“Oh, that silly girl… how I shapeshift is easy. The thing is, most people have an attachment to a particular shape, and that makes it hard for them to take another. They gravitate toward it. For me, I don’t have that. Male, female, or somewhere in between… it doesn’t matter to me. I change as the mood strikes me, and even change to be like a human or elf when it feels right,” Jael replied easily and shrugged. “That’s all that matters to me. Maybe one day the whim will strike me to take the shape of a dragon or a roc, and I’ll be able to take their form. In my view, shapeshifting is true freedom. If someone can’t accept me like this, what’s the point of associating further? I am who I am.”
“I guess I can understand that. I was… horribly injured not too long ago, and my healing has led to a dramatic change in reactions to me. Many people who avoided me have started to change, and it’s been somewhat… strange,” Ruethwyn admitted, blinking as she looked at Jael. “Does that make any sense?”
“Of course it does! I don’t expect people to accept me as I am, though I prefer it. That isn’t fair to them. You should feel the same, as far as I’m concerned. If someone couldn’t accept you when you were injured, should you really pay attention to them if they approach you now?” Jael asked, tilting her head curiously. “Not to say that you should reject them outright, but I think it makes sense if you did.”
Ruethwyn felt her sense of balance returning, and after a moment she smiled and nodded. “I think you’re right. Some people… they might just not know any better. Others are more malicious, but I can try to avoid them.”
“Great! So, about that offer of mine… I really do know a lovely place to view the stars and get to know one another,” Jael said, smiling broadly as she casually began balancing on one foot. “With clothing on, even. I know how I sound, but I’m really not quite that promiscuous, even if you are incredibly cute.”
“Um, I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ruethwyn replied, blushing as she bit her lip. It didn’t help that Umbra was silently urging her to take the offer, while feeling quite entertained by Ruethwyn’s panic. “While you’re a bit interesting, I’m afraid my life is a little… complicated at the moment. Romantically.”
As she spoke, Ruethwyn thought about both Korima and Sella, as well as her murky feelings about Anara. She had a harder time remembering exactly what Anara looked like these days, but that was only natural. More surprising was when the thought of Anara brought Essryl to mind, and Ruethwyn couldn’t help but shiver at the thought. With at least two people who liked her, she really didn’t need a complication like this.
“Oh? How so?” Jael asked, hopping from her foot up onto the railing of the porch, crouching on it with incredible balance. Ruethwyn could hardly imagine the work that would take, and Jael had just changed into that shape.
“Well, I know Korima is interested in me, and I think Sella, the other elven woman who came with us, might be as well,” Ruethwyn said, then hesitated before adding. “I also have someone else I need to clear things up with, but she isn’t anywhere nearby. I’ve never been one for relationships, so all of this has me off-balance.”
“I see, well that’s a shame. Understandable, though,” Jael said comfortably, rocking back and forth slightly as her ears flicked regularly. “It sounds messy… so tell you what, if it all ends in tears and everything doesn’t work out, why don’t you come back and say hello. We might be compatible, after all.”
“Um, maybe? I really can’t make any promises at the moment. You did come out of nowhere, as far as I’m concerned,” Ruethwyn pointed out, but her nerves eased as the woman laughed, smiling warmly in return as she hopped down from the railing.
“True enough! I didn’t think about it that way, but I can see what you mean,” Jael replied, nodding. “I hope you have a good morning. I’ve got a deer to run down for the dinner later. See you tonight!”
With that, Jael sprang off the porch, and in mid-leap she turned into a gigantic fox. Ruethwyn still couldn’t make out the color of her fur, but she wasn’t black, that much she could tell before the fox bounded off into the night like lightning.
A sense of teasing regret spread from Umbra, and Ruethwyn shook her head, speaking aloud. “Oh, shush, you. Let’s just enjoy the night, please?”
Umbra acquiesced, and Ruethwyn turned her gaze to the sky again.
