“Ah, the illustrious lady’s daughter! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Korima,” Alaran said, giving a half-bow as he smiled at the kitsune.
“Not as much of a pleasure as meeting a knight!” Korima said enthusiastically, glancing between Ruethwyn and Alaran for a moment before asking, “How did the two of you meet, anyway?”
“Sir Whisperblade was investigating the attack on Mellesyn and asked me for information regarding it,” Ruethwyn replied, trying to keep her explanation circumspect, considering his failure. She hesitated, then added, “I don’t know how much help I was, but he helped me come a little more to terms with what happened.”
“I wouldn’t say that. You were quite helpful, even if it turned out there wasn’t much we could do,” the knight replied.
Sella and Tadrick approached at that point, the young man looking at Alaran curiously as he set his plate and mug on the table, Sella choosing to sit next to Ruethwyn.
“Ah, hello, Sir Whisperblade… I’m startled to see you here,” Tadrick said, nodding politely.
“Greetings. You’re the second son of the Daskar family, yes?” Alaran replied steadily, quickly adding, “I’m afraid you’ll have to remind me of your name, though.”
“Tadrick, Sir Whisperblade. You might recall I was asking you how to become a mage-knight a dozen years ago,” Tadrick said, his tone growing warmer as he nodded. “I might also introduce Sella Vintas of Waterstone, a classmate of mine. It appears you know Korima and Ruethwyn, who we accompanied here.”
“I see! It’s good to meet all of you,” Alaran said, grinning as he added, “Yes, I remember you now, Tadrick! I recall I gave you rather specific advice, too. How’re you doing with it?”
“Well…” Tadrick hesitated, looking at the others, then admitted, “It’s been hard since I got into the academy, but I’ve taken to getting up an hour before dawn and getting in my sword practice and strength training every day. I suppose it’s fortunate that not many magi are up that early, or I might get some grief for it.”
“You’ve been what?” Sella asked, looking startled. “No wonder you’re always up earlier than me! And go to bed earlier, for that matter.”
“I need my sleep,” Tadrick said, his tone slightly defensive. “Besides, there’s no way I can become a knight without practice.”
“Precisely. Good job on sticking to it, Tadrick, and if you can balance both your lessons at the academy with swordplay, I’ll all but guarantee that you’ll reach your goal,” Alaran replied, nodding his head in approval. “We don’t get many mage-knights in the army, simply because most people tend to focus on one aspect of training or the other. It’s a long, hard road to master both of them.”
“I’ve definitely noticed the difficulty, but your encouragement means a lot to me, Sir Whisperblade,” Tadrick said, holding a hand to his heart and giving a respectful bow.
“I’m glad to hear that. Now, I’m certain that you don’t need me distracting you, so I hope the four of you have a good evening,” Alaran said, smiling at them, then withdrawing.
“Drat, I hoped to ask him for a few more pointers, but… I suppose that’s just how things go,” Tadrick said, settling into his chair. “How’d you two get introduced to him?”
“The investigation of Mellesyn,” Korima said quickly, shaking her head at Tadrick. “Just leave it there, Tad.”
“Ah, okay,” Tadrick said, and Ruethwyn looked over in time to catch his sidelong glance and the guilty look on his face. “I suppose I should eat anyway.”
“That does seem like a good idea,” Sella said, seeming a bit braver now that the knight was gone. After a moment, she asked, “Who is he, anyway?”
“Sir Alaran Whisperblade, Knight of Selwyn and mage-knight,” Tadrick replied instantly, sitting back and grinning as he added, “Word has it that there’s something of a relationship between him and Her Majesty, but nothing has come of it yet.”
Ruethwyn nearly knocked over her bowl at that, horror bubbling up inside her as Korima gasped. “They’re what? But is that even… proper?”
“His Majesty died years ago, and the mourning period has passed, so it isn’t like she’s being disrespectful,” Tadrick said, shrugging. “Besides, he is a knight, so there isn’t any room for others to object if they decide to make it official.”
“Joy… and I nearly got him killed,” Ruethwyn mumbled under her breath.
