To Play the Lady

by Naomi Lane

“Fire?” The high mage sounded surprised and concerned. “And you compelled Prince Sebastian?”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  “I know that. Compelling a person you have a standing link with is not altogether surprising. We should review how to control that soon, but fire?”

  Jenna shrugged. “Do mind mages usually make lights by making their skin glow?”

  “Well, some do. I can, but usually don’t need to. My magical sight allows me to sense things in the dark.”

  “Oh.” Such an idea was intriguing. She wondered if she would one day ‘see’ in the dark herself.

  “Had you ever mixed the streams of magic before this time.”

  “Yes. During the incident with Magista Delia.”

  “Also not a pleasant experience.” He seemed lost in thought.

  Jenna’s eyes fell. “You think it means something bad?”

  “I wouldn’t say that. Having two such streams of power, as you put it, is a rare gift, Miss Mallory. And given so little is known about your foreign magic, such strange results are not unexpected. You should write to your mother again. See if she can provide you with any more information. I believe she did say last summer she would try to contact her brother.”

  “Uh huh.” Jenna didn’t want to say anything about the letter she had already written. If the weapons were involved, she would want to talk to Peter about it first. She just needed some time.

  “Until then, please do not attempt to mix the streams.”

  She nodded.

  “But there’s no reason you cannot learn to make a proper mage light by making your hand glow using your mind magic.” He then continued to explain the technique, much as Sebastian had done. It didn’t take long for her to be successful this time. Soon her palm blazed with light. After the previous day’s events, she almost expected it to be violet, but instead it was a red glow. It also gave off some heat, like a lantern.

  “Good,” said the high mage. “We can also discuss the sight technique that allows you to sense your way in the dark at some point, but for now, I think you had better be off to your riding lesson.”

  Jenna went to grab her coat, but remembered one thing she hadn’t asked about.

  “Miss Mallory, is there something you need to tell me?” His violet eyes gave her that cutting stare.

  She thought of the all the events of yesterday and how disturbing some of them were, but she knew what she really needed to talk about. “Yes, there is.”

  The high mage actually smiled. “Continue.”

  “Prince Sebastian desires to meet with you.”

  Whatever Lord Harcourt had expected her to say, it wasn’t that. “The Prince desires to meet with me?”

  “Yes. He has some questions about the Towers. He is considering joining one because his magic is so strong.” That got the high mage’s attention.

  “He told you this?”

  “Yes. He realized I could help. I told him you would be discreet.”

  “Of course. I understand his concern. Did he suggest a time?”

  The actual feeling of pleasant surprise in Harcourt’s mind felt strange to Jenna, but she continued, hoping he wouldn’t scare Sebastian off with either his dour demeanor or his new enthusiasm. “Next Sevday after prayers.”

  “Very well. Please let Prince Sebastian know he is welcome to visit the Tower, and I shall be waiting.”

  Jenna delivered that message over the mind-link that night. The Prince seemed excited about it, but also nervous. Jenna tried to be reassuring and gently warned him that the high mage could be a bit intense, but said that he was a good teacher in the end.

  After her short conversation, she tried to fall asleep but could barely manage to do so. Little noises that would never have bothered her before kept making her jumpy. After a fitful night, she woke still tired and with a slight headache. She hoped her healing magic would help sustain her through the day as it had before.

  As her classes ended, she felt a little calmer, but still tired as she trudged upstairs to her dormitory. Once there, however, her mood instantly lifted as her eyes fell upon a letter from her mother. Finally she would have some answers. She ripped open the envelope, but was surprised when the letter was written in Sevalian and not Rahtani.

  Dearest Daughter,

  I was happy when Sir Gerard gave me your letter. Your suspicions about your magic are correct, and, yes, Papa has tried to prevent you from knowing your power. I disagree with him.

  Like my brother you are a gharzir. I wish I could say more, but my facility with writing in my native tongue is not as good as yours and would require your father’s help, which is impossible. If I wrote the details in Sevalian, I would fear someone else intercepting the letter. Peter can tell you more. Tell him I support you.

  I have contacted your uncle, and he hopes to come to Sevalia in the summer to train you.

  Know I love you always,

  Mama

  Jenna was both stunned and frustrated. She was in a bit of shock to finally get confirmation the weapons were linked to her magic, but frustrated that the letter contained so few details. She could try Peter again, but he was being especially stubborn. She also sensed the topic scared him, though exactly why she didn’t know. It could be something to do with Papa, considering her mother also confirmed he was trying to stop her from knowing the full truth about her power.

  Her eyes focused on two aspects of the letter: the term gharzir and the reference to her uncle needing to train her. The Rahtani word did not seem overly familiar to Jenna, but going back and scouring her memory she did remember her uncle being called that. She just always assumed it was the Rahtani term for mage. She still needed the exact details of how the magic functioned and what training her uncle could provide.

