by Lucia Ashta
“But Albacus put a spell over the estate so that he couldn’t find me as long as I stayed there. And he never did.”
“Are your father and mother still living?” I asked.
“I neither know nor care.”
“Is that how you’ll keep me away from my father too? By casting a spell so he can’t find me?”
“I’d prefer to find another way that doesn’t burn our bridges.”
“Then where are we going now?”
Marcelo sped up his horse to come level with me. “How many questions can you ask? I don’t know where we’re going yet. None of this went the way I planned it. Now, can we enjoy some silence?” And with that he passed me. I was left to follow the horse that trailed behind his.
Marcelo was putting a physical buffer between us. I imagined that talking about personal issues made him uncomfortable. I saw him muttering to himself up ahead. It was probably best that I couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Of course I had questions. I had myriad questions. I had no footing in this new life that was unfolding. I didn’t know where we were going, what we’d do once we got there, or how Marcelo would keep me away from Father and Winston.
But I kept up with Marcelo. He was my only hope.
I allowed my thoughts to drift toward happier places. I wondered how Gertrude was. Was she enjoying the gardens and the lakes now that spring was almost here? Were the roses budding yet? I hoped Maggie would think to get a message to Gertrude explaining the truth of what happened. I didn’t want Gertrude to worry.
I was safer in the company of a discontented, grumbling magician that I barely knew than I was in my own home with my blood family. The world was a crazy place.
I held my head high and pointed my horse at an angle. I came up on Marcelo’s left. If he didn’t know where we were going or what we were doing, then I’d better work on the problem too. I didn’t know what a girl like me could possibly contribute, but I decided that it wouldn’t be from a lack of trying.
Marcelo secured lodging for us at an inn with stables. Stable hands would take care of our horses while we had a meal and rested. I couldn’t decide what I needed more: food and water or a bed. Marcelo decided for me, guiding me into the tavern that was part of the inn.
He pulled my chair out for me. I winced as I sat.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
I barely found the energy to shake my head. Since we’d stopped, the exhaustion from riding all day and the stress of the encounter with Winston settled within me as heavily as a rock.
“I’m not injured, but every part of my body does hurt. I’m not accustomed to riding as long as we did.” I immediately tried to fix what I said. “I’m sure I’ll feel fine after a night’s rest.” I didn’t want to sound as if I were complaining. I was grateful for all he was doing for me.
“I was thinking, you should dispatch a missive to my father right away, before he sends someone to look for me. You could say that Winston appeared with a band of his men at Lake Creston, threatening to take me by force, and I became most unsettled.
“You worried because of my fragile health. I’d only just started to show signs of possible recovery. You asked Winston to leave, and he refused, drawing his sword. You felt obligated to protect me, certain that’s what the Count of Norland would want, and you rode away with me until you resolved the issue and ensured my safety.
“Maggie stayed behind because of the urgency of Winston’s threat. Now, with my nerves in a terrible state due to Winston’s harsh actions and words, I’ve fallen dangerously ill again. You’ve secured a room for me at an inn where you’re caring for me, aiding in my recovery. You advise against the Count or the Countess coming to see me, as you fear my condition is still quite contagious.
“You seek that the Count advise you. What would he have you do? There’s a safe location of some sort—this part I haven’t figured out yet—that you could take me to, where I’d be safe and tended to until I can heal, if he gives his permission. You can secure a lady’s maid for me there as soon as we arrive.”
Marcelo’s eyebrows rose in increments as I spoke. I thought his black eyebrows couldn’t stretch any higher, until I spoke again.
“And you should ask him for funds to continue my care too.”
The eyebrows gave one last fraction of an inch.
I shrugged. “We’ll need to pay our way, and he’ll expect to pay you if what you say is true.”
“You worked this all out while we rode?”
I nodded.
He eyed me appraisingly. “Very well then. I’ll do as you suggest. However, I won’t leave you alone here to tend to the message. I’ll do it after we eat and you’re in your room.”
I had never been in a tavern before. It wasn’t the kind of place that the daughter of a Count frequented. It only took one quick look around to understand Marcelo’s prudence. The clientele did not look trustworthy.
“And as far as where we’ll go, I know now,” Marcelo said. “While you were plotting out all of that, I was considering our alternatives. We’ll go to Albacus and Mordecai and hope they receive us well.”
“What do you mean ‘hope they receive us well’?”
“You’ll soon see. We’re only a few days of riding from there.”
Marcelo then turned to the innkeeper to place our order.
What Is within Bubbles Forth
When Marcelo woke me early the next morning, my body clamored for more rest. But he pointed out that Winston was likely already searching for us and that we wouldn’t be safe until we reached Albacus and Mordecai’s stronghold. It was all the persuasion I needed to get out of bed right away.
We broke our fast with a quick bite of bread and cider and were back on the road. We alternated horses again, letting the ones we rode the day before trail behind us without the burden of a rider.
I feared what Father would do even now if he discovered that I was in good health. Were there still days left to meet the Count of Chester’s deadline? I’d lost count in the confusion of the last several days. There might still be a day left. With great sadness, I knew that Father would still marry me away to Winston, even after his menacing behavior toward me.