“What was that, Rue?” Sella asked curiously, and Ruethwyn shook her head.
“Nothing, really,” Ruethwyn replied, smiling, then began to eat to have an excuse not to talk. Fortunately, the others mostly followed suit.
“Hey, Korima, have you seen your mother since the show?” Cerid’s voice was a bit of a shock, as was the concern in it.
The meal had gone well enough, and Ruethwyn and the others had quickly left the table and deposited their dishes on a table where the servants were collecting them, then had stepped off to the side to talk.
That was what made Korima’s father’s approach so surprising, as Ruethwyn hadn’t seen him coming. Korima’s ears perked up as well, and she frowned.
“No, I haven’t. I expected to see her here a bit ago, but I figured that she might’ve wanted to freshen up more than usual,” Korima replied. “Is something the matter?”
“I’m afraid so. Your mother headed back to the room to change, but I haven’t seen any sign of her since then,” Cerid explained, running his fingers through his hair nervously. “I ran to the room to check, and I didn’t see any sign of her, and the dress she was intending to wear here was still hanging from the front of the wardrobe.”
“That’s not good,” Ruethwyn murmured, frowning.
“Yeah, coupled with what you said the other day about the letters… do you think someone abducted her?” Tadrick asked, his expression serious.
“That’s my fear,” Cerid admitted, anxiety in his eyes. “None of the doormen spotted her leaving, or anyone suspicious, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have happened. Invisibility is entirely possible, and there are other ways to get out of any building.”
“Oh no… is there anything we can do?” Sella asked, looking concerned.
“Unless you know magic to track her down, I’m not certain that there is,” Cerid said, then looked at them hopefully. “Actually, do you? That’d be wonderful, if so!”
Most of the others shook their heads, but Korima’s eyes brightened as she looked at Ruethwyn. “Rue, do you? I mean, you know so much about magic…”
“I’m afraid that’s a spell I don’t have memorized. I have the spell in one of my books, and used it when making an item, but that’s in the dormitory,” Ruethwyn replied, anxiety rushing through her at the thought of Rithara being missing. Korima’s ears began to droop in worry, but Ruethwyn tried to ignore that, her thoughts racing as she grew more hopeful. “That said, I do know there’s someone here who can cast tracking spells.”
“There is?” Korima’s disappointment vanished.
“Who might that be?” Cerid asked, his eyes brightening.
“Is Sir Whisperblade still here?” Ruethwyn asked, then smiled as she caught sight of him talking to the actor of General Rosemeadow. “Ah, he is! Good.”
She quickly headed across the room, Cerid following behind her, then the others as well. Alaran looked up in surprise, tilting his head curiously as he said, “Miss Ruethwyn? Is something the matter?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. Would you mind stepping to the side so we can speak for a few moments?” Ruethwyn asked, nodding to the actor as she added, “My apologies, sir, but it’s something of a time-sensitive issue.”
“That’s not a problem, especially if Cerid is involved,” the man said, his gaze lingering on the right side of Ruethwyn’s face for a long moment.
“Indeed. I can’t leave the room, but that corner looks mostly unoccupied,” Alaran said, frowning as he nodded in the direction of a corner with few people near it. “Shall we?”
“Thank you,” Ruethwyn sai
d, heading in that direction quickly.
Once they’d reached the corner, the knight’s face turned relatively impassive as he asked, “Now, what’s this all about?”
“Rithara has been receiving letters that are exceptionally possessive and which claim the sender was going to attempt to make her his,” Cerid explained quickly. “She went missing after the performance, and Ruethwyn said that you knew how to use tracking spells.”
“Lady Rithara is missing? That puts an entirely different spin on this. I assume you’ve already searched the theater and asked the doormen if they’ve seen anything?” Alaran asked, his tone turning brisk.
“Of course. I wouldn’t be resorting to asking you if you could track her, otherwise. I wish that I could, for that matter,” Cerid replied, straightening slightly.