  Jenna wanted more information. She thought about the research Lord Harcourt had performed when he discovered her foreign power. Could there be something they missed? She considered going to the library to check. It couldn’t hurt to do so before begging her brother for answers. She also wanted some more information that could shed light on the symbol she saw in her dream the other night. She wondered if it was related to the intense mind-link she experienced with Sebastian inside the Arcanum. It was the same symbol that had glowed violet when they were kissing. Harcourt’s mention of mind magic interacting with sex did enter her head, but she pushed aside the thought of talking to him directly as he had requested of her. It was just too awkward. She hoped books could spare her some embarrassment.

  She strode purposefully to the Central Tower and entered the library, waving briefly to the head librarian as she made her way to the card catalog. The palace library was unique in that it contained a magical catalog. As books were checked out, returned, and moved, the staff could keep it automatically up-to-date without manually changing anything.

  Her first thought was to search under the subject of ‘Rahtani.’ There she found only a few listings. None seemed useful, but at the end of the list she did find one entry that seemed intriguing: ‘Title Unknown; Author Unknown; In Library; Foreign Language; Restricted’ was all it said. Could it have been written in the Rahtani language? She would be shocked if it were. The Rahtani written language was not used much outside the tribal leadership. Normally only scribes actually did any writing. Her own father had learned it from them directly.

  Before giving up, she checked under the subject ‘mind magic’ for any books she might have missed that could help her. Unfortunately, they either all referred to books she had read, knew would not be helpful, or merely listed a title and author and were labeled ‘Restricted.’

  She sighed and shut the card catalog. She knew she could get access to restricted books, but only with the Queen’s or Lord Harcourt’s permission, and that would raise questions she’d rather not answer. Sebastian might be able to help, but she really didn’t feel comfortable dragging him into her family squabble or sharing how her magic had disturbed her during her recent dream since it involved their relationship
.

  She looked over toward the restricted section from across the room and bit her lip. Desperately wanting to get a hold of the books, Jenna reached out with her mind magic to assess how many people would be in the way. Two clerks worked at the front desk. The head librarian was tucked away in his office. He was her major concern because she knew he was a guild mage.

  Most of the route was clear. If she could get past the front desk, there should be no further impediment to reaching the books. Her hope was to grab any that might help her and slip out quietly. She would return them as soon as possible and pray she would not get caught. But first the front desk. She knew that, in theory, she should be able to use her mind magic ability to help gently dissuade the clerks from seeing her. The problem was she had never practiced the technique directly. Now was her chance.

  She strengthened her mental shields and expanded them outwards away from her body to block the vision of the two men. She strode hesitantly toward them, wondering if it would work. As she neared the desk she waved her hand. Normally that would get their attention, but instead they kept working. Anticipating that was the only confirmation she was going to get, she strode past the desk. Success. Now she just had to find the books.

  The restricted section itself was clearly marked and easily reached, but she had a problem. The doorway was warded. Fortunately, this ward was nothing like the ones she trained with at the Tower. It was not designed to keep out those with her skill level. Thanks in part to Harcourt’s training the other day, she was able to slip through. She kept her fingers crossed that it would not alert the head librarian and went into the stacks.

  Like most of the court library, the restricted section was laid out in an orderly fashion. The section on magic was large, but she found the books on mind magic clustered on one shelf. She grabbed the first one she saw and quickly noticed a chapter on sexuality listed in its table of contents, so she kept it. She then went to the section on foreign relations. This was much smaller, and the text Jenna was looking for stood out like a beacon. It was bound in the style of the Rahtani and was indeed written in their language. It also looked as if it had been barely touched by anyone in years.

  Clutching both books tight to her chest and using her shields again for protection, she slipped out of the library. Once around the corner, she dropped her shields back to normal strength and attempted to appear nonchalant as she strolled over to the park. There was a specific place she had in mind with a tree she liked in a secluded and wooded area. Once she arrived, she sat down and took a deep breath, relieved she had made it this far without incident.

  First, Jenna examined the Rahtani text more closely. Just from flipping through its pages she could tell it was a narrative or poem of some kind. It also had the markings of being written by a professional scribe. Unfortunately, when trying to read it from the beginning, she almost instantly got stuck. Her family could use the written language well enough for written correspondence, but what this scribe had created seemed to be more complex. She certainly didn’t understand all of the vocabulary. It could also be that, being in the Sevalian library, the book was merely old and used older forms of words that made it more difficult to translate.

  From the title page and first paragraph, she could tell it was a story of two people, a love ballad she thought. And then there was that term again: gharzir. It appeared the main characters in the story were also mages. She hoped that this fact would make the narrative useful for her quest, but it would take some time to puzzle through, and she would probably only get so far without help.

  She picked up the other book and began reading the introduction. There was nothing in it that Jenna thought made it worthy of restriction. It just described the mind powers of sight, mind-links, mind control and truth spells. It also briefly described the history of the mind mages in the East. Jenna had already studied most of that, so she skipped to the section she thought most likely to help her: the chapter on mind mages and sexuality.

