Nemma reached for any vibrations in the air to pull on, but only felt very faint waves that seemed to be echoes from the other vibrations in the room. She looked at the other scholars. Some of them were focusing on the air before them. Others had their eyes closed. One or two were looking around, like her.
“Stop.” The Thaide lowered a pace or two. “How many of you cannot feel any currents in the air?”
Nemma counted six with their hands up, including Haleyna.
The Thaide’s expressionless face looked at them all. “You will never be able to use air energy. Your Gift isn’t strong enough.”
The stunned silence that followed seemed quieter than the previous ones. Haleyna gaped with disbelief.
“There’s a meal laid out in your dining room. You may attend this now.”
As they departed, Nemma felt a pang of sympathy for Haleyna. Her head hung low as she left. The remaining scholars tightened the circle and the Thaide lowered down until his boots pressed into the soft floor.
“My name is Thaide Adran,” he said, to the remaining scholars. “If you felt the vibrations in the air, then you felt air energy. Even if it’s weak, it’s air energy. Even if it seems as though it’s something else, it’s air energy.”
He rose into the air again. “Create that ball.”
This time Nemma closed her eyes and felt for the vibrations again. She pulled on them but they slipped away. She tried again and it slipped away just as quickly. She opened her eyes and squinted at the air. Puryth Ulaya said that energy had a slight hint of color to it so Nemma watched closely. When she tried to capture it again, she saw a slight tinge of gold as it slipped away. She tried again and again, the same thing happened.
“Once you have created the ball, spread it into a thin wall in front of you,” called Adran from above.
Nemma sighed in frustration and turned to watch the others. Palyon was squinting at the air in front of him, jerking his head forward at random intervals. He looked close to creating a ball. Terris was grinding his teeth, his face set with determination. Deron looked as though he was about explode, contracting and writhing as though he was ill. Nemma almost laughed.
In a swoop Adran landed in front of her. “Have you given up?”
Nemma’s heart began to race. “I can’t gain a grip on the currents.”
“You’ve barely tried.” His scratchy voice made her feel itchy.
“I’m not going to become a Thaide,” Nemma said, trying to sound confident. “I don’t need to know how to use air energy.”
He held her gaze. “It’s not for you to decide what you need to know.” He rose back into the air. “Keep going.”
She exhaled and focused again on the air before her and this time tried to feel where the currents were coming from. There were many in the air, some stagnant, some drifting, some rushing by, but she could not determine the directions they were coming from. She stretched out her reach as far as she could and pulled on everything she could feel.
As the energy came together, she had more control over it but she had to concentrate. She created a ball shape in front of her and opened her eyes to see a transparent glistening silver-blue ball in front of her face. She grinned in excitement and nearly lost it. Focusing, she changed the shape into a thin wall stretching the length of her own body and drew it close to her. A few of the other students had managed to create their balls. Terris was still struggling.
After a few moments Thaide Adran said, “Next, you need to pull on earth energy and feed it into your shield.” He lowered to the center of the circle again. “The energies need to combine fully in order to create a working shield.”
Nemma pulled on earth energy but almost lost her sheet of air energy. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on feeling the two different energies at the same time. Slowly, she filtered earth energy into her shield, and felt the air energy stabilize as earth energy blended with it.
When she opened her eyes, the Thaide was in front of her. “Well done,” he said, appraisingly. “I think that’s the quickest I have ever seen anybody do that. Release the shield and do it again.”
It was late into the evening when the lesson finished. No one spoke as her training group exited the hall, a subdued mood had taken hold of everyone. Only herself and two others in the group had manage to create and hold a shield. She saw Terris near the front of the group, his shoulders hunched. Deron looked as though he had been crying and Syra kept tightening her hands into fists. Nemma broke off from the group, heading towards her rooms.
Innogen was folding sheets when she arrived.
“How was your training today?” she chirped.
Nemma grunted and sat down at the desk.
