by Rin Grey
“That’s exactly it, Sean, could be. We won’t know for sure until it is born. We may need the third chance. And until we know for sure, we don’t need you burning any bridges.”
This would be so much easier if his feelings weren’t involved.
But they were.
Sean shrugged. “That’s twenty years from now. A lot can change in that time. Her partner will be fifty, and I highly doubt she will stay with him that long. And when things are over with Senika, I’m sure we can work things out.”
At least now he was sure he wanted to.
“Are you going to marry her?” Hugo asked curiously.
Sean hesitated, unsure of the answer.
Was he going to marry Elizabeth?
He’d thought he would. He’d intended to ask her as soon as he’d met her this time. But she’d been so different. Harder, less trusting, more flighty. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, after the life she’d led, but it had changed everything.
How could she be so achingly familiar, and yet so different at the same time?
Or maybe not so different. Elizabeth’s attempt to rebuff him this time had been all too familiar. This wasn’t the first time they’d disagreed, and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last.
He knew he wanted her, but marriage?
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I don’t know if I can go through all that again.”
“It could be different this time,” Hugo pointed out. The king was nothing if not an optimist.
“It could be,” Sean agreed. “But this is Beth and me. Do you really think it will be?” he asked wryly.
“Well, one of you is going to have to give, that’s all. At least this time she doesn’t seem to have the same loyalty to her family.”
There was that.
Sean felt a tiny flicker of hope. He loved her, even if he couldn’t say the words. And she clearly loved him. Was there any chance they could make this work, right the wrongs of the past, and have a future together?
He might like that picture, but he wasn’t sure he believed it. Not after last time.
“I really don’t know,” Sean admitted. “I’m just going to have to see how things go. There are another eleven months to go through before that becomes an issue anyway, so I’ll work it out then.”
Hugo nodded and returned the glasses to the side table. “Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?” he asked Sean.
Sean sighed. “No, not tonight. And I’d best return home before Senika wakes up.”
Hugo nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning for the council meeting then?”
Sean grimaced, but nodded. He stood up. “I’ll see you then.”
Chapter 8 - Journal
Elizabeth was surprisingly relieved that Sean made no more appearances in the following days. Jocelyn, however, was another matter. Two days after Mitch’s evaluation, she turned up at Gemma’s house just as they were sitting down to lunch.
Jocelyn came straight to the point. “So, Elizabeth, it’s been a month now. When do you expect Mitch’s training to be finished?”
Elizabeth finished her mouth full of baked potatoes before answering. “It is finished. At least officially. The king’s representative evaluated Mitch a couple of days ago and declared himself satisfied.”
Jocelyn looked outraged. “You mean the evaluation was done without my presence? Why didn’t you inform me?”
“I didn’t think you’d be particularly interested,” Elizabeth said calmly. “It really was between Mitch and the Dome. And anyway, it’s all settled now.”
Jocelyn still didn’t look impressed, but to Elizabeth’s relief, she let the matter slide and got down to what Elizabeth suspected was the real reason for her visit. “Well then, you have no more reason not to begin your duties as heir.”
“I suppose not,” Elizabeth agreed reluctantly. “Would you like me to start next week?” That would give her a couple of days to get her head around this whole thing.
“I think tomorrow would be more appropriate,” Jocelyn said briskly. “We have been waiting a month already, and there is much for you to learn.”
Elizabeth muffled a sigh. “Tomorrow then.” There was no point in arguing. Really, it made little difference if it were tomorrow or next week.
“Good.” Jocelyn took her leave, obviously pleased with the outcome of the visit.
*****
The next morning, Elizabeth turned up as expected. She’d toyed with the idea of being late. Not much, just long enough to make it clear to Jocelyn that she danced to no-one’s tune but her own. But in the end she decided that it would be churlish, and accomplish nothing.
If she were going to do this, she might as well do it properly.
Jocelyn, of course, knew nothing of her deliberation, and took her prompt arrival as a matter of course.
She began with a tour around the building and grounds, most of which were mundane offices, gardens and stables, as might be expected. However, even as such, the size and scope gave Elizabeth room for thought. And when Jocelyn showed her into their library, she was quietly astounded.
Books lined the walls many shelves above her head, being reached by sliding ladders secured on rails around the room. Elizabeth did her best not to gape, but in all honesty, she had never seen so many books gathered in one room before. If she were to hazard a guess, she would have to say that she had not expected that there existed so many books in the world.
Jocelyn watched her, a smile twitching at the sides of her mouth. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
Elizabeth ran her hands down the shelves. There wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere. “Very,” she agreed. “You must have been collecting for quite a while.”
Jocelyn inclined her head. “Not just me of course, though I’ve added my share, but all those who came before me as well.”
Elizabeth could well imagine. “Just what exactly is the purpose of all this?” She waved her hand to indicate not only the library, but the rest of the estate.
“Knowledge is power,” Jocelyn stated quietly.
That fact was unarguable. “But what do you plan to do with that power?”
Jocelyn didn’t answer, just turned back out the door. “Come, there’s more you must see.”
