~Chapter Fifteen~
We went down to breakfast together, meeting Lord Hugh and the others in the dining room.
“So,” Lord Hugh began slowly. “The Orthandrellian dam burst last night. You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?”
“Of course not,” I replied airily, sitting down next to Dena and beginning to tear up a roll for Sammy who was due any moment. “But does that mean the river is flowing again?”
“Flowing fuller than it ever has before,” he replied with a raised eyebrow. “The mill began operating for the first time in months today. We’ll be able to start producing our own bread again, rather than relying on Nurmin.”
I looked at the bread roll I was devouring with new appreciation. Who knows where it had come from? I wolfed the rest of it down – leaving half for Sammy – deciding not to wonder anymore.
“I suppose the mud you’ve taken to dressing in didn’t come from the river either?”
“Nope,” I replied airily, as Sammy ran to me and crawled up onto my lap just like every morning. I gave him the bread roll. “A new overnight treatment I was trying.”
“I’m going to be a mage like you,” Sammy interrupted suddenly.
“We hope,” Matilda said, gliding into the dining room and kissing her husband on the cheek. “Samlin is going to the magic tester today.”
“I’ll be just like Jonathon and Sky!” he declared, completely certain. I was confused for a moment until I realised Jonathon must be Petre’s real name.
I spent a moment wondering why the Academy renamed us. To rebirth us into the life of a mage? I rolled my eyes as Sammy stole the next roll. Knowing Iain and Netalia, it would be some wishy washy excuse like that.
For the first time since arriving in Riverdoor, we were able to enjoy ourselves in the city. We went shopping at the market, and I bought Larni a beautiful length of red silk. I looped it around my arm, knowing that she’d love it and be terribly embarrassed.
The townsfolk treated us like royalty, but I was glad none of them knew that we’d destroyed the dam. It was bad enough we’d rescued the youngest heir to the Lyon estate (I was again confused, until Petre let on that that was the name of his family) and repaired the bridge; I couldn’t imagine what they’d do if they knew about the dam as well.
We ate our lunch next to the river, in the shadow of the bridge we’d repaired. It was bustling with horses and carts and their traders. I desperately wanted to see Nurmin, but I knew that we had to return to the Academy the next day.
We dragged our feet back to the estate, but were surprised to see that the manor was a hive of activity. Servants were pinning small lamps in the trees lining the drive, whilst others were trimming and tidying up the garden. The reason for such activity became apparent when Matilda met us in the hall.
“We thought that tonight we’d throw you a bit of a party,” she said, clasping her hands. “And also to celebrate the fact the Samlin was declared to be a mageling today.”
Petre immediately went off in search of his little brother whilst the rest of us congratulated Matilda. I couldn’t help but think of Niko, Larni’s brother, who wanted to be a mage so much that he’d asked me to put a spell on him.
I frowned. Why was that memory so difficult to access? Niko. Larni’s little brother. He’s going to the magic tester soon...
Wait. Who’s Niko?
I was shaken out of my confusing thoughts as Sammy ran at me and catapulted himself up into my arms.
“It’s because of you,” he told me. “I’m going to be a mage because of you.”
“Why is that, young man?” I asked.
He stared back at me with eyes already beginning to turn the colour of storm clouds, the colour of Petre’s magic.
“Because of the lightning,” he replied, like I was stupid not to have noticed.
Before I could even begin to wonder what he was on about, Sammy was being chivvied out of my arms by his mother.
“Leave the girls alone, Samlin,” she chided. “They need to go and get dressed for tonight.”
Yasmin took that as a cue to begin to pull me up the stairs. She ignored my protests, and Rain quickly took up my other side.
“You are the belle of tonight’s ball,” Theresa told me as I was pulled backwards up the stairs by the other two. “Well, it’s not exactly a ball, but this night is for you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I retorted, not even trying to struggle against their iron grips. “It’s for all of us. We all repaired the bridge. We all destroyed the dam.”
“Yes, but you’ve saved two lives,” Yasmin reminded me as we reached the bathroom. “So you can fuss and complain all you want, but this night is for you.”
I couldn’t do anything but pull a face, which they all ignored as they seated me on a chair in the middle of the bathroom. Dena set about washing my hair again, patiently removing bits of river muck from it – “You could make a living out of getting your hair disgusting.” – And brushing it smooth. It had grown since we’d started our schooling at the Academy; it now reached the small of my back when I let it hang loose.
Artfully, she twisted it on top of my head and secured it with the pin that I’d had in my hair the day I rescued Sammy. I held my breath as she pinned it, hoping she didn’t notice the missing charm; I still didn’t want her to know where it had come from, for reasons I couldn’t fathom just yet. I let my eyes flutter, and I was almost asleep as Rain began painting my face with makeup.
I did fall asleep. I woke up to Dena telling me to put my tunic dress and tights on. I began to wake up as the others got ready. I’d just pulled on my ankle boots (my other ones were lost in the river – how was I going to explain that to Jett?) when we were summoned downstairs.
The transformation of the manor house was stunning. Garlands of flowers hung everywhere and candles glimmered on every surface. The dining room had been transformed into a dance hall, the large table replaced by smaller ones around the edge and a band. People milled throughout the hall, and as such we were able to enter relatively unnoticed. I tucked into the food as soon as I saw it, savouring the succulent tastes. In fact, I’d just put a cherry tomato in my mouth when Lord Hugh ascended to the band’s dais to begin his speech.
