The Obsidian Palace (Through the Fire Book 3)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Well, I’m not doing it just to show all of you. I decided that I like being a girl, thank you. There were a couple of interesting aspects to being a guy, but it wasn’t worth the price I’d have to pay,” Korima said, shaking her head firmly. “Not that it’s much of a price, it’s just… weird.”

  “If you say so,” Sella said, looking a bit perplexed.

  At almost that moment, Ruethwyn saw a flicker of movement as light bounced off a bald head, and she turned to see Master Mara approaching the gates at a brisk pace. He had a frown on his face, which was normal for when he’d been interrupted. Master Mara always said that he valued his time, so she wasn’t surprised if he was frustrated at the moment. She’d rather she wasn’t stuck outside the gates as well.

  “Korima, Sella, Tadrick… and who do we have here? You look familiar, but I’d recognize someone as distinctive as you, I’d think,” Master Mara said, frowning as he looked at Ruethwyn.

  “Oh, please tell me that you’re joking, Master Mara? I told the guards who I was!” Ruethwyn protested, and saw the teacher’s eyebrows rise as she did so. “It’s me, Ruethwyn! I know that I’ve changed physically, but I hope I haven’t changed that much!”

  “It’s her, Master Mara,” Tadrick said, grinning slightly. “Even if she did underestimate the issues it’d cause.”

  “Ruethwyn, is it? Well, it does sound like you, and I can see something of a resemblance, but that doesn’t mean that it’s you. Even if your friends vouch for you,” Master Mara said, his frown fading slightly. “That being the case, what did we do once you exited the Hall of Trials?”

  “The Hall of Trials? Well, that depends on what you mean. First, we had the interruption by Essryl, then she gave my eye back, and we went to have tea and discuss the Illisyr,” Ruethwyn said, giving the highlights of that day, then frowning. “I can go into more detail if you want, but that’s most of what I remember, aside from waiting for the others to finish.”

  “Hm. No, that won’t be necessary. While I’m not entirely convinced, that’s enough for you to be allowed onto the grounds to give a better explanation,” Master Mara said, nodding slightly. He looked at the guards and said, “The young lady is to be given provisional access to the grounds. I’ll make a final decision before the end of the day.”

  “Yes, Instructor Mara,” the mage said, his voice somewhat reedy but clear.

  “Now, come along. I need to get more details before making a proper decision, and it’s best not to have such in public,” Master Mara said, turning to head inside.

  As they followed, Sella spoke up. “Master Mara? Why are you skeptical? I mean, we’re with Ruethwyn, and we saw her show up after her transformation.”

  Stepping onto the grounds, Master Mara looked back and smiled at Sella. “A good question, Sella. The answer is simple enough… it’s entirely possible that you’ve been deceived. Fey are notorious for having tricksters among them, from mind readers to changelings that replace others. While unlikely, it’s possible. Tell me, has she used atavism since returning? Or has she shown other distinctive knowledge which only she would know? Even if she’s shown that knowledge, it’s possible to pluck such from the memory of others. I’m not going to risk the other students at the academy without need, and thus I need to perform a few tests.”

  Ruethwyn blinked at the explanation, and for a moment she was unhappy, but then she paused and thought about it. While she didn’t like the teacher questioning who she was, she had to admit that it made sense to check. If the guards had taken her at her word, it was all too likely that someone could easily infiltrate the academy, and that could be bad.

  “Um, I was going to say that that’s ridiculous, but… I haven’t seen Rue use atavism,” Korima said, frowning. “She smells mostly right, though!”

  “Be as that may, he has a point,” Ruethwyn said, frowning slightly. “I’m not happy to think about it, but he’s right. I could be something else pretending to be me… which is strange to think about.”

  “Maybe so. I don’t think that you’re a doppelganger, though, or a changeling,” Sella said, shaking her head. “I think Father would’ve had good odds of spotting something like that, and we’ve been together for days.”

  Ruethwyn was about to speak, but Tadrick interrupted, grinning as he spoke. “And beyond even that, Essryl also seemed to think it was you. As dangerous as she is, and as scared of her as you are, Rue, I’m fairly sure that she’d have figured it out if you weren’t yourself.”