Hekara could hardly suppress the urge to pace in frustration. Even so, she did force herself to refrain as her rage burned within. While she wanted nothing more than to rush out and wreak savage vengeance on Ruethwyn, the decision wasn’t hers at the moment. She glanced over at the man in the center of the cave and a thread of fear ran through her. Not because of the man himself, but because of who he represented.
Adam Scarth was tall and thin, with a body that was wiry, yet strong. He wasn’t the most handsome man, with ears that seemed ever so slightly too large, but he was modestly attractive, she supposed. It was his eyes that drew attention the most, since the iris were the color of blood, and those signified a connection to Larimos that Hekara couldn’t ignore. He wore simpler clothing than normal since they’d been traveling, and as she watched, he was staring into the eyes of the hawk he’d brought with him from the south.
Even so, as powerful as Adam might be, and as powerful as his patron was, he didn’t strike nearly the level of fear into Hekara that Essryl did. Hekara had underestimated the dark elf immensely, she knew now. Essryl had overpowered her easily, and for one who could sense mana, it was too obvious that Essryl had still been holding back. That was an enormous part of why Hekara had left.
“They have reached the kitsune village,” Adam spoke at last, looking away from the hawk to meet Hekara’s gaze coolly. “I expect they will be staying for several days, which gives us time to prepare and for my reinforcements to position themselves.”
“Why wait that long? We have plenty of attackers, and you and I are quite powerful ourselves,” Hekara asked, holding back the impulse to demand they attack immediately.
“Because I prefer to be certain of victory. Kitsune are noted illusionists and mind magi, so it’s possible some of them are hiding their true capabilities,” Adam explained calmly, as if they were discussing the weather or something else unimportant. “Additionally, the students who we both wish to deal with have set back My Lady’s plans once, and also defeated an empowered agent. That is something I do not take lightly, Hekara. If we’re going to attack them, I wish to be certain of success. Your… pets, while useful, are not powerful enough to provide the assurance I require.”
At the last, he looked toward the back of the cave, and Hekara followed his gaze. She’d been surprised that the man could cause hellhounds to look and smell like mundane dogs, and the two dozen hellhounds looked up from their meal, a pair of elven foresters who’d chosen the wrong area to explore. Hekara was annoyed, but had to admit that he was right, as she glanced at the dozen men and women in the corner, each of them shrouded in cloaks and almost reeking of blood.
“Very well. How much time do we have before you’re ready?” Hekara asked, taking a deep breath. “I have a more powerful ally, but taking him away from his duties for a long period would have been counterproductive. Summoning him will take some time, and I want to have my full power available when I face Ruethwyn this time. Last time she caught me when I was weakened and had a rift at my back. This time will be different.”
“I’m certain that you believe that. Do not grow overconfident, however,” Adam replied, looking out the front of the cave, then nodded. “After dusk tomorrow. We’ll strike at night, as that should allow us to catch many of them asleep. It’s unfortunate that both kitsune and elves have excellent night vision, but we can’t have everything.”
“I see. That should give me more than enough time for the summoning,” Hekara replied, dismissing his warning. While she knew it was true, she had a handle on the ice elemental Ruethwyn had summoned, and with her minions, she should be able to swarm the brat down.
&nbs
p; “Good,” Adam said, moving over to the corner to take a seat.
Hekara shook her head, then began searching for a good spot to create her summoning circle. She wanted to ensure she had the allies in place to finish ruining Ruethwyn’s life. In all honesty, Hekara would love to drag the girl back to her home plane, but what Essryl had told her about Resvarygrath and Sinera had led her to realize that it wasn’t an option.
She could make sure she died in pain, though.
Chapter 19
“Morning, Rue! I didn’t expect to see you up yet,” Korima chirped happily, smiling as she approached the guesthouse. Ruethwyn started to smile, then laughed as her friend darted forward to give her a hug.
“Good morning, Korima,” she replied, hugging her friend back briefly. Korima was carrying a towel, Ruethwyn noticed, but she continued. “I woke up quite early and decided to get up at that point.”
