by Naomi Lane
No, she replied. It’s like flying. She added more speed as they approached the foothills, and Jenna gained altitude as they flew into the mountains. Soon they were at the castle that had been carved into the mountainside. She registered a brief sense of shock from Harcourt’s mind.
We will go inside to attempt to discern who this man is, he said. I would like to avoid a direct confrontation if possible, so I will now increase our shields to avoid detection. As he did so, Jenna felt a sense of a wall form around her. It was comforting, but also made her strain harder to see. Are you all right, Miss Mallory?
Yes.
The most important thing to remember is if our link is broken, you must return to your body immediately. Understood?
Yes, My Lord.
Take me to the place where you first saw him.
Jenna complied with her instructor’s request and entered through the same window she had used on her first journey. The room looked the same though the mage was not present this time. She slowly turned about so the mirror could record the scene.
Could you get closer to those jars on the shelf by the desk? asked Harcourt.
Jenna crossed the room and began to read some of the labels on the jars written in Sevalian.
What are they? she asked.
Herbs and tinctures used for healing. Do you see the knife he had?
Jenna looked around, but did not find it. I think it came from his desk. It’s probably inside. Here. She showed him the memory of the mage wielding the knife.
It looks like a scalpel, he said.
A what?
A surgeon’s knife.
Oh. You think he is a healing mage then?
Possibly. Unregistered healing mages can do good business treating wealthy individuals who do not like to have to wait their turn for the Healing Guild to respond to their requests for help. Jenna remembered the time when Peter was ill. Her mother pressured her father to bribe a healing mage to cure him, but her father refused. Your father was wise not to do so. Jenna was confused, but realized Harcourt had sensed her thought. Forgive me if I seem to pry. You will get used to shielding your thoughts from within a mind-link as you practice. Let’s go look around.
Jenna left the study through the door and explored the adjacent room. They found a bed and bathing chamber. The walls all seemed carved from stone, and the rooms were sparsely furnished. Without finding much else of interest on the upper floor she headed down a spiral staircase and entered the room with the tall armchair where the Dark Mage had met her the previous day. A much larger fire roared in the hearth in this room, and there was a long wooden table there, presumably for dining. The only thing of interest to the searchers was a door. It was the only exit besides the staircase, and it was blocked by magic. It resembled the doorway into the Tower in that all Jenna could see was a black void. It almost hurt to look at.
I can’t get through, she said. It’s warded.
Try other places along the wall and see if there is a weak spot.
Jenna probed along the wall’s surface, but felt blocked along the entire length until she reached the corner. There she could get through, but only saw blackness as she entered the mountain itself. She tried back the other direction, but still no luck.
What do we do? she asked.
Lord Harcourt paused before responding. We attempt to pierce the ward. Focus your mind like an arrow. Don’t attempt to remove the ward just slip through if possible. Jenna attempted to follow his instructions, but the warding always bounced her back away from the doorway. After three tries she began to get frustrated and slightly fatigued. The fourth time, she felt she got a little closer, but there was something holding her back.
I think I’ve almost got it, she said.
Miss Mallory, be careful—
Hold on. She tried once more to pierce through, and when she felt the tug of what was restraining her, she cut it.
NO! Lord Harcourt’s warning came slightly too late. Jenna had just inadvertently cut her link to her teacher and found herself inside what looked like a library, where the Dark Mage was startled from his work.
“Hello there, Little Mage,” he said, as he stood from his chair. “Or should I say My Lady?” He smiled. The room had no windows, just mage lights everywhere. On the desk where he had been working there was a map spread out. Before Jenna could get a good look at it, the Dark Mage waved his hand, and it turned blank to her vision.
“Now then,” he stared right at her. “Tell me your name.”
No, she said.
“Please, Little Mage, don’t make me hurt you.”
She felt his magic attempt to penetrate her mind, and she began to panic. She had to do what Lord Harcourt had told her. She had to leave and return to the Tower.
She fled out through the warded door. It did not prevent her from leaving, but she heard footsteps behind her. She kept fleeing out through the walls of the castle.
Don’t think it will be that easy to escape me now, he spoke to her in mind-link. Who are you? Where did you get your mind magic?
The name ‘Quintus’ inadvertently came into Jenna’s mind.
From the Faithful? The last of the Five?
Damn, Jenna thought. She needed to focus and get back to the Tower. She finally reached out to her center.
…Jenna?… That was Harcourt trying to reach her. His mental voice was faint. She reached out to him, and it grew stronger. You must return.
I’m trying, she said.
Who was that? asked the Dark Mage. Is your name Jenna?
She tried to return, but she began to feel pain. She struggled against it.
No, not yet! cried the Dark Mage, but it was too late. She had broken his link and returned to her body. She opened her eyes and was standing in the workroom still holding the side of the mirror. Lord Harcourt was staring straight into her face and clutched her shoulders tightly.
“What were you thinking, girl?” He was practically yelling. “You severed our link.”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t know?” He shook her hard, and Jenna stumbled to the floor. He threw up his arms in disgust.
“I was trying to follow your instructions, My Lord.” Tears welled up behind her eyes.
