Kethril

by Carroll, John H.

  She liked the addition of baby’s breath. They would complement the other flowers nicely. Liselle felt eyes on her and realized an audience of over a hundred people had gathered. “Please move back. I need room,” she told them, holding her hands up. Everyone did except for Vevin. He appeared worried and was about to say something. Liselle interrupted before he could. “I’m fine, dear. Step back with the rest.” She had to stare him down, but he relented.

  When they were all back far enough, Liselle concentrated on the flower-strewn patch and began gathering energy. It came easily. She transformed it into magic, sending it toward the patch. The first thing Liselle did was to dig into the ground. The magic split into thousands of small blue strands that began turning the dirt. In the process, it dragged down the flowers and cut them up. She would use those as the beginning of new life. The crowd looked on in astonishment.

  Liselle enjoyed the feel of the magical wind swirling. Turning her gaze up to the sky, she gathered energy from the sunset colors. They were bright orange in the west, gradually darkening to purple in the eastern sky. Fluffy clouds were pink from the rays of the sun. The colors would help with what she was about to do and the fact that the sun and sky were making those colors would help.

  Power whipped her hair against her face. Liselle guided that energy into the ground and began mixing it with power from deep below. Ryallon had shown her how to access that power and it was perfect for what she was doing. She took all the elements and infused the dead flowers with magic.

  A memory flitted across her mind of standing in a clearing with Tathan what seemed an eternity ago. She had created a blue flower made of flames and grass then, so she added her personal energy in the form of blue fire to this mix.

  Life was a miracle to most. To Liselle, life was a natural thing to cherish and hold. The thing she considered a miracle was the beauty of flowers. The way they blossomed was wonderful. The fact that they provided sustenance to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds was miraculous. Flowers were the best thing the world had to offer.

  All of those things were in Liselle’s mind as she created life within the barren patch. Roots grew to provide nourishment from the earth that turned underneath. The first shoots came out of the ground a moment later. It didn’t take long for a multitude of flowers to begin blooming. In addition to the assorted plants that had been murdered and placed in vases, blue flowers with petals similar to flames opened to the twilight sky. Mixed in with all of it, was white baby’s breath.

  Liselle slowed down for a moment to look at her work. It was almost finished, but there was something missing. She had left space for a path, but it needed more of the pavers like the other paths had. She looked back at the path they had come from, giving the audience a good look at her eyes of fire. The pavers weren’t from the ground underneath, so she wouldn’t be able to match it exactly. Instead, she called to rocks underground and brought them to the surface. In a few minutes, there was a new path. Then she called to more stones and brought them up from the ground to form a border around the new garden.

  The remaining energy dissipated around her, though she used some for her own benefit, another thing Ryallon had taught her. After finishing, she strolled along the new path to see her work. The beautiful, multicolored flowers leaned toward her as she walked between them. Liselle was tired and needed food, but it hadn’t exhausted her to create the flowers. As a bonus, the rage she had felt earlier was gone, replaced by serenity.

  Vevin was the only one brave enough to follow her along the path. Everyone else stood in stunned silence. “They’re beautiful, my darling. Creating life is . . . rare.” He was doing a graceful shuffle. It was nice and Liselle wrapped her arms around him to sway in time.

  They walked back to Emmaoen. “You mentioned something about dinner? And would you happen to have any wine? I like red,” Liselle suggested hopefully.

  The duchess was still overwhelmed by what Liselle had done. “Dinner? Yes, of course.” She looked at her extensive staff of servants. “Well? . . . She needs food! Dinner will be served now! Get to it! And three bottles of my finest red.” Emmaoen clapped her hands and shooed everyone back to the manor. Most came back to reality and began hurrying back to their tasks. A few continued to stare dumbfounded at the new garden. She ignored them and led the party back to the manor.

