“What are they?” Bronwyn asked, a little fearfully.
“They’re dragons.” Romana replied, “And they’re my familiars.”
“Romana is an elemental wytch, Bronwyn.” Kate told her gently. “She has yet to receive her title but I’m sure she’ll be able to teach you just the same.”
“What elements do you command?” Bronwyn pressed, “Are they cool?”
“Very much so.” Romana replied, swirling first a small breeze and then a ribbon of colourful flame around the little girl.
“I can’t do that.” Bronwyn informed them, a little put out. “All I can do it push stuff and make it move. Mama is forever complaining and hitting me because I can’t make them stay still. But here things are staying still.”
“Bronwyn, Romana is your mentor; you’re going to stay with her. Is that okay?”
“The dragons won’t eat me?” Bronwyn clarified.
“Ash and Icarus will be on their best behaviour.” Romana assured her.
“Then that’s okay.”
“Kate, could you get Katelyn and then give me a few minutes to say goodbye to Marten please?”
“Yes, you should tell him that you’ll visit often. Because you can y’know, no-one is going to stop you.”
“Okay. Bronwyn would you like to come with me, and we can find you a bedroom. Do you have anything to take with you?”
“Mama said the spiders would weave my clothing since I was a wytch. And my toys got burned by papa.”
Romana’s heart broke at that, and she resisted the urge to hug the little girl.
“Then we will have to get you some new things made.” She informed the little girl. “Come along. I’m sure we can make you up a room in seconds.”
“Can we?”
“When you have magic there are no limits.”
“Romana, another warning,” Kate inserted in elvish. “Bronwyn can teleport already.”
“Does one of my guest rooms have two single beds?” Romana asked in reply.
“Yes.”
“She can share with Katelyn.”
“You do know that teleport capabilities mean she could get stuck in a wall.” Kate added.
“I will just have to restrict her teleporting until she is old enough to understand.”
“I think you’d be surprised how mature that little one is.”
“You mean how grown up she was forced to become?”
“Exactly,”
“Then we will have to make up for lost childhood, won’t we.”
Kate smiled. “I knew you’d understand her best.”
“Come along Bronwyn,”
“Katelyn will appear here in around ten minutes.” Kate warned. “Finish with Marten by fifteen.”
“Okay.” Kate disappeared, and Romana looked down at Bronwyn. “Are you tired?”
“No.” Bronwyn insisted. “I can walk.”
“Alright.” Romana replied. “We’ll get you a room set up, and then we can have you some clothes made.” She led the girl through the hangar and into the house.
“By spiders?”
“No, by a thread wytch called Joanna.” Bronwyn was silent for a little while, probably processing everything. “You don’t have to worry here sweet.” Romana told her kindly. “Whatever you’ve known, whatever you’ve been called. Here you’re precious.”
“I’m not precious.” Bronwyn replied, stopping in the middle of the hallway. “Mama said I’m a dirty piece of wytch garbage, and she doesn’t want anything to do with rubbish like me. Then papa said he would have killed me if the Ancients didn’t loathe such violence.” Her voice broke, but she didn’t cry. In that instant Romana saw just how strong this little girl, with her family from hell, was.
“You are precious.” Romana insisted, crouching down next to her. “Your mother didn’t know anything about us. She was talking from prejudice and rumours of our existence. We’re just like normal people.”
“I don’t like normal people.”
“Then don’t think of us that way.” Romana persevered. “But you will always be a sister to everyone on this isle. And it is not called the Isle of the Rubbish, it is the Isle of the Gifted, and you’re here because you are gifted.”
“Mama said that royal people know lots,” Bronwyn began. “So if you’re royal, does that mean you’re telling me the truth?”
“No. But this does: Bronwyn, I vow to you that I tell the truth in that people here are your sisters, and you are loved by all of us, even if you haven’t met all of us yet.”
Bronwyn hugged her then, and Romana picked her up, even as Icarus and Ash left their places on her shoulders to fly overhead.
