To Play the Lady

by Naomi Lane

  “Mages above fifth-level are exceptionally rare and powerful. They also carry the distinction of being able to perform magical workings in groups. Sixth-level mages, called Sorcerers, are automatically accepted into any Tower. The final level is Mastery. Master mages generally either hold landed title or serve as Lord or Lady over one of the seven Towers.”

  “Very nicely explained, Aurelia,” said Delia, with a broad smile on her face. “Yolanda, please return Aylin’s disc. Aylin, you will want to keep that with you throughout your training. You will most likely find it useful again, as it has been keyed to your magic.

  “This leaves us now with Jenna’s testing.” Delia looked over, expecting her to rise.

  Jenna gulped. “What happens if I don’t have any appreciable magic of one of the seven lines?”

  “Not much,” replied Delia. “If you are below third-level, the disc will most likely not change color and merely lose some of its sheen, but your ability to see the color indicates otherwise.”

  Delia handed her a mirrored disc and asked Jenna to repeat Aylin’s exercise. Jenna, having no clue as to what would happen, began to focus on the disc. She had never attempted to consciously use her magic this way. Her healing magic was purely unconsciously done, and her horse magic came with ease, but was only sensed by horses, not people or objects. The disc just felt like a lump of metal.

  She stood there for what seemed like ages, attempting to concentrate but not feeling anything. She tried to reach through her abdomen, but it didn’t feel right. Her sprained wrist ached from clutching the disc. “Don’t try to force it too much,” warned Delia. “Just make contact with the power source inside you and relax. Let it flow through you and out of your hands.”

  Jenna took some deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Her grip loosened, and her awareness of her body expanded. She began to feel unusual warmth in her heart and in her head and so relaxed some more, gently urging the power to flow down to the disc. The warmth spread out of her heart and head, and as the two streams of power met inside her upper arm, she felt a jolt of pain through her shoulder and down her back, aggravating her injury. She almost dropped the disc, but managed to hold steady long enough that she felt a click when the two streams reached it. Slowly, she dipped the disc into the water and opened her eyes.

  The other Ladies around the room began to whisper, as they too could see the strange appearance of the disc. It had lost its mirrored sheen entirely and was a dark ruddy color. Jenna had the notion that it looked like dried blood. More frightening were the black streaks running through it that appeared like veins.

  Delia came over to Jenna and wrenched the disc from her grip. Jenna just stood there biting her lip, wishing she had avoided this class entirely.

  “Well, Miss Mallory, I don’t know what to say,” said Delia, who stared at the disc in fascination. “Do you claim to have magical ability?”

  “Um,” replied Jenna, re-biting her lip on the other side. “Yes.” She remembered her promise to her brother that she would not lie if asked. “It comes from my mother’s side, from the Rahtani in the Great Desert.”

  “Ah, foreign magic.” Delia sounded relieved. “That would explain it. Sevalians, Khazars, and Tenarrans all carry the same magic bloodlines, which are Sevalian in origin, or at least our best scholars maintain they are. But outside of these countries different sorts of magics do exist. You could have mentioned this earlier. Please tell us about your abilities.”

  “I have two distinct gifts,” said Jenna, cautiously. “One is communication with horses and the other healing.”

  “Healing?” Delia’s eyebrows rose.

  “Well, not healing like Sevalian healers. I only heal myself when injured. I don’t know why; it just happens.”

  “How is it you are sure this healing ability is magical?”

  “Well, the most extreme example is when I broke my arm. The bone knit in a week, and I could use it again normally.”

  Delia pondered this. “It could have been that it was not broken to begin with but merely sprained.”

  “No, it was broken. The bone nearly punctured through my skin.”

  “My word! And this injury healed in a week?”

  Jenna nodded as Delia began pacing around the small table. The other Ladies continued to look surprised, although Crystelle still looked ready to kill her.

  “You have never been able to share this healing ability?” asked Delia.

  “No, though I haven’t really tried, I suppose. When I heal it just happens, like someone normally heals but faster and with less scarring.”

  “And your other ability? You talk to horses in your mind?”

  “Well, they don’t talk. I get a sense of what they feel, if they are frightened, or curious, or hungry. And I can see images in their minds and send them in return.”

  “Jenna, can you communicate with any other animals this way, or do you ever hear people’s thoughts?” Delia had stopped her pacing and looked at her quite seriously then.

  “No. It’s always just been horses.”

  “I admit I have never heard of magic like this. You believe the Rahtani have it?”

  Jenna shrugged. “I don’t know about how the Rahtani use their magic, just that my grandfather has it.”

  “So it, too, runs in bloodlines?”

  “Yes. At least I assume it does.” Jenna then understood just how woefully ignorant she was about her magic. She wished her parents had told her more, but they were never comfortable discussing it.

  “I want to test your potential, but we will not use the disc. I will test it more directly.”

  Two of the girls helped Delia slide the low table to the side. She then turned to face Jenna, grasping her right lower arm up to the elbow. “I want you to let your power flow down your arm again, and I will send mine to meet it. As a high-level mage I should be able to sense the potential from your magic’s flow.”