It was nothing but the truth, too. Ruethwyn hadn’t gone to bed, but as the first light had touched the horizon, she’d bid Umbra farewell. The village had started waking at that point, and Tadrick had come out for his daily exercises and sword practice. He’d been surprised to see her, too, which amused Ruethwyn, as well as slightly depressed her. It meant that she might have been sleeping in a little too much.
“Ah, of course. I sometimes have that happen when I’m away from a familiar bed, and it was strange coming back after a while. We don’t have as thick of cushions here,” Korima said with an understanding nod. “What about the other two? I see they didn’t burn down the house yet.”
“I’m pretty sure that their breakup was relatively amicable in the end,” Ruethwyn replied, shrugging. “They’re both up, I know that much. I’ve just been staying outside for the most part… it was a beautiful night and sunrise.”
“Fair! I just never know with those two. Sella can have a bit of a temper when she decides she’s upset,” Korima replied, nodding happily. “Now, how about we retrieve them, and we can go to the baths? A nice soak is always a good way to start the morning.”
“Ah, that would be good, wouldn’t it? I’m afraid I already bathed, but…” Ruethwyn grinned, then opened the door to poke her head inside. She could see the other two were up and dressed a bit more casually. When Korima bumped her from behind, though, Ruethwyn stepped fully inside and let Korima follow her.
“What? I didn’t think they started the boiler until a half hour ago, and the water is usually barely up to temperature by this point,” Korima said, looking confused.
“Hello, Korima, and good morning,” Sella said, smiling at Ruethwyn and the kitsune.
Ruethwyn cleared her throat and said, “Korima came to take us to the baths to start the day. As for me, Korima, I have a spell I use to clean when I’m not sure where baths are. I haven’t used it in a while, since we had them readily available at the academy and the various inns and homes on our way to the Frostglades and back. In fact, I’ve only used it when we were aboard the barge.”
“Oh. Well, that’s kind of disappointing,” Korima said, looking slightly crestfallen. It also sparked a tiny bit of suspicion for Ruethwyn, but she didn’t say anything.
“That does sound rather nice. A bath, I mean, not the spell. While it could be useful, I’m not sure it’s something I want to focus on right now,” Sella said, setting aside the book she’d been writing in and standing up.
Tadrick nodded, setting aside his armor as he did so. “Yeah, after this morning that’d be nice. I see you’ve got a towel, Korima, are there any for us at the baths, or do we need to bring our own?”
“There’s some in the closet at the end of the hall. It has some spare blankets, sheets, and things like that,” Korima explained promptly, gesturing down the hallway. “The bathhouse gets too misty, and we had problems with the towels not drying, then molding, I heard. It was before I was born, but we took to just bringing our own from home.”
“That’s sensible,” Sella agreed. “I wouldn’t have thought of it, but we don’t have bathhouses in Waterstone. Bathing rooms, but not a bathhouse. Come to think of it, we did have to clean those rooms because of mold fairly often…”
While she was talking, Tadrick had gone down the hallway and opened the closet. In short order, he returned, holding a towel and nodding as he looked it over. “It was right where you said it would be, Korima. Where’s the bathhouse?”
“Oh, it’s just behind the meeting house, the building we stopped in front of yesterday,” Korima explained. “Those are two of the three biggest buildings in town. Though the meeting house also contains the library, and it’s where the children are taught, too.”
“Wait just a minute, please?” Sella requested, quickly jogging down the hall to grab a towel, then stopping into her room. A moment later, she came out with a small basket of supplies and she smiled. “Alright, I’m ready.”
“Great! Let’s go, then,” Korima said, turning to leave the house, then paused and looked at Ruethwyn. “What’re you going to do, Rue?”
“I’m thinking to come along with. I’ll stay outside and think while you bathe, though. I had some insights this morning… I spent a couple of hours looking at the sky with Umbra, and I think a few things became clearer,” Ruethwyn replied, giving a casual shrug. “Nothing enormous, but I think I’m closing on fourth circle in the sphere of shadow.”
“Sheesh. Nothing enormous, when you’re that close to a new circle, and not a beginning one?” Tadrick’s voice was skeptical as he shook his head, following Korima outside.
