“Interesting. I guess it can vary somewhat, though having to wait as long as you did to get your arm back must have had some effect. I’ve heard of other people who lost a limb before and had it regenerated, but all of those were within a month or so,” Cerid said, sitting back as his tail flicked slightly beside him. “I haven’t run into someone in your position before.”
“I hope you never have to,” Sella said, and grinned at Ruethwyn as she added, “She had to go through enough to get it fixed that I can’t imagine inflicting that on more people.”
“Agreed, the trip to the Frostglades was bad enough as it was,” Tadrick added.
Ruethwyn gave them both a level glare, then asked mildly. “Bad enough as it was? May I point out that the three of you followed me without telling me, and that my trip would have been uneventful if you hadn’t decided to put yourselves in danger? I’d just built my shelter for the night when I found out that I’d been followed, and the result wasn’t what I’d call fun.”
“Um, right, well…” Tadrick began, suddenly looking very sheepish. Cerid looked amused, on the other hand.
“Sorry, Rue,” Sella said, quickly bowing her head and keeping her tone apologetic. “It was a mistake, and one I want to make up for.”
“Good. How about not following me, next time, hmm? Or telling me first?” Ruethwyn replied, shaking her head.
“I see that Korima wasn’t the only one who decided to do something like that. I thought she might when she asked to go up to Waterstone, but Rithara assured me that she’d just do something more foolish if we forbade it,” Cerid said, smiling.
“I also said that if we forbade it, she’d grow more rebellious,” Rithara said, coming into the room again, this time without the apron. “There, food is on. Besides, Korima is old enough to make her own decisions and mistakes. Better to let her make the mistakes on relatively minor problems than to make her rebel and jump headfirst into a war or the like.”
Ruethwyn briefly wondered where Rithara was going to sit, expecting the woman to take one of the chairs, but instead she calmly walked over to Cerid, swept her tail out of the way, and calmly sat in his lap as he wrapped his arms around her waist. What startled Ruethwyn the most was how elegant and natural she made it look.
“Now then, when Korima sent a letter ahead to us, she mentioned that you were going to want to ask for a meeting with the ancestors. May I ask why?” Rithara inquired, looking at Ruethwyn calmly. “The two of us can take the petition to the council for a decision, but we need to know your reasons for it.”
“Oh, I would have thought she’d told you already,” Ruethwyn replied, blinking in surprise.
“No, likely because things like this are best shared in person. Letters can be read by others, after all,” Cerid said, shaking his head slightly. “While Korima is sometimes impulsive, she’s considerate when she has the chance to be.”
“Like when she decided to play with the children?” Sella suggested, grinning. “I know she could’ve gotten away, despite her protests.”
“Very true,” Ruethwyn said, then her smile faded as she looked at the two kitsune. It was strange seeing so many kitsune in the village, and so few elves, but she didn’t let it distract her much. Taking a deep breath, she began to explain. “I’m not sure if Korima told you, but I’m going into the Golden Dominion soon. I’m planning to try to rescue the other people from Mellesyn who were taken, even if it’s an exceedingly dangerous endeavor.”
“Ah. I had wondered, but it does explain a few of her comments. Perhaps my comment on Korima jumping into a war was a touch too accurate,” Rithara said, her tone musing.
“Quite possibly. I’m going to try to dissuade her from following me, but after the incident with the Frostglades, I don’t have much faith in that working,” Ruethwyn replied, prompting a soft chuckle from Tadrick. She ignored him and continued, a finger tapping on the armrest as she did so. “The problem that Korima pointed out is that I’m incredibly distinctive now, and I haven’t practiced with the mind or light spheres enough to create reliable, long-lasting illusions. Invisibility for a few minutes is about my limit, and I certainly haven’t figured out shapeshifting.”
“Ah, yes, that would be an issue,” Cerid agreed, frowning. “My apologies, but I can’t think of any country I’ve visited where you wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb.”
“There are likely a few, but I’m not certain,” Rithara agreed, still watching Ruethwyn. “If I’m interpreting your words correctly, that means that you’re coming to the ancestors for help, since kitsune have a natural talent for illusion and shapechanging. What I can’t figure out is how it could help you, since even the most powerful of us couldn’t cause another’s appearance to change for more than a handful of days.”
