The Magelands Epic: Soulwitch Rises (Book 7)

by Christopher Mitchell

  She thought about the day ahead. She knew she should make the effort to visit Corthie and her mother but dreaded the prospect. She had too much work to do anyway, she thought; there were always things needing done in the cottage. She was too busy.

  She got to her feet, picking up the dishes and taking them over to the sink in the small kitchen. She filled it with the leftover warm water while making a list of all the chores she would rather do than face her mother.

  A feeling of nausea surged through her and she paused from cleaning the dishes. Something she was eating was starting to disagree with her. It passed in a moment, and she carried on. Maybe it was the damp, she thought; she had never felt sick while living in the fancy apartment in town where the rest of her family were staying.

  She finished the dishes and went to the laundry basket, finding it empty. She frowned, realising that Lennox must have got up early to do it, and she wondered if he had done so to prevent her from using it as an excuse not to see her mother. The wood had also been brought in, she noticed, almost scowling.

  The rain, she thought. It was too wet to walk into town. She went to the shutters to check, and saw that the downpour had stopped, and patches of blue sky were breaking through the thick, grey clouds. Rays of sunlight were illuminating the flanks of the hillside to the right of the cottage, lighting them up in vivid greens and purples. Spring was coming, she smiled, marvelling at the beauty of the countryside.

  Before she could change her mind, she pulled on her boots and coat and left the cottage by the front door. The wind was gusting in from the west, but there was a hint of milder air to it as well as the familiar scent of the ocean. She walked up the tree-lined path to the main road, passing the bare branches that would soon be budding with new growth. They had apple trees, and blackberry and raspberry bushes in their garden, and Lennox had plans for a vegetable patch; in fact, he would turn the place into a small farm if she let him.

  The ground squelched under her boots as she reached the main track leading down the hillside towards Severton. Their cottage stood two hundred yards from the southern edge of town, and in a few minutes she had reached the first streets of houses. She attracted a few glances from folk as she passed by, but most were friendly. It was known in the town that the daughter of Chief Killop had decided to stay in Severton for longer than she had planned, and that she was working for the provost. Her romance with the ex-soldier was also known, and gossiped about, but she didn’t care.

  Her mother’s apartment was on the other side of town, and Karalyn passed through the central square containing the statues of the Empress and her father, then turned left into the wealthy district. The clouds had been driven away by the fierce wind and the sun was shining upon the town, drying its roads and rooftops, while the street gutters gurgled as they carried the rainwater down to the river.

  She reached the front door of the apartment block and knocked. She stamped her feet while she waited. She hadn’t seen her mother since Corthie’s fourteenth birthday five days previously, when they had argued over Karalyn’s decision to remain in Severton.

  Jemma opened the door. ‘Hello,’ she said, smiling.

  ‘Is my mother in?’

  ‘Yeah. Come in.’

  Karalyn stepped into the apartment, feeling the warmth that permeated the building.

  ‘How’s Lennox?’ Jemma said.

  ‘Fine, thanks. Cole?’

  ‘Seven thirds now,’ she said, leading Karalyn down the hallway. ‘Let me take your coat.’

  Karalyn unbuttoned it and passed it to her.

  ‘Before you go in,’ Jemma said, ‘you should know that she’s still raging about what happened at Corthie’s party. I’m not saying it was your fault or anything, but she’s gone on about nothing else since.’

  ‘Hopefully today will be different.’

  ‘Why?’ said Jemma, her eyes lighting up. ‘Have you changed your mind about leaving?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Oh.’

  The two young women remained silent for a moment, then Jemma pushed a door open and Karalyn walked through. The old reception room had been transformed by her mother into a gymnasium, with a punchbag hanging from the ceiling, and several racks of weapons and equipment lining the walls. Her mother and brother were sparring in the open centre of the floor, each with a wooden sword. Neither noticed Karalyn’s entrance, and so she watched them practise for a minute of two. Her mother was moving freely again, her actions swift and fluid. Her left arm was covered in a new, segmented steel guard, running from shoulder to wrist in a dozen overlapping plates, with a thick, wedge-shaped blade at the end that ran past her knuckles. Corthie was matching her move for move, his skills improving with every lesson, and Karalyn gazed in wonder at their synchronised dance.