I shook the thoughts away. They were making me anxious. The sun was bright; it warmed my face above my coat collar pleasantly. I would let the sun melt thoughts of Father away. I forced a smile, hoping the real thing would come soon.
“How far do we have to go today?”
“We have to make it to Dunladun by tomorrow, thus we can stop somewhere around the halfway point when we’re ready to rest for the night. Once we arrive in Dunladun, we’ll wait there until we receive a response from the Count, your father. I told him to send reply to me there. If our strategy is to work, we need to make the Count believe that he’s in control and that he wants you to stay away with me.”
Marcelo was right. It was imperative that Father believe he was making the decisions, that he still dictated what happened in my life.
Now that I knew where we were going, my mind wandered. Marcelo led the way. All I had to do was follow.
I had never been very far from Norland, and I was surprised to notice that our surroundings, even after a full day of travel from Lake Creston, still looked very much like what I was accustomed to. The evergreen trees we passed were tall and full. The other trees were also old with thick trunks.
My thoughts meandered across topics of little relevance to the recent urgency that tinged my life, until it finally dawned on me. “Marcelo! Why don’t you talk of magic while we travel? We have nothing better to do, and that way I can begin learning. You yourself have told me how much there is for me to learn and how long it’ll take.”
Marcelo sighed heavily, a bit unpleasantly even. “I suppose you’re right. The sooner you understand magic, the better for all of us.”
He sighed yet again, in case I’d missed his reluctance the first time. “I’ve been thinking that perhaps I should teach you differently than Alba
cus and Mordecai taught me. Tell me exactly what happened when you were in the bathtub and the firewater burned you.”
I gave Marcelo a look.
“I know you think you’ve told me everything already, but let’s explore it again. We may discover something new this time.”
I swallowed my frustration at rehashing the old instead of learning the new and began. “I was taking a bath when I noticed the candle flames reflecting on the water. They were beautiful. I watched them for a while without doing anything or thinking about much of anything until my eyes lost focus, and—”
“I know what you did,” Marcelo interrupted.
“I just told you, I didn’t do anything at all.”
“Oh, but you did. Subtle things perhaps, but in magic, the subtle is important. In fact, sometimes it’s the most important factor of all.”
“Then what did I do?”
“Well, you looked at the flames with unfocused eyes. You appreciated the beauty of fire and just let the fire be and do whatever it wanted to do.”
“Yeah, burn me.”
“Burning is fire’s nature. Perhaps it was putting on a show to reward your appreciation.”
“But how did it burn me when the flame wasn’t even in the water? The water burned me. Water should put out fire not burn.”
“Yes, that’s curious. Very curious. I haven’t quite figured out that part of it yet. Now tell me of your experience with the fire in the hearth. Let’s see what we can find in common between the occurrences.”
“I was sitting, watching the fire. I thought it was beautiful. I watched the fire until my eyes lost focus, and I didn’t think much of anything at all. The next thing I knew, you were yelling at me.”
“Yes. The fire had almost encircled the room. Did you notice the things in common between both situations?”
“Yes,” I said, reluctantly admitting that Marcelo was right in having us review the incidents again. “I watched the flames until my eyes lost focus, and I thought the fire was beautiful but didn’t think of anything else.”
“That’s right,” Marcelo said. “That’s important to know. It seems you’re doing magic by not trying to do it at all. That’s most interesting indeed.”
“Others do magic like that too, right?”
“Not that I’ve heard of. Perhaps Albacus and Mordecai won’t be cross with me for bringing you to them after all. They’ll find you most interesting.”
“Will they not want me there?”
Marcelo turned to me, for once with a look of sympathy. “They’re not always the friendliest sort, but that’s only until you get to know them. Everything will be fine,” and, after a pause, “I hope.”
“You hope?”
“You told me that you were able to do one of the experiments with water from The Magyke of the Elementes, but we didn’t have the chance to discuss it. Tell me about it now.”
This time, I didn’t mind recounting my experience. Talking distracted me from aching thighs and buttocks.
“Maggie had set a glass pitcher with water on the bedside table. While lying in bed, I looked at the water until my eyes lost focus and I forgot what I was trying to do. And that’s when the water sloshed, I guess.”
“Aha!” Marcelo sounded triumphant. “And did you feel appreciation for the water also? Did you think of its beauty?”
“I’m not sure if I did or not. I can’t remember.”
“But again you looked at the element until you weren’t thinking about anything anymore, until you barely saw it. This is very important to know. This worked for you with fire and water.”
“I suppose so.”
“Oh, but wait. That may not be entirely true.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you were relaxing by the lake the other day, you made the water bubble, and you were laying back against the blanket with your eyes closed when it happened.”
“You were watching me?” I was shocked that he spied on me when I thought I was alone.
“Of course I watch you. You’re not only my student but also my charge. I’m responsible for you, and inexplicable things keep happening to you. The sooner I’m able to understand what’s going on, the sooner I can teach you how to protect yourself.