Becoming more and more curious by the minute, Elizabeth followed.
This time Jocelyn led her down a winding stairway, and before long Elizabeth realised that they must be deep underground. At the bottom of the stairs was a wooden door with the family insignia inscribed on it.
Elizabeth rested her hand on it for a moment as they passed through it and felt the echoes of magic long faded.
She swallowed.
The magic in this room had existed long before hers, long before even Evelyn’s.
A flutter of unexpected excitement leapt in her belly. Perhaps she was finally going to see what had kept all these Salinga women dedicated for so long.
At first sight, the room inside was far less impressive than the library upstairs. One wall was books, true enough, but the other three were covered in shelves that contained what could only be described as an odd assortment of items. Some housed what looked like valuables: jewellery, ornate vases, and even a sword or two. Others had cracked and chipped pottery, and even some unrecognisable wooden items. Each had a piece of paper tied to it with writing that was indistinguishable at this distance.
“Elizabeth, we’re so excited to finally get to meet you.” A cheerful voice drew her attention to the centre of the room, where a young woman beamed at her.
Elizabeth nodded politely. “You have the advantage of me, I’m afraid.”
The young woman stood behind a long table on which was scattered an assortment of the same items that were on the shelves, interspersed with open books and paper scrawled with hasty notes.
Half hidden behind the woman, a balding, middle aged man straightened up with a vase in his hands. He put it carefully on the table before looking at Elizabeth with what could only be descr
ibed as a glare.
“Of course, how rude,” the woman continued. “My name is Melana and I work for Jocelyn. This is Jarkarl,” she indicated the man beside her, who simply grunted in what Elizabeth assumed was a greeting.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Elizabeth returned, then looked at Jocelyn with a raised eyebrow.
“Melana and Jarkarl have been very much looking forward to meeting you,” Jocelyn said with a smile.
Melana, Elizabeth could imagine. Jarkarl, she doubted. “Why is that?”
And then she sensed it, kicking herself for not noticing sooner. “You’re both mages, aren’t you?”
Melana nodded. “And we’ve heard you were trained in Linarra. We have so many questions for you.”
Elizabeth hid a wince. She hadn’t realised that her job was going to be training all of Jocelyn’s mages. “You’re both Salingas?” she hazarded a guess.
Jocelyn nodded an affirmative.
It made sense. George had worked here when they were married, though he’d never shared what exactly he’d done. She truly did believe he had no idea about their magic.
Melana and Jarkarl obviously did, leaving one question. “Why were neither of them selected to be the heir?”
Jocelyn shrugged. “Neither of them were close enough to the main line.”
A simple enough explanation on the surface, but Elizabeth did know enough to realise how weak it was. “I’m not exactly that close either. And forgive me for being blunt, but you have no magic. If the Salinga goal is related to magic, and I’m going to assume it is, then surely they would be the more logical choice?”
“Oh, I’m not heir material,” Melana said quickly. “I freeze up under pressure.”
Jarkarl just grunted, which probably answered the question as well as anything.
Jocelyn frowned. Somehow, Elizabeth suspected she wasn’t forgiven for being blunt. “You’ve been here for one day. Don’t assume you understand our goal, or the methods we’ll be using to achieve it.”
“Well, why don’t you clue me in?” Elizabeth suggested, even though she suspected it was pointless.
She was right. Jocelyn just gave her a withering look, then said, “I’ll leave the three of you to get acquainted. Come and see me in my office when you’re done, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth swore under her breath, but Jocelyn was gone, leaving Elizabeth with a burning curiosity. Finding out what the Salingas were up to was going to be more interesting than she’d thought. Maybe being the heir wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Melana had plenty of curiosity as well, but not about the Salingas. “So Jocelyn says you’re seventy, is that really true?”
Elizabeth began looking around at the items on the shelves in the hopes of avoiding some of their scrutiny. “Seventy-three, actually,” she admitted over her shoulder, then examined a pottery statue of a horse. It had magic embedded in it somehow, though she couldn’t guess as to its purpose.
Melana looked across at Jarkarl excitedly, her blue eyes shining, “I’d say she looks, maybe twenty-five? What do you think?”
Jarkarl grunted, which Melana apparently took as an affirmative answer. She wrote something on the piece of paper in front of her, then asked, “So how do you do it then?”
Elizabeth stared at the small, undecorated wooden bowl in her hands, but she wasn’t really seeing it.
She faced a dilemma. How much of what Sean had taught her should she share with them?
Pretty much every mage in the Dome knew and performed the anti-aging rituals each year. Some mages would even complete them for non-mages—for a fee of course. But Melana and Jarkarl weren’t in the Dome. Obviously the ritual wasn’t known out here.
She’d never actually been asked not to tell, but of course, since very few people who lived in the Dome ever left, exacting a promise of secrecy was rather pointless.
Melana noticed her hesitation. “Is it a secret? Does everyone in Linarra do it?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said bluntly. “Everyone in Linarra uses the anti-aging magic. As for secret, I don’t know. And I’m not sure it matters, since you couldn’t do it anyway.”