  “Essryl was there?” Master Mara demanded, his stride hesitating as he half-turned to stare at them. “If that… no, we need to finish this in private. If that is true, it does help.”

  Ruethwyn couldn’t help a smile at his reaction. The mere mention of Essryl unnerved the teacher, which she found both interesting and slightly disturbing. Still, he hadn’t lost focus entirely, and in short order they found themselves guided into the main hall of the academy.

  The academy was different during the summer, with fewer students about. Ruethwyn had been here the previous summer, but the spring was a little different, and she was surprised to spot several servants on ladders, re-painting part of the wall above the doors to the library. She’d noticed some renovations going on the previous year during the summer months, but she hadn’t really known whether it was normal at the time.

  Soon they were in halls she was even more familiar with, though, approaching Master Mara’s office, and he unlocked it and stepped inside, gesturing for them to follow. “Come in. Let’s get this figured out, shall we? I don’t have that much time to waste.”

  “You always say things like that, Master Mara,” Ruethwyn replied mildly, stepping into the small, simple office. It hadn’t changed since her last visit, but that didn’t surprise her.

  “Because it’s true. Mastering magic is the work of a lifetime, not something you can do in mere decades,” Master Mara said, then pulled out a drawer and picked up a coin, which he tossed at Ruethwyn. “Catch.”

  Ruethwyn reflexively reached for the coin, but she was slightly slow. If it hadn’t been aimed at her chest, she would’ve missed it entirely, and instead she grabbed it as it bounced off. A flash of light as it hit her left hand caused Ruethwyn to flinch, and she looked at the rune-carved coin as she asked, her right hand moving belatedly, “What is this?”

  “That’s enchanted to cause minor discomfort to true fey, and to release light when it comes into contact with one. It would have changed somewhat if you’d been shapechanged as well, which I half-expected, even if you’re who you claim you are,” Master Mara replied, looking slightly surprised. “As that isn’t the case, I can relax slightly. I don’t think someone trying to impersonate you would’ve chosen to learn what you and I did after you finished the trials, but it’s possible.”

  “Perhaps so,” Ruethwyn said, examining the coin closely for a moment. The runes carved into its surface were intricate, and she only recognized a few of them, mostly the generic ones for detection and light. It definitely told her that she had plenty more to learn where artificing was concerned. After a moment, she offered it back to Master Mara. “Here you are. I don’t recognize most of the enchantments; you have my compliments.”

  “I’ll pass that along to Vrenne; she’ll be pleased to hear it,” the teacher replied dryly, then nodded at the two chairs on their side of the desk as he took the coin and put it back. “Sorry I don’t have enough chairs, but why don’t a couple of you take a seat? I’ve already determined that none of you are mentally controlled at the moment, or if you are, it’s subtler than I can detect.”

  “Um, well, sure, that makes sense,” Ruethwyn said, blinking at him. She hadn’t noticed him checking for that kind of influence, but she supposed it was smart to do things like that. After a moment, she looked at the others and said, “Korima, Sella? Why don’t you two sit? I’m just nervous enough that doesn’t seem like a good idea, personally.”

  “If you’re sure…” Korima said doubtfully, but she sat down read
ily enough.

  Sella hesitated for a moment, but when Tadrick pulled out the chair for her, she sat slowly, clearing her throat and looking like she was going to speak, then didn’t.

  “So, what exactly happened? Not from Ruethwyn, mind you. I want to hear from the others,” Master Mara said, settling into his chair and watching them. “The last I heard, Ruethwyn was going to the Frostglades on her own, yet it sounds like that wasn’t what happened.”

  “Um, well…” Tadrick began, and Ruethwyn couldn’t help a smile at his hesitant tone.

  “We decided to follow her without permission,” Korima spoke up bluntly, smiling at the teacher as she continued to bull through her explanation. “We had some problems, involving something called a wisp, but Rue came back and rescued us before Tadrick and I could die, and kept Sella from being imprisoned for a season by redcaps.”

  “I wasn’t imprisoned!” Sella interjected. “It was similar, but not quite that. I would’ve had to cook and clean for them for that period.”