“Come on. I need to say goodbye to someone, and then my ward will be here, but after that we can go and ask Joanna to make you both some more clothes. And then some armour.” She reminded herself of the retaliation by the dragons which was considered immanent.
“Why do we need armour?” Bronwyn asked as they walked through the door and into the human rooms, Marten could surely hear them now, but despite what he would say to her she answered, the girl deserved truth.
“A sister died, and we gave her the four things we give to every wytch who dies, our love, our joy, our respect and her revenge. The dragon queen murdered my mentor, and afterwards, we exacted her revenge upon the dragons, we wait to see if they will strike back or leave us alone because of the casualties we inflicted.”
“I know about the dragon raid. Mama first thought about bringing me here when she saw the head you dropped in our village.”
“Yes, well you see what I mean about the cost of vengeance for our sister. It is often high, but Sarah deserved every dragon head that we severed from their necks. Even if it does cause a war.”
“Will I have to fight people?” Bronwyn asked, looking terrified at the idea.
“No! No, definitely not. Especially if you don’t want to. If there is ever fighting I want you to come straight here. No-one but a trusted wytch knows where I live. If they do find you, I want you to teleport to the temple, and I know you’re not supposed to teleport yet, but if an attack happens, you keep yourself and Katelyn safe.”
“What about you?”
“I will fight.” She explained. “But I will be fine. I’m very hard to kill.”
“Ok.” But she still looked unsure.
“Bronwyn, watch.” Romana set her down on the table and turned incorporeal. She watched as Bronwyn waved a hand through her and then gasped. “I’m hurt proof.” She picked the child back up, and then headed into Martens room.
“Bronwyn, meet Prince Marten. Marten, I’m Bronwyn’s mentor.”
“Two children and two dragons?” He asked, incredulous. “How will you manage?”
“I love children. And you’ve seen how helpful Katelyn is. She’s coming here so it’s easier for me.”
“You plan to send me away?” Marten asked, “Again?”
“I’m needed here. And you must go to your palace. Grave circumstances are about to occur.”
“And you will not help me with them.” He guessed.
“I can only help if you ask me to. And only then if certain conditions are met.” Romana replied, sadly. “Remember to keep your librarians searching for cases where wytches have helped people.”
“So you’re making me go,”
“I will visit, as often as I can.” She replied. “But I’m now piled under all this responsibility. It’s all happened so fast, Marten. I need you, but I can’t have you.”
“You can have me. Just not here.” He promised. “As long as I have you, you will always have me.”
Struck by this sudden tenderness she leaned in and kissed him briefly on the cheek. “I knew you’d understand. Thank-you.” She drew back to find the animal in his eyes again. “Are you okay?” She checked his fingers and found them flashing between claws and fingernails.
“Yes. I’m fine, I just, give me a moment.” He backed away towards the wall. “Damn, you shouldn’t have done that.” The image
of a jaguar flashed over his face.
“Let me help.” Romana said, moving closer.
“Just don’t move.” He gritted out. “Can’t mark you again.” He sounded in pain, she reached for him. “Don’t!” He yelled. The dragons growled from their perches.
Bronwyn flinched and curled her face against Romana’s neck.
“Kate is going to teleport you away soon, will that help?”
“Maybe.” He replied.
“What can I do?” She asked.
“Just don’t move. Don’t move.” As he said it, he seemed to stop flickering between forms. “Got it.” He told her, even though she could see that the animal was very much still present in his eyes. “Don’t kiss me again unless you want to get marked.”
“Sorry.” She apologised, even as she moved to comfort Bronwyn.
“Not your fault. I should have been able to control it.” He replied gruffly
“I guess your animal likes me then.” She replied.
“Likes is an understatement.” He replied. “The moment I met you it curled up in a content ball.”
“Obviously not too content now.” She replied.
“Not since your dragon healed away my mark.” He retorted grimly.
