“Rue?” Sella asked, sounding hesitant. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure—” Korima began, then gasped and exclaimed as Ruethwyn opened the wardrobe, “Rue, you didn’t!”
“Didn’t what?” Ruethwyn asked, pulling out a hanger and hanging a copy of Korima’s current dress on one handle of the wardrobe, this dress cherry red and with glittering gold embroidery. It was the cherry silk she’d gotten before, of much higher quality than the cotton Korima and Sella had purchased. A moment later, she pulled out a second dress, this one a slightly more complex, prettier gown than the first one she’d made for Sella. The ruby-red silk was striking with the soft silver embroidery she’d put into it, and Ruethwyn smiled, using her elbow to close the wardrobe before hanging the dress on the door, her voice soft. “I was using both of your dresses as tests, actually. If I was going to do it, I wanted to do it right. You wanted to impress your mother, Korima… so I did my best.”
“You… you can’t be serious, Rue!” Sella exclaimed, her eyes wide. Korima took several steps forward, touching the dress so much like hers slowly.
“Why not?” Ruethwyn asked, looking at Sella. “I thought it’d be nice.”
“I was there when you bought the cloth! So was Korima, for that matter, and I know how expensive it was!” Sella exclaimed, taking a step back and shaking her head. “You couldn’t possibly be serious about just giving it to us!”
“I had this in mind from the moment I purchased the cloth, Sella,” Ruethwyn said, turning and touching the smooth silk of the dress, hesitating for a moment before adding, “I consider it a minor gift.”
“Minor?” Korima asked, turning away from the other dress suddenly, her eyes narrowing. “Rue, I may not have been aware of costs when we bought the cloth to begin with, but I’ve done my research since then. That’s a lot of money you spent, even if it wasn’t near what Tadrick would’ve paid for tailoring. None of us had a lot, growing up, so you can’t say it was minor.”
“She’s right, Rue. I can’t take the dress,” Sella said, crossing her arms and glowering at Ruethwyn. “It’s just too much.”
“But it is minor to me. I’m Sinera’s heir, and she left an enormous amount here in the capital that I inherited,” Ruethwyn said, debating before she admitted, “Besides, you two befriended me. I just wanted to do something nice for you. I’ve never really had friends before.”
“You what?” Korima exclaimed, looking stunned. “Didn’t you have other people in your village about your age?”
“Yes… they were close enough in age, but they didn’t like me much. I was the bookworm and apprentice of the librarian,” Ruethwyn said, shrugging unsteadily and looking toward the wall. “I spent most of my time in the library, studying, while most of them liked hunting, playing in the forest, and things like that. We didn’t have much in common.”
Sella didn’t speak for a minute, then spoke a bit more softly. “Rue… you cared for them, though. Didn’t you?”
“Of course I did. I wish that I’d been able to help, to keep the attack from happening… but I couldn’t. I was just… useless,” Ruethwyn said, tears welling up in her eye, and she brushed them away.
A hesitant touch on her shoulder made Ruethwyn start slightly a few moments later. Then Sella turned her around and hugged Ruethwyn, wrapping her arms around her gently as she whispered, “I don’t know what to say, Rue, but you aren’t useless.”
Ruethwyn slowly relaxed into the hug, tears beginning to trickle down her cheek again as she hugged back.
“Heh, you two are silly. Remember, Rue, you’re the best mage in our class. No destroying your reputation by pretending to be useless, hmm? That’d make Madeline way too happy,” Korima said, grinning as she reached over and tousled Ruethwyn’s hair. “I kind of like seeing her fume so much.”
The thought of Madeline fuming made Ruethwyn smile, then giggle. The giggling seemed to be contagious, though, since first Korima, then Sella joined in.
Finally, Sella let go and said, “Thank you for the dress, Rue. Just… ask first, next time?”
“Alright, I can do that,” Ruethwyn agreed, their reassurances somewhat assuaging her sense of guilt.
“Never mind that, Sella! I just want to try it on quickly!” Korima exclaimed, her ears perked up and a happy grin on her face. “Rue, you’re helping. I don’t care if you only have one hand.”