“I completely understand. Fortunately, Ruethwyn was correct about me knowing how to track someone. What I need is an item of hers that she used often. A hair or the like is ideal, but any item would suffice,” Alaran said, then frowned. “In fact, I’d best inform His Highness that something is afoot. I’m going to have to follow the trail, and that means obtaining his permission to do so.”
“I’ll run to the room and get some of her hairs from a brush, Sir Whisperblade. You have my thanks,” Cerid said, then darted for the door.
“Thank you, Sir Whisperblade,” Ruethwyn said, letting out a breath of relief.
“You’re welcome, Ruethwyn. I do hope this will turn out better than the last time,” Alaran replied, smiling slightly as he added, “Still, I’d best speak with His Highness. If it turns out she’s been abducted… well, I’ll also see that word is sent to the guard in that case.”
“Thank you, sir,” Korima added, giving a curtsey as he quickly walked off.
“Rue, what did he mean about last time?” Sella asked a moment later.
Ruethwyn didn’t say anything at first, and Tadrick added, his voice suspicious, “It did sound like something a bit more than you giving information on what had happened.”
“Because it was. He borrowed a focus I had for one of the women who was kidnapped to see if he could rescue them,” Ruethwyn finally explained, unhappy that she needed to do so. “I didn’t get the full details, but it didn’t go well.”
“Ah. Well, shit,” Tadrick muttered. “That dampens my hopes slightly.”
“Not mine. He was going up against the palace of the Golden Dominion, not up against a kidnapper in the heart of our own country,” Ruethwyn replied, pausing a moment before adding, “Still, I’m not going to simply sit back and watch this time.”
“What? What’re you talking about, Rue?” Sella asked, looking startled.
“I’m going to help. I’ve been trying to learn things to help with these kind of situations, so…” Ruethwyn shrugged, glancing down at her bracelet and feeling the weight of her wand sheathe. “I just… I have to do something.”
“Are you serious, Rue? It could be dangerous,” Korima said, though the kitsune smiled broadly as she added, “I’m not arguing, though! It’s my mom, and I’m not letting anyone think I’ll just let them take her away.”
“I’m sure, Korima. Master Mara’s been preparing us for the various tests at the end of the year, so why not something like this? I may as well test myself early on,” Ruethwyn replied, smiling slightly as she added, “Besides, it’s a chance for me to do something. I’ve felt like I was just… making no progress at all.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” Tadrick began, then paused. “Sella? What are you going to do?”
“Help, of course! Rithara was incredibly nice to me,” Sella said, smiling broadly. “Plus, Rue’s right. We are students of Tyrness Academy, and not many people can even get through the front doors. I think I keep forgetting that.”
“It sounds like we’re agreed,” Tadrick said, grinning as he added, “Now we have to convince them to let us help.”
That caused a chorus of laughter from the others, and Ruethwyn smiled, feeling more comfortable than she had for most of the night.
Chapter 32
“I still don’t think this is a wise idea,” Alaran said, glancing at Ruethwyn and the others dubiously.
“I don’t think following the trail of the kidnapper without your armor is a wise idea,” Ruethwyn replied, glancing around the area curiously. “We’re hardly defenseless, Sir Whisperblade.”
When he’d been informed of their intention to come with him, Alaran had argued briefly, but the return of Cerid had forced him to finally give up. Ruethwyn suspected that the main reason he hadn’t objected further was because he felt guilty about failing her before, plus Korima being Rithara’s daughter. At least Cerid had borrowed a sword from the guards for Tadrick, so her classmate wasn’t unarmed.
Now they were standing in front of a gloomy-looking manor, only a few flickers of light visible from within. The building was at least somewhat inspired by human construction, Ruethwyn thought, with numerous spires and heavier masonry than was typical for the city. Cerid had gone to show the city guard to their location, since it was on the edge of the noble district. There was something about the location that had her teeth on edge, though, and it wasn’t the chill of an autumn night.
“Yeah, and while I may not have a wolf’s nose, I’m pretty sure that it’s Mother’s perfume that’s lingering in the area,” Korima said, sniffing several times. “There’s also something else, and I really don’t like it.”