“My instructions! The ones which stated you were to return immediately if we got separated?”
“I tried. The mage wanted me to stay. He tried to stop me.” Jenna picked herself up from the floor. “Did you see it in the mirror?”
“NO!” He grew angrier. “When you severed the link to me you also severed it to the mirror.”
Jenna looked down ashamed. “Believe me, My Lord, I am sorry. I never meant to—”
“Never meant to deliberately sever—” he grabbed her arm and raised his hand to strike her.
Jenna winced as she prepared for the blow, but it never came. He released her. “I wasn’t thinking.” Jenna was pleading now. Tears streamed down her face.
“Leave,” he said.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Leave now.” His tone left no room for argument, so Jenna grabbed her cloak and left the workroom. She walked outside down the gravel path, but made slow progress toward the main palace, as she was openly sobbing. Sobbing for being such an idiot. Such an idiot to think she would keep Kedar, such an idiot to sever her link with her teacher and face the Dark Mage alone.
Miss Mallory? Harcourt was attempting to reach her through the link again. He sounded calmer.
Yes, My Lord.
I’m sorry. I… overreacted. Are you far from the Tower?
No.
Please return then. I won’t hurt you; I promise.
Jenna turned around and attempted to regain her composure as she reentered the Tower base. She wiped her eyes before facing Lord Harcourt once again inside the workroom. He was in front of the mirror, and she saw it replaying the scene from the study, when, suddenly, the image changed to her memory of the night he threatened her with a scalpel. The high mage paused the image and turned
to her. “Hello, Miss Mallory. Thank you for returning; I think all is not lost.”
“The mirror recorded my memory?”
“Yes.”
“You think it can also record what happened after the link was severed?”
“That is what I want to find out.”
Jenna nodded. He cleared the image from the mirror, and she re-keyed her mind magic to it before replaying her latest confrontation in her mind. “Is it working?” she asked.
“Yes, I can see him again. Is that a map on the table?”
“I believe so.” When the mage spoke she could also hear it coming through the mirror with a slight delay. “Does the mirror record the voices too?”
“Apparently, though I had not known it was that powerful.”
She quickly reached the end of her memory and opened her eyes.
“So,” he said with a sigh. “He knows of the Black Magister’s followers, specifically Quintus and the Faithful Five. And he also now knows your first name. I apologize for that.”
“It’s fine.” Jenna looked down at the floor, uncomfortable meeting her teacher’s eyes.
He froze the image so that the Dark Mage’s face could be clearly seen. “Wait a minute, I need to fetch something.” Harcourt headed out of the workroom, and Jenna pulled up a chair and sat down to wait. When he returned, he was carrying a canvas with the portrait of a young man. “This is the only known remaining portrait of the Black Magister.” Jenna could see the Khazaran influence in his dark coloring, but when compared alongside the Dark Mage’s image in the mirror, she could easily see they were different men.
“There is some resemblance,” she said. “But they are not the same.”
“The items in his study also suggest he is a healing mage.”
“But he spoke to me through a link. Doesn’t that mean he has to be a mind mage?”
“No. I speak to the Queen in mind-link frequently, and she is a Master-level healing mage.”
“Oh,” said Jenna. She had not guessed the Queen was that powerful, but given the strength of her magic, which Jenna had felt during Sebastian’s healing, was not overly surprised.
“Though it is hard to make a final determination at this point, and I need to show this to the King. But first…” He turned to face her and sighed as he sat down next to her. “Miss Mallory, allow me to apologize more properly,” he began. Jenna finally was able to meet his gaze directly. “You are progressing so quickly that sometimes I forget.”
“Forget?”
“That you are still inexperienced with magic. I should not have asked you to attempt to penetrate the ward.”
Jenna nodded.
“But you must learn some caution yourself; attempt to be more deliberate with your actions instead of always acting on instinct. If you had taken a little more time, you would have realized you were being… hasty in severing our link.”
“I understand, My Lord. I am sorry.”
“I know. And my behavior afterward was inexcusable. I should not have been so angry or tried to hurt you.” He sighed. “I am not the world’s most forgiving person, Miss Mallory. One of my weaknesses is my temper, but rest assured I won’t let this happen again.”
Jenna could not be sure he would never lose control in the future, but he seemed to mean what he said.
“What next?” she asked.
“You may return to the East Wing. It is still a few minutes early, but I want to show these images to the court as soon as possible.” He paused, and his voice became even quieter. “If you wish, I could talk to the Queen, and you may have the rest of the day off.”
“No. That won’t be necessary.”
“Very well. I shall see you again for your next lesson.”
Jenna got up to leave for the second time, but felt somewhat better. She ran quickly down the gravel path and was soon back to the main palace. She could have gone straight to the East Wing stables, but she felt a familiar tug at her mind. Kedar still wanted to see her. She walked through the Central Tower and around the outside to the West Wing stables. Using her mind magic, she was able to confirm there was no one near the Crown horses, so she entered the stables and went straight to Kedar. He was happy to see her again, but still confused. He sent her an image of her riding him bareback. He wanted to do it again.