The command made Ruethwyn laugh, and she nodded and stepped forward to help.
Chapter 27
“What’s that?” Ruethwyn asked, staring at the massive hound in shock.
The dog wasn’t a wolf, it didn’t have the size or body structure for that, and it definitely wasn’t a normal dog, or even a fox, like she would’ve expected from kitsune. Instead, the pony-sized dog was relatively low to the ground, with large, expressive ears and a pristine, golden-white coat. The enthusiastic hound’s tail was waving energetically, and it was wearing a harness that held several bulging packs.
“What, the dora?” Korima asked, glancing at Ruethwyn in surprise, one hand holding down the hat hiding her ears to keep it from being blown away in the breeze. “You haven’t seen them before?”
“No! That’s… I’ve seen a wolf that size that the hunters brought in once, and I’ve heard of dogs the size of horses in some regions, but I’ve never seen one before. That one looks just adorable,” Ruethwyn said, flushing slightly as Sella giggled next to her, turning to look at the other elf as she asked, “What?”
“Just… you, Rue. I mean, a lot of the time you seem so much more experienced than me, then I see you in shock about something like doras!” Sella teased, grinning. “I’ve seen some nobles come through with those when hunting before, usually when they were going after something pretty big.”
“They are pretty popular, but the only people who can breed them reliably are the kitsune, so they’re not that common,” Tadrick chimed in, glancing at Korima as he asked, “I don’t suppose you could help me there, Korima?”
“Nope. I don’t have anything to do with the breeding program for those guys, and I believe there’s a waiting list or something of the sort,” Korima said, shaking her head, then yelping as she was bumped from behind, exclaiming, “Hey, watch it!”
“Sorry, miss,” the man apologized, shoving back at the person who’d pushed him.
They were out watching the arrival of the Starlight Troupe, and Ruethwyn had been startled to see just how many other people had arrived to watch as well. Thousands upon thousands of people were crowding the streets of the capital, and where once she’d thought that the city’s streets were excessively large, now Ruethwyn knew that she’d been wrong. The streets were packed with a swirling mass of people, all of them jostling to get a better look at the performers walking down the street. Only the numerous city guard, each garbed in the crimson and silver surcoat of the kingdom, were keeping the performers from being swarmed.
The Starlight Troupe knew how to make an entrance, too. The group had been led by a kitsune with silver hair and a matching tail, wearing a dark blue dress that glittered with tiny gems that shone like stars as she rode a unicorn down the street. The woman had held a basket that seemed to be filled with shimmering points of light, which she scooped up to scatter across the ground around her, leaving the ground glittering in her wake as others followed. Several drummers and pipers followed on foot, then a fanciful carriage drawn by white horses, and other actors. A mage created illusions of swirling, spiraling winged foxes and lions above him, weaving the spell almost effortlessly as he walked. Then came the pack doras, the assistants, additional actors, and more. It was loud, energetic, and so much more than Ruethwyn had expected. Especially since this was just the troupe’s arrival, not the performance itself.
“It’s too bad we didn’t get to see Lady Rithara,” one of the nearby people said, loudly enough that they managed to catch Ruethwyn’s attention. “I’d hoped she’d be out with the rest of them.”
“She’s their star perform
er; do you really think she’d be walking down the street with the rest of them? I’ll bet she was in the carriage,” his companion replied, her voice tart. “We’ll just have to try to get tickets to a performance.”
Ruethwyn paused, considering what they’d said for a moment, then thought better of asking anything about the performers while they were in public. She didn’t want Korima getting swarmed, after all. Instead, she asked, “So those doras are common back in the Lightweaver clan? What’re they kept for? Sella mentioned hunting, but that one was carrying packs.”
“All sorts of things! Most of them are pretty friendly, so they’re good for playing with when you’re young, and the more unfriendly ones are trained as hunting dogs. They’re pretty smart, too, and we keep them for guards, helping out around town… all sorts of things, really,” Korima replied cheerfully. “I missed seeing them around, really. They’re nice and fun, but require lots of attention and care, too.”