  “Eh, close enough,” Korima brushed off the protest as Master Mara’s expression darkened, and the kitsune continued. “Rue got us out, and in the process, we got a guide to Valisair. It was really, really neat! When we got there, though, Essryl was already there, and said she’d been waiting for us. We went to the guest quarters, then Rue went to see the Tower Lord, whoever that is, and one of the fair folk came to tell us that she was undergoing a test to get help, and it might take a while. Rue showed up like that two days later, and then we packed up to come back.”

  Master Mara stared at Korima for a moment, then sighed and looked at the other two as he asked. “Sella, Tadrick? While that was an astoundingly brief explanation, was what Korima said accurate?”

  “Um, essentially? There were a lot more details to what happened, but that’s about the size of things, yes,” Sella agreed. “They did explain that Ruethwyn had gained their aid, and that she was being reborn and would look different, too. The situation was complicated, from what I could tell, but it seemed like they were telling the truth.”

  “I see. And what, precisely, was Essryl doing there?” Master Mara asked.

  “That… well, as far as we can tell, she just wanted to see Rue, and figure out what she was going to do. Once Rue came back, she seemed really happy about it and warned that the next time they met, they’d be enemies,” Sella said, fidgeting. “She seemed even happier about that part, oddly.”

  “I see,” Master Mara murmured, then looked at Ruethwyn. For a long moment, he was silent, then he sighed and shook his head, asking. “What happened to you, Ruethwyn?”

  “I can’t tell you most of it. The fey are extremely particular about their oaths, and they don’t want people coming to them for help lightly,” Ruethwyn replied, her heartbeat quickening slightly as she thought back on things, considering for a long moment. Finally, she spoke softly. “I went through the tests, and I was given several choices. In my opinion, this was the best of them, since it allowed me to regain my magic and body at the same time. I also think that everyone has been underestimating the fair folk.”

  “Underestimating them?” Master Mara asked, raising his eyebrows skeptically. “I know they’re quite powerful. Otherwise why would the Golden Dominion have left them alone for this long?”

  Ruethwyn shrugged and smiled at him, keeping her tone as relaxed as she could. “Perhaps so… but I don’t think you’re giving them as much credit as they deserve.”

  “Hm. An odd statement. Still, what precisely happened to your body?” Master Mara asked. “Your aura has changed, and it seems like you have more mana than you did before.”

  “Even if I understood the details, I couldn’t share those. However, based on how I feel, I think I can share my conjectures,” Ruethwyn told him, and at his nod, she shrugged and continued. “I suspect that some of my old body was used as part of powerful magic to grow a new body for me, one with predominantly fey blood. Then I believe my soul was moved to the new body, allowing me to completely bypass the damage that I’d taken. As the cursed injuries were attached to the burns I’d sustained, they wouldn’t come with.”

  “Ah, that would explain at least some of the alterations. I’ve heard of magi who can grow new bodies, though such is not without its perils. Transferring a soul even to an identical body is incredibly difficult from what I’ve learned, which makes your claim… interesting,” Master Mara said, looking at her thoughtfully. “If you can’t say how it was done, that leaves many more questions than it answers.”

  “I think it was a fey queen that did it,” Korima chimed in eagerly. “I chatted with the people who told us we were going to have to wait, and they spun a tale that I was allowed to share, since it was going to be made into a story. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but the description of the person they mentioned giving the reward to Rue sounds like one.”

  “A definite possibility. Fey monarchs are among the most powerful beings known,” Master Mara conceded with a nod.

  “Master Mara? Would it help if I summoned Umbra?” Ruethwyn asked, letting out a soft sigh. “The mana drain isn’t as bad as it once was, and it’d show that I’m still me.”

  “No it wouldn’t. It’d show you were capable of atavism, as I don’t know your elemental personally,” Master Mara refuted, but then he smiled and added, just as her exasperation was starting to grow. “But that would be good enough. Go ahead and do so, Ruethwyn.”