  Her mother turned, and saw Karalyn. She raised her hand to Corthie to pause.

  ‘Errant daughter,’ she said, ‘to what do I owe this pleasure?’

  ‘I don’t want to fight any more, mother,’ said Karalyn. ‘I want us to be friends again.’

  ‘Well, that depends. Have you changed your mind?’

  Karalyn shook her head.

  ‘Then I fear we have little to say to each other if we wish to avoid another row.’

  ‘I wish you could understand how I feel.’

  Her mother frowned for a moment, then wiped the sweat from her forehead. ‘Take a break, Corthie, dear. I wish to speak to Karalyn alone.’

  The fourteen-year-old glanced from sister to mother and back again. ‘Are you going to argue?’

  ‘I hope not,’ said Karalyn.

  Corthie frowned, then headed for the door, leaving his practice sword on the floor.

  Daphne placed the wooden sword back into the rack. ‘Such a messy boy; leaves everything lying around and expects me to pick it up. Sometimes I wish I was an invalid again.’ She glanced at Karalyn. ‘Actually, that was a lie. Those two thirds of hardly being able to walk or move about was a frustrating and disheartening experience.’ She opened her silver case. ‘Smoke?’

  ‘Please.’

  Her mother passed her one and lit them both. ‘Let’s sit.’

  Karalyn followed her over to where a few chairs were gathered by the room’s tall windows, and they sat.

  ‘Such a lovely day,’ said Daphne. ‘It was so miserable earlier as well. Still, I bet the wind is freezing.’

  Karalyn nodded, saying nothing.

  ‘So we’ll skip the chat about the weather,’ said Daphne, ‘and get straight to business. Because of your intransigence, you’re forcing me to travel by land to the other side of the world with two teenagers and a baby, when you have the power to take us all home in an instant. Tell me, my beloved daughter, why should I not be angry with you?’

  ‘I’m at a crossroads in my life, mother. Either I return with you, and go back to the horrible nightmare my life was before, or I try to create something new here with Lennox.’

  ‘Oh, please, don’t blame your infatuation with Lennox for your recalcitrance. You are doing this to thwart me, and I think I can understand that, as I wasn’t a particularly obedient daughter myself. If I had sensed an opportunity to make my mother have to walk two thousand miles, then I probably would have taken it, just out of spite. But, Karalyn, you are the only dream mage in the world, one of the few people alive who can help defeat the evil afflicting the empire; and instead you’ve chosen to live, now let’s be frank, as a peasant.’

  ‘Happiness is worth more than living like an aristocrat.’

  ‘The two are not mutually exclusive, dear. By all means continue your affair with the former soldier; I would never presume to tell you who you should be sleeping with, but bring him back to the Plateau as well.’

  ‘He doesn’t want to go.’

  ‘Have you asked him? Does he know about the Quadrant?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Tut tut, Kara-bear. I thought you prized honesty above all else, but it seems that with Lennox, the flow of truth is one-way.’ />
  ‘It’s an imperial secret, mother. There’s a lot I want to tell him that I can’t.’

  ‘There’s an easy solution – bring him with us to Plateau City, and introduce him to the Empress. Once he’s been accepted, then there would be no reason to keep any secrets from him.’ She sighed. ‘He does seem like a decent lad, but do you really see yourself living this life forever? You’re a Holdfast, and although you seem to have relinquished your responsibilities, I would have thought your expectations would be a little higher.’

  ‘I want to live a small life,’ she said. ‘I’m so tired of having to prove myself over and over. It’s never enough, and it will never be enough. With Lennox I can be happy and safe.’

  Her mother shook her head. ‘You hardly know him. Are you settling?’

  ‘Of course not. I love him. He’s the kindest, strongest man I’ve met, and he loves me with a passion that burns within him.’

  ‘Then bring him with us, girl!’