“They look like it,” Sella said, watching them wistfully. “I always liked dogs… but I’m not much of a hunter. I don’t think I’d have a good use for a dog like that.”
“I might, but not anytime soon. Besides, my father is more likely to purchase one if he gets the chance,” Tadrick said, shaking his head as he watched the group of performers continue down the road, the end of their caravan just barely passing them. As it did, Ruethwyn saw the lights on the ground begin to fade away.
“It looks like that’s all of them,” Korima said, smiling as she added, “Shall we go back for the moment? It’s way too crowded out here.”
“Agreed,” Ruethwyn said with feeling, cringing slightly at a particularly loud chorus of laughter on her blind side.
When both Sella and Tadrick chose to go along with Korima’s suggestion, the group began moving back toward the academy, though it was slow going through the crowd.
Only once they’d managed to reach the academy gates, and of course the gates were on the main thoroughfare of the city, did they manage to get out of the main crowds. The number of other students and staff out was staggering, but Ruethwyn supposed that was to be expected. The crowd thinned as they got deeper into the academy, and finally Ruethwyn let out a sigh of relief.
“Okay, that was far too crowded for my taste. Gods above, I don’t think that I’ve ever seen that many people in one place before!” Ruethwyn exclaimed, tension she hadn’t realized was there slowly easing.
“It was a lot, wasn’t it? You’re all from more remote areas, too… I suppose seeing just how many people live around the capital would be a shock,” Tadrick said with a chuckle, smiling as he added, “I would’ve warned you, but I just didn’t think about it. I hope it wasn’t too bad?”
“Nah, it was interesting, though I’m glad I wore my hat. I’m afraid people might’ve mobbed me, otherwise,” Korima replied, grinning as she removed the hat in question, a broad-brimmed forester’s hat. “Thanks for the suggestion, Tadrick.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied happily.
“It was crowded, but interesting. I’m glad we got to see the troupe’s arrival, even if my ears hurt from all the noise,” Sella said, after pondering for a minute. “I didn’t expect the size of the crowds, but Father always said that the capital had a lot of people. I suppose this is what he meant.”
Ruethwyn nodded, deciding against reiterating her opinion. Instead, she considered, then asked, “So, you were planning to take us to meet your parents tonight, correct? Won’t that be a little difficult, with all the people around?”
“It might be, but the guards should recognize me,” Korima said readily, grinning broadly at Ruethwyn. “Not the city guards, but the troupe’s. I’ve met them enough times that they’ll remember me. Besides, I can always send Father or Mother a magical message if need be. I know at least that much air magic.”
“That would be useful,” Sella agreed, frowning. “Actually, why haven’t we been taught a message spell?”
“Master Mara probably thought we already knew something like it,” Ruethwyn said, shrugging. “It’s a pretty minor spell, at least for a distance within less than a mile or so. Targeting it can be difficult, though, so… it depends on how much of a mastery of air magic you have. Maybe that’s why?”
“That’d make sense,” Tadrick said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I mean, I haven’t really tried to gain even first circle mastery of air. I might eventually, but I didn’t seem to have the knack for it. Water comes more easily for me… remember, Sella, not everyone picks up new spheres as easily as you and Rue.”
“It isn’t exactly easy for me,” Ruethwyn protested. “I have to make a pact with an elemental, and then it only gets me to about the same point that Sella has naturally. In my opinion, everyone in the class is more exceptional than I am, if I didn’t have my atavism.”
“Maybe so… but what about Yalline?” Tadrick asked. “I would’ve said Lissa, but she rather thoroughly debunked that with her summoning.”
“Yalline’s hiding her progress,” Korima said, causing Ruethwyn to blink in surprise.
“What? Why?” Sella asked, looking startled as they approached the dormitory. “I thought she was messing up a lot on the rituals and enchanting… She’s been doing better, but she’s been kind of slow.”
“On that, yes, but she’s also pretending to have a harder time with regular spells. She seems to have a good talent for water, in particular, but hides it,” Korima said, frowning as she admitted, “I couldn’t say why she is, though.”