“Besides, if I hadn’t been watching you, I wouldn’t know that you made the water of the lake bubble. Did you know that you did?”
I’d started to think, Wow, he’s snooty, when I registered what he actually said.
I didn’t answer his question. I couldn’t have done something like that without even knowing it, could I?
“The surface of the water bubbled. Big, wide bubbles covered the water of Lake Creston as far as I could see, although they seemed to concentrate close to you. They held though you never looked at them. Then, from where I stood in the house, it appeared that you fell asleep. After you did, the bubbles gradually began to pop. And that was it.”
I was quiet for a good while. It was challenging enough for me to accept that I was causing unusual and dangerous reactions with the elements when I was somewhat aware of it. Now to consider that I might be doing things like this when I didn’t even know it made me extremely uncomfortable. How would I know what I could do and whom I might hurt in the process?
“Are you certain it was I who caused the lake to bubble like you say?” My hopeful question was hard to hear over the plodding of our four horses.
Marcelo’s response was prompt and strong. “Without a doubt, it was you, and this forces us to modify our hypothesis of how you’re doing this magic. We can no longer say that you create the magic through your sight, because that wasn’t the case with the lake.
“How do you do it? How did you cause most of Lake Creston’s water to form into bubbles without even willing it? How’s that even possible? It makes no sense. It shouldn’t be possible.”
I didn’t answer his questions. I knew even less about all of this than he did. Even so, I was the one causing these mysterious events.
“Do you remember anything helpful about your time by the lake, laying on the blanket? Were you perhaps thinking of bubbling water?”
I shook my head.
“Think, Clara. Is there anything that you were thinking or doing that could have done this?”
I shook my head again. This time, I blinked back tears. I didn’t want Marcelo to see how this was affecting me.
“Come on, Clara, there must be something you can tell me that would help us figure this out.”
I was silent again. I didn’t understand why I was feeling so emotional.
Marcelo misinterpreted my silence as apathy.
“Clara!”
“Yes! I hear you. What do you want me to say? That I have no idea what in the world is going on? That I have absolutely no notion of how I could have caused a lake to bubble? I wasn’t thinking about anything when I lay on the blanket. I was just relaxing. These last two months have been very difficult for me.
“I suffered from delusional fever for most of a month. Then I burned my entire body from the neck down, without even knowing how I did it. Every inch of my body stung and hurt terribly until I finally unburned my body, again without knowing how.
“My parents are cruel, desiring to give me away to an even crueler boy of a man, who will undoubtedly torture me in one way or another for the rest of my life. Blessedly, I’ll probably die young from heartbreak and abuse, after bearing multiple children to continue the horrible chain of suffering.
“I had to leave the only home I’ve ever known and my beloved sister, Gertrude, the only person who’s ever understood me. Now I’ve had to leave even Maggie behind. And who do I have to accompany me? You, and you don’t even like me or care to have me around. You’re waiting for the opportunity to be rid of me. Perhaps you’ll have the chance once we reach Albacus and Mordecai’s, even though you tell me it’s likely that they’ll be reluctant to have me there.
“Oh, and furthermore, my life and everything I’ve ever understood of it is tur
ned upside down. It appears that I can do magic, even though I know absolutely nothing about magic. But that doesn’t seem to interfere with my ability to keep hurting myself in agonizing ways. And did I mention it? If anyone were to find out that I can do magic, they’d likely burn me at the stake or submit me to some other hideous form of torture. Even Father might not be able to protect me from the townspeople if they suspect I’m some kind of witch.”
Marcelo didn’t say a word. He just looked at me, and that made it worse. I fought the tears back with difficulty. They burned hot in my eyes, and I was certain my face was red.
“I’m sixteen. This is a lot for me. So excuse me if it overwhelms me when you surprise me by saying that, not only am I doing dangerous magic that I don’t understand when I’m somewhat aware of it, but that I’m also doing it when I don’t even know it. It’s a lot for me to handle, and you have no solutions for me. You don’t understand me. I don’t understand me.”
I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer, and I was starting to feel embarrassed by my outburst. Without another word, I motioned my horse to speed up. I trotted past Marcelo, so that the horse without rider that trailed behind connected by a rope lined up with him.
I didn’t turn to look. I knew Marcelo might think me an immature girl, but I needed to say what I had. Everyone, including Marcelo, had rushed me from one place or thing to the next, without a thought of how it was affecting me.
Father and Mother treated me like a pawn in their strategy that prioritized wealth and prestige. The Count and Countess of Chester had treated me the same, with their son, Winston, acting as if I were his plaything, with which he had the right to do as he pleased. Only Samuel had been a touch of kindness in the midst of parental plotting, but it was unlikely that I would ever see him again.
In his stormy way, Marcelo made it clear that I was simply an obligation or a burden, depending on his mood. He looked for the way to fulfill his responsibility toward me so as to be free of it.
I missed Gertrude’s affection and loving support so terribly just then that it physically hurt. When would I see her again? I cared very much that Marcelo would see me crying, but I couldn’t hold the sadness back any longer. I cried with feminine composure and restraint as much as possible, but I cried.