Innogen laughed. “Isa, you can be so miserable sometimes.”
“Is there no meal today?” Nemma asked, gesturing to the bare desk.
Innogen shot her a stern look. “You should be eating in the dining room with the rest of the scholars.”
Nemma lifted her shoulders. “I don’t get on with them.”
“Really,” Innogen said turning towards her, a mischievous look on her face. “All of them? Not even a certain young man who is the son of one of the most powerful Houses in the Arc?”
“No.”
“Well he gets on with you. I don’t think you’re realizing how concerned he is for you.”
“He’s a spy.”
Innogen made a face. “What?”
“He’s a spy for Puryth Mayea.”
Innogen chuckled, picking up a new sheet to fold. “Of course he is. He would’ve been given extra duties because he wants to train to be a Thaide.”
Nemma blinked, confused.
“Come on, Isa, What do you think I do? I talk to Puryth Mayea about you all the time. She wants to know that you’re coping. It doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
Nemma was silent for moment. “But your duty is to... look after me. Why would he be concerned with my welfare?”
“Thaide have to be able to do a range of things,” Innogen explained. “Look after the sick, fight in battle, investigate... He’s probably being given a lot of assignments because of his father. And just so you’re aware, you’re not the only scholar the Mayea has concerns about. You’re one of many.”
“Why does she have to know?”
“If you’re distancing yourself from the trainers and the other scholars, you’ll have a difficult time adjusting to life in the Arc. She’s responsible for assessing risks. If Terris doesn’t do it someone else in your training group would have to. It’s better if it’s him, isn’t it?”
Nemma leaned on the desk. “If he’s concerned about me because of his duties, it’s not true concern.”
Innogen picked up a blanket. “Do you know he came and asked me about you? He wanted to know how we had become friends.”
“Why?”
Innogen raised her eyebrows. “Because he wants to be your friend, of course.”
Nemma was quiet for a moment. “Who is his father?”
“Adonyl Sokara.”
When Nemma looked at Innogen blankly she threw down the blanket she was folding in disbelief. “Adonyl Sokara. One of the most powerful magien merchants in the Arc. He runs a mining business that operates all over the Realms. How could you not have heard of him?”
“Why would I?”
Innogen pushed her lip out and shrugged. “I thought in the fourth quarter you would still hear stories about the Arc, in bedtime tales or something?”
Nemma thought back to when her mother and father used to tell her stories. They had nothing to do with Hannaw or Torak or magiens. Her bedtime tales were of wondrous lands far away where, in the end, the hero won and the eventual leaders and rulers were kind.
“I’m sorry.” Innogen reached over and touched her hand. “I didn’t mean to remind you of home.
“It’s alright,” Nemma said, trying to shake the glumness from her voice. “I was just wondering how magiens make their way into bedtime tales.”
Innogen shook the robes and hung them in the cupboard. “Well, magiens live for a very long time. And Adonyl’s father owned the business before him. Serfs are told stories about the magiens’ families so that we get to know about the ones that own the land we live on and work for. I thought that was how most people learn about magiens.”
Nemma thought of her experiences in Torak. Who tells bedtime tales to the foundling children? “I’m sure that’s how most people learn.”
Innogen paused and turned to look at Nemma. She walked around the bed, dropping the robes and knelt In front of her taking Nemma’s hands in her own. “Isa, please tell me that you’re happy you’re here?”
Nemma looked into Innogen’s worried blue eyes and found she could not lie. “I’m not, Innogen. I’m glad to be fed and warm… and I’m glad for your company. But I cannot say I’m truly happy.”
“Why?” Innogen’s warm hands squeezed. “What better life is out there for you?”
Nemma tried to find an answer and realized she could not. If she escaped the Arc, where could she possibly hope to live safely? She didn’t know the Realms well enough to know which countries would be safe and didn’t know anyone outside of Torak, let alone Hannaw. She shrugged. “Somewhere in the Realms.”