“What do you mean?” Jarkarl bristled. “Are you saying we’re not as good at magic as you are?”
His comment amused her. “I’m willing to bet you’re not, but that’s not the issue. Even I couldn’t perform the magic outside of Linarra.”
“Why not?” Melana asked. “Is there something there that you need to do it?”
“Yes, magic,” Elizabeth said softly.
“What do you mean? I have magic,” Melana said.
“Yes, but it requires more than most people have to perform the ritual.”
“How does Linarra help with that?” Melana asked in confusion.
“Because there is magic there. Not just in the mages, but in the air.”
“In the air?” Jarkarl asked sarcastically. “You’re kidding, right? I know you mages try to convince everyone that the Dome is the best place in the world, but that’s taking it a bit far, isn’t it?”
“I can understand your scepticism, but it’s the truth,” Elizabeth said flatly.
“It’s not that we don’t believe you,” Melana said softly. “It’s just so hard to comprehend. How can there be magic in the air? Is it something special about where it is built?”
“Not as far as I know. To be honest, I don’t know why it is so, it just always has been.” Which wasn’t quite true. There had been no extra magic when the Dome had been raised—she’d been there. It had come after. But she had no idea why.
Melana noted down this new piece of information, then returned to her original topic. “The anti-aging ritual then? If we can’t do it anyway, then there’s no harm in telling us about it, right?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “I suppose not.”
She thought for a moment, trying to work out how to describe the complex ritual. “It’s similar to healing, but you’re looking much deeper. Although you heal any surface damage, like cuts, infections or the like that you find, what you’re really looking for is the wear and tear that normally would be overlooked. Muscles wear down over time, bones lose their strength, and your internal organs will build up waste products that they are unable to get rid of. All these things need to be checked and repaired if necessary.”
“That must take quite a while,” Melana surmised.
Elizabeth nodded. “About a week, give or take. Then it usually takes about the same length of time to recover from the enormous amount of magical energy used.”
“And the sleep deprivation, I’d assume?” Jarkarl added gruffly. He moved a little closer, though, so as not to miss any of the conversation, and peeked at Melana’s notes.
“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed. “Once started, the ritual can’t be interrupted. You enter a trance state, so that most normal body functions are suspended. That’s actually the trickiest part for most people.”
“How often does it need to be performed?” Melana asked. “And is there an age at which you have to start? Can you start later than that?”
“I do it once a year, easy to keep track of that way. Basically, the longer you go between rituals, the longer it will take, and the less chance you’ll have of completely stalling ageing. There’s no set age for starting, although obviously you need to have developed your magical ability. There’s no point at which you can’t start either, although obviously any ageing you’ve already done before starting is much harder to reverse.”
“So does that mean you’re essentially immortal?” Melana asked curiously.
Elizabeth laughed. “Not quite. While I can fix most problems with my body, the mind is another matter. It ages as well, although we can’t see it, and while certain chemical imbalances can be fixed, the overall state of the mind is beyond magical tampering.”
“So what, essentially your mind will just give up eventually? How long does that take, and does that mean you’ll just suddenly fall down dead one day with no warning?”
&nbs
p; “Well, to be honest, I have yet to find that one out, so I can’t speak from personal experience. The theory is that the time is completely variable, dependent on your level of mental stress. The process can be slowed by activities that reduce your stress, such as regular exercise, meditation, and generally keeping a positive outlook on life. As for warning, I would assume that you would notice the slowing of your mind long before you fell over dead.” Elizabeth grinned.
Melana grinned back sheepishly. “Probably.”
“There’s every chance that you would be able to keep it up as long as there is magic though,” Elizabeth said.
“As long as there’s magic?” Melana raised an eyebrow.
Elizabeth glanced at Jarkarl, who was looking down at what he was doing, apparently paying no attention to the conversation.
Elizabeth wasn’t fooled. They were fishing. They wanted to know what she knew.
“Well, the magic came from somewhere,” she said. “It stands to reason that there’s a possibility it will leave again one day.”
“I’ve heard that suggested,” Melana agreed. “But you sounded like you were sure. I didn’t know if the mages from the Dome knew something we didn’t.”
“Not as far as I know. Many mages have theorised on it, some have even written papers, but nothing definite enough to be taught as fact.”
Melana looked disappointed and exchanged a glace with Jarkarl. He shrugged. “Did you really expect them to know anything more about it than we do?”
“Well, they obviously know some things we don’t,” Melana pointed out.
“Things that can be discovered with experimentation and guesswork, not real knowledge,” Jarkarl retorted.
Elizabeth watched the argument in confusion. “What are the two of you talking about?”
They both stopped arguing and shared another glance. “Perhaps it’s best if you ask Jocelyn about that.”
It had to be something to do with the purpose of the Salinga foundation. And though it didn’t tell her much, it did give her a clue. “You’re trying to figure out what’s going to happen when the magic goes, aren’t you? Or maybe why it comes and goes?”