Errant Spark (Elemental Trials Book 1)

by Ronelle Antoinette

  As she moved, Enari caught sight of herself in the dressing table mirror and wrinkled her nose. After the long day, she was a mess; rumpled clothes, dirty face, tangled hair…she looked like a wild creature. Longing for a bath and a bed rose in her on the back of a yawn, but she didn’t want to leave.

  The physician’s apprentice, interpreting the distress and indecision on her face for what it was, promised that Jex would be well cared for. A little guiltily, yet knowing she needed rest, she left in search of her Sura.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The door banged open, rebounding from the wall hard enough to rattle the contents of shelves across the room before slamming shut. A ceramic pot teetered uncertainly and finally tumbled to the floor and shattered, filling the room with a noxious odor.

  “It didn’t work, you lying old witch!”

  The voice was shrill and filled with complete and utter rage.

  “You said you wanted revenge, and from what I’ve heard, you got it.”

  “I wanted the bastard dead!”

  The old crone shrank down into her chair, putting up a gnarled hand to shield her face. “I told you everything I know!”

  “Then you were wrong.”

  “Your summons may not have been appropriate—”

  “—Or your information was incomplete. You have one chance to tell me what I need to do this correctly.”

  “The Book,” the crone babbled, “You need The Book. The Seventh Door!”

  “I have the damn book! I preformed the sacrifice as prescribed, used the implements outlined in the ritual, and the child’s soul was accepted. He even gave me this.” The moonstone pendant was dangled in front of the old woman. “Why is the mage still alive?”

  “You used a child’s essence to curse a grown man?”

  “Yes.” For the first time, the speaker sounded uncertain.

  “Your sacrificial offering must resemble the target of your curse,” the witch explained sullenly, “Otherwise it doesn’t work, no matter how nicely you ask. I was quite clear on that point.”

  “Black hair, green eyes, and common-born. I even had a lock of the mage’s hair. How much more ‘resemblance’ is required?”

  “Idiot. There isn’t enough power in the soul of a child to inflict lethal harm on an adult. Didn’t you read the ritual completely before you started?”

  The silence was answer enough.

  “You nobles,” she continued, “you’re all alike, thinking the rules aren’t for you. I’m surprised the power or the thing you summoned didn’t double back upon you for such clumsiness.”

  There was a thoughtful pause and the speaker took a deep, steadying breath. “I think I deserve some sort of recompense for the risk I took in summoning Him without the proper information. And for the mess.”

  “I’ll tell you this. The mage isn’t going to die. The thing you summoned will only linger until the power of the boy’s soul is used up, then It will have to return to whence It came. There’s your ‘recompense’. No charge. Now, get out.”

  A stray beam of light glinted on metal and the old woman opened her mouth to scream.

  The sound never left her throat.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  For once, Enari slept without dreams.

  She awoke much later than normal, to find herself in a strange room. Late morning sunlight, far too bright, poured through the open window beside the bed and gauzy curtains that looked nothing like her own rippled in the incoming breeze. It didn’t smell right, and it was hot. She was used to waking to the humid scent of rain and flowers or, more recently, the dust and smoke of travel, but all she could smell now was…well nothing, really. For a moment, she lay sleepily blinking at the ceiling, trying to remember where she was.

  Then it all came back to her in a rush; she was in Rowan, in a guest room at the Imperial Palace. Her room, and the Temple, were a province away to the south. They’d arrived the previous evening and Jex had been desperately sick, maybe even dying.

  She sat up and started to yank the sheets away.

  “Calmly, little miss,” said a female voice. The accent was familiar, even if the speaker was not. “The palace isn’t afire.”

  Enari looked around in alarm, searching for the stranger in her bedchamber.

  The speaker turned out to be a young Zyrite woman in an amethyst gown. Her dark hair was covered by a crisp white kerchief and her eyes shone a bright and sparkling blue. She rose from her chair near the door and crossed to Enari’s side, sitting down on the bed at a respectful and nonthreatening distance. Her posture and smile were welcoming, and meant to soothe.