  Most mages only come into their full powers after puberty, it began. This was something Jenna already knew. She continued to read. For mages with Volta’s mind-linking ability this can create some unique complications. Volta’s gift is the only one that can directly enhance sexual pleasure. In the ‘folly of youth’ this can be dangerous. The young mages experience more power than they have experienced before combined with a natural desire to use the powers for pleasure. If the mage loses control, he risks brain damage for himself and his sexual partner.

  Jenna’s heart began beating faster, and she felt the blood rush from her limbs. She had no idea. Luckily, she thought the mind-linking part of the gift was her weakest, but even so, she had already risked disaster.

  The mind mage ability to enhance sexual pleasure is more powerful when combined, the book continued. This creates a natural inclination for mind mages to seek each other out as sexual partners. It was in part responsible for them growing inbred before the extermination. Jenna was then aghast as the book turned sinister in its implications. At the height of their power, the Mind Mage Guild had a reputation for sexual perversion. Their powers had grown stronger after significant inbreeding. This culminated in the practices of the so-called Black Magister, who developed a new kind of magic. Using the Volta gift, combined with blood magic he found a way to enhance his own power. It involved sexual intercourse. Jenna’s face grew red as she kept reading in an almost compulsive way. She was so wrapped up in the gory details that she never heard the footsteps of someone else approach.

  “Good book?” Jenna, startled, looked up into the face of the Crown Prince.

  Chapter 24

  “Your Highness!” Jenna fumbled with her book slightly before grabbing it and setting it down on top of the other. “Sorry, you just startled me.” After reading that book, Jenna didn’t think her face could become more flushed, but somehow it managed. Her headache, which had never entirely left her, also seemed to get worse.

  Prince Dominic wore a quizzical look. “What were you reading?”

  “Oh… well I was reading more about the history of mind mages. Pretty dry and boring actually. I think I may have been nodding off when you walked up.” She attempted a weak smile and stood, clutching the books to her side. Her legs were slightly weak under her, but she managed. “I should probably be getting back to the palace.”

  The Prince raised an eyebrow, but did not attempt to contradict her. Instead, he bowed to her slightly and proffered his arm. Jenna was somewhat stunned at his attempt at gallantry, which resulted in her staring at his arm a little too long. “I apologize if I disturbed you,” he explained, “but since I happened by, thought I might inquire as to how Kedar’s training was progressing. We could discuss it on the way back to the palace.”

  “Certainly.” She immediately took his arm, feeling awkward and fearing she had now offended him.

  Except he didn’t sound angry when he continued to talk to her. “Durand is very pleased with your progress.”

  Her smile became more genuine then. She could almost forget about the disturbing book and her throbbing head when she thought about her riding. “Yes, well, as I attempted to explain to you before. I do enjoy riding, and riding Kedar especially.”

  “Durand also thinks the extra lesson time has made a real difference.”

  “Yes. I do appreciate the chance to learn show jumping. I suppose I should thank you for that, Your Highness.”

  He smiled at her slightly and nodded. “It is only fitting since Kedar is a war horse that he should be trained as such.”

  They continued to chat about her riding lessons. Jenna did her best to keep focused, but knew she could have handled the situation much better without the headache. She couldn’t help feeling relieved when they reached the East Wing.

  “I would appreciate it if you would meet me at the stables. You could show me some of the results of the training,” said the Prince.

  Jenna was caught completely unprepared for that. “I would love to, Your Highness, it’s
just that, well, today would not be the best day. I apologize, but I have this splitting headache. Perhaps some other time?”

  He furrowed his brow and put the back of his hand against the side of her head. “Do you get these headaches often?” he asked, seemingly concerned.

  “No, I just haven’t been sleeping well. I’m sure some rest is all I need.”

  “Very well. Some other time then. Good day, Miss Mallory.”

  She curtsied and entered the palace. She told the proctors she would miss supper, declaring she did not feel well and needed to get some extra sleep. They seemed surprised, but allowed her to go straight to bed to lie down.

  She tossed and turned for awhile and managed to doze off a little, but was awakened when the other girls entered the dormitory. Her head still throbbed. She tried putting a pillow over her ears to drown out their chatter.

  “What’s wrong, Jenna?” asked Aylin.

  Jenna looked over at the Princess. “Just a bad headache,” she replied, as she removed the pillow, realizing it was useless anyway.

  “Headache?” said Constance. “Here.” She tossed Jenna a small jar. Jenna opened it and discovered small round capsules. “Put five of them under your tongue. Should help your head and help you sleep.”

  “Um, thanks,” said Jenna as she put the medicine under her tongue as Constance had directed. Once the dormitory quieted down, her headache dulled and she was finally able to slip off back to sleep.

  Once again she began to dream. It was nighttime and cold as she mounted Kedar and began to ride him over a cross country course at a torrid pace. Her stomach churned as they cleared the first obstacle, but they made it over safely. She felt as if she were running from something, but she didn’t know what. For whatever reason, she feared for her life if she did not make it across this course.

  Eventually she reached a tough obstacle, and the Dark Mage’s face flashed into her mind. This startled her and Kedar. His legs hit the log they were attempting to clear and he landed awkwardly. She collided with his neck and could not avoid falling off.