  Chapter 13

  Liselle ate enough to feed four starving peasants before sitting back with a contented sigh. Red wine swirled slowly in her crystal glass as she took a sip. It was her third cup and she was feeling relaxed. The meal had been quiet because no one else had known what to say and Liselle was too busy nomming to talk. No one, from Emmaoen to the guards to the servants, could stop staring at her in awe. Even Sir Danth and Vevin were acting especially respectful.

  She didn’t want to talk about the flowers or the magic she had performed, so she asked Emmaoen, “You said we would spend the night at your place. You didn’t mention it was so big. Who else lives here?”

  The question caught Emmaoen off guard. “Well . . . other than the staff . . . no one. I live here alone, at least until I marry and have children.” The duchess made a face, clearly not thrilled about the concept.

  “Really? You live here all by yourself?” Vevin asked in surprise. “It’s a very nice house. Do you have treasure?”

  “Treasure?” The duchess raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh yes! Everyone should have treasure, especially if they have so much room to put it in. I’m hoping to have lots of treasure to put in my cave soon.”

  “Ah yes, dragons have treasure,” Emmaoen replied with a nervous laugh. Nearby guards became decidedly uncomfortable. “I don’t have anything like dragon treasure, but I have money for various expenses.”

  “Like hundreds of staff?” Liselle asked as a server moved forward to pour a little more wine into her glass.

  The duchess smiled. “That’s taken care of by my estate and accountants. I really don’t have many expenses other than my magical supplies. I give most of my stipend to orphanages and other causes.” She shrugged. “My father was first in line for the throne, but he and mother died young and I was their only child. Uncle Turman became king in his place, though he didn’t want it. He’s a great king though.”

  “I’m sorry about your parents, Emm . . . Am I allowed to call you by name?” Liselle asked. “I didn’t realize you were a duchess until today.”

  “Yes! Of course. Please, Liselle. I want very much to be your friend. I’d just hate it if you used titles with me.” Both women got up and rushed to give each other a hug. They spent the next hour talking about their childhoods and how they had always wanted a best friend. Vevin and Sir Danth eventually shrugged at each other and went outside to admire the new garden.

  “So I’m sixth in line for the throne, after Uncle Turman’s three sons and two daughters. I don’t want it though. I like magic and want to do that for the rest of my life,” Emmaoen said as they sat next to each other, having their first glasses of the third bottle of wine. “Let’s go up to my room and finish this there,” she said, grabbing the bottle from the man whose job it was to pour. He looked appalled by the boldness of the duchess.

  “Alright. I’m feeling tipshy though.” They laughed as they stood and headed up the stairs. The wine didn’t affect Emmaoen as badly since she had been drinking wine since childhood. It was normal for nobles to drink at young ages in most kingdoms. Liselle had drunk wine in the Rojuun caverns, but had never enough to become intoxicated. On one hand, she didn’t like the feeling of losing control. On the other hand, it was nice to relax and let the tension from all of her problems go.

  Back in Emmaoen’s room, she continued her story after shooing away the ladies-in-waiting who had tried to come in with them. “This manor was my parent’s. It’s the property of the royal family. If my father were still king, I would be living at the palace as a princess, or married to some noble or prince elsewhere. Technically, Uncle Turman could marry me off for political favor
, but he feels bad for me, so lets me do what I want with my life.”

  Liselle lay down on the bed next to Emmaoen who was propped up against the headboard with a pillow. “That shoundsh . . . shoundsh . . . that shoundsh nicshe.” The words just weren’t working properly.

  “It is. I could have become spoiled rotten, but Uncle Turman deserves better than that,” the duchess said with a wave of her hand. “In any case, I have this house and eight others scattered throughout the kingdom. I have nearly unlimited money at my disposal too. Kethril has become a rich kingdom. We’ve been at peace for a long time and our people prosper. Merchants of Kethril are good at bargaining and enjoy support from the crown.” She smiled. “I’m really proud to be from Kethril.”