“They kidnapped her, so of course they have something in mind for her. They have to assume that there’d be an investigation,” Tadrick said, adjusting his sword belt slightly and frowning. “I have to wonder if they expected anyone to react this fast, though.”
“Likely not,” Alaran said. “Tracking spells over a long distance are fairly difficult, and not many people learn them. Normally it’d likely take hours to get a practitioner capable of using them to the scene of a crime. Still, if you insist on coming along, I suggest you prepare for something unpleasant. I’d prefer that this go peacefully, but I’m not enough of a fool to assume that will be the case. Just nothing overtly hostile, please, not until things do go poorly.”
Ruethwyn nodded, closing her eye and taking a deep breath as she began painfully drawing on her mana. Reaching out into the void again, she murmured softly, “Umbra, please answer my call.”
Moments later, the elemental’s serene darkness fell over Ruethwyn like an enveloping satin robe. The elemental quickly absorbed what was going on, and her serenity took a sharper, deadlier edge as it did so.
“Huh. That’s… interesting,” Alaran muttered, prompting a giggle from Sella.
“Rue’s magic is different, that’s for sure. Not that different in the end, but different,” the elven mage said, even as Rue opened her eye, murmuring the spell from before to give her a sense of vision on her right side.
The sense of relief Ruethwyn felt as vision on that side of her body came into being was incredible, and she shivered slightly, glancing at the others. Alaran was staring, while the others were looking a little less startled than they had the first time she’d used her magic. The others looked mostly ready, though as she watched, Tadrick murmured a spell and a spark of blue light flickered from his finger to the sword in its sheath.
“Are we going to go?” Ruethwyn finally asked, growing slightly impatient as she sensed her mana reserves. “I can hold this for quite some time, but not indefinitely. I’d really rather not run out of mana in the middle of something important.”
“Of course, I just… what did that spell do?” Alaran asked, looking at Ruethwyn closely. “You have a sort of purple light where your right eye, ah…”
“The spell gives me sight on my right side. Sort of; it’s not quite the same as normal vision,” Ruethwyn replied quickly, brushing off her sense of irritation. “Now, with that answered, may we continue?”
Alaran nodded, looking slightly taken aback, but took a deep breath before telling the others, “Follow my lead, please. E
ven if my spell brought us to the house, there’s no guarantee that this is actually where Rithara was taken, or that she was unwilling. Keep an open mind, even if the odds are that she was kidnapped.”
“I won’t act first, but I know my mother. She’d never have left without telling anyone,” Korima replied, her voice a near-growl now.
The others murmured their agreement, and Ruethwyn nodded, following them as Alaran walked through the open gates toward the house. As she did so, her sense of unease grew. Mana was everywhere, but the concentration that she felt in the ground was higher than it should’ve been. Perhaps the others wouldn’t sense it, but Umbra could, and the elemental wasn’t certain what type of magic the mana was aligned with.
“Be wary. Umbra… no, I sense an unusual amount of mana in the ground,” Ruethwyn said after a few moments, her voice soft. “I can’t say what it’s for, but either the grounds are enchanted, or a great deal of magic has been performed here.”
“That’s a bit worrying. This is Lord Elisir’s lands, and he isn’t a notable mage,” Alaran replied, frowning heavily as he did so. “On the other hand, he hasn’t been seen in court often over the past few decades, so it’s always possible that’s changed.”
“Magical rituals also don’t require a great deal of skill with magic, instead requiring knowledge of the rituals, from what Master Mara has said,” Sella offered, shrugging as she added, “I don’t think I’ve heard of many people who learn them, when they likely could learn to wield magic on their own, but it’s another possibility.”
“A point. A very good point, as it happens,” Alaran agreed, his stride having slowed somewhat. Ruethwyn noticed that he looked warier than he had before, which reassured her. “Still, we’ll find out, one way or another.”
He climbed the handful of steps to the door of the building and took hold of the knocker before rapping firmly at the door, the knock echoing through the building. Then he stepped back and waited.
The Avatar's Flames (Through the Fire Book 1) Page 25