“Yes, it isn’t anything enormous,” Ruethwyn retorted, glancing at him in exasperation. “You realize this is my first breakthrough since we met, yes? Unless you count my experience with artificing. Sella, how many circles have you gained in the past year?”
“Um, six? I think?” Sella said, considering for a moment, then shook her head. “No, nine. I’ve gained one in lightning, two in life, one in cloth, one in earth, one in fire, one in nature, and two in energy.”
Tadrick paused, obviously stunned as he looked at Sella, and Korima’s eyebrows rose. The kitsune murmured a moment later, “That’s really impressive. I’ve only gained five, but a couple of those were higher circles…”
“It’s what I call talent. Sella has a minor affinity for all forms of magic, which might not seem that impressive until she does something like that,” Ruethwyn said flatly, gesturing at Sella. “Yes, I’m gaining a fourth circle in shadow, and I’ve gained about the equivalent of three circles in artificing, though it’s not quite the same sort of training. I’ve told you before, Tadrick, without atavism I wouldn’t even be in the class. I had five additional years of training, and you’ve about wiped out most of those advantages. You’re splitting your training between that of a warrior and a mage, and you’re still, what, third circle in metal? Plus at least third in water, if I remember right, and second in nature and first in energy. I don’t know what else you’ve learned in specific, but I know that can’t be the extent of it.”
“Um, I’m on the verge of fourth in metal, but yeah. I’ve got a talent for nature and water, so those are easy,” Tadrick admitted, running his hand through his hair. “I guess I just… forget, sometimes.”
“It’s easy to do,” Korima agreed, still leading the way.
“Perhaps so, but maybe this will help. I’m seriously debating on whether or not to start on the trials of mastery after the trip to the Golden Dominion, assuming I succeed,” Ruethwyn said bluntly. “The only reason I might not is to make it easier to go through the library and not have many responsibilities to deal with. My first teacher, Sinera, thought I was about ready before Mellesyn was attacked.”
“Wait, seriously? I thought you were going to attend classes with us!” Sella protested, stopping suddenly.
They’d just come into sight of what Ruethwyn assumed was the bathhouse, considering the chimneys on the roof and the steam she could see coming out of them, as well as some smoke. A number of kitsune were going in and out, both male and female. S
till, her friends had stopped, so Ruethwyn did as well, sighing softly.
“That is another reason I’ve debated on delaying taking the trials. I don’t know what I’ll do yet, honestly. I’m not sure, but it’s also entirely possible that I have affinities now,” Ruethwyn explained patiently, raising a hand to look at herself closely. “I’m part ice fey, now, and I also have the dragon fire in my blood. Considering that I managed to summon Luminous, it’s entirely likely that I have an affinity for fire now, and I could see having an affinity for the sphere of ice or water, too. I don’t know for sure, to be honest, and I don’t want to experiment too much at the moment.”
“Hm, well, that… does seem reasonable,” Sella conceded, her tone grudging. “I just didn’t expect you to be thinking about leaving the classes.”
Snorting softly, Ruethwyn shook her head. “Based on what I’ve seen of you, I’ll bet all of you can get to the same point or pass the trials in three years or less. Let’s face it, a lot of our classmates were lazy before the attack over midwinter. If you really try, you can learn faster than the teachers expect you to.”
“That’s true. Navaan has been mixing attending political gatherings and learning more about the governing of the earldom in between his lessons at the academy, and he’s only been there for a decade,” Tadrick said, nodding. Since Navaan was working on his trials of mastery, he was a good example, Ruethwyn admitted internally. “If he really focused on it, he’d probably be a lot farther along.”
“Right,” Korima said, grinning. “I know I’m not patient enough to wait that long. I’m going to learn to use fire magic as well as earth, and I’m going to graduate as quick as I can.”
“Makes sense to me,” Sella admitted, nodding thoughtfully. “I’m going to have to think about it. Shall we go in, though?”
The Obsidian Palace (Through the Fire Book 3) Page 18