“But you don’t know what those other countries are like. Here you’re warm, you’re fed and you’re clothed. People are friendly, there’s no crime, you can pursue any career that interests you—you can really build something here. You said you enjoy your lessons. You like Elementyth Othmar, Govenyth Fabron and Puryth Ulaya. Do you think they’re the only nice magiens in the Arc?” Innogen lifted her shoulders and gave Nemma a smile. “Do you think you’re going to find nicer food elsewhere?”
Nemma chuckled and Innogen gave her a gentle shake.
“I know you don’t get on with all of the scholars but it only takes a bit more effort and your entire experience will change.”
Nemma squeezed her hands back and smiled. “You’re right. I will try.”
“Good,” Innogen beamed, scrambling to her feet and pulling Nemma with her. “Let’s see what the kitchens have left before they close.
Fifteen
Betha’s residence, an overbearing multi-level cityhouse, sat on a corner of two roads in the first quarter. When Clisantha arrived, the carriages in the outyard indicated that everyone was in attendance.
“Greetings, Clisantha.” Betha gave her a small hug, after she had been brought through to the hallway. She wore her deep brown hair loose and puffed out around her face—a daring style. “It’s good to see you. I feel like you’re becoming a stranger.”
“I know. I’ve been so busy,” Clisantha said, squeezing her back, “but I have missed you.”
Betha glanced behind her and lowered her voice. “I must warn you, Ketzia and her Elementyth are here.”
Clisantha held the smile at her face as a burst of annoyance flourished in her chest. Riyen had not mentioned coming this evening even though she had been with him less than a couple of hours ago. He knew about Telmar’s demands and yet he thought it would be appropriate to spend time with her and her friends socially? Unless he really wanted to spend time with Ketzia, which was even more annoying. “Are they still seeing each other? I thought we agreed this was going to be an evening for the girls?” she said, lightly. “Can’t she resist from showing him off?”
“I’m sorry. I was looking forward to it being just the girls too, but according to her, he insisted.”
Clisantha shook her head in disbelief as she followed Betha through to the lounge. The entire room looked as though it could have been in a magien home in the Arc, which was not surprising considering Betha had become one of Clisantha’s top customers since magien products began flooding the city. Betha had been fierce in her application to acquire the best magien-made ware available, according to Clisantha’s assistant. Wide deep-set windows punctuated two of the blue-gray walls and between them hung paintings displaying the most intricate combinations of colors, so bright they seemed to flicker in their own light with no assistance from the four tall standing lumni lamps, with little gem stones encrusted on their slim stems.
Elementyth Riyen sat on an elegant olive soft-seat next to the door holding Ketzia’s hand, while Rona and Via sat on the soft-seat opposite to them.
“Greetings all,” said Clisantha.
The guests greeted her as she headed to the smaller soft-seat between them both. Riyen half rose from his seat, as she sat. He had re-braided his hair in a new circular style and wore a loose fitting half-tunic colored with dabs of various shades of blue and white, with dark blue trousers. Apart from the first night she had met him in his ominous black cloak, Clisantha had never seen him out of his green Elementyth robes before. It made him look less intimidating.
“I hear your business is thriving, Mss Saraethien,” said Riyen. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Clisantha replied, taking a glass of wine from one of Betha’s servers. “It’s become very busy for me indeed.”
“How are you finding dealing with magien merchants?”
“Tough,” Clisantha admitted. The pattern of his shirt made his eyes look even more striking and a flutter fell on her nerves. He was truly a beautiful man. “Magiens resist change as much as citizens do.”
“Tough?” Via exclaimed. “You see the Thaide Priest every day. It’s not a tough life you lead, Clisantha.”
“Mmmm, yes,” Rona murmured. “Looking into his eyes on a daily basis must make it worthwhile.”
Clisantha laughed and sipped her wine.
