“Why?”
“Because I have an idea.”
~*~
They found Cora at the Academy of All Magic, as usual. For once, she wasn’t at the stables, but high up in the uppermost part of the Academy in the Aerial Tower, attending to several injured birds. They had to wait, with the impatience of small boys, for her to finish before they could launch into their questions.
Cora listened with a surprised and bemused look on her face as Nolan pelted her with questions on just how people had children. Why this particular topic had occurred to him, she had no idea. It took a few minutes before Nolan wound down enough for her to get a word in edgewise. She was grateful for that, too—it gave her time to think of a simple and gentle way to answer those questions of his.
Cora somehow found herself explaining the miracle of life to two very attentive six year olds. How this discussion had fallen to her, she had no idea. “Lucky me” she thought, struggling for the right words.
Still, she managed to explain everything, without going into an embarrassing amount of detail. Half of it, she suspected, had sailed straight over Trev’nor’s head. From the expression on his face, Nolan seemed to follow it pretty well. With his Life Mage insight, she wasn’t surprised. They both went away happy, discussing something between themselves in low confidential voices.
Cora frowned for a moment, considering the ramifications, as she watched their retreating backs. This wasn’t going to be a repeat of the Meuritta Incident all over again, was it? Although how they would manage to stir up trouble by understanding the reproductive process of human beings was beyond her imagination.
Shrugging it off, she went back to her duties.
~*~
Nolan and Trev’nor schemed and considered and planned for the rest of the morning, before coming up with the perfect approach. Nolan knew much more about how life started than he had before talking with Cora, but he wasn’t sure if this was a problem that he could fix. And he didn’t want to disappoint his foster mother by getting her hopes up only to be proven wrong later. After all, wouldn’t Cora have already helped, if there was something that needed to be done? So he had to be sneaky.
Fortunately, this wasn’t difficult for a six year old boy to do.
He waited for the right opportunity. Queen Chaelane had the habit of reading to him in the afternoons, and these reading sessions always involved them snuggling close together. This was perfect, as Nolan had to be in close contact to discover what was wrong and to change anything. He waited for that afternoon story time, and then subtly started reaching out with his senses, while Chaelane read the book.
He missed about half the story doing that, as he couldn’t pay attention to both at once. Still, by the time the story ended, Chaelane was practically glowing with an inner vibrancy. Nolan felt certain that he had succeeded in finding out what was wrong, and fixing it. She would be able to have children now, just like everyone else. Satisfied, he headed off to his studies at her direction, smiling broadly as he went.
~*~
Nolan ran downstairs the next morning, anxious to see if his efforts of the day before had been successful. The Queen and King were in their private rooms, sitting down at breakfast, as was their normal routine at this hour of the morning. Nolan was barely inside the doorway when he could see the effect of their time together yesterday.
“YES!” he crowed, punching the air with one fist.
“Nolan, what has gotten into you?” Guin asked in surprise.
Nolan ignored him and ran toward his foster mother, with his arms wide open. “Mama Chaelane, you’re going to have babies!”
“What?” she spluttered, with a strangled cough. Catching him by the shoulders, looking searchingly into his green eyes, she demanded, “What do you mean, Nolan?”
“I can see them,” he explained, feeling like his face would split in half with the force of his smile. He couldn’t help it, though, he just felt so incredibly happy that he had to grin or explode. “You’ve got two babies in your tummy.” Lowering his voice, he confided, “I can’t tell if they’re boys or girls yet.”
Chaelane stared at him for a long moment, eyes growing wide. “You…can…see them? Nolan, are you sure?”
“Yup, I’m sure.” He put his hand directly over the right spot. “They’re right here.”
Chaelane looked at her husband with a stunned expression. “Guin…”
To her surprise, there were tears standing in his eyes. “Finally, Chael. Finally.” Laughing, he swooped in on her and scooped her up into his arms, hugging her hard to his chest. She hugged him back just as fiercely. When she eventually regained her feet, she reached out with one arm, dragging Nolan into their embrace.
Nolan put his arms around them both, beaming with satisfaction. He’d done well.
Chapter Twenty: Responsibility
Being a sensible man that well understood how strong a woman’s maternal drive could be, I chose to call by mirror the night before to alert Guin of Vonlorisen’s command to bring his grandson home. He took the news rather well, and promised to break it to his wife. I also alerted him that Vonlorisen had given me an impossible task.
So when I went onto the earth path that morning, I had every expectation of a smooth trip to Del’Hain. When the mirror started buzzing in my pocket, it surprised me more than it usually would as I didn’t expect anyone to call me. I dug it out of my pocket, praying fervently that this wasn’t an emergency. “Hello?”
“Garth,” it was Kartal and for once he wasn’t being demanding. “King Guin wants to talk to you.”
That could be good…and that could also mean a lot more work. Knowing my luck, it was probably the latter. I sighed, resigned, and nodded. “Understood. Anything else?”
“Yes, will you stop scurrying all over the place? Every time someone wants you, they make me track you down.”