“Good evening, my friends,” he began, sweeping his arms wide. He was wearing a sweeping crimson cloak that made him seem twice as large. “I thank you for joining us on such short notice. We’ve gathered everyone here tonight to celebrate the return of my youngest son, Samlin, and the vanquishing of the evil that has stalked our lands for the past few weeks,” I winced at ‘vanquishing’, chewing the tomato furiously. “My son and his friends join us from the Stanthor Academy, where Samlin will be headed in just a few short years to commence his education,” there was polite applause which I joined in enthusiastically, still working the tomato out of my cheek. “And it is them we have to thank, not only for the safe return of my son and the slaughter of the Du’rangor, but for the repair of the bridge to Nurmin as well.” There was more applause as everyone swivelled towards us, beaming. Deeming the situation safe, I popped another cherry tomato in my mouth just as Lord Hugh said: “But I’ve been informed that the particular person I have to thank for the return of Samlin is Sky,” he gestured towards me, and everyone turned to look at me, smiling. I attempted to smile back at them.
You do not, I thought frantically, have a cherry tomato in your mouth. You will not show people that you have a cherry tomato in your mouth. You will not bite down on the cherry tomato and make people think your tongue is bleeding.
When everyone turned away, I almost swallowed the cherry tomato whole in my relief.
The music started again as Lord Hugh held his hand out to his wife, clearly asking her to dance. Everyone cheered as she took his hand, blushing and supporting her stomach,
and whirled out onto the dance floor.
More people began to dance as I helped myself to more food. I watched Petre shyly offer his hand to Rain, who blushed furiously but then accepted it. I watched them dance for a little until I accepted a glass of wine from a passing waiter, and then headed up the stairs that I knew would take me to the roof.
I leant against the parapets, sipping from the glass. The moon was a sliver in the sky, and I turned my face up to it. When Petre spoke behind me I almost dropped my glass over the edge in fright.
“You know, I was the first mage in fifty years to be born to the House of Lyon,” he said, sauntering up next to me with his hands in his pockets. “I was spoilt beyond belief; anything I wanted, I got. When I started at the Academy this year, I thought my parents were going to burst with pride.”
I sipped wine as I wondered where he was going with this.
“And because of that, I might have, just a teeny bit, looked down on all the human born mages,” he dipped his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Sky. I haven’t always treated you with the respect you deserve.”
“Don’t apologize,” I told him quietly. “You never hit me with a fire whip when I told you having slaves was wrong,” I twitched as something blinked through my mind. “You never resented me in class when I got better grades than you.”
“Regardless, I didn’t treat you as you should have been. You’re a hero, Sky. No, really,” he protested as I made a noise and turned away. “You have courage beyond anything any of us has shown.”
“I don’t want to be a hero.” I mumbled into my glass.
He grinned and patted me on the shoulder.
“I don’t think you get a choice in the matter,” he said. “Now come here. Hug me before I get pulled back down to dance with Rain again.”
I hugged him tightly. For the first time since I’d met him, I truly appreciated having him as a friend.
The party wore into the night, and I groaned as I rolled into my bed, noticing that dawn was breaking. We were going to have to ride hard to get back to the Academy within the time frame. I wondered if Echo would notice if I fell asleep in the saddle, something which had a very good chance of occurring.
We woke the next morning, packing a breakfast that we could eat as we rode. Sammy was tearful as we began to leave. When I hugged him goodbye, he looped his arms around my neck and pressed his little face against my shoulder. Tears began to flow as he leant back to look at me.
“None of that,” I said, letting him wipe his eyes on my shirt. “No crying for the big strong mage.”
That made him smile. Just as I put him back down on the ground, he pulled me close and pulled something out of his shirt. He opened his hand, showing me the charm that I’d tossed him that day I’d rescued him from the Du’rangor.
Our eyes met, and I nodded, as though telling him he was allowed to keep it. He tucked it back into his shirt and went to his brother to say one final goodbye.
“Goodbye, dear,” Matilda said, hugging me tightly. “Remember, you can stay here anytime you want to get away from those two old biddies.”
I laughed at her name for Iain and Netalia.
“Look after my namesake, Matilda,” I said, tears in my eyes. “I’ll come visit her one day, I promise.”
“You better,” her eyes crinkled, sparkling with tears. “Oh, come here.”
She hugged me one last time, and the tears were flowing freely as I pulled myself into Echo’s saddle. Lord Hugh came over to me as we prepared to ride out.
“Thank you, Sky,” he said, looking up at me. “You’ll never be forgotten in the House of Lyon.”
He kissed my knuckles and then turned my hand over and laid something in it. I opened my fingers to reveal a bright red cherry tomato. I looked up to see his eyes sparkling with mirth.
“You did it on purpose,” I realised, grinning widely. “That could’ve been disastrous, Lord Hugh.”
“Please, just Hugh from now on,” and then he added with just a touch of seriousness. “My Lady Sky.”
As we rode away, out of the drive and onto the roads, I realised that I’d really miss Riverdoor. Though our time here had been short, I’d felt I’d discovered more about myself. We may be missing out on our magical education at the Academy, but we’d learnt more about each other and ourselves than we ever would back at our school.
And, I decided, it was all worth it.
Soul Fire Page 34