  “I be Babirye Krighamre, little miss, and I’m assigned to serve the kvinna and yourself. Anything you need during your stay, you come to me. You be Enari, yes?”

  She nodded and offered the woman a tentative smile of greeting. Babirye’s was the first friendly face she’d encountered since coming here, and reminded her a bit of home. It was hard not to warm to her.

  “Come. There be breakfast for you in the sitting room and your Sura’s waiting. It be just her and I, so you can come out in your nightdress if you wish.”

  She motioned for Enari to precede her and they entered the next room to find Vasi sitting at a small table and holding a cup of tea in one hand. She was dressed in a fine black gown with elaborate white embroidery Enari had never seen before and her hair was done in a soft style that framed her face. The breakfast fare laid out before her was light; fruit, bread with accompanying butter and jam, and of course, tea. Vasi refused to start her day without at least one cup and Consorts help anyone who tried to rush her through it.

  “Kvinna, here be your apprentice. Need you anything from me?”

  “No, thank you,” Vasi replied. She raised the delicate cup to her lips and inhaled the pleasant aroma. “This is one of the few things I ever missed about Rowan.”

  Babirye drew out a chair for Enari and waited for her to sit. She did and the serving woman poured her a cup of tea, holding up a little dish of sugar and another of milk for Enari’s approval. She nodded yes to both and they were added, lightening the deep brown to a cloudy, milky perfection nearly as pale as the cup itself. She smiled her thanks and the woman smiled back, accepting the her silence without offense.

  “I’ve never understood why you drink tea at all,” Vasi teased her apprentice, “That’s really nothing but sweetened milk.”

  “Would you fancy something else, little miss?” Babirye asked with concern, “I can find something different if you would prefer.”

  Enari vehemently shook her head and picked up her cup, trying to hide her discomfort. She’d never had anyone wait on her before and she wasn’t entirely at ease with the experience. At home, the majority of her meals not eaten with Vasi were eaten in her own room alone. It was a privilege the Abdesa had granted after seeing how poorly she fared in the common dining hall with the other girls.

  “Please don’t take offense at her silence, Lady Krighamre. My apprentice doesn’t speak.”

  “I suspected as much. My little bror is without speech and the young lady acts much as he does, so I understand. And please, just Babirye will do, Kvinna.”

  Vasi was appreciative of the woman’s easy acceptance of what would be seen as, at the very best, a curiosity. Thus far, she had been quick, insightful, and almost prescient concerning their needs, and Enari seemed to find her more than acceptable, which was unusual. Her apprentice was normally agonizingly shy and uncomfortable with strangers. But that seemed to have changed, starting with Battlemage Xander for some reason, handsy git though he’d been. Regardless, it was a promising start to their time in court and would hopefully ease the girl’s transition somewhat, Goddess willing.

  They ate in silence broken only by the clink of cup against saucer. Enari barely picked at her breakfast and Vasi could tell her mind was not on her food. The faint circles under her eyes announced a restless night and the combination of empty stomach and fatigue were going to make for a very long da
y.

  “We’re meeting Tora Aelani after breakfast, but if you wish to go and check on Battlemage Xander after that, you’re welcome to do so,” Vasi said, hazarding a guess as to what distracted her apprentice. The way the girl’s face brightened told her the presumption had been correct.

  “If she’s not hungry, I would be happy to help her dress for the day.” Babirye turned to Enari after getting a nod from Vasi. “I’ve found something that should fit you nicely, if you’d like to come and see.”

  “What’s wrong with my normal clothes?” Enari wondered as she followed the serving woman back into her room.

  As soon as she saw the yards of green and cream fabric, however, she knew exactly what was wrong with her normal clothes. The dress and linen undergown were simple by court standards, but compared to her everyday brown, it was a work of art. If she’d donned her own garments—even the one dress packed for her—she would stick out like a sore thumb in this elegant place.