Apparently there was nothing else. I shoved the mirror back in my pocket, dropped back into the earth and shot off toward Del’Hain. I popped up in the main courtyard mostly because people were rather used to me appearing there by now. As I walked into the palace, I tried to mentally ascertain where Guin would be at this time of day. I was really hoping that he was in his study, as I had no wish to track the man down through the seemingly endless hallways of the Palace.
As I went from one hallway to another, people spotted me and stopped me with the exciting news that Queen Chaelane was finally pregnant. I smiled the first dozen times I heard it, then I had to struggle to not laugh. Yes, the Queen had struggled to produce an heir for nearly five years now, but with the way people were carrying on you’d think she was an old maid that was well past child-bearing years or something.
Fortunately for me, he was obviously expecting me as I’d barely knocked when he opened the doors and waved me inside.
“You made good time,” he greeted me.
The moment that I stepped into Guin’s study I knew that something important was up. My King’s expression was bordering on an anticipatory smirk, as if he were a youngster that was just about to pull off a marvelous prank. I stopped in the doorway, hovering, wary about what that expression might mean for me in particular. Perhaps I could still make a break for it.
“Come in, Garth, come in,” he encouraged, smiling in genteel welcome.
You don’t disobey a King’s invitation. I really, really wanted to, though. Resigned to whatever mischief he was brewing for me, I stepped inside, shutting the door. Still wary, I kept an eye on him as I came to rest uneasily in the chair he gestured me to.
“I have good news,” Guin started, steepling his fingers in front of his mouth to hide, I’m sure, an unsettling smile. “My wife is expecting.”
Ah, that was it. I clamped down on a smile before it escaped. “Yes, Sire, I heard on the way in.”
The man actually pouted at me. “You’ve already heard? Everyone already knows before I can even get to them. I wanted to tell somebody.”
It was close, but I managed not to
roll my eyes. “Did you call me in to tell me that?”
He glared at me for another moment before sighing. “No, actually I wanted to tell you that Nolan won’t be ready to leave until this afternoon. Chaelane insists on having a few more hours with him. You mentioned last night that Vonlorisen gave you an impossible task. What was it?”
I filled him in on the events of the previous night, in more detail this time.
“He is planning to build a magic academy in Chahir,” Guin repeated, tone gleeful. “And you’re going to be the Dean.”
I should have known that he’d like this idea. I just groaned, slumping in to my chair. “Why me?!”
“Probably because he likes you; moreover, he trusts you.”
I didn’t buy that for one second. “Seriously, why me?”
Guin shook his head, wryly. “Garth, that probably is half the reason, alright? Don’t underestimate the power of connections. The other half is this—we’ve actually been in correspondence over this idea for the past month or so. Vonlorisen requested that I give him magicians to be instructors in his new school. I couldn’t, of course. I barely have enough magicians to keep track of my country, much less Chahir. What I can do is this—I can release all of the magicians from Chahir to go back and act as instructors. If you’re the Dean of this new academy, a good majority of the Chahiran magicians will follow you back there.”
I thought about that for a long moment. I’d seen for myself how strong the ties of loyalty and friendship ran between me and the other Chahiran magicians. Our bonds had been forged in the fires of the struggle between life and death. I couldn’t refute their logic. I was sure there were quite a few magicians that would follow me back into Chahir. Would there be enough to run a school though? That part I wasn’t sure about. Both Monarchs were basing all of their plans on a big assumption that I’d be willing to set up and run an academy.
Well, okay, maybe that wasn’t too much of a leap for their imaginations. I didn’t think it was a secret that I was by my nature a homebody, even if circumstances didn’t allow for much of that. If I could stay in one spot, safe and secure to work magic, with my family nearby, life would be perfect. I’d never thought I’d find a way to do it, though, not with the way my magic worked. The very nature of it dictated that I would be required to travel constantly to where my magical talent was most needed. The only thing that made that cold fact bearable was that Chatta would always be with me, as my balance and my partner.
I tried to picture myself, all of eighteen years old and with only two years of magical experience under my belt, founding an academy. It seemed like an impossible task. “Shouldn’t someone with more experience do this?”
Guin shook a finger at me. “You shall not wriggle out of this. You are the founding Regent and Dean. Get used to it.”
Shrieking hinges…I blew out a resigned breath. “I think you’re both insane to make me of all people do this, but…alright. I’ll go to Vonlorisen and begin hammering out some of the fine details. So who is going to talk to all the Chahiran magicians about going back?”
Guin looked at me expectantly, like that was a silly question.
“Wait, not me!” I protested in panic. “I’m terrible at public speaking.”
“I’m not looking for a Master Orator,” Guin responded patiently.
“That’s what it will take to convince many of them to go back,” I argued in quiet desperation, feeling the tide turning against me. “Considering some of the conditions we found them in, they have every right to not want to return to Chahir, ever!”
“Yes, but if you ask them—”
I impatiently cut him off. “You’re banking too much on that. These people don’t owe me anything, I helped them reach Hain safely, their lives are their own from here on out.”
“You rescued them from Chahir, you risked your life to go after them.”