“You are needed back in Morendor, and I’m sorry for what you will find. But if you find the information about bargaining with wytches you can ask for my help.”
“Can you tell me?”
Can I tell Marten about his father? She asked Kate down a mental link.
Has he specifically asked to hear it from you?
Yes. She replied.
How close is he to his animal right now?
Quite so. She scanned him as she said it. We almost had an incident just now when I kissed him.
It might take the news better from you than from anyone else. Do it.
“I can tell you. But do you want to know?” She asked.
“Tell me.” He replied.
She took a deep breath in, and exhaled in an attempt to calm herself before she spoke. “Your father is ill, terminally. Without magic to heal he will be dead within weeks. He has two months left at most.”
Marten just stood there, seemingly incomprehensive of what she’d just told him, but she knew the moment that it sunk in. His eyes flickered straight back to human, pooling deepest blue with grief.
“Help him.” He practically begged. “I’ll do anything and everything I have to. I’ll donate a new isle for sorceress training if I have to.”
“You know I can't do anything until you find the way to bargain with us.” She moved over to him, pulling him close and giving him a one-armed hug. “I want more than anything to go there and help him. But I literally can't. Not until you find the words.”
“So it’s something I have to say.”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Please.” He beseeched her. “Please.”
“I can’t tell you because I don’t know.” She explained. “I’d have to be a fully initiated wytch, a mistress of my magic, before I would be let in on the secrets of the isle.” It was the final initiation she still waited for. The ritual where her sisters would pronounce her part of the Coven, the group of fully initiated wytch queens, the highest tier of wytches.
Most wytches never made it that far, being content with their familiars and that level of magic, but Kate had told Romana that eventually her powers would make her one of the most powerful wytch queens. The prospect equally scared and excited her. There was no way she couldn’t become part of the Coven.
He went silent, and at that moment she heard Katelyn’s voice in the kitchenette. Ash and Icarus were gone in an instant, searching for the threat. This time Romana didn’t worry, Katelyn had always been good with animals and people. If the dragons weren’t curled up around her feet in five minutes time then Romana didn’t know her friend at all.
“Goodbye.” She said. “I’ll see you as soon as I can.” She hugged him before stepping back as he disappeared. “Bronwyn, would you like to meet my other ward now?”
“Who is she? Is she like us?”
“No. Katelyn and I were slaves together, but we were brought, and I was given custody of her.”
“But you are a princess.”
“We only just found that out.” She replied. “Since I was brought I’ve been a marchioness, a grand duchess a wytch and now a princess. I get confused with it sometimes too.”
“Is Katelyn nice?”
“Very.” Romana replied. “She’ll be sharing a room with you, if that’s okay.”
“I will meet Katelyn.” Bronwyn said, and then, as if realising she’d made a decision without consulting someone else, she added “If it’s okay. And I’d like to share a room with someone.”
“It most certainly is okay. But I’m going to put you down now.”
“Can I hold your hand?” She asked, as if fearing the answer.
In response, Romana put her down on the floor and took her hand.
“You don’t need to ask.” Romana told her, leading her through to the main room, where the dragons were indeed sitting, leaning against Katelyn.
“Romy!” Katelyn squealed, rushing up and hugging her. “I missed you sooooo much.”
“I missed you too.” Romana replied, “And I have someone for you to meet.”
“Who?” Katelyn stepped back and saw Bronwyn. “Hello. I’m Katelyn.”
“I’m Bronwyn.” The shy girl replied.
“Bronwyn is my ward too now, is that okay?”
“So we’re like sisters?”
“Yes.” Romana replied, relieved that Katelyn hadn’t seen Bronwyn’s coming as a threat. “You are sort of sisters.”
“Are you a wytch too?” Katelyn asked Bronwyn.
“Yes. Kate says I’m a pure telekinetic. Romy is my mentor and is going to teach me how to control my powers.”