  “I can shee that,” Liselle agreed. She was feeling very sleepy.

  Emmaoen looked at her and brushed a lock of hair away from Liselle’s face with a finger. “Get some sleep. We can leave whenever you wake up.” There was no response because Liselle was already asleep. The duchess got up and retrieved an extra blanket from a nearby cabinet. She covered them both with it and ran fingers through Liselle’s hair for a time before falling asleep as well. Neither of them moved when Vevin came in a short while later and curled up on the ground below Liselle’s side of the bed.

  ***

  Liselle had a splitting headache when they rode out two hours after dawn. Drinking had been fun at the time, but she didn’t plan to do it very often. She probably should have slept for another day.

  The rest of them remained quiet during the morning ride out of respect for Liselle. Emmaoen admitted to a bit of a hangover too. She led them in a different direction so they could avoid heavy traffic on the main road. The lesser-traveled road had a few wagons and other travelers, but nothing like the day before. Halfway through the day, they stopped at an inn to have lunch and take a break from riding.

  It was a pleasant inn, well cared for and busy. They sat at a nice table near a crackling fire. The innmaster brought steaming bowls of thick stew. “Where will we be going, Milady?” Sir Danth asked.

  Emmaoen finished taking a bite. “I’ve been thinking about that. Originally, I was going to take us through Heet, directly south of Tillg, and then to a small village further south.” She pulled out a small map and laid it out on the table. Liselle had never seen one. They were rare and often inaccurate from what Tathan said. Liselle scooted closer to Emmaoen and studied it.

  The map was made in fine detail, with the ocean colored blue, the valleys green, and the mountains brown. Tillg was marked with the kingdom’s crest while other cities were noted by dots and intricate lettering that Liselle couldn’t read because it was written in Kethril’s language.

  Most people spoke a common language that was a mixture of many languages. Liselle and Tathan grew up speaking the language of the Kingdom of Klizania to the east of their valley as well as a simple form of common. Tathan had learned to speak a number of different languages in his travels and could understand most people regardless of their accent. Sir Danth and Vevin had magical means of understanding any language. The three of them were doing their best to expand Liselle’s vocabulary too. Quite often, she would ask the meaning of a word or phrase.

  The duchess traced their route with her finger along a squiggly line. “We’ll go to a village southeast of here called Yema. I don’t think we’ll find anything there, but the ship has been making its way west, so perhaps we’ll get lucky and intercept it before it attacks another village.” It looked like they would ride through five other villages before getting there.

  “How long will the journey take, Milady?” Sir Danth asked.

  “It will take four days if we get up early and sleep late, five if we need extra rest,” she said, looking at Liselle. Vevin and Sir Danth did as well.

  “I’ll be fine,” Liselle assured them. “The magic I used took much less out of me than you would think. It was magic I have an affinity for and I’ve learned how to use leftover energy to keep from getting so drained.”

  Emmaoen’s mouth hung open. “Leftover energy? You’re only supposed to gather exactly what you need. Too much can burn your body inside out.”

  Liselle shrugged. “I never know exactly how much I need. The rest goes back to where I got it from, or I dissipate it into the wind or ground.”

  “Wow . . . just . . . wow.” The duchess shook her head in amazement. “The amount of magic you used last night would kill me if I tried to gather it. To think that you have extra is mind-boggling.”

  “Oh . . .” Liselle shrugged again. She didn’t know what else to say. Magic was something she was learning as she went.

  Sir Danth got them back on subject. “After Yema, we go east along the base of the mountains then?” He pointed at a road. Numerous villages were dotted along it.

  “Yes. These are the villages that have been attacked by the ship.” She pointed at a collection of dots some of which were to the north of the road. There were five more villages between Yema and the closest one that had been attacked.

  “In battle, it is important to understand one’s enemy,” Sir Danth said. “Normally, when fighting at sea -which I would never do I might add- one attempts to kill the sailors on the other ship, starting with the captain. The alternative is to sink the ship. That option will be difficult without water underneath it though.”