  At this instruction, Jenna began to concentrate as she had before. Her awareness of her body expanded more easily the second time. The warmth from her head and her heart began to flow slightly faster than before, especially the flow from her heart, which outpaced the other. At the same time, she could feel another sensation crawling up her arm. It was not as warm, but tingled. When the tingling sensation met the warmth from her heart, it began to burn hotter, almost to the level of unpleasantness. Then the other stream melded with the main flow, and the pain was awful. Jenna’s entire right arm felt as if it were on fire, and then her grip with Delia broke. Delia collapsed to the floor and Jenna, gasping with pain, could barely stumble over to her own chair for support.

  As the burning sensation she felt faded into a dull ache, one of the two students with healing magic quickly went over to where Delia had fallen. Jenna, hating herself for even thinking it, was still not entirely surprised when her classmate said, “Somebody fetch a proctor. Magista Delia isn’t breathing.”

  Chapter 6

  While the two students with healing ability continued to tend to Delia as best they could, Aurelia leapt up from her chair and left the classroom to find a proctor. Jenna could only stare numbly in horror at the scene and rub her aching right arm. She wished she had the magic to transform herself into a beetle and fly away.

  When Aurelia returned less than a minute later, Mrs. Hawes and the Queen herself were with her. The Queen went straight to where Delia lay and knelt down next to her. She laid her hand on Delia’s chest and closed her eyes. The whole room was absolutely quiet until Delia coughed, and her eyes fluttered open. There were sighs of relief.

  Delia stared up at the Queen looking confused. “What? How? Mirella is that you?” she asked.

  “Be still, Delia,” replied the Queen. “You have just suffered from a bad backlash.” She turned to Mrs. Hawes. “Would you please clear the room?”

  “Everyone,” said Mrs. Hawes. “You have heard Her Majesty. Please give the Magista some air.”

  All of the girls gathered to leave, including Je
nna. The Queen looked over at her concerned. “Miss Mallory, are you able to walk?”

  “Yes, Majesty.”

  “Please wait for me in my study then,” said the Queen, before returning her attention back to Delia.

  The girls followed Mrs. Hawes out of the room. “Now I will ask you all to return to your dormitory until the Queen decides what to do,” she said. “You may still have your other classes a little later.” She then frowned at Jenna. “Miss Mallory, though, I am afraid you must come with me.”

  Jenna followed the head proctor through the main hall of the East Wing, then up to the second floor. They entered a room in the Royal Suite not far from the main staircase, a small room with a desk inside with some bottles and scrolls on top of it. There was also a small sofa, so Jenna sat down to wait. Mrs. Hawes left her there without saying a word, letting the door slam shut on the way out.

  Jenna only then began to reflect on what had gone wrong. She wondered about the feeling of two magic streams within her and considered whether it was caused by having two distinct abilities. The truth was she really didn’t know and hoped to never use her magic consciously that way ever again.

  Jenna assumed that the Queen would finally send her home a mere two days after her arrival. Her father and brother would be angry. Her sister would also hate her. Ana’s chances of being invited to court were now much lower than before. She hoped her brother would stay to finish his training at least and make something out of the opportunity. For herself, she didn’t know whether she was ashamed or relieved. Mostly her body just ached.

  When the Queen did not appear after a few minutes Jenna lay down on the couch. Her arm was beginning to feel better as the ache became more of a tingle, though she still didn’t relish the idea of using it. She began to rub it again absentmindedly until she fell asleep.

  Jenna had a dream, another strange one. She could see herself lying on the couch asleep. She hovered over the sofa for a few minutes then rose up higher out of the East Wing. As she stared at the roof of the palace, she was reminded of the time she had seen that strange dark mage, but this time, instead of flying away far to the east, she stayed above the castle and began to hear voices. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, though, because they all chattered at once, but she could pick up tidbits: “…the healer almost died… a foreign mage they say… bad blood… it isn’t black; let me show you.” The last voice was familiar. She followed it, entering the Central Tower, where she saw the Queen talking with the white-haired man she had seen at the dinner.

  “You’re right,” he said as he stared at her disc. “It is definitely not black, more of a ruddy brown, but with these darker streaks it does look odd.” He put it underneath a lamp on a desk nearby. “It has a strange texture.” He took a letter opener from the desk and scraped at the edge of the disc. Some brown flakes came off its surface. “It is red underneath, but you say she has no fire mage ability?”

  “No. She claims to be able to self-heal, even so far as to heal her own broken arm within a week. Apparently, she also communicates with horses in her mind, only horses. Master Durand was able to verify some of her claim to that.”

  “Hmmm. I don’t see this as dangerous, but the ability to heal herself from major injury does indicate she has strong ability, probably level five on our scale.”

  “Should it be trained? Should she be sent to the desert?”

  “I am sorry, but I don’t really know. I can research it some more.”

  “Please do. I won’t have her trained alongside the other girls until we know.” The Queen sighed. “She is waiting for me now. Do you want to come along?”

