana, Valeria, Elias, and the prince and princess would slip away, accompanied by those who were now secretly Trevi.
As each new person Liana changed brought in another, their numbers grew steadily, and by the second week, she had more pupils than she and Valeria could teach on t
heir own.
They would practice magic all afternoon, safely out of sight of the city, and when everyone returned home in the evening, Liana and James would remain behind, by unspoken agreement. Sometimes they talked about the Trevi, and Liana told him of all the different tribes and how they lived. Other days, they finished the evening with a duel. With daily instruction from her and Elias, James had become even more of a challenge for Liana on the sparring field. Several times, he managed to best her.
Every evening, Liana scried Jina. The Trevi refugees were getting closer to the southern end of the Erean Forest. She was impatient for them to arrive, as she hoped they would assist her in training her new students. She wondered how they would react to the new Trevi.
One day, as Liana and James sat together on the beach, he began telling her about the latest news the king had received from northern villages. Strange cold weather was plaguing the people there, bringing illness and causing crops to fail. Many people, all hope of food for the winter lost, were beginning to come south to seek aid from friends and relatives there.
“Many of them are coming to Corralis,” James explained, “and I’m sure lots of them would be interested in becoming Trevi.”
“Hmm…” Liana said, her thoughts elsewhere. “I don’t suppose you’ve considered that this weather is likely being caused by Queen Katya?” she said. “She’s already attacking your kingdom, and your father hasn’t even realized it yet.”
James looked appalled at the idea. “You really think she’s that powerful?”
“I’ve already told you about the weather that cloaked the Genvu who attacked Laketown,” Liana said. “This sounds similar.”
“Perhaps,” James frowned, “but I still don’t believe it’s Katya that’s causing all this. You’ve never met her, but she’s a sweet, shy girl who would never hurt anyone.”
Liana said nothing. Having never met the woman in person, she wasn’t sure how to make him understand her certainty that Katya was the source of the problem.