“I’d guess… Madeline?” Ruethwyn suggested, frowning. “I’ve noticed that Yalline always seems to be several steps behind Madeline, and she is her maid.”
“Oh, that explains it!” Tadrick said, slamming a fist into his palm. “I heard that Madeline got Yalline into the academy, so she’s trying not to overshadow her patron! I was wondering why her talent seemed so normal by comparison, but that makes a lot more sense, now.”
“Ah, yeah, that’s… illuminating,” Ruethwyn admitted, considering what she knew of the pair, then frowned. “A little sad, though.”
“It’s the way of the world. The academy isn’t cheap without someone who graduated as a patron, even if you pass the exams,” Sella said, wincing. “I regret ever asking my teacher how much it’d be. My father would’ve taken decades to save up enough for how long I expect to be here.”
“Agreed. If Sinera hadn’t left me what she had here, and she hadn’t been absurdly wealthy, by my standards…” Ruethwyn let her voice trail off, and she shook her head. “Enough of that. We should get lunch, then we can go meet Korima’s parents later.”
“Maybe we can even get her to tell us who they are,” Sella teased, grinning. “You’ve been kind of evasive about that.”
“What, like you’d believe me if I told you my mother was Rithara!” Korima retorted, smirking as she added, “I figure that the best way to do this is to wait and let you meet my parents in person. It isn’t like they bite.”
“Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean we don’t wonder,” Tadrick told her, sighing. “Anyway, lunch does sound good.”
The others led the way to the dining room, where Barthel was spiritedly discussing the upcoming performances with Madeline. Ruethwyn almost rolled her eye at the way the duchess-to-be was preening at his attention, though she couldn’t really blame her. At least it’d keep Madeline from bothering her for the time being.
As they sat down, Ruethwyn’s attention turned to the others again, and a moment later, a server came out. The maid was carrying a tray with bread, soup, and salad, which made Ruethwyn grin wryly. Obviously they were somewhat predictable.
The Evergreen Theater was different than Ruethwyn had expected, with tall stone walls rising in a vast, circular structure and immense trees dotting the ground around it. More surprising to her was how the branches of the trees extended over the theater to form a living roof of greenery, despite the encroaching fall, and she paused, staring at it in shock.
“Impressive, isn’
t it? The druids enchanted the trees two centuries ago, and at the request of the Master of the Stage, they’ll retract their branches and give a clear view of the sky,” Tadrick said, and she glanced over to see his smirk. “What, you haven’t come by before, Rue? The other two did, on one of the nights you were studying.”
“I’m quite aware of that, Tadrick. I’m just a little surprised at how it looks. While I’ve read about many things, this isn’t one of them,” Ruethwyn said, gathering herself as she looked at the building closely, then asked, “How many people does it hold?”
“Despite how big it looks from the outside, the theater focuses on comfort, so they’ve restricted the number of seats to two thousand,” Tadrick explained. “Not nearly enough to let everyone in the surrounding area see the troupe, even if they performed ten times, but enough to give people a decent chance at it. I’m shocked Master Mara hasn’t managed it in a decade!”
“Even a powerful mage can have poor luck,” Sella said philosophically, shrugging and looking around the square, which was crowded with gaggles of people. “It wasn’t this busy last time.”
“It’s likely people trying to catch a glimpse of the performers,” Tadrick said, and pointed past the main structure. “The guest quarters where the troupe should be staying is back there.”
Looking past the theater, Ruethwyn saw an attached building, this one smaller than the main structure, but with a large, fenced-in area behind it and what looked like guards surrounding it. Since the guards also looked like they were chivying away the onlookers, she suspected that Tadrick was right, though that could also make things a little more interesting.
“We might have a bit of trouble getting in, Korima,” Ruethwyn murmured, frowning as they started forward. She was getting a few stares, some horrified and others disgusted, but she managed to ignore them. The only time she wasn’t on the receiving end of looks like that these days was when there was something more distracting in the area or when people were used to her appearance.
The Avatar's Flames (Through the Fire Book 1) Page 20