“I… didn’t realize any of you could create that powerful of an effect, if I’m being honest,” Ruethwyn replied, blinking in shock. Then she continued, starting to feel nervous. “No, that’s where my magical art comes into play. I have a form of magic called atavism, which allows me to create contracts with elementals and summon them inside me. I share thoughts, knowledge, and magic with them, and it allows me to use their innate magic… or to be more accurate, allows them to use their magic with my body as a vessel. The biggest limiting factor of atavism is the mana cost of summoning an elemental, but Korima suggested that your ancestors might be effectively elementals, and they’re native to this plane. If one of them was willing to aid me, I might be able to maintain atavism with them practically indefinitely. I’m not expecting them to, mind you, but I thought it wasn’t a bad idea to ask about.”
“Interesting. I’m going to have to ask for a few more details, but that’s for later. I hear Korima coming, and it’ll likely take some time to get her settled in,” Rithara said, gracefully standing up again.
“I’ll be happy to explain more. The gift for atavism isn’t common, and it’s nearly unique at this point, if not entirely unique,” Ruethwyn replied, smiling as she stood. “I don’t blame you for having questions.”
The sound of panting from the front door prompted Ruethwyn to turn, and a moment later Korima stepped into the house, carrying her luggage and breathing hard. The sight of her caused Ruethwyn to stare, though.
Korima’s dress was torn in at least three places, and the lower half of the skirt was covered in dirt, dust, and a variety of colors of hair were scattered over it. The kitsune’s hair was mussed as well, and what looked like a bruise was forming on her right arm, which might have been from a bite by the look of it. Ruethwyn had never seen her friend looking so disheveled, but despite that, she was grinning broadly.
“Hi, Mother, Dad! I managed to escape the miniature monsters, despite every attempt they made to keep me there,” Korima said enthusiastically, then gave Ruethwyn and the others a mock scowl as she added. “And that’s despite Dad abandoning me to them, and all of you going with him.”
“You were enjoying yourself and I didn’t want to interrupt,” Cerid replied complacently. “Besides, it gave plenty of time to get your friends into rooms in the guesthouse, and also to have a short conversation with them.”
“Ah, so that’s what you were after,” Korima said, setting her bags down and looking at the others. “So, what do you think? This is the Lightweaver Enclave, and my home!”
“It’s nothing like what I expected. I don’t know what I expected, but this certainly isn’t it,” Ruethwyn said, then smiled wryly as she added, “On the other hand, I’ve also never read a book on kitsune, so that doesn’t help at all. It’s a nice town, though, and everyone seems friendly.”
“It’s also much bigger than I thought it was. I thought you said the town wasn’t that big, but it feels like a small city to me,” Sella added, looking around and tilting her head. “I’m also trying to decide for sure, but I think I like the houses. The one I grew up in was nice, but the open space inside… it feels good.”
“It’s also a pain to heat in the winter, be warned,” Cerid i
nterjected, chuckling. “There’s a reason we’ve got space for so many wall hangings.”
“I like it, Korima. I haven’t had a chance to look around, but I like what I see,” Tadrick said, slowly standing up and stretching. “That said, what’s the plan for today?”
“I’ve put Korima’s favorite chicken and ginger soup on to cook, and we’ll have a light conversation before letting you get some rest,” Rithara said calmly. “We’ll convene the council tonight to discuss Ruethwyn’s request, and we should have a decision for you tomorrow or the next day.”
“That sounds good,” Sella said, smiling and looking at Korima. “Chicken and ginger, is it?”
“Hey, it has other things in it, too! Carrots, and other things when they’re in season,” Korima said, her tone defensive. After a moment of hesitation, she admitted, “Mostly chicken, though.”
That prompted laughter from pretty much everyone, and Ruethwyn smiled, shaking her head. She did treasure the moment, though, considering how soon she’d be heading into danger.
With or without the help of the kitsune ancestors, Ruethwyn was going to try to rescue Anara and the others.