  “Not now. I saw her at the dinner last night, and I don’t sense any deception from her. I’ll talk to her in a few days when she is rested and after I have learned something more.”

  “Let me know as soon as you have anything.” After this, the Queen left. Jenna, however, stayed, watching the white-haired man as he continued to stare at the metal disc. Just when Jenna thought she should leave, the man looked up and dropped the disc, letting it clatter to the floor. As he turned to face her, she heard a voice.

  “Miss Mallory? Jenna, dear, please wake up.” Jenna opened her eyes back inside the Queen’s study. Her heart was racing a bit from being startled out of her dream. The Queen looked concerned.

  “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I fell asleep.” Jenna was somewhat disturbed by the dream and how real it seemed, but she didn’t really have time to process what had happened.

  “No need to apologize. It’s no wonder you are tired after your ordeal. Are you in any pain?”

  “My arm hurt earlier, but it’s starting to feel better.”

  “Let me see.” The Queen took Jenna’s right arm in her hands. Warmth spread through it, easing the tingling as it traveled.

  “That feels better. Thank you, Majesty. You are a healer mage then?”

  “Yes. Fortunately I was nearby when it happened.”

  “I am so sorry. I don’t know what I did. I swear it was completely unintentional.”

  “Oh, there’s no need to be concerned about that, Jenna. This was not your fault. If anything Delia should have known better. She assumed whatever magic you carried would not rival her own strength. When it did she lost control, and there was a backlash of power through your link. When you study magic you will learn more about it.”

  “Am I not to be sent home then?”

  “Sent home? Heavens no. I have spoken with Lord Harcourt, the high mage.”

  “The man with white hair.”

  “Yes. Have you met Lord Harcourt?”

  “Uh, he was at the high table.” Jenna was still reluctant to discuss the dream.

  “Oh yes. I had forgotten about that. In any case he wishes to research more about the Rahtani and their kind of magic. I wish you to tell me everything you know.”

  Jenna repeated what she had told Delia and emphasized that it never seemed to her to be trainable just instinctual. She had never tried to channel power until that day.

  “I understand,” said the Queen. “Well, Miss Mallory, for now I ask for your patience while the Tower mages do some research. If we find this magic must be trained, you will most likely be sent to the desert. Would your mother know more?”

  “She usually doesn’t like to talk about magic. She has none of her own, but she might know something.”

  “Please write to her about it, if you will. Lord Harcourt and I shall talk to you again in a few days.”

  “Of course, Majesty.” Jenna didn’t think her parents would allow her to go to the desert to train her magic, but if the Crown insisted, she supposed they would have little choice.

  “Should I return to the dormitory now?”

  “If you wish. I gave the other Ladies leave from classes for the day. However, before you go, I should mention that Aylin was asking after you this morning. I think she was hoping to talk to you about the feast.”

  Jenna sighed. The dinner already seemed like a week ago instead of just the night before. “I should talk to her then.”

  “She went riding in the park with some others. Though I am sure she would understand if you needed to rest.”

  “No. I am feeling better now after my nap. I can go riding for a little while.” Jenna curtsied to the Queen and left the Royal Suite.

  Master Durand looked surprised to see her, but allowed Tobin to help her get Bree saddled. When she saw Tobin she was a little flustered, but he seemed unaware of anything wrong. Working together, they quickly had Bree ready for her to ride.

  She headed out to the park as the Queen had suggested and came upon a group of Ladies on one of the trails. Crystelle and Aylin were with them. Jenna kept her distance, mainly to avoid further awkwardness with Crystelle. Aylin saw her, though, and came over on her horse. They rode down a different side trail as they talked together in Khazaric.

  “I am surprised you came out riding,” said Aylin. “You looked so shaken after the testing.”

&nbs
p; “Yes. But the Queen assured me I did nothing wrong. And I feel better after taking a short nap.”

  “The Queen told us it was just an accident, that these things sometimes happen when young mages are developing their powers, especially when they are high-level.”

  “I swear I didn’t know what I was doing. Thank the gods the Queen was around to heal Delia.”

  “I didn’t really know what I was doing either. I knew I had earth mage ability, but didn’t know about the level system. It all sounds so complicated.”

  “I know.”

  “Sevalians take magic very seriously. We have far fewer mages in Khazaran and no guild structure.”

  Jenna just nodded and remembered what her father had said about the Khazars favoring trade with the republic because they had fewer mages.

  “I wanted to apologize to you actually,” said Aylin, while looking down at her horse’s reins. “The ambassador should not have asked you such questions.”

  Jenna began to blush. “There’s really no need to apologize.”

  “No. I should. The ambassador…” Aylin struggled for words. “He should be more diplomatic; it is his job, but he is known to have a sharp tongue. And…” Aylin spoke softer even though no one else could possibly overhear her. “He lost his mother when the pox came to Akkara several years ago. I think he blames the Tenarrans for not providing their medicines.”

  Jenna remembered the pox outbreak well. Peter had caught the disease and nearly died. Her father and Alex were also upset with Tenarra back then.

  “I understand,” Jenna replied.