“I find it strange that he’s in Hannaw every day,” Betha remarked, lifting a glass of wine from a server’s tray. “He should be in other parts of the Realm protecting us.”
“From what?” Via said. “We’re the most loved city in the Realm. We live in the shadow of Torak Tower, the Sovereign’s home. His presence is all the protection we need. And besides, no one would dare threaten this country let alone this city.”
Betha shrugged. “Yet when I was younger, he was rarely in the city so often.”
“Maybe his presence in Hannaw is something to do with all the Thaide Priests on duty,” Ketzia piped up.
An itch of annoyance spread across Clisantha’s back. What in the Realms had Riyen been telling Ketzia that he had not told her? He refused to talk about what he called, Arc business. He had not even wanted to talk about how they should deal with Telmar.
Betha lifted her sculpted brows. “Yes. It has to be related.”
Via leaned forward “Do you know anything Elementyth Riyen? Is that true?”
Riyen smiled and lifted his shoulders. “The Thaide aren’t obliged to tell us anything, so I have no idea.”
“But you can guess,” Via almost whispered.
Riyen laughed and shook his head. “Honestly, the Thaide are so secretive, I couldn’t even guess. And anyway I’m not here as an Elementyth this evening.”
Via pressed her lips together and turned to Clisantha. “You must have heard something, Clisantha. You have the Thaide Priest to yourself every day.”
“Yes of course,” Clisantha said, rolling her eyes. “He and I discuss what goes on in the Arc constantly. He seeks my counsel before he makes decisions about anything.”
Betha and Ketzia giggled while Via made a face at Clisantha.
“At least he is concerned about the citizens of Torak,” Rona commented. “Unlike some who seek to upset the balance.”
Clisantha narrowed her eyes.
Betha raised a hand to signal the servers. “Let’s eat.”
They moved to the large table on one side of the room that looked as though it had been made from silver tree bark with a cracked effect top and speckled indigo vines coiling up the legs. Servers arrived with large sharing plates of roasted meats, potatoes and vegetables and then smaller plates of cold meats, cheeses, fruits and breads, while ruby, mahogany, golden and blush wines flowed into their glasses. The conversation leapt
across many topics, from the latest magien fashions, to the Glass Hearth’s Gifted windows, to the increased patrol, to the merchant market. Rona and Clisantha became locked in a heated debate about the effect her business had on the price of goods and quality of life in Torak, and Via and Rona questioned Betha about her motives behind her magien acquisitions. Riyen seemed to enjoy the discussions, observing from Ketzia’s side. Occasionally he placed his hand over hers, or on her back, while offering a plate of something.
Clisantha rose, excused herself and headed to the balcony hoping for some fresh air to blow away her lingering annoyance. Her relationship with the women had changed as her business became more popular. Rona had become openly aggressive towards her and Via wanted constant gossip about Kelvedon and the Arc. Clisantha no longer needed them to validate her status. In fact, they benefited more from her company than she from theirs and now she may have to contend with Riyen’s continued presence.
“Clisantha, I’ve been looking for you.”
Clisantha turned and smiled. “Tired of the all the questions?”
Betha walked towards her, tilting a glass of golden wine between her fingertips. “I seem to end up having these dinners only to justify my purchasing choices.”
Clisantha made a noise in her throat. “I was just considering why we still have them.”
“They have become less fun with you tied up in the Arc,” Betha admitted.
Clisantha took a sip from her glass and turned back towards the view of the darken city, lit by patterns of lumni light. “The other ladies have changed their attitude to towards me.”
Betha chuckled, deep and throaty. “Surely you expected that? But they would kill to continue having dinner with you. They talk about you to others as though you’re the best of friends.” She moved to Clisantha’s side. “How is the Arc?”
“More beautiful than it was when I left,” Clisantha sighed. “But otherwise much the same. I forgot about the Houses.”
“Are you having trouble with them?”
“Nothing I can’t deal with,” Clisantha said.
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