As she thought that, Ruethwyn missed the subtle look of concern that Cerid and Rithara exchanged.
Chapter 18
Ruethwyn woke up early, and for just a moment, she didn’t remember where she was. The bed was harder than she was used to, as it was formed of a couple of pads over a board backing, and most of the beds she’d slept on were thicker pads of rushes. Those tended to smell musty, though, where this didn’t.
She looked upward into the shadows, trying to fall back asleep, but her mind had already started working. The previous night had been fun, if odd. Cerid and Rithara had embarrassed Korima with a few tales of her childhood, and in revenge for their laughter, Korima had told her parents about some of the mistakes that Ruethwyn, Sella, and Tadrick had made. She’d taken pleasure in relaying the tale of Tadrick’s fight with Essryl, to Ruethwyn’s amusement.
Eventually they’d returned to the guesthouse, but it’d taken Ruethwyn a while to fall asleep, and now she’d woken early. There hadn’t been the cry of a rooster or anything like that, so it couldn’t be dawn yet, especially not with how dim it was through the cracks around the shutters.
With a sigh, Ruethwyn slowly sat up, murmuring. “I guess I should just get up. There’s no point to staying in bed if I can’t sleep.”
She got up and found a simple set of robes, though she didn’t put them on yet. Instead, she cast the simple washing spell Sinera had taught her. It conjured water and, using a bit of soap she was holding, washed herself thoroughly as she stood there before causing the water to vanish. Blinking, Ruethwyn found herself even more awake after that and shook her head at herself. She should’ve known that would happen.
She got dressed quickly, finding her shoes as well. They were looking a bit worse for wear, she noted sadly. The shoes were one of the last things she had from Mellesyn, aside from a handful of keepsakes she’d left in her chest at the academy. For a moment, she debated on whether or not to put on her wand sheath, but finally she put it on, as well as the rest of her enchanted jewelry. Only once she’d combed her hair did Ruethwyn slip out into the common room, and from there, outside.
There wasn’t a hint of dawn on the horizon yet, and Ruethwyn looked up at the stars and paused, marveling at how vivid they were. The moon was a lonely crescent, though she knew it was still growing for the month. It was so peaceful outside that she took a moment to breathe in deeply, then smiled and reached out mentally as she murmured, “Umbra, care to join me?”
Like a blanket of darkness, Ruethwyn felt the elemental slip into her body, and the purple patterns that arced across her skin created a faint glow across the porch of the guesthouse. For a moment, the elemental seemed confused, but Ruethwyn smiled and shook her head.
“No, Umbra, I didn’t call you because I was in trouble, or because I had something specific to do. I just woke up early, in the midst of the night,” she explained, then nodded up at the sky. “I saw how beautiful the night was and wanted to share it with you.”
Umbra’s confusion vanished, and Ruethwyn could feel her pleasure, amusement, and appreciation as the elemental settled in and began drinking in the night as well. As she did so, Ruethwyn thought back on her interactions with elementals, musing over them and their relationships with her.
All her elementals were female, so far as she knew. Sinera had said it was to help ensure that they were mentally compatible. It’d be awkward to try to go into avatar form with a male elemental, from Sinera’s point of view, and the expression on her teacher’s face had dissuaded Ruethwyn from asking if that had been learned from experience or not. Even so, each of the elementals were unique, and of the ones with advanced intelligence, it was Umbra that struck Ruethwyn as the most… alien, in some manner. Umbra was mostly silent, and Ruethwyn wasn’t sure if they’d exchanged more than a dozen words in all their time knowing one another. Instead, Umbra was a quiet, supportive presence. Sinera had called her something like the comforting presence of shadow, unlike the more common shadows that people feared. The difference was that Ruethwyn hadn’t found much about those differences in books she’d read, though truthfully, she hadn’t exactly gone looking for them. There was much she didn’t know.
Umbra seemed to be growing curious at Ruethwyn’s thoughts, though, and Ruethwyn shrugged, murmuring. “I don’t know why I’m thinking about this, Umbra. Maybe because Sinera is gone, and I don’t have her to teach me anymore. I can’t rely on her to show me how to move forward, and now that I’m not… broken, I can focus on it. It could be the changes to me, too, and what I’m about to do. I have no idea what the fox spirits are like, after all.”
