I shrugged, “My friend Jabari did not hit his growth spurt until he was fifteen.”
“And you know as well as I that we cannot wait until then. If we do not manage this situation now, it will only get worse if the deceit is discovered. We will talk to the queen and ask her to help us find a way to confess our deceit and reveal your true gender to the king.”
“We have done nothing wrong! We should not have to behave as if we are criminals!”
“We both know the world does not work that way. No one will take our word for it, that our friendship has been innocent. We will simply have to manage the situation as best we can. The king knows what an asset you are, he will not have you executed. We will both weather this storm better if I am away.” He placed his hand on the table and stood. “But I do not have to leave today. Today we need to try out your first enchanted weapon and then we can work on modifying your technique.” He lifted the corners of his mouth into a weak smile that did not touch his expressive eyes.
I plastered a smile on my face though I did not really feel it. My heart was breaking because, as much as I hated to admit it, I knew he was right and suddenly the idea of facing a life without him seemed horrible. I knew this discussion was not over and I also knew that somehow we had reached an odd tipping point in our relationship and it would never be the same again. Still I rose to my feet and followed my mentor into the yard.
He handed the blade to me, still wrapped in the leather. It confirmed my suspicion that it was too hot to touch. I had imparted fire magic to the blade and the handle equally. The enchantment was an improvement over my previous efforts, but it was not an unqualified success. Somehow that fact made me feel relieved. I still had things to learn from my mentor and our lives did not have to change just yet.
He had set up some slabs of meat for me to stab with my first enchanted blade and the moment I stuck the blade into the first flank, it erupted into flames. He nodded approvingly. “I think we can safely say that this blade has been enchanted. The effect may be a bit too intense, allies standing nearby might get caught in the fire, but that is a matter of refinement. The basic technique is yours to command. You have been a fine pupil. You have much to be proud of, Safara.” He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder, a gesture he reserved only for moments of extreme pride.
I could not take his kindness, or the finality of his words, not now that I knew he would soon abandon me to this solitary life.
Tears blurred my eyes. “I have to get back to the laundry.” I turned and ran from him, like a spoiled child, knowing he would not follow me.
Chapter Fourteen
We had loaded the cart when the early morning sky was still dark and stars twinkled merrily overhead. Ordinarily I loved to watch the stars, but I had not even bothered to look up. We worked in silence, so the job was done before the sun had even cleared the horizon. It was much too early to leave, so we went back to our rooms, something we never used to do before the great revelation. It had been two weeks since our conversation and we had barely spoken to each other, beyond minimal communication. It was as if neither of us could bear to broach the subject again. Gone was our easy camaraderie, replaced by endless hours of terrible, awkward silence.
We functioned still. We did our chores, he taught me better control over my enchanting. We ate our meals together in silence but it was not the same easy silence we had previously shared. I had never before considered the texture of silence, but now it was all I could think about. I had lost my beautiful friend even as he was sitting before me. I cursed that washing day every evening before I went to sleep and every morning, the moment I woke up. I wanted to have the magic to go back in time and take it all back, but I had no such magic. I could make weapons breathe fire, but I could not burn away the truth.
When it was finally time to leave, I checked the enchanted projectiles in the back of our cart to make sure they were nestled carefully in the hay. They were Wylan’s latest innovation and they were genius. Ordinarily we would have spent hours talking about how he had managed to accomplish it. I missed sitting with him on the cot in the workshop, looking up at the stars and talking about the work.
“I think everything is secure.” He spoke in a loud voice as if he was also trying to bridge the gap of silence between us. “Thank you for helping me load up early. I want to get the demonstration set, well before the guests arrive. Leaders are not accustomed to waiting so we need to be ready.” He had an impressive variety of wares to display. He was a master of enchantment where I was barely competent. The work had always seemed so easy and even a little bit glamorous when all I did was the research and Wylan did the enchantment, but now that I had to stand and recite spell after spell onto weapons myself, I found the whole process tedious. Even the slight thrill of pleasure I got from using magic was dulled in the enchanting process. I finally understood why he often complained about having to spend so much time devoted to the monotonous production of weapons of war. “We should probably prepare to leave.” His words shook me back to the present.
I climbed into the passenger seat of the cart and sat and waited, facing forward. I did not look at him. He climbed in on the other side taking some time to arrange himself before he took hold of the reins. He sat for several heartbeats not speaking, staring at the leather straps in his hands. “Today, after the demonstration, I will pull Queen Kisi aside and beg an audience with her. Nothing will be done until after the festival. We will fulfill our obligations to the crown, then once the ships have set sail, we will follow whatever advice the queen can give us and break the news to King Naser.”
He waited for my response, but I did not reply. What would I say? He snapped the reins sharply on the horse’s rump and we set off down the road. I looked up at the clear blue sky, hoping it would keep tears from spilling down my cheeks. I did not want him to see me wiping my eyes. It did not work and I pulled up my hood to cover the gesture as I wiped away the moisture.