  “It be a gown that belonged to Baronessa Imily’s youngest,” Babirye explained, holding up the confection of satin and lace for Enari’s inspection. “You and her girl be of a height, but she be a little broader, I think. Let’s see if it fits.”

  It was odd to simply stand still and have someone else dress her, but navigating all the laces without help would have been impossible. Lady Krighamre was patient, explaining the necessity of a corset with an apologetic smile and a promise not to lace it overly-tight. Enari hated the thing at once, but there was nothing to be done. The cut and style of the dress negated going without.

  Beyond that unpleasantness it was peaceful, with only the occasional sound from beyond the window marring the quiet. Babirye touched her no more than she had to and Enari very much appreciated the maid’s consideration..

  She watched in the mirror as her hair was brushed and braided, then coiled atop her head. A few strands escaped and curled against her cheeks and Babirye left them there. The finishing touch was an ornamental comb the same green as the dress.

  “Very lovely!” she pronounced, standing aside so Vasi, who had been watching from a chair near the bed, could see her handiwork.

  The kvinna was more than a little shocked. She’d always known her apprentice was exceptionally beautiful, but under the maid’s skillful hand, the young woman had been transformed. It was a proper lady, no longer a half-wild novice, who stood before her.

  Enari seemed just as surprised. She stared hard at her reflection, tilting her head and reaching up to gingerly touch her hair.

  “Can I see now, Babirye? Please?” whined a child’s voice from the doorway. A dark-haired girl skipped into the room and stopped dead when she caught sight of Enari.

  “You look like the Vintyri princess in my books,” she whispered, staring in a mixture of awe and excitement. “Sarene said it was just a baby-story, but you’re real.”

  The older women laughed and Babirye chided the girl gently, “She be as human as you, Torina. Introduce yourself and don’t be rude!”

  Remembering her manners, the torina curtsied. “I’m Kylan. Who are you?”

  “Her name is Enari, my lady,” Vasi provided, “She does not speak.”

  “Oh. Why not?” The question was blunt, but not discourteous.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. She just never has.”

  “That’s alright,” Kylan announced. She turned back to Enari. “Astraeus doesn’t either, and he’s the best secret keeper I ever met. Do you like to read?”

  She nodded, charmed and a little overwhelmed by this bundle of energy and exuberance that confronted her. The little girl changed topics almost as randomly as Jex did and her smile was just as infectious, despite the absence of two front teeth. She was reminded a little of the first-year novices.

  “Good! I can show you the library later!” She clapped in delight. “Are you coming to meet my mother?”

  “They’re just going now. Would you like to show them the way, Torina?”

  “Come on!” Kylan reached forward and grabbed for Enari’s hand.

  Almost in a panic, Enari withdrew her hand into the voluminous sleeve of her gown, letting it cover her fingers. Kylan barely seemed to notice, grabbing hold and practically dragging her through the sitting room and out into the hall. Vasi and Babirye followed at a more sedate pace.

  “How old be your apprentice, Kvinna?”

  “Eighteen and a half. Nineteen in Janua,” she answered, watching the girls. Kylan was chattering nonstop and, possibly due to several weeks spent with the talkative battlemage, Enari didn’t look in the least put out by the rapid-fire words. She had, however, managed to tuck both hands into her sleeves. Black hair and red disappeared around the nearest corner.

  “Well, your girl be not without a shadow, if she won’t mind the company of one so young,” Babirye laughed. She bid Vasi good morning, and reminded her that she was at their disposal if they were to need anything.

  * * *

  Kylan raced into Tora Aelani’s day room ahead of her guests and ran straight to her mother, ignoring the ladies arrayed around her.

  “Mama! Mama, look! The kvinna brought her apprentice, and she’s a Vintyri!” she shrieked. “Sarene said they weren’t real!”

  Aelani looked up, embarrassed, and put a hand over her daughter’s mouth to quiet her. The long expected kvinna stood in the doorway and at her side, or rather, mostly behind her, was a younger woman.

  “Kylan!” the tora scolded, “Where are your manners?”