“Because you assigned me to!” I felt a headache brewing and repressed the urge to message my fingers against my temples. “And I certainly wasn’t the only one that did so. Your Majesty, I will grant you that I’ve become friends with many of the Chahiran magicians, but they’re not going to go blindly into possible danger on just my say-so.”
He got that smug, irritating expression again on his face again. “You are so wrong on that point, my friend, they would follow you anywhere you decided to go. Garth, please just go talk to them, as a favor to me. If you’re right and I’m wrong, I’ll send someone else to talk them about it later.”
Unhappy with even this small concession, I glared at him. “Fine. Knowing you, you’ve already set up a time and the place when you want me to talk to them.”
“Yes, of course! Tonight, in the main courtyard of the Palace at 7:00. You can take Nolan home after that.” There he sat, my King and my friend, with those trusting eyes and that “you can pull this off” expression.
I was so glad we were not living in Del Hain. I couldn’t ever say no to that man, and he knew it.
~*~
There were a million and one things to do between planning a wedding and an academy but all I really wanted was to take a moment and read a book. Just sit in my chair, feet up, and enjoy a moment to myself. I had several hours before I was supposed to talk with the mages, I might as well take the chance to relax while I could. I couldn’t remember the last true free moment I’d had. Six months ago at least. I’d just finished settling myself when there was a knock on my door. I groaned. What. Was there some kind of magical sign that said “Garth is trying to relax, please prevent at all costs?”
“Yes?” I called a little crankily.
“Garth, it’s Cora. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
I sighed. “Sure, come on in.” She walked in and stood there hesitantly, like she was unsure of herself.
“Please, sit down. Is there a problem?” I coaxed, hoping to get back to my book.
“Um…” She slowly took a seat at my implied invitation.
I eyed Cora sideways, wondering why she looked so perturbed and unsettled. It was never a good thing when someone hunted me down with “that look” on their face. I inevitably get caught up in whatever trouble was brewing. Nevertheless, I reluctantly put down the book in my hands and gave her my undivided attention. “Is there something bothering you, Cora?”
“Garth…I think I did it again.”
That phrase had such a potential for a myriad of disasters, I didn’t dare start guessing. “Did what, precisely?” I started to grow increasingly unnerved as her silence stretched on and on.
“I think I may have given the boys too much information,” she admitted slowly. “Like the time with the meurittas.”
That…did not bode well. “What kind of information? What went wrong?”
“No, it’s not exactly wrong per se…I’m sure that if everyone knew, they’d throw Nolan a parade and a party. It’s just…” She blew out a breath and slumped forward into the chair facing me, her hands rubbing her temples. “Let me start at the beginning. Roughly five days ago, the boys came to see me with all sorts of questions about human reproduction.”
I felt an ice cold chill go straight up my spine, and explode out of the top of my head.
“…go on.” I intoned, closing my eyes and mimicking her motions with my hands on my own temples.
“And the very next day, Queen Chaelane miraculously becomes pregnant after years of hoping and waiting,” Cora finished dryly. “You can probably see why I’m jumping to conclusions.”
She wasn’t the only one. “Did Nolan tell you he…”
“Dabbled?” Cora offered. “No. But he was the one who first noticed she was pregnant. That might be a coincidence…I mean, with his abilities, seeing that sort of thing is very easy. I might have dismissed my suspicions if he didn’t look so…pleased with himself.”
Nolan and Trev’nor had already proven that if they saw a problem, then they would try to take steps to solve it. If they knew that Chaelane desperately wanted a child and couldn’t have o
ne… I groaned and rubbed all the harder at both temples with my fingertips, feeling a world class headache coming on. “No, I think you’re right. I think he ‘fixed’ the problem, whatever it was, so she could have children. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing…” I trailed off, not sure just why I felt so uneasy.
“No, it’s not a bad thing,” Cora hastily agreed with me. “I mean, the kingdom needs heirs. And Chaelane and Guin have wanted children for a long time.”
“Right, right,” I agreed just as earnestly, looking for a silver lining. “It’s just…”
“He shouldn’t have been meddling in this,” Cora finished firmly. “His intentions were excellent, I can’t fault him there. But he only had a limited grasp of what he was doing. Working magic of this delicate nature is very complicated, and could have tragic consequences.”
I winced as if she had physically struck me, just imagining everything that could have gone wrong. “I think the only thing that saved us was that magic follows intents.”
Cora nodded wryly. “He intended for the Queen to get pregnant, and so she did. I’ve never been as thankful for that quirk of magic until this moment.”
Neither had I.
“So will you talk to him?”
I gave her a pained look. “Is that why you’re telling me this?”
“Someone has to talk sense into those two,” she pointed out with ruthless logic. “And they both think that you can do no wrong, and you are the final word on everything in the whole world. If you tell them no, they’re not going to argue with you.”
I hated that she was right. “But why does it always have to be me?” I demanded plaintively, fighting futilely against my fate.
“I have no sympathy for you. I was the one that had to explain the birds and the bees to two six year old boys. It’s your turn to explain why they shouldn’t have used that information.”
Okay, so maybe she’d had the rougher road after all. I held up both hands in surrender. “All right, all right, I’ll go talk to them about it.”
Balancer (Advent Mage Cycle) Page 22