We pulled up to the castle gate and the guard standing on the right side waved at us. I did not return the gesture. Wylan’s words echoed in my mind. “The secret was not going to keep forever. You are too beautiful to be a man.” Suddenly my hands seemed too thin, too feminine and I pulled them into my long sleeves to hide them. I felt vulnerable, as if the truth of my gender was somehow suddenly made visible for all to see. I had not felt like this since the first day I had visited the castle and I resented him for putting the thought in my mind. I hated him even more for being right.
We rode through the gates and straight to the practice fields where the demonstrations were to be given. I saw the familiar targets where I practiced archery. I had actually gotten quite good at it. I saw where they had hopelessly tried to teach me to sword fight. Memories of the happy life I had made here came flooding back. I looked at my friend and remembered that he had also trained on this field. He had been in this place half of his life and now, because of me he was being driven from his home.
We unloaded the clockwork weapons first. They were our favorites because they did not require any magic. We had done the research together and struggled and bickered over the complex calculations. He drew the design and I carved the cogs to the precise specifications. We had two of these devices. One for fire and one for earth. They had been so fun to create, but that was before the revelation had stolen everything. I carried the smaller machine. It was not heavy but it was a bit awkward and delicate. It required two hands to balance. He walked off twenty paces and made a hole. I carefully carried the device to him and handed it over wordlessly. He lowered it into the hole and used his power to cover all but the trigger mechanism at the top. He set a flag next to it so we would not lose track of the device. Next we unloaded the pressure cannon. A large pool of water had been set up in the middle of the gaming field. Large wooden model ships floated listlessly on the surface of the pool. The cannon was on wheels, because it was heavy. Wylan’s powerful arms lifted it off the back of the cart and onto the wheeled conveyance and he
pushed it into place beside the pool.
Next came the enchanted weapons. I was not great at enchantment. I had only managed to successfully charm one sword. It was still too hot to touch and unsuitable for practical use. I was getting really good at arrows though. Wylan said my arrows were even more effective than his and that was high praise. I carried the quiver of fire arrows to the archery range and set them down next to my short bow. Targets had been specially dressed for our demonstration and as long as my aim was true, I was quite hopeful that my efforts would impress. Wylan had a small drawstring bag full of stones and he also had three cannonballs to set near a cannon.
We had the demonstration set up far ahead of schedule and then we were faced with a protracted waiting period with nothing to talk about. I had not even brought a book because I did not think I would need one. So we stood by the cart until I could no longer bear to stand in silence. I made my way to the wooden hut where practice arms were kept and got a quiver of standard arrows then took them to the archery range. I wanted something to do. I heard no objection from Wylan and even if I had, I am not certain I would have listened. I grabbed my bow and stood behind the line, then fired half a dozen arrows into an unused target in quick succession. They buried themselves deep into the straw and formed a tight grouping in the center. I turned and aimed at a group of straw dummies that was twice as far from me as the targets, then delivered six more kill shots to heads and hearts. I was proud of my skill and with good reason. As I stood and lowered my bow, I was greeted with a smattering of applause. The group of dignitaries had joined us for the weapons demonstration. I was grateful that I was still wearing my hood and I pulled my head deeper into the folds to hide my embarrassment.
King Naser stood with his guests, Minister Dunsta of Mirabi, Imir Ramash of Geronia, and Prince Anwar of Vanwara. The men all seemed impressed with my display of bowmanship. Queen Kisi stood some distance away, talking with a much larger group of women whom I could only assume were the collected wives of the various men. The queen smiled at her guest, but I saw her eyes glance in my direction as well as Wylan’s, as if she knew something was amiss in our world.
I rushed to retrieve the arrows and stuff them back into the quiver as the king spoke to Wylan. “By the gods but your protege is coming along beautifully. When he grows to manhood he will prove to be a deadly foe, you mark my words.” He regarded me for a moment. “I will wager that he shall hit that growth spurt any time now. It is a bit overdue by my count.” My stomach jumped into my throat at the mention of my long absent growth spurt. Wylan was right, we were coming to the end of our story’s plausibility. Wylan’s cheeks colored slightly, but his expression did not change and I could only admire his calm.
“I am sure these gentlemen have not come to discuss the height of my apprentice, Your Majesty, but they may be impressed by the wares we have on display this morning.” He did all the talking as that was what we agreed. His voice was low, magnificent and commanding. “I think we should begin with a demonstration of arrows, since my assistant here has so ably demonstrated his prowess.” I walked a bit ahead of the group so that I could get the quiver on my hip. I pulled an arrow out and waited until the group arrived. Wylan spoke to them again, “As you can see, the bolt is not hot to the touch.” He passed one around to allow the assembled dignitaries to touch it. “It is safe to touch and handle as long as the archer does not cut himself on the arrowhead. It reacts to blood, you see.” He turned and nodded at me. I notched the arrow and took aim at the target which had a gamy haunch of venison stretched across it. I skewered the meat handily and for a few seconds, nothing happened. “If an archer accidentally nicks himself with these arrowheads, he has a few precious seconds to cover the wound, but if the arrow touches blood,” at that moment, the venison began to smoke as the heat worked its way from the inside of the meat and out to the surface. I few seconds later, it erupted into flames. I took that moment to draw two other arrows and hit the other two meat covered targets. “We have swords which produce a similar effect, but they are not quite ready for production. I drew my sword and stabbed it into some unfortunate dead animal’s haunch with all the force I could muster. I was angry because I knew at this moment I should be feeling proud of my accomplishments and not sad because of all the change that was to come. The haunch erupted into flame as I walked away from it.