“Can I help?” Katelyn asked, and Romana breathed another mental sigh of relief. Katelyn wasn’t seeing the new girl as someone who would take Romana’s attention from her, but rather as a friend. Fierce pride bloomed, as she took both of their hands to give them the tour. Perhaps all these new responsibilities wouldn’t be as bad as she’d thought.
Chapter Nine
RITUALS
A fortnight passed, and in that time Romana barely had time to think. Between teaching her dragons, who had each grown exponentially, to hunt, teaching Bronwyn and herself magic and holding long mental conferences with Marten and Endis on a regular basis, she was exhausted.
As she fell into bed late on the third second-day of Bronwyn’s stay on the isle she thought about how much she’d accomplished in just two weeks.
She was now fully able to use the powers granted to her by her familiars, she could share strength equally between them, giving and taking magic from them in an instant. She could fly on them, even though she’d laughed when Kate had first shown her the saddles, and she could perform advanced magic with them.
Icarus and Ash had spent their first week curling up at the end of her bed to sleep, following her everywhere she went, and growling at intruders. By the end of the second week, they were too big to do the first two. The third, they had begun to relax on the growling, having met nearly every wytch on the isle by then and memorised their scents. Now each of them was the size of a blue whale and spent a lot of time outside flying. Today had been their first hunt alone.
She smiled to remember her shock when she found that they’d gone deep into the mainland and killed two bears and several cows. She’d berated them for eating the cows of course, but in reality, she was proud of them. They’d known, but taken the lecture without arguing.
Bronwyn was another matter. The child was one of the shyest Romana had ever met, her every sentence accompanied with an ‘if it’s okay’ or ‘if you don’t mind’. Romana had known she was timid, but she seemed to be going overkill. Although she did seem genuinely happy here, Romana thought, recalling the way that the girl smiled all the time. Katelyn adored h
er new friend, was constantly wherever Bronwyn was. Even at Bronwyn’s first initiation ritual, where the girl had first summoned her wand, a length of wrought iron in the shape of an elegantly fashioned pointed twig, Katelyn had been there.
She lay still for an hour, but sleep wasn’t forthcoming. She got up, and moved over to her window. It was the full moon tonight, and it shone brightly through a cloudless sky, surrounded by the glowing stars. Her mind moved back to the night of Sarah’s death. The stars had shone brightly then as well. She re-dressed in a short red dress with white swirls around the hem and along the top, which Joanna had given her just today. She remembered the look on the woman’s face; come to think of it everyone had been wearing that look today. Expectation, the expression had seemed like expectation.
She stroked the soft material absently, surprised anew that this gown existed. It was gorgeous, with a short ruffled skirt and strappy top that wound around her figure perfectly. Jewels glinted in the light. It was too fancy really, which made her wonder why Joanna had given it to her.
She didn’t even know why she was trying it on.
Mother. Ash’s mental voice intruded on her thoughts. Come to the hanger. Icarus and I have to take you somewhere.
Surprised, Romana didn’t even ask. That Ash had been that ambiguous meant that he wasn’t going to tell her. Her dragons were stubborn; she’d learned that the hard way.
Still wearing the dress, she walked out into the hall, noticing as she did, that although the dragons were still awake, the torches were out. She went to light one.
Don’t Icarus commanded. Don’t use any magic until we say. And don’t speak.
What the hell was going on? Romana had to suppress the urge to call Kate. Her dragons wouldn’t let anything hurt her, she reminded herself.
When she entered the hangar, Icarus and Ash were waiting for her. Along with around thirty random wytches. Or maybe not so random, she realised, finding all of them were from the strike team of Sarah’s last rites: Cass, Leanne, Kate and even Joanna, all of them. Twenty-seven people; twenty-eight including her.
“Princess Romana of the elven lands, grand duchess of Morendor and elemental wytch of fire and air, you have been chosen by the wytches of the Coven to fill the spot among us left by our sister’s passing. Do you accept this honour, and bind yourself to us as one of the thirty wytch queens?” they asked as one.
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