A flicker of understanding flashed through Umbra, then a warning. Ruethwyn tensed, then relaxed as she saw a kitsune round the corner. He was handsome-looking, though the dim light made it difficult to tell for sure, and he wore a loose tunic with the upper laces half-undone and tight trousers. There was no way to determine what color his hair was in the lighting, other than dark, but his ears were perked up.
“Why, hello! I was surprised to hear someone else was up already,” the man said, smiling and nodding, then tilted his head slightly. “Though you’re a bit different than I was told. I think I’d have been told if someone had glowing tattoos.”
“Good evening, or morning. I woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep,” Ruethwyn said, nodding politely to him. “As that was the case, I chose to get up and enjoy the night. Also, these aren’t tattoos; they’re markings which show I’m using one of my magical arts.”
“I see, it would explain why the description of you was off, then. I was a touch confused,” the young man agreed, looking up at the sky and adding, “It is a beautiful night, isn’t it?”
“That it is,” Ruethwyn agreed, looking up as well.
For a long minute they looked up, the silence between them easy, almost companionable. Umbra enjoyed the silence and peace, Ruethwyn knew. Still, eventually she asked, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Go right ahead,” he replied calmly.
“What are your ancestors like? I might be meeting them, and all I know is a tiny bit that I heard from Korima, where those kitsune who reach about a quarter-millennium undergo the Changing, where they transform either into spirit foxes or elders, but I don’t know what that means,” Ruethwyn explained. She ignored Umbra’s amusement at the question, since she knew the elemental wasn’t going to be much help.
“Ah, I see. Our ancestors… well, they’re somewhat distant and mostly reside in the Spirit Forest. We’ve dedicated it to the Sable Lady, and it’s more comfortable for them. Spirit foxes are immaterial most of the time, but they retain who they were in life and seem to gain a different perspective, while the elders tend to have silver hair and their magic grows stronger,” the young man said, smiling at her slightly as he continued. “They give advice to us, help protect us, and
guide us where they can. At least until the Fading, when they either grow weary or choose to pass on and go to the Sable Lady’s embrace. Personally, I might choose to go into the Fading immediately.”
“Oh. I didn’t know about the… Fading,” Ruethwyn said, blinking slightly. She hadn’t thought about the actual death of kitsune, since it hadn’t really come up.
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” he replied, smiling as he turned toward her. “Still, it is a lovely night, and it’d be a shame to waste it. Would you like me to show you around, lovely lady?”
The request made Ruethwyn blink, then, even through the serenity Umbra granted, she flushed and shook her head. “Ah, my name is Ruethwyn. As to that… thank you for the offer, but no. I’m really not interested in men.”
The young man didn’t seem fazed at her refusal, and instead he smiled as he spoke. “Is that all? Well, it’s easy enough to fix.”
Before Ruethwyn could do anything, his face and body shimmered… and he lost a couple of inches of height as he became a she, hair growing out to just past her shoulders and shirt filling up quickly, the loose laces showing a hint of cleavage. The pants grew emptier, and Ruethwyn almost gawked at the pretty young woman who was smiling at her. She’d never seen someone shapeshift that smoothly, not even when Korima changed into the shape of a fox.
“See? It only took a moment,” the woman said, her voice similar, but with a softer tone to it and a near-purr beneath the words. “Is this better?”
“Um, that… was unexpected,” Ruethwyn replied, taking a half-step back. A moment later, a memory sparked, and she asked hesitantly. “Are you Jael?”
“Ah, you’ve heard of me! I guess Korima talked about me, then? What did she say?” Jael asked eagerly, taking a step closer as her eyes practically shone with the hazel-amber color that most animals seemed to have.
“Ah, she said that you were a person who could shapeshift more easily than anyone else she knew, and that no one was entirely sure what your original appearance or gender even was, anymore,” Ruethwyn said, taking a deep breath and swallowing. This wasn’t what she’d expected when she’d come outside.
The Obsidian Palace (Through the Fire Book 3) Page 17