I approached the dignitaries. Pudgy prince Anwar was clapping his hands and jumping up and down with glee like an overgrown child. “What a magnificent display, young man. I have never seen fire enchanted weapons before.” He looked me over. “My, but you are a pretty little thing. Someday, when you are a bit older, you will have to come down and visit me at my palace. Once you have had a taste of warm Vanwaran hospitality, you might never want to come back.” Somehow I doubted he would appreciate the fact that I was a woman any more than Naser would.
The Imir was making a note on a scrap of parchment “very interesting,” his tone held no hint of emotion but the charcoal stylus was moving furiously.
The minister of Mirabi did not speak. He was not even standing with the crowd. He had moved over to the side of the field and was admiring a small group of flowers there. Wylan had explained to me that this would probably happen. Mirabians did not believe in the use of magic. They believed it came from a place of evil. They would not witness or glorify it in any way. A woman in a black dress with a pinched, sour face had joined him at the side of the field.
Wylan ignored the slight and continued with the demonstration. “If you gentlemen will step over here, I will show you some of our new range of earth enchanted projectiles. Wylan loaded a cannon ball into the cannon and shot it at distant wooden targets. The ball smashed through the targets, then opened a sinkhole beneath them and dropped the ruined targets into the hole along with surrounding, untouched targets. “This weapon takes out the target it hits and surrounding forces as well.”
The prince laughed out loud at the ruined targets at the end of the field. “This is simply marvelous! When are we going to see what you can do with the toy boats? What wondrous destruction do you have in store for us there?”
Wylan nodded, “But a moment more of your time and we will end the demonstration with the boats.”
Wylan drew two of the pebbles from the drawstring bag. “These are enchanted stones, They are much smaller than the cannonballs so they produce smaller holes. “If you skim them sideways,” he tossed the stone as if he were skimming it across the water, “you can create a shelter trench for added defense or an emergency shelter if the need is extreme.” He poised to throw another stone. “If you throw it to the ground straight down, as hard as you are able, it creates a hole that is not wide but it is quite deep. Drop it at the foot of your enemy and drop him into a chasm from which he cannot easily emerge. It is pocket magic that can be used by any soldier.”
Imir Ramash of Geronia nodded. “And do you have any of these stones that can also make fire?”
Wylan shook his head. “Not as yet. My apprentice is still quite young. He can make arrows at speed, but he is still learning the art of enchantment, and other fire weapons are not available at this time.”
Prince Anwar chimed in enthusiastically. “Well I do not care. I will take the whole lot! I am just anxious to see what happens to the boats before we sit down to negotiate. I am loving the show.”
Wylan nodded, “Yes, if someone could capture the attention of the minister. It is time to move on to non-magical weapons and he may be interested for defensive purposes.” Wylan had spoken loud enough to be heard, but the minister and his pinched faced wife did not return to the viewing party until the king himself repeated Wylan’s words to him. It was a ridiculous and deliberate insult, but Wylan’s expression remained unphased and impassive.
Wylan picked up an ordinary stone and handed it to King Naser. “Your Majesty, if you would please toss this stone into the small patch of grass next to the little red flag on the ground?” He turned to the assembled crowd. “You gentl
emen may wish to cover your ears.” The king threw the stone and the patch of ground exploded with a loud report.
The minister’s face looked impassive. “I am not amused that I have been fooled into witnessing this evil magic.”
“I assure you, minister, that was not magic.” Wylan pointed to a second clockwork incendiary we had set to the side. It had no fire powder in it, so it was safe for the dignitaries to examine. “The explosion was made with pure Mirabian fire powder nested inside a mechanism based on Geronian clockwork and made with wood from here and fine metal from Vanwara.”
Without even asking them to follow, Wylan stepped towards the pool of water. Again I walked ahead as this demonstration was mine to make. I primed the odd, thin nosed cannon. I waited until the men arrived before I lit the wick on the front of the cannon with the tip of my finger. “Of course, the wick would be lit by conventional means in combat situations, but that is how a fire mage handles it. I aimed the cannon and pulled the lever. A stream of liquid as thick as honey sprayed out of the thin pipe at the end and the fire wick ignited the fluid. I sprayed it onto the surface of the water. It floated there burning on water. “It will burn this way for an hour or more if it is not extinguished.” I aimed the flame at one of the ships and set it ablaze. The other ship I simply pushed into the lake of fire I created in the center of the pool. It caught fire more slowly, but it did ignite. “As you can see, it is a deadly weapon against enemies at sea and this is another device which requires the resources of every nation in order to produce it. We have not produced these machines in great number, but the plans are available to any nation who wants them. Even Mirabi might consider using them purely as a defensive measure against those occasional advances from the neighboring islands to the west.” The Mirabian minister sniffed, but did not answer Wylan which was what his culture dictated.
Through The Fire: The Alawansi Book One Page 13