Jenna sighed. She sent him apologetic thoughts and then sent images of herself riding Bree and Lord Martis riding him. She only vaguely remembered what the young Lord looked like, but Kedar still got the message and was not happy. She sent him calming thoughts while going to retrieve some things from the storage room. When she returned, she began to brush out his coat, mane and tail for the last time. She also gave him one more apple. “Goodbye, my beautiful Kedar,” she said as she gave him one last pet on his forehead. She then turned around and left the stables without looking back, for if she had, she wouldn’t have been able to stop her tears from falling for the third time that day.
Chapter 15
“Now if an attacker grabs your wrist like so,” said Peter on the following Sevday, “there are several tactics you can use to break free.”
Jenna quickly turned her wrist to break Peter’s grip at the weak point between his fingers. She then dodged his next attempt to re-grab her and tripped him in the process. As he fell to the ground, Jenna smiled in triumph, while Sebastian chuckled and clapped. “You make it look so easy, Jenna.”
Peter rolled his eyes and slowly stood back up.
“Oh come on, Peter, I’ve used that trick on you before,” Jenna said with a gleam in her eye.
“Where did you learn it anyway?” asked her brother.
“From Alex.”
“Who is that?” asked Sebastian confused.
Jenna and Peter looked at each other. Peter raised an eyebrow at her, and she mouthed the word ‘sorry’ before Peter turned to explain. “He was our brother. He died in an accident recently.”
“Oh,” replied Sebastian. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry. You could have mentioned it earlier.”
“He was our half-brother,” said Jenna.
“From your father’s side I take it?” asked the Prince.
“Yes,” she replied. “He was our older brother, born before our father’s marriage to our mother. Alex’s mother had died. We didn’t see him much in the past few years. He was in Khazaran before the accident.”
The Prince nodded. “And he taught you how to fight, Jenna?”
“Not really,” she said. “He trained though and liked to show me things.”
“You were his favorite,” said Peter.
“No I wasn’t. Alex never played favorites; he showed you things too.”
“Is that why you are always ahead of the class, Peter?” asked Sebastian.
“I, uh, do remember some of his tips,” admitted Peter. “But it was some time ago. I guess practicing it again brings it back.”
There was a pause in the conversation.
“We’d best return soon,” Jenna said. “If I’m late again for anything I’m in real trouble.” She was already chafing under her protocol instruction. If her teacher made her do a curtsy one more time, she would scream.
They went to collect the horses. She had often ridden Kedar on Sevday mornings and missed him sorely, but Bree was so happy to get out on the hunting grounds, it almost made up for it. As she grabbed her reins, Sebastian came over to speak to her. Rune, it seemed, had wandered a bit farther than the others, leaving some time for Sebastian to talk to her alone.
“I am so sorry about Kedar,” he said. “Dominic is being so thick-headed that neither I nor my father can reason with him. That horse would be dead without you.”
Jenna smiled. “It’s all right, Sebastian. I appreciate you trying, but Kedar belongs to your brother. And he is a war horse.”
“So what? You would have trained him. You’d make a better knight than half the boys at the palace.”
Jenna laughed. “Sebastian, don’t be absurd.”
“It’s tru
e. Sevalia used to have Lady Knights you know.”
“Really?” Jenna had never heard such a thing.
“I read about them in the histories.”
“Read about what?” Peter had returned.
“Lady Knights.”
Peter shook his head, but then smiled. “Well, if Sir Raymond could manage it—”
“Peter!” exclaimed Sebastian. “That’s a horrible thing to say.”
“You’re right that was bad.”
“What’s bad?” asked Jenna. Both the boys refused to meet her gaze. “This has something to do with the scandal, doesn’t it?”
“Maybe,” said Peter.
“Well, are you going to tell me? The other Ladies keep giggling about it, but I got left out of the loop as usual.”
“Um,” said Peter, as he looked at the Prince, who just shrugged.
“She’s your sister. Tell her if you want to.”
“Jenna,” said Peter. “You know how father explained about Aunt Bets and how she lives with her friend Lana?”
Jenna nodded.
“He explained that some prefer to live with people of the same gender. Sir Raymond is one of them.”
“Oh. But father said there was nothing wrong with it. Why the scandal?”
“Because it is not accepted everywhere, especially outside the city,” continued Peter. “Granted it is not illegal, but the nobility often still think it… perverse.”
“Perverse?”
“It’s complicated.”
“But—”
“I’m not saying anything more. You should have this conversation with Mama or someone… else. Sorry, Sis.” He mounted Rune. “We’ll see you next week.” The Prince had already mounted his horse, and they both left in the direction of the West Wing, leaving Jenna, still slightly confused, but in need of getting back to the palace herself. She buttoned up the outer coat of her new riding habit and rode back. Somehow Aurelia and Lady Vermillion had managed to convince the Queen the riding outfits were acceptable for Ladies to wear, but the Queen was still considering Aurelia’s request to learn to ride astride. Durand, at least, was willing, and while Jenna awaited more news, she wore her riding outfit like a skirt and continued to use her sidesaddle to keep her promise to the Queen. As luck would have it, she did not end up having to wait much longer because as she led Bree back to her stall, Durand came over to her with a wide smile.