  “We know it’s made of wood, has sails, and steals sheep,” Emmaoen told them. “The fireballs it shoots are magical. Military wizards have examined the damage done and found magical remnants. Fireballs made of wood and pitch leave completely different traces.”

  “What do magical remnants look like?” Liselle asked.

  Emmaoen paused, contemplating the best way to answer. Vevin opened his mouth to say, but stopped with a frown on his face. The duchess waved over the plump, balding innkeeper, who had been hovering the entire time, realizing that royalty was dining casually at his best table. “Innmaster, I wish to purchase a simple mug. Please bring it now.”

  The man dashed back to the bar as fast as his stubby legs would take him then returned with a wooden mug. “You said simple, Milady? I have much finer mugs should you wish.”

  “No, no. I’m going to destroy it, so the simpler the better,” Emmaoen said with a wave of her hand. She took the mug, set it in front of her, and began to gather a small amount of magic. “I’ll pull in just enough magic to do what I need. After casting the spell, I’ll show you the remnants.” The innmaster backed away at the word ‘magic’. There were a number of other travelers eating lunch. Most had been eating silently once realizing that a duchess was sitting with them. They watched in curiosity.

  Liselle could see the magic her friend gathered. There was much less than Liselle collected for even the simplest spells. Tathan had told her that most people couldn’t see magic the way she did. It just looked like wind. Liselle was able to understand how the energies moved and interacted with the world.

  Emmaoen collected the energy in front of her, manipulated it with her hands and cast it forward at the mug with words of power. It manifested in the form of fire engulfing the mug. There was very little wind created in the process. The efficiency impressed Liselle a great deal.

  Everyone in the common room stared at the fiery mug. Emmaoen motioned the innmaster over. “Perhaps a little water would be appropriate?” The man ran back to the bar to get some.

  “I can put it out,” Liselle said, thinking of how to gather less energy.

  “No. I want to show you magical residue. If you cast a spell, it’ll change what we see. Plus I noticed that your magic was a lot cleaner and didn’t leave residue last night, so I have no idea how it would affect the experiment.” The innmaster returned with a small pail of water. Emmaoen gestured for him to put it out. “Slowly please, I don’t feel like getting wet.” The fire hissed as water poured onto it. One of the serving girls brought a couple of cloths to sop up the water.

  “Now look around the burn marks on the cup.” Emmaoen poin
ted at the charred wood. “See the energy residue?”

  Liselle looked closely. Tiny traces of magical energy clung to the cup, but they were dirty. “It’s different and gooey. I’ve never seen that before.”

  Emmaoen nodded. “It’s not a big deal in small amounts like this, but when there’s a lot of magic being cast in an area, this can gather and become deadly,” she said, gesturing at the burned cup with it’s residue. “Wizard towers usually have some and academies stink with it. Dralin is the worst city in the world for pollution. There are thousands of wizards there and the residue of their magic kills and transmutes innocent people.”

  “Tathan’s told me about that. He said they were called the ‘Deformed’. By the way, you still haven’t told me anything about him,” Liselle pointed out.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Emmaoen stood and tossed a gold piece and some silver. It was much more than the cost of the meal. Everyone in the common room got up and bowed or curtsied as the duchess left the inn.

  Back on the road again, Emmaoen told them what she knew. “Nobody knows how many stories about Tathan of the Shadows are true. What is known is that he’s one of the most successful thieves of all time. It’s also certain that he’s killed at least a few people.”

  “That’s the part that I have a hard time with,” Liselle said. “I don’t like killing. I think all people should live in harmony and help each other to survive and prosper.

  Emmaoen raised her eyebrows and smiled. “You’re so innocent, Liselle. I like it.” She shook her head in amazement. “I’ve been raised to believe that killing is just a fact of life, yet you come and say we should all be at peace. It’s refreshing.”