  “I’m not being rude. Her name is Enari and she looks just like the princess in my story, see?” Kylan held out her book and opened it to a depiction of a striking fire-haired woman in a gown of forest green. She was peeking out from behind a large and gnarled tree, fey eyes wide and watchful. Aelani had to admit, the kvinna’s apprentice did look remarkably like the picture.

  “She is right, Your Majesty,” Vasi ventured, “That very picture has caused my apprentice some…difficulty at the Temple.”

  “I can well imagine.”

  Aelani motioned for them to enter and they obeyed, each dropping a deep curtsy as they passed the threshold. A few of the ladies stared at Enari in unabashed interest and the poor girl began to blush. Anya, who’d been sitting near her mother, rose and embraced the kvinna and her apprentice in turn, arms lingering longest around the novice.

  “Mama,” she said, “May I present Kvinna Vasi de’Curande of the Cyrilan Temple and her apprentice, Novice Enari Namelum.”

  “You are most welcome, ladies,” Aelani responded, graciously inclining her head to them. “We are most pleased to have you here. I understand you had some difficulty towards the end of your journey?”

  “Yes, my tora. One of our party was, and still is, gravely ill.”

  Aelani sighed and closed her eyes. “Poor Jex. I do hope he’ll be alright. He and I have an arrangement of sorts that was to commence upon his return. My youngest is quite disappointed, as am I. Master Illyrian assures me that he will live, however, and that is a great relief. Goddess speed his recovery, for I have need of him.”

  “I’ve been considering that very issue. Your Master Physician is a busy man, as he bluntly informed me last night, and has many other patients to tend. Enari and Battlemage Xander became quite friendly on our journey here and it was she who tended him when he first fell ill. May I be so bold as to offer her for his care?”

  Enari glanced at her, startled. Vasi had indeed thought carefully about the proposal before making it. This would give Enari a place to be unnoticed, if she wished, and provide a task to occupy her time, at least for now. It would also give her the opportunity to put her training to practical use.

  “Is she skilled enough to care for him, Kvinna Vasi?” Aelani asked worriedly, “Please do not think me callous, because I do very much care what happens to him, but I also have plans for Battlemage Xander and will need him at his full strength as swiftly as possible.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty, more than skilled enough. With your leave, of cou
rse. I would not suppose to entrust a direct servant of yours to the care of someone you don’t approve,” Vasi answered, inclining her head. “The two formed a bond of sorts on the way here, and I know my apprentice will give him the care he requires.”

  The tora turned to Enari. “Do you feel confident you can mind him properly? If he’s anything like my brother the High Mage, he will be a most difficult patient once he wakens.”

  She nodded firmly, her expression confident.

  “Then so be it. Now, Kvinna, what is it you need of me? I know my daughter insisted you be here, and I’m not ungrateful for your presence, but I honestly feel fine.”

  “I won’t impose on you, Tora Aelani. I would merely like to examine you regularly, to make sure nothing is amiss. I will be as unobtrusive as possible. Have you time now?”

  “You have my thanks for that, and I do have the time.” The tora rose to her feet and beckoned Vasi to follow her into her private chambers.

  “Torina Anya, would you or one of the tora’s ladies be so kind as to show Enari where Battlemage Xander can be found?” Vasi called over her shoulder.

  “I can show her, Kvinna Vasi,” Kylan offered.

  “You have my thanks, Torina.”

  Enari and Kylan returned to the hall, and Enari felt immense relief when the heavy door was closed between her and all those eyes. Some of the women had begun whispering amongst themselves as soon as the tora and her Sura were beyond hearing. Perhaps court would not be so different from the Temple after all. Both places, it seemed, were full of those with nothing better to do than gossip.

  “Enari, is he really that sick?” Kylan whispered as they walked.

  The older girl nodded grimly, feeling her stomach knot as she pictured his face the night before.

  * * *

  The High Mage was just leaving Jex’s rooms when they arrived, Master Illyrian at his side.

  “He should recover fully within a fortnight,” the master physician was saying, “I was able to break his fever near dawn.”