  Ruethwyn let out the breath she’d drawn to protest, giving the teacher an annoyed look, then shook her head and settled herself into the proper mindset. She hadn’t done this since she’d gained her new body, and a tiny part of Ruethwyn suddenly wondered if it’d still work. If it didn’t, that would ruin all her plans and leave her in a rather precarious position. Still, the mental formation seemed to form easily enough, and Ruethwyn smiled, reaching up to touch her forehead and let the magic kindle at the heart of the formation for a long moment. It was a stronger sensation than she remembered, and Ruethwyn could see the glittering whorls of light flowing across her skin. Magic spilled from her lips as she spoke softly. “Umbra, I call for your presence.”

  The feeling of silken shadows flowed into Ruethwyn, and at the same time, the whorls darkened to a deep purple as a presence took form within Ruethwyn. Umbra’s smooth thoughts betrayed the faintest hint of surprise at Ruethwyn’s new state, but it barely seemed to cause the elemental’s mood to ripple as she conveyed her greetings and congratulations.

  “Yep, that still looks creepy. Especially with her new complexion,” Tadrick muttered, and Ruethwyn’s eyes snapped fully open as she looked at him.

  “Creepy, is it?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. “Why would that be?”

  “Um, Rue? Your eyes are glowing a deep purple, your skin is pale, your hair is super-bright red, and you’ve got strange purple patterns on your skin. If I didn’t know better, I might think you were undead. It’d probably look better if you were wearing your enchanted dress, but in the brown one…” Korima let her voice trail off, and when Ruethwyn glanced at Sella, she nodded in agreement.

  “She’s right, Rue. It didn’t look like last time, since you had nearly black hair then, but I think that’s what makes it the strangest,” Sella explained, looking slightly guilty.

  “Well, such can be dealt with,” Ruethwyn replied calmly, and internally she altered the formation. Another ripple of surprise ran through Umbra, but the elemental didn’t object as they began to merge more fully.

  Ruethwyn heard a gasp from Tadrick, and she looked down to see her skin growing paler while the runes turned a deeper purple. Her hair darkened so it looked like wisps of pure black ink, while her fingernails followed suit. Her dress rippled and turned into a pool of darkness, looking somehow more elegant despite its unchanged cut, and Ruethwyn flexed her hand experimentally, feeling her thoughts merge entirely with Umbra’s. They could maintain the avatar state for about half an hour safely, she thought, her thoughts flowing smoothly.

&
nbsp; “Is this better? We thought that it would be interesting to see how the avatar state functioned with a new body,” Ruethwyn said, looking the others over and smiling slowly. “It appears to work quite well. The merging was slightly… smoother than we remember it being.”

  “We?” Master Mara asked, looking cautious for the first time. “Who is ‘we’?”

  “Am I Ruethwyn? Am I Umbra? In this state, our bodies and our thoughts are one, so no. We are both the same person. Thus, it stands to reason that we reference ourselves together,” Ruethwyn replied calmly, then tilted her head contemplatively, glancing at Tadrick and Master Mara. “Though we admit that there are some differences between us. Personal preferences… though they will not cause difficulties. It is an interesting factor to things.”

  “I… see. Well, you’re certainly using atavism. I can tell that you’re more powerful than I anticipated as well,” Master Mara said, frowning.

  “This body is capable of channeling far more elemental essence than Ruethwyn’s previous body could handle. This allows Umbra’s power to come through more easily, and to merge with Ruethwyn’s power,” Ruethwyn replied, raising a hand and considering for a moment before nodding. “Umbra is a fourth rank elemental, as mortals judge such things. With the current rapport between us, she’s capable of equaling a fifth rank elemental.”

  “That would explain why you seem more powerful than I believed previously. Well, I do believe that this proves your identity to my satisfaction. If you’re an infiltrator, you’ve put too much effort into getting the details right for me to see through,” Master Mara said, sitting back and letting out a breath.

  “We’re glad to hear it,” Ruethwyn replied, smiling slightly as she bid Umbra a silent farewell. The elemental gave a soft mental caress, and then she faded away and Ruethwyn’s appearance slowly turned back to normal. Ruethwyn blinked, then flushed and shook her head, speaking softly. “That’s always so strange afterward. Umbra’s attitude is… odd. What’s strangest is that she doesn’t like talking, not even to me.”