  ‘I can’t. It’d ruin everything.’ She paused, feeling a wave of nausea pass through her.

  ‘Are you alright?’ said her mother.

  ‘Just been feeling a little sick lately. Must be something I’m eating. Or maybe the water.’

  Her mother said nothing for a moment.

  ‘It’s fine,’ Karalyn said. ‘It’s passing already.’

  ‘And for how long have you been feeling sick?’

  ‘Not sure. Ten days, maybe.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘You see what?’

  ‘Perhaps something that you’re refusing to.’ She leaned forward in her seat. ‘Any other… symptoms you wish to report?’

  ‘Symptoms? No, I don’t think so.’

  ‘Your periods nice and regular, then?’

  Karalyn paused. Her mother never brought up such things. ‘My periods have never been regular, mother.’

  ‘I didn’t know that.’

  ‘You’ve never asked.’

  The room fell into an awkward silence.

  ‘Lennox and I have been careful,’ Karalyn said.

  ‘Really? Fennel-wort’s reputation is rather over-rated in my opinion. Never speak a word of this to Kelsey, but I was taking it when I fell pregnant with her.’

  ‘I’m not pregnant, mother.’

  ‘And how do you know for sure?’

  ‘I would know. I would just know.’

  Daphne frowned. ‘This changes things. A lot.’

  ‘It changes nothing. I’m not pregnant.’

  ‘And on the tiniest possibility that you might be wrong, how would you react to such news? After all, if you planning a new life as a peasant housewife…’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous. In a year’s time, Lennox will be working at the distillery, and I’ll still be employed by the provost. Our future in this town will be prosperous; it’ll just take a bit of time.’

  ‘And would children interfere with this plan? You intend to have children, I assume?’

  ‘At some point, I guess.’

  ‘And being half-Kellach, it might well be twins.’

  Karalyn blinked. ‘I suppose so. I mean, I have thought about it. I don’t know if I’ve inherited that or not. When the time comes, we’ll see.’

  ‘I wish Shella were here. She told me when I was pregnant with you. I had no idea at the time. If she were here, she’d be able to tell. That settles it. I’m not leaving until I see a bump. Or not. If your sickness passes, or if your period arrives, let me know at once. I can’t bear the thought of beginning a three-third-long journey without knowing for certain.’

  ‘If it keeps you here for a bit longer, mother, then I’m happy to go along with it. I might even start putting a cushion under my top.’

  ‘Don’t joke about it,’ Daphne said, glaring at her. ‘Having children is a wonderful thing, but it changes everything, and restricts all of your choices. A new love enters your life as if from nowhere; a powerful, all-consuming love. Not something you can just shrug off.’

  ‘Whenever we do decide to have children, I hope you’re here for it. Despite our arguments, I’ll always love you, mother.’

  Daphne glanced away as a tear ran down her cheek. She coughed lightly, and wiped her eyes.

  ‘I should be going,’ said Karalyn, standing. ‘I want you to know that it makes me very happy to hear that you’re going to be staying for a bit longer.’

  ‘Corthie will be pleased too,’ said Daphne, sighing. ‘That boy’s changing right in front of me. The girls in Severton are beginning to catch his eye, and I think there’s a few he’d be sad to leave. Let’s give it another third; see if my suspicions are unfounded.’

  ‘They are, mother, but I’ll take another third. Thank you.’

  ‘Goodbye, then. I’ll get back to trying to keep up with Corthie in practice.’

  ‘How’s the training going?’

  ‘Me or him?’

  ‘Both, I guess.’

  ‘I’m feeling stronger than I have in many years, but I’m not quite where I want to be. To be truthful, another third’s exercise will be good for me. I’ll need to keep it up on the journey, so that when I get back to Plateau City I’ll be ready to kill some people. Corthie?’ She smiled. ‘He’s going to shine one day, like a star in the firmament. Someone of your father’s strength with battle-vision? I’m just glad he’s on our side.’

  She stood, and they walked to the front door together.

  ‘I don’t suppose you have any spare cigarettes?’ Karalyn said.

  ‘I have plenty, but you’re not getting any. Not if you’re, you know.’

  ‘But I’m not, and I’m running low.’

  Her mother shrugged. ‘A terrible shame.’

  Karalyn pulled her coat on and buttoned it up, then her mother kissed her on the cheek.

  ‘See you soon, I hope,’ Daphne said.

  Karalyn nodded and went out through the front door. The wind had quietened, and most of the sky was blue, with just a few patches of cloud. She went down the steps and turned left, heading towards the centre of town, where the market was situated. She had a list of items she needed to purchase for the cottage, and she wanted to take a look in the shops to see if anything new from the Plateau had arrived.

  She slowed as she reached a central square, where rows of covered stalls were arranged. With the rain having stopped, the market was busy, and Karalyn began to browse among the tables and racks of clothes. As she was looking at a pair of boots, she paused, hearing something faint. It was the two mages again, the ones she had heard the night before. She allowed her dream vision to leave her body, searching the town for the source, but the powers were quiet again. Maybe it was someone in Threeways, she thought, somewhere so far away that it came through to her as a whisper. What troubled her more was that she couldn’t be sure what kind of mages they were; their use of power so fleeting and faint that she could never quite catch it.

  Flutters went through her stomach. She should have told her mother that she had heard the presence of mages. If it was Agatha, or agents sent by her, then they could be in danger. It was possible that someone had informed the Rahain of their location; after all, they had been in Kellach Brigdomin for over three thirds. She needed to stay alert. She could pass on a warning to her mother if she felt them get any closer.

  She frowned. Although the mages were faint, they seemed close, as if…

  Oh, shit.

  Nausea flooded her, and she ran from the market and into a quiet alley, where she fell to her knees and vomited her breakfast into the gutter. The sound from the mages came again, and she turned her vision inwards.

  Her mother was right.

  There, within her, she felt the presence of the two she had heard; weak, faint, barely formed, but alive, and growing inside her. She was pregnant, and the two mages she had been hearing were her unborn children, and the sound she had heard was that of her own power. She was carrying two dream mages.

  She changed her mind half a dozen times on the walk to the Ma
ltings to tell Lennox. She had thought about waiting until he got home, and even for a moment considered not telling him at all, worried about his reaction. They had known each other for less that three thirds; what if he took fright and ran? If he did, she thought, then her dreams would come crashing down, but at least she would know. She followed the path to where the northern barley fields began, and saw the low cluster of buildings that marked the Maltings. As she got closer she could pick out the individual workers at one end of the longest building, labouring in the weak sunlight to construct an extension. Wooden scaffolding covered the edge of the building, and deep foundation trenches were being dug into the hard earth.

  Lennox was out with the others, helping to move a series of long wooden beams towards the site, and she could see Cain and Carrie as well. She lingered at the low fence surrounding the complex for a moment, tempted to make herself unseen, but took a deep breath and entered through the gate.

  Carrie nudged Lennox as she approached and he glanced over. He smiled and waved, then spoke to Dommek, who was overseeing the work. The older Domm shrugged and nodded, and the workers stopped for lunch.

  ‘Wasn’t expecting you here,’ Lennox said, walking over to meet her, Cain and Carrie trailing along behind.

  She kissed him, then hesitated.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ he said, catching her expression. ‘Is something the matter?’

  She took a cigarette out of a pocket, looked at it for a moment, then put it away again.

  ‘I think,’ she said, ‘I uh, think, that maybe…’

  ‘Aye?’

  ‘I’m pregnant.’

  Lennox stared at her, his eyes slowly widening, and his mouth open.

  ‘Pyre’s tits,’ muttered Carrie.

  ‘Are you… happy about it?’ said Lennox.

  ‘Are you?’ said Karalyn.

  A large smile crossed his face and he put his arms around her. ‘Aye. Aye, I fucking am.’ He choked, his eyes beginning to well up. ‘This is the best news I’ve ever heard. If, you know, you agree?’

  She smiled, and they kissed, to an accompaniment of